Help me decide on a caliber

[CarolinaShooter]

So I recently traded a pistol for a flatback Savage 110 in 7mmRem Magnum and I'm wanting to put a heavier barrel on it either a varmint contour or M40 contour. I'm a very impatient person and as I've been looking at suppliers inventories I have noticed that not many of them have what I want in 7mm rem mag. This has led me to consider switching to .300 win mag considering the more widely available barrels. I mean I know I could get a barrel made, but I prefer to have it within a couple weeks. In addition bullet availability is much better with .300 win mag plus I already shoot .308 so it seems to makes more sense to develop a load in both calibers using the same weight bullets. Anyway what does everyone else think? I want some opinions. Wait for a 7mm barrel or go with the .300? My main goal is to be able to shoot 1,000 yard silhouette I know both calibers are more than capable in this area. So far narrowed manufacturers down to Criterion, Shilen, then ER Shaw

[handirifle]

To me, the 308 will usually fare better with weights in the 165-168 range, for hunting anyway. I know long range target bullets are usually heavier. If this is a hunting rifle, I would stick to the 7mm and wait it out. Nothing will match between the 300 and 308, except possibly bullets, but the 300 comes alive with 180+ gr bullets.

[CarolinaShooter]

I wonder if the 178 gn Amax would work well in .300? If so I already have had it perform well in .308. This rifle isn't going to be used for hunting (well I might use it someday) this is why I'm not concerned about weight of a heavier barrel and stock.

[LongRange]

shilen select match 300WM...i shot out 2 of those barrels and both were tac drivers...6 out 10 hits on 6" targets at a 1010yds and both would shoot 8 to 10" groups consistently at 1000yds...and yes the 300 will shoot 178s my buddy shot them out to 1100yds.
my suggestion is to have a break installed and shoot the 200g to 220g bullets...one of my barrels loved 208g hornadys(shot out to 1845yds with hits on an 18"x18" target)the other barrel loved the 210 and 220g SMKs...210smks shot out to 1650yds.

[FW Conch]

My suggestion ... Build a 6.5 RSAUM GAP

Shoot and enjoy your 308 and 7mmMag while you are waiting for your stuff for the build to arrive.

JMHO-Good Luck-Good Shooting-Jim :-)

[yobuck]

Even if the 7mm barrel was available, the 300 win would still be the best choice for what you want to do.
As for long range hunting, i own 2 large 7mms but if i were starting over today, i wouldnt be owning any.
Location also plays a roll in those type decisions. As for bullets, start with 190s and work up not down and
dont hesitate to try the heavier ones in the 308 also.

[stomp442]

The 7mm or 300 mag will need to have a brake installed to shoot comfortably for any extended period of time. As far as caliber goes it all really depends on what bullet weight you intend to shoot. Both cartridges are maximized when shooting the heaviest weight bullet possible for the caliber to provide the least amount of wind drift possible at long range. The 168-180gr bullets in the 7mm can provide the same wind drift numbers as a 190-200gr .30 cal bullet, but the 7mm can't match the .30 when its shooting the heavy 215-230gr bullets. The trade off is the 7mm uses a bit less powder and doesn't generate as much recoil as the .30 with the heavies.

[CarolinaShooter]

http://www.gunshack.com/barrels/savagebarrels?product_id=327 what do y'all think about ER Shaw barrels?

[stomp442]

Everyone of mine have been excellent shooters.

[DrThunder88]

New forum sponsor The Barrel Outlet appears to have 1:9 7mm barrels in stock, and they give 14 days as the estimated order time.

[psharon97]

If you really want to shoot heavy bullets, I would upgrade to a 338 edge. 7mm rem mag typically doesn't require as much powder, but it's usually a 10gr difference. Barrel life will be roughly the same between the two calibers. Shooting equal weight bullets, the 7mm mag shoots a higher bc. It's only when you're starting to shoot the heavier 30 cal that the 300 win mag starts to have a bc advantage. Either way, both will perform at really long range. You can't go wrong with either.

[CarolinaShooter]

New forum sponsor The Barrel Outlet appears to have 1:9 7mm barrels in stock, and they give 14 days as the estimated order time.
I finally checked them out 2 weeks for the contour of my choice doesn't seem bad but if I went for a shaw barrel in .300 gunshack has those in stock for 199 :confused:

[Scott Evans]

X-Caliber's wait time on custom prefits is quite reasonable. Wait time on contoured blanks is exceptional. Criterion and Shilen's is not, birthdays are not uncommon.

[LongRange]

X-Caliber's wait time on custom prefits is quite reasonable. Wait time on contoured blanks is exceptional. Criterion and Shilen's is not, birthdays are not uncommon.

last barrel i ordered from shilen was 9wks from blank to my door(couple of months ago)....i just ordered a bartlein blank from SPR they have them in stock(as well as kreieger)7 days to my door...you can find high end blanks just have to look around...seems like things are catching up a little...the first shilen barrel i ordered was 10 months 2 weeks from blank to my door and they had the blank in stock.

[psharon97]

last barrel i ordered from shilen was 9wks from blank to my door(couple of months ago)....i just ordered a bartlein blank from SPR they have them in stock(as well as kreieger)7 days to my door...you can find high end blanks just have to look around...seems like things are catching up a little...the first shilen barrel i ordered was 10 months 2 weeks from blank to my door and they had the blank in stock.

Hope you're right. The last Brux barrel I ordered took 7 months to get the blank to the smith.

[LongRange]

Hope you're right. The last Brux barrel I ordered took 7 months to get the blank to the smith.

did you order direct from brux?

[psharon97]

did you order direct from brux?

No, I ordered from SSS. This was back at the end of 2011 though. I don't know if things have slowed down.

[yobuck]

A couple years back there was a steel problem affecting all barrel manufacturers. Not a shortage, but bad steel.
It was pretty well kept from the general public but it did cause major issues for them. I know for a fact barrels
were sent back by gunsmiths unchambered after theyed waited months for them. Im sure not all got sent back
before they ended up on somebodys gun either. Those guys earn their money in ways we dont always see.