300 win mag build advice

[Thejunk07]

I know there are a lot of build type posts that pop up, but I wanted to get some of yalls knowledge/advice as well. I’m going to build a LR western game 300 win mag rifle. It’s not on a tight tight budget, but I like to be budget conscious while getting good quality. I feel like I would like to ideally stay between 2500-3500 max. Would like to be at a max of 13 lbs. With that being said, id love to get some suggestions and to have people fill in anything I may be overlooking as well...

Stock - McMillan A3? (Or suggestions)
Barrel -
Optic - Wanting at least 4-14x, but open to suggestions
Scope rings -
Action/receiver -
Accessories? -

[Nathan]

$2500-$3500

Stock - McMillan A3? (Or suggestions)
Barrel -
Optic - Wanting at least 4-14x, but open to suggestions
Scope rings -
Action/receiver -
Accessories? -

My advice....your budget is kind of tight, but doable....first, I would break it down

Stock - $400
Barrel - $600
Optic - $700
Scope rings - $100
Action/receiver - $600
Accessories? - $100

Those are what I would target....

Stock - McMillan A3? $800 with basic options
Barrel - $250 Shilen blank + $300 thread & chamber
Optic - Meopta FFP $750
Scope rings - Warne base & rings $80ish
Action/receiver - Rem 700 BDL $400 + $150 Timney trigger + $250 truing
Accessories? - sling TIS $60

About $3200 you could still possibly squeeze AICS mags in.

Frankly, I built a similar rifle, but my choices were a little different....

Stock - B&C Sporter (for the aluminum bedding block) in 14” LOP + ARCA rail + flush cups x 4 + steel grip cap - $550
Barrel - Brux #3 chambered in 300 Sherman $650
Optic - Meopta 3-18x50 FFP R1 MRAD + caps $700
Scope rings - Warne QD - $100
Action/receiver - Win 70 + Timney trigger + PTG BDL + mag opened up to 3.6” + checkered bolt handle - $1000
Accessories - dies + sling + open sights + Cerakote -$750
$3750....hurts to add that up....what is worse, is I’m nearly 10 months into this and the rifle is nearly done, but the scope is on back order!

[jmr40]

A lot of Western big game hunting involves steep rugged terrain at elevations over 10,000'. I'd want something a lot lighter than 13 lbs. You should be able to keep it under 10, maybe even under 9.

I'd look hard at 300 WSM over 300 WM for a couple of reasons. You can save a little weight, a little recoil, and get a more accurate rifle. Not many long range shooters using 300's anymore, but the 300 WSM broke many of the accuracy records at long range that used to be held by 300 WM before most shooters moved on to other cartridges.

300WSM comes within 50 fps of the speeds you can get with 300 WM. No game animal will ever notice the difference, but in equal weight rifles recoil falls exactly 1/2 way between 30-06 and 300 WM since 300WSM is burning 10-15 gr less powder.

My ideal set up would look a lot more like a conventional hunting rifle than what Nathan has suggested. His vision looks more like a target rifle used for hunting. Not saying he is wrong, I just have a different vision of what I'd want.

If I were doing this for myself I'd start with one of the Winchester Classic actions made from 1992-2006. I'd use a medium contour barrel of 24" in 300 WSM. They do fine with 24" or even shorter barrels. If 300WM you really need 26".

I'd use a lightweight McMillan Edge stock. On a hunting rifle that is going to be used in the elements I'd stay with the factory trigger and have someone work on it.

Optics are personal and subjective.

[stagpanther]

What are you hunting and out to what range?

[reynolds357]

I would just buy a CHRISTENSEN ARMS RIDGELINE STAINLESS .300 WINCHESTER MAGNUM 26" and save myself the trouble of building. For all practical purposes, its a custom anyway. Sig Sauer BDX Combo Kit, KILO1400 - SIERRA3 4.5-14X50MM for optics. Warne rings and bases. $2500 total.

The Sig BDX is really an under rated, Under appreciated system. It works great. You read about people who have problems with them, but its because they dont follow the very simple instructions. There is an order to how you update the system. Follow the order and you are fine.

[Bart B.]

I suggest a non-belted 30 caliber case as they're easier to reload for best accuracy and case life. Some shoot bullets as fast as the Winchester magnum does.

Winchester 70 actions are over twice as stiff as Remington 700 ones and won't twist loose in epoxy bedding like round ones do. Plus, they are easier to operate, maintain and more reliable.

I suggest a Krieger barrel as they have a longer life than shilen, they'll last about 1100 rounds of best accuracy.

[Nathan]

I have a 300 WSM. It is fine, but it doesn’t make an ideal hunting rifle because, IMO a hunting rifle is best as a BDL. I like BDL’s to keep the rifle trim. A 300 WSM BDL holds 2 rounds, I think. 300 WM does hold 3. Something like 280 AI holds 5, I think.

