111 Savage Long Range Hunter in 300win mag Reviews?

[Benny]

Yes I am new haha. I’m looking on going on a Elk hunt in Colorado with my father in the upcoming years. So I’ve been looking into buying a new rifle particularly in a 300win mag. I recently came across the long range hunter for sale from a guy who put 30 rounds down it. He bought it in 2015 new. I’m having trouble finding a unbiased review on this gun and was wondering if anybody has any reviews for this particular caliber. And is the adjustable check piece reliable as far as unwanted moving when hiking through the woods? I’m also not into reloading ammunition so if anybody has a particular ammo they like to shoot out of these guns That would be great to know too. And possible scope setups used for this gun as I could be shooting out to 300 yards maybe 400

[Apollo117]

I have never shot the model 111 LRH. However, I'd imagine it would make a fine .300 WM rifle. IIRC, the weight is close to 9lbs. Add mounts and a scope and you're close to 10.5lbs. IMO, that's a good weight for a .300 WM.

Personally, I'd forego the .300 WM if you're only shooting 300 or 400 yards. A simple .308 or 30-06 can shoot 300 to 400 yards with enough energy to kill an elk.

If you do decide on the model 111 LRH in .300 WM, I suggest replacing the muzzle brake with something like the APA Little Bastard. I think an aftermarket muzzle brake will control the recoil better than the factory muzzle brake.

[isacpotatoes]

I've yet to go on a elk hunt but I've heard several stories. They're tough animals. You may not be able to take a shot inside of 100-200 yds, so practicing marksmanship us important.

Secondly, bullet construction is important. Nosler partitions are very good at retaining energy. Those or their copper e-tips, which retain 90% of mass on average. I own a Savage in 308 and like it a lot. I think it's worth chancing to buy.

Plus the nice thing about a Savage rifle, is if you ever want to change the barrel it'll usually be cheaper and easier.


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[want2ride]

I have a 300 WSM Bear hunter that is somewhat similar in weight and recoil and has the same brake on it. I personally love the way the brake works on the rifle. I use the brake in the on position when target shooting and turn it off when I am hunting. When you are hunting you won't even notice the recoil when it is off, and it is a very noticeable difference in recoil when it is on.

I do have a Long range hunter in 7mm Rem Mag (the previous style stock), and the recoil is considerably less than the 300 WM and the factory brake works the same as the one above. I did rebarrel it to a 7x57, so it is no longer a magnum... but I could put all of the parts back on it in under an hour if I wanted. I love the adjustability of the Long range hunter. The ergonomics are just fantastic and for a Minnesota deer rifle it is awesome! But too heavy for the mountains.

If it was me, I would go with a lighter rifle. I carried my 300 WSM Bear hunter on an elk hunt 2 years ago (my first elk hunt) and it was way too heavy to carry up the mountains.
I now have a Kimber Classic Select 280 AI that is about 2.5 LBS lighter than the Savage I had used, and a scope that saved me another 8 ounces. That 3 LBS of weight savings is gigantic in the mountains. If you want to stick with a Savage, I would pick up a 270 Light Weight Hunter and save yourself a lot of unnecessary weight. Just remember that it is harder to shot consistent with a lightweight rifle and the barrel will heat up faster because it is super thin, making groups more inconsistent (that shouldn't matter as long as your first shot is always on target and ONE follow up shot is predictable).

The Axis 30-06 is another good, and lightweight option. I have one in 25-06 and it really is light, not in the league of my Kimber, but 2LBS lighter than the Long Range Hunter.

[Benny]

Thanks for the review! Yea honestly the wait is what worries me the most, however if I know the gun is accurate the wait is something I won’t be to concerned with. I am still leading towards the 300wm and I love all the adjustability of this gun. Dew the brake come off at all or is it built into the gun?

[charlie b]

The elk hunts I have been on in NM were not really long range. Most shots were around 100yd with a few at the 300yd range.

Elk are really not that tough unless you are comparing to the smaller whitetail. A .270 (no magnum) or .30-06 is more than enough.

Depending on where you go to hunt you may be faced with some long hikes. I'd choose a lighter rather than heavier rifle unless you are used to walking with some weight. If you have never fired a rifle with heavier recoil you may find out why the previous owner only fired the thing 30 times.

Last, don't go cheap on ammo. I'd try out several to see what shoots best in the rifle you pick.

[Dave Hoback]

There are different trains of thought. Some believe nothing under 7mm Rem Mag should be used for an ethical kill. In the US, there exists the mythical thought of “Stopping Power”, and only 30cal+ are capable...whether it be a 308, 30-06 or more 300 WM is even a continuation of that argument. And even more, many in Europe have been taking big game animals with 6.5mm & 7mm cartridges of intermediate power levels for the last 100 or so years. And yet another for instance... I know for a fact that a 22 Magnum put into the head of a Bull Elk at 100yds, is going to flatten that animal! Yet a hunter doing this would be severely criticized as an inhuman hunter! Who’s correct? Well, that isn’t for me, or anyone really to say. Every hunter knows right & wrong. I would say use your judgment wisely.

[want2ride]

If the price is right, I would absolutely pick it up. Like I said, the adjustable cheek rest is great, the brake is the style that you can turn it on or off (I really like that option on a hunting rifle) and it is a nice long barrel (imo a magnum should have a long barrel), and the accutrigger is really nice.

Other than the weight, it is an awesome rifle. If there is only 30 rounds through it, then it is not even broke in yet.

[Benny]

Thanks again for your input. I’m going to look at it today. As long as it hold and fits nice it’s probably coming home!

[rmeyerwy]

While I cant review a savage 300 wm, I can review the 300 WM. I first came to Wy I shot a 25-06 and I killed 3 elk with it, but all of them had 3 to 4 kill shots before they went down, I felt I was lucky I had enough time and ability for multiple shots but felt it was going to catch up with me, especially after tracking and losing a bull hit pretty solid with a 30-06 for 2 and half days.

So, I got a 300 WM, Winchester Model 70, no brake and factory recoil pad, now I am not a small guy and I have been shooting since I was 7 ( grew up on farm/ranch ), but dang from the bench after about 10 rounds the fun factor seriously took a nose dive!

Got it sighted in and did some practice and that fall went chasing the mighty Wapati… and 1 shot 1 kill, tipped the bull over and there was never any doubt about it. Since then I have killed 3 more elk ranging from 75 yards or so out to lasered 450 and they have all been 1 shot kills. The cartridge is brutal, on both ends but I love it. My gun favors 200 grain bullets with 180 running a close second.

Never been brave enough to shoot antelope or deer with it, I kind of like to eat the meat and I got other rifles that are, in my opinion, better suited for the smaller game.

The 300 will do its job and do it well, flat shooting and hard hitting. I would take measures to mitigate the recoil if you are going to shoot it a lot. I agree 10lbs is heavy to pak in the mountains, depending on if you are walking a lot or not, the weight will help with the recoil but it will get heavy.

Enjoy the cartridge, it will take any North American game animal down.

[Benny]

Thanks for the info. This is the main reason I’m looking at a 300wm I want to be able to have 1 shot 1 kill. I’m a pretty good shot but like you said the 300wm will kill anything in North America. Yea I’m sure the fun factor isn’t so fun when sighting in however I want a gun that I’m gna be 100% confident will kill the animal I’m going after. I have other rifles to shoot smaller animals but I’m already investing a lot of money in this elk trip I figured it prolly be worth it to buy a decent rifle and caliber.