Firing my new 300 win mag

[thermaler]

Yesterday I went out for a second attempt at firing my new 300 win mag (re)build. The first session was aborted after the muzzle-brake decided it wasn't in the mood to party and imploded on itself on the second shot. Yesterday I made a second attempt and couldn't seem to get a grouping better than a few inches, so after just 10 shots I went home feeling a bit peeved. I decided to check everything to see if anything was loose--in reality it was a question of what WASN'T loose: the rail was loose, the scope rings were loose and the receiver screws were a bit loose.

Today's trip to the range was mainly to test new hunting loads for my 308 but I had my 300 win mag along just to collect some brass if I finished testing my reloads in time. The guy in the pit to my left whips out his 7mm mag and starts banging away--while the guy to my right is firing his 50 cal muzzleloader. Both of em give me that big-boomer grin after letting a few rounds go--so I decided if that's the way you roll I can play ball too and reached for my 300 win mag (with brake). : )

All I was doing was shooting to collect brass--but in the process I had a profound revelation: shooting a one-hole group really isn't all that hard if you just throw enough rounds at the target. : ) Here's 13 rds of Nosler factory 180 trophy hunters:http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s388/triggerpull/winmag_zps57f9823c.jpg (http://s1049.photobucket.com/user/triggerpull/media/winmag_zps57f9823c.jpg.html)Hopefully once I start hand-loading I'll be able to get better results.

[*tim*]

When I bought my 300 I had the same problem with things coming loose. I pulled every screw out and loctite everything

[wlleven]

On your first outing, what happened to your muzzle break ? I just installed one on my Hog hunter and I think everything is ok.

Did you install it wrong, and if so how ?

wll

[efm77]

"When I bought my 300 I had the same problem with things coming loose. I pulled every screw out and loctite everything"

I'll second that. I put loctite on all the screws and tighten them with a torque wrench to make sure I've got the right amount of torque on them. Nice grouping too by the way especially for 13 rounds. Good luck with your loads.

[Jetpig]

Yep! Good supply of locktite and powder!

[thermaler]

Roger that--I lock-tited and torqued down everything and yesterday I fired through about 40 rounds and everything is tight as a drum. : )
As for the brake it is a sordid tale but with a happy ending. I ordered a Kahntrol and when it arrived it seemed a bit loose but was told that was OK. The problem was even though I checked the ID of the muzzle port holes I didn't check the id of the muzzle clamp portion--mostly because of the split-half design with the 6 screws I didn't know how you could do that since it's not a full-diameter circle you are starting with. As it turned out, they had temporary help who packaged and shipped the wrong brake to me with a different muzzle-sleeve id. The second shot after I put it on the brake parted company and on the way off past the muzzle end the two halves of the solid aluminum clam-shells that clamp down around the muzzle end--with 6 metal screws--actually folded together! The forces involved to do that must be incredible.

The fellow at Kahntrol (Jim or Jerry?) didn't hesitate to make good by sending me out a new one. There's absolutely no doubt it significantly reduces felt recoil, my guess is around 50% or more and to me it feels like firing an AR 55fmj--but it certainly still goes BANG so that may take a bit of getting used to--especially for the shooters next to you. : )

[palerider338]

I can vouch for the Kahntrol brake...have one on my 112BVSS 30/06. Can put 200 pills down range in one outing...feels like my 10/22. The 90 degree ports are a lot less annoying to guys next to you than the 30 degree ones.
BTW...torqued mine to 60 in/lbs with the Fat Wrench.....still tight after 500 rounds down the tube.

[efm77]

Something else I do too especially on the harder kickers like the mags. I put a light coat of powdered resin on the inside of the rings when I'm installing the scope. Once they're torqued down with the resin in there it keeps a death grip on the scope so it doesn't slide under heavy recoil. Doesn't seem to damage them either. It leaves a ring of resin on the scope tube but a little alcohol or gun scrubber and it comes right off.

[Jetpig]

Something else I do too especially on the harder kickers like the mags. I put a light coat of powdered resin on the inside of the rings when I'm installing the scope. Once they're torqued down with the resin in there it keeps a death grip on the scope so it doesn't slide under heavy recoil. Doesn't seem to damage them either. It leaves a ring of resin on the scope tube but a little alcohol or gun scrubber and it comes right off.

Funny you brought that up. My Dad taught me to do that 40 years ago. Great tip!