I’m also hesitant about 300 WSM because only Winchester and Hornady have regularly available brass at a decent price, although I hear a rumor about Peterson making it. Peterson does make 300 WM brass.

Last, 300 WM has a bit more velocity with bigger bullets like the 210/212’s.

[T. O'Heir]

13 pounds is a lot to be lugging up and down all that 'mostly up' in the West.
Nothing out there that needs a magnum of any kind, assuming you're building a hunting rifle, either.
14x is too much. FOV is too small. About 2.5 meters at 100 yards on 14X.

[Nathan]

@T

Can you share the non-magnum 600 yd elk round? I’m not sure I know the reliable non-magnum elk slaying round.

Isn’t 13 lbs a choice? I’m not saying 13 lbs is right for me, but that is me, not him.

14x is likely too much at 100yds....how is it at 600? How is 4x at 100 yds? He was suggesting a variable scope.

[stagpanther]

There are better cartridges maybe in terms of ultimate accuracy etc--but the 300 win mag remains an all-around favorite of mine for reasons maybe not covered here yet.

This is my savage 111 which I bought roughly 10 years ago and cost me $475. I don't know how may times it's been fired--but I have several hundred cases that I've reloaded multiple times. Despite it's reputation, I find it very easy to work with reloading and haven't had a case fail on my yet. Most of all--it always shoots well not matter what I feed it--sometimes very well when I chase down a good load. It also shoots factory fodder quite well--something to think about when you consider factory ammo availability--or if like me you spent half the day driving to your hunting destination only to discover you left that perfect hand load ammo back home. Yes, I've done that. More than once.



I recently bought Boyd's varmint thumbhole (it's not exactly all that light, but it is a good wood laminate stock) and pillared and bedded it myself; something worth considering if you have a reasonably good drill press. Some "added value points" I give the savage: the barrel profile is a reasonably thick sporter profile, this gives it fairy good rigidity while resisting to some extent stringing shots as the barrel heats up. The bolt rides silky smooth on mine. Total weight all-up is just over 9 lbs and she shoots like dream IMO.

Having read this thread--it inspired to rustle out my rifle this morning and fire some 180 vld elite hunters driven by magpro at around 3100 fps. Took me a few shots to get on paper and regrettably pulled the first shot in the upper left, but with gusty variable crosswinds still very acceptable for me.

[Thejunk07]

Thanks for all the replies guys. This rifle will mainly be for elk, but I didn’t want to leave any game animal uncovered with this particular rifle (ie moose). The max range would just depend on my comfort with the rifle once I get to shooting it, but at least 300 yds. I know 13 lbs might seem a bit much to some, that was just my max weight. I plan to use this as both a hunting and target rifle. I don’t NEED 14x for 100 yds as one gentleman said, the plan is for a variable scope with at least 14x max magnification.

[Scorch]

I build rifles for a living, and I live and hunt in the west, so I will give you my 2 cents worth as well.

The McMillan (or a Manners or DG) will cost $700-800 and take 7 months to get. McMillan stocks are also heavy because the fiberglass is so thick Good stock, just thick and heavy. I just built a rifle for a customer (Ruger 77, McMillan Hunter Magnum stock) and just the stock weighed 3-1/2 lbs, more than the factory wood stock.

The animals you hunt can't tell the difference between barrels. Buy a Green Mountain barrel, it will cost about $150. Buy a Lilja, $400ish. Bartlein? $500ish. All this is before the profiling, threading, etc.
Any barrel you buy will still need to be profiled, threaded, chambered, crowned and screwed into the action. That will cost you about $300-$350 extra. Want fluting to lighten the barrel? Add $200.

What action do you want? Plan on $600-$2000 for an action, depending on what you want. Remington? Cheapest. Shilen? Defiance? Your choice, but prices vary, you can easily get carried away.

Scope? Good scopes are something else you have to be careful about, you can get carried away. Leupold? Schmidt & Bender? Swarovski? For a good scope, plan on spending a grand. Mounts? Ooooh, man! You can spend $100 or $1,000. Spend $100.

Tell me again how much you want to spend on your rifle? You can buy a semi-custom for about 1/2 the price it would cost to build a rifle. You can buy a Remington Sendero, or a Browning Hells Canyon, Christensen Arms, or whatever long range beauty you feel will meet your specs. The semi-custom/special production rifles from major manufacturers will shoot as well as the custom rifle you want to build. Not a custom rifle, sure, but they're pretty good.

As far as most of the west being UP, there are a lot of places in the west. Not all require a helicopter and a yak to get to, or maybe I'm used to it. Great hunting doesn't have to be hard to get to. And if it is, you'll wish you had a 8 lbs rifle rather than a 13 lbs rifle.

