300WM Long Range Hunter?

[Cam]

I want a rifle that I can shoot out to 500 yards and drop a deer, or elk. I am pretty set on caliber.

Main decisions are what stock rifle to buy and what would I really want to do to make it as shootable as possible.

My uncle has a Savage 300WM that he put in a custom stock and added a muzzle break to that I love to shoot. I am not into gunsmithing. That is why the Long Range Hunter has caught my eye. It seems to have exactly what I want right out of the box.

I also looked into a Remington 700 Long Range, but everything I have read on them is that they need a trigger and a muzzle break to get them accurate.

What do you all think?

Joe

[mtlivin]

Every Savage I own shoots to 500 within 1 MOA, but that is also with diligent handloading and many bullet/powder combos. I have a 114 calssic 300WM that shoots to 500 pretty good, but it kicks like a 300. The LRH would be a great option, you will still need to handload properly to be deadly at 500 every time which is what is required for long range hunitng. The remington will shoot very well I'd bet, the trigger may need some work and if you want a break expect to spend at least $200 added to the rifle cost.

I'd go with the savage LRH, if i wouldn't I would be on this forum!

[LongRange]

Cam...i dont own the LRH but i do own a 110BA in 300wm that shot 6" AR500 plate targets at 1010yds with the factory barrel...10 rounds shot back to back at 2 targets with 4 hits on 1 and 3 hits on 2 and the rest would have been kill shots as one moved the target and 2 hit the chain that the targets were hanging on...210SMKs...same riffle shot a 4" 5 shot group at 820yds...240g SMKs. i broke the barrel in with 150g fed factory ammo at 300yds and was getting 2-4" groups. personally id get the riffle,clean the barrel good then run JP bore cleaning compound through the barrel for 2 sets of 25 strokes to smooth things out then clean it again and shoot it with the ammo you plane to hunt with. if its shooting well pack it up till the hunt...dont clean it...ive seen a lot of guys sight in then clean and miss first shots because they cleaned...im not a hunter but spot for a bunch and love to tell them"told you so"!!

[Cam]

So I've done some more reading on this site, and a couple others, and I am not as scared to possibly switch barrels or replace a stock on a Savage. That being said, end result I want a 300WM, 26" barrel, with muzzle break and an adequate stock to help with the rest of the recoil.

My two newest thoughts are picking up a used Savage 30-06 from the gun store for $400 and build from there, or just buy the Savage 300wm LRH. The main hang up I have is that I have not been able to find somewhere I can actually get my hands on the Long Range Hunter. I'd like to see how carrying that things feels like. I'm a strong guy but Colorado has thin air...

What are your suggestions if I went the build route? What kind of costs could I generally expect?


Cam

[Robinhood]

You would do better to pick up a 7 rem mag. The Magazine just requires a slight mod if at all and the bolt head is what you need. The Rem mags are cheaper in my experience. If you do go this route you can find a barrel from 100 to 500 dollars depending on your finances.


There are several contributors that are from your area that might help you do the swap.

[keeki]

I've got a 110 fcp hs dm in 300wm had the muzzle threaded and a break put on it. Has a siii 6-24×50 lrmoa sitting on top of it that I have yet to even developed loads for lol. For the right price I would throw it on ya, but it can be expensive, or expensive to me anyways.lol