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New gun 300 win mag question

Thommy94

Thommy94

New Member
Going to purchase my first rifle for elk hunting. Going to purchase a 300 win mag. Like everything else little overwhelmed on what to buy. My budget for the rifle only is 1200.00 And what power scope would you recommend.
 
How are you with recoil? What kind of elk hunting to you do, hard mountain hunts or easier rolling hill type hunts? How far do you want to be able to shoot with it? Do you like muzzle-brakes? For your price point there are a lot of good and used rifles out there.
 
idcwby said:
How are you with recoil? What kind of elk hunting to you do, hard mountain hunts or easier rolling hill type hunts? How far do you want to be able to shoot with it? Do you like muzzle-brakes? For your price point there are a lot of good and used rifles out there.
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This will my first elk hunt. I live in Illinois so all my gun hunting is done with a slug gun or muzzle loader. I ok with recoil. Would prefer a muzzle break if recommended. I’m comfortable with my slug gun at 150 and do a lot of shooting. My shooting will all depend on what I can put on paper once I get it.
 
Thommy94 said:
This will my first elk hunt. I live in Illinois so all my gun hunting is done with a slug gun or muzzle loader. I ok with recoil. Would prefer a muzzle break if recommended. I’m comfortable with my slug gun at 150 and do a lot of shooting. My shooting will all depend on what I can put on paper once I get it.
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If your comfortable shooting slugs, you shouldn’t need a break for a 300 win. Your hunting buddies will appreciate you not having one. Where are you planning on elk hunting? What are your top contenders for rifles? You reloading or factory ammo?

My current elk setup is a 300 RUM that comes in at 10lbs. 10lbs doesn’t seem to be to heavy for me, but heavy enough to be stable for longer shots.
 
Illinois deer hunter here and have a 300 win mag tikka T3. I dont notice any difference between 3 inch 12ga sabots and the factory nosler partitions I shoot. I have a 338 win mag I bought in a moment of weakness and it's a different story lol
 
idcwby said:
If your comfortable shooting slugs, you shouldn’t need a break for a 300 win. Your hunting buddies will appreciate you not having one. Where are you planning on elk hunting? What are your top contenders for rifles? You reloading or factory ammo?

My current elk setup is a 300 RUM that comes in at 10lbs. 10lbs doesn’t seem to be to heavy for me, but heavy enough to be stable for longer shots.
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I’ve been looking at the whea
 
The Vanguard MOA is a good gun. Been hearing a lot of good things about Bergara. Don’t forget about the Ruger M77 if you like a controlled feed action. Make sure you get a good scope can’t spend enough on quality glass.
I’ve never hunted Colorado, but I’m guessing you’ll want to be able to make a 500 yard shot.
 
Anymore I would stay away from the Remingtons. Between their quality issues and the bankruptcy I don't trust them .

The Weatherby Vanguard is a quality rifle at a good price. I have one in 25-06 with the all weather stock and it shoots lights out.
For a scope I would recommend a Leopold VX3i in either 3-9x40 or 4.5-14x40. A CDS dial would be nice but isn't needed.
 
I have a Browning HCS in 300 WM that I am happy with but I seem to prefer my Tikka T3 SL in 7RM. Wish i had gone with the Tikka when I purchased my 300 WM. Absolutely nothing wrong with the Browning but the Tikka just seems to fit me better. Both topped with Leopold VX3i in 4.5 x 14’s.
 
I would give a third vote for the Leopold 4.5 x 14, as far as rifles there are many good ones out there these days, I don't own a Tikka but I really like the feel of them.
 
Find a gun that fits. I can shoot my ild bdl in 300 for about 60 shots from the bench before it gets too much. Now my cooper is way better but it has a break.
As for scope either Leopold or vortex.
Look at the other thread about .300 win mag on here and check out my post on point blank range.

435 yards no hold over and believe me its a long way.
 
if you can handle a 12ga slug, you can handle a 300win.mag, especially with a good brake.

You DON'T need a 300mag to kill elk, but it's a solid round none the less.

I have a 300win and 340wby and plan to get a 300wsm one day and probably shoot 150/165gr as a lighter weight elk magnum setup....

I also could see using a 270,280ai,30-06 for elk one day as well as a lighter more compact setup.

Savage makes some cheaper rifles that can shoot!
also tikka, browning....
that browning in 300wsm looks pretty nice, with a screw on brake....

300win mag makes me think 180gr bullets, of course you could go lighter or heavier, but with WSM I tend to think more like 150-165-180 than I do with the win.mag.

that .300PRC looks pretty nice I must say.... it has perks that the RUM, wby, etc...don't have, of course it's newer....so it's a maybe gamble...but I could see it lasting.

don't overlook the 280ai, 7mm rem.mag., 300prc, 300wsm, 338win.mag, 340wby.

338win.mag isn't a bad alternative either! shooting 200, 210, 225gr, bigger bullets, but shorter cartridge than the 300win.mag.

I'd strongly suggest a 4-12x to 4-16x scope, anything in there is perfect IMO, I've changed out my 2-7 and 3-9x and even 4-12x in favor of 4-14x and 4-16x.

good luck!
 
With your shotgun experience.......recoil should be a non-issue with a .300 WM, without a brake! As mentioned, a .338 WM is also a good option.....my wife has used a “non-braked” , 9 pound (scoped, loaded, slung) .338 WM since 1995. You should be able to stay well below your $1200.00 limit on a rifle. A quality scope should be a priority, but don’t go overboard. If you go variable, low end power is very important......I would suggest staying under 4x on the low end. You may find yourself hunting in timber......high power is not your friend! We used 2.5-8 Leupolds for around 20 years , until we relocated and shots could be as far as you dare.....we went up to a 3.5-10 Leupold!

The money you saved on rifle/scope by being somewhat frugal, can now be spent on a quality range finder. And perhaps more importhan any other piece of equipment, a really quaility, well broken-in pair of boots, better yet.....2 pair! Unless you use horses or hunt from a vehicle, likely you will put in quite a few miles during the hunt. If you can’t walk because of bad feet.....you can’t hunt! JMO. memtb
 
For your first elk rifle, the .300 Win Mag is a great pick. With $1200 to spend, you’ve got some solid options—personally, I’d look at something like a Weatherby Vanguard or a Tikka T3. Both are reliable and leave you enough cash to get a decent scope, which is super important.
 
I’d go with something like a 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for the scope. You’ll want the lower power for close shots in thick timber but enough zoom for longer shots in open country. I’ve had good luck with Leupold and Vortex scopes—they’re solid without breaking the bank. If you end up needing to tweak your setup later, I’ve used revolver parts to grab extras and replacements. Always good to have a spot to snag parts when you need them.
 
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