stubblejumper

Havingowned and fired both,I don't agree.The 300ultramag does give up about 100fps in velocity but it also produces noticeably less recoil than the 30-378.I find the recoil of my 300ultramags much closer to that of my 300wby.

Roskoe

I have to agree with you on the rifle weight issue. I have a bunch of Remingtons - most of them are wearing #5 contour barrels. I'll put up with the weight to get that extra steadiness when it comes time to launch a bullet. Our military apparently follows the same philosophy with sniper rifles. They have actually gotten heavier over the years instead of lighter; and I think they started outwith varmint profile barrels.

handloader1

.300 Win. Mag. Good luck.

Duckbutter48

I never had much of a problem with recoil being an issue. Usually if you are buying one of the superduper mags they are for longer range shooting, most of which would be from a rest, so I dont see how a heavier rifle would help you stay steadier on a rest then a lighter one. If you are shooting without a rest I cant see a big 300whatevermag being needed since I doubt most people can shoot offhanded to the distances you gain over the normal caliber.This may be one of those to each their own deals but the ultra light guns cost more which usually equals a better gun, their must be somethingfor most people if they are willing to spend an extrafew hundred bucks pluson them.

IMO--I dont think you can compare the ranges we need to shoot at while hunting to what are military shooters need to be capable of shooting at. So I dont think their choice in rifle weight changes what a hunter should have.

Solitary Man

I might be a little biased here, but I would opt for the .300 Win Mag. I say "biased" because I'm having a .300 WM tube put on one of my Sakos right now. I had thought about buying a Kimber .300 WSM, but decidedto have the Sako rebarreled instead.

As far as rifle weight is concerned I personally prefer a heavier gun.Ifind them to besteadier, even on a rest, and of course they lessen felt recoil, which can be a problem when you do a lot of shooting off the bench testing loads.

I haven't checked the prices of light guns versus heavier ones, but if a light gun costs more, I suspect it's because it requiresextra machining in order to eliminate material from the standard version. Extra machining equals extra time and money. I don't think a lighter gun automatically equates to better quality, however.

Doe Dumper

After shooting a 4.5 pound single shot 12 gauge with 3 inch nitros....gimme the heavier gun. If it gets heavy I will take a break and set it down for a while. The memories of getting smacked upside the head by that thing are NOT pleasant.


The moral to this story is unless you are impervious to recoil...weight is our friend when it comes to big guns. Easier to hold steady, less felt recoil, and remember anything heavier is almost always more durable.

stubblejumper

Ask a benchrest shooter,and they will explain that a heavier rifle is an advantage for precision shooting off of a rest.Imyself shoot more accurately with a heavier riflein almost all shooting positions.

ELKampMaster

James B

Absolutely. If my last 300 Win Mag would have weighed 10-11 lbs, I would probably still have it.

Duckbutter48

IMO I think you guys are nutz.
If the heavier rifles are so great for HUNTING.Benchrest shooters care way to much about their 2nd and 3rd shots to comparewhat they do to hunting.Why doesnt everygun manu. offer their magnums with 28" bull barrels. Ive never see anyone hunting with these beasts. I understand on the bench they may be better but what happens on the bench and in the field arent the same.

I cant see a heavier or lighter rifle being more of lesssteady off ofa rest in the field. To me a rest holds the gunpretty steady even if its a handgun. If I do shoot off handed I personally can hold my aim point longer with the lighter rifle because my left arm doesnt wear out as fast compared to a heavy gun.

ALot of the manufactorers brag on the lack of weight ofa gun. Ive never seen the "Look how heavy our guns are" commercials. Ultra light arms wouldnt even be in business if the heavy guns were the guns we all thought were more accurate and betterfor hunting.

Fact is the longer barrels give more performance then the shorter ones but most dont want the extra weight so most of us have 24" barrels or less. If most agreed with you guys we'd all prob have at least a 26" barrel.

Maybe Im nutz but you guys are the first Ive ever heard of wanting heavier rifles for hunting.