I've been hunting the west for the past 40 years using a variety of cartridges, but primarily a 7X57. It wears a Leupold 2.5-8X scope I bought in 1978 or 79, sits in a fancy wood stock. I have hunted the western states for pig, deer, elk, antelope, goats. I have only ever had 1 animal that didn't fold on command, and that was on me because I didn't wait for a good shot. What you gain from shooting a magnum is flat trajectory (none of the animals was hard to kill), I can only think of a couple of times I wished I had a magnum with me. Longest shot I have made was a touch over 500 yds, shortest about 15 yds. The extreme long shots are as much part of the myth of western hunting as coyotes howling at night, or campfires under a full moon against silhouetted mesas. Most people don't take long shots.

[Thejunk07]

Hey I appreciate your response to my thread. You seem like you have a to of knowledge!

I understand what you are saying about going semi custom and dropping the price, I’ve kinda always wanted to do this once and not worry too too much about what I could’ve saved.

I basically want to have a rifle that can reach out for whatever I want to kill, but also something I could target shoot maybe even play around in local LR competitions with. I don’t mind going a little heavier, or less ideal for hunting if I can make it a little better for target/comps also.... I just don’t want to go crazy heavy where it would suck for hunting, as that is the primary thing I will do with it. I’m leaning more towards a higher budget, say 4K-4500 with scope included. If I’m going to splurge on any specific parts of the weapon, I would prefer it to be the stock and the scope.

With that being said, you said the McMillan stocks are heavy, what would you suggest instead? One of my non negotiables is that I want an adjustable cheek piece, and the ability to adjust the spacing on the butt to get the perfect fit.

What receiver do you recommend that combines value and quality?

If I go with a mid range on the barrel (price wise) what am I losing? If I go with a high range, what am I gaining?

Besides that, I want to see where I am price wise after those 3 things and then I’d spend as much left on the best glass possible. If I can afford nightforce, I will, if I spend more on the components I’ll go with something a little cheaper.

Also planning on a muzzle brake.

Thanks y’all!

[Nathan]

The animals you hunt can't tell the difference between barrels. Buy a Green Mountain barrel, it will cost about $150. Buy a Lilja, $400ish. Bartlein? $500ish. All this is before the profiling, threading, etc.

First, I see Bartlein price their barrels at $355 plus 4-6 mo. Seems like $500 must be something else.

IME albeit limited, there are cheaper blanks like Green Mountain and Shaw, they lack quality steps like air gauging, slower button pull speed, lapping after drilling, lapping after rifling, right? ....and generally this shows up on target and cleaning, right?....but not always...

Then there are highest quality button rifle blanks like Shilen, Lilja, etc. They make winners. Price is from $260-$400ish.

Then there are top quality SS cut rifled blanks which due to the process are slightly more accurate in shape and slightly harder material. Therefore accuracy life is slightly longer, but may not matter in a hunting rifle. $320-$400ish

Then there are wrapped barrels which are much more and generally have slightly worse accuracy than the ones above.

The Green Mountain & Shaw barrels will definitely shoot under 1”, but could shoot better. The rest will generally shoot under 1/2”, but could shoot under 0.1”, if th the rest of the rifle, shooter, rest supports that. My buddy just sent me a pic from class....0.2MOA at 1000 yds with GAP rifle, Bartlein blank, 6.5 Creed.

[reynolds357]

Originally Posted by Nathan

First, I see Bartlein price their barrels at $355 plus 4-6 mo. Seems like $500 must be something else.

IME albeit limited, there are cheaper blanks like Green Mountain and Shaw, they lack quality steps like air gauging, slower button pull speed, lapping after drilling, lapping after rifling, right? ....and generally this shows up on target and cleaning, right?....but not always...

Then there are highest quality button rifle blanks like Shilen, Lilja, etc. They make winners. Price is from $260-$400ish.

Then there are top quality SS cut rifled blanks which due to the process are slightly more accurate in shape and slightly harder material. Therefore accuracy life is slightly longer, but may not matter in a hunting rifle. $320-$400ish

Then there are wrapped barrels which are much more and generally have slightly worse accuracy than the ones above.

The Green Mountain & Shaw barrels will definitely shoot under 1”, but could shoot better. The rest will generally shoot under 1/2”, but could shoot under 0.1”, if th the rest of the rifle, shooter, rest supports that. My buddy just sent me a pic from class....0.2MOA at 1000 yds with GAP rifle, Bartlein blank, 6.5 Creed.

Its not a given that a cut barrel will be any more accurate than a buttoned. It is also not a given they will last longer. IMO, Green Mountain Barrels make good pry bars and clubs. Shaw is not a lot better. My favorite is Lilja, but honestly Shilen on their super premium is right there too. I have a couple match rifles I built on Wilson that shoot as good as the best Liljas I have built.
I have a couple built on Hart that were shooters, but they have passed their prime.

[kilotanker22]

My personal Choice in the matter if I had that budget would be a Browning X-Bolt Max Long Range in 300 Win Mag. Maybe 300 WSM or 300 PRC. The rifle will cost $1100, Spend some money on good glass like a Vortex Razor HD (The light weight model) Or something similar. You could have something that will fill what you need for around $2500.