.300 Win Mag

[wannabemountainman]

I’ve been hearing the .300 win mag is a tough gun to handle in terms in terms of recoil. Is this true? 30-06 doesn’t bother me at all, but I’m not sure how that compares. I’m a rookie when it comes to rifles so I’m just curious on the general thoughts.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Shoot I prefer .308 Good for 100 yds -1000yds.

 

[JohnCushman]

There's a reason military snipers use a .308.....

 

[JohnCushman]

There's nothing a 30-06 won't do that a .300 wm will

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Read these...bottom line it’s above the average tolerable threshold for average shooters, but felt recoil depends on lots of factors.

https://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_recoil.htm
https://www.chuckhawks.com/hard_kicking_cartridges.htm

 

[noharleyyet]

it

I’ve been hearing the .300 win mag is a tough gun to handle in terms in terms of recoil. Is this true? 30-06 doesn’t bother me at all, but I’m not sure how that compares. I’m a rookie when it comes to rifles so I’m just curious on the general thoughts.

5-6 lbs more recoil than a 30-06....https://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

...wilm beat me to it.

Sometimes I'll take 3 rifles to the range and operate in diminishing recoil sequence. I played with a 6.5 and a 22-250 for a couple weeks tinkering the SIL's loads. The next time I brought magnums I was rocked for a few rounds....

 

[MThuntr]

ditto what was said

 

[Guy]

I've had both in sporter weight rifles. The 30-06 is my favorite for sure. With it I've taken:
antelope
mule deer
elk
black bear
wolf
grizzly

I like the 30-06 'cause it kills everything real dead, and doesn't beat me up.

That said, I've owned a couple of different 300 Win mag rifles over the years, and it's quite a cartridge. In a well designed rifle, with a decent stock & recoil pad, the recoil isn't all that bad.

Oh, and the military uses the 300 Win mag as a sniper rifle too. Often. The 308, wonderful as it is, was lacking at longer ranges.

Regards, Guy

 

[mtmuley]

Glad I can handle recoil. So many cartridges would be out of reach. Keep the .06. Lots of good bullets and powders these days that bring the old girl up to speed, so to speak. mtmuley

 

[Pelican]

The increase in recoil from a 30-06 to a 300 WM is significant. Some people can deal with the reality they are going to get kicked when they pull the trigger, some can’t and flinch. No shame in that. Some can deal with the recoil, but choose not too, which is logical. I’ll keep shooting my magnums.

 

[jeremys4]

I’m not a big dude 5’6” 165 and love my .300 with no muzzle break on it. My buddy who’s 5’10 200 gets a little flinchy with it. I’ve had it just under a year so i haven’t shot it a lot but my buddy killed his cow at 377 with it one shot. It’s an ab3 with 26” barrel great economy rifle I hunt mostly black power so it will be my elk rifle when I draw.

 

[Addicting]

I went down this rabbit hole at the end of fall. I chose to go 7mm Mag and don’t have any regrets. I’ve been testing powder and bullet combos recently. After 25 rounds at the range I’m ready to be done but not regretting it. I’m not so sure had I gone to the 300 with the added recoil if I be able to do the same.

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

The ‘06 is easy to handle and with hand loaded ammunition you can get about the same performance. But there’s a reason that all three 30 calibers are so popular. They all get the job done just fine. If the slight edge with the magnum is appealing and the ‘06 is light to you, go for the magnum.

 

[Louisdove]

I shoot both and at first the 300wm was not enjoyable for me. I’d get a decent bruise if I fired more than 20 rounds. I picked up a cheap slip on limb saver pad at a garage sale for $1, and now I can shoot that thing all day long. I wasn’t a great shot with it before because I didn’t enjoy shooting it, so I didn’t practice with it nearly enough. Now it’s not uncommon for me to shoot 50 or more rounds in a session without feeling a thing.

 

[AssawomanGunsmith]

I love my 300wm, its on the heavier side of rifles so that helps with the recoil. When it comes to shooting game you don't feel recoil, only feel it when you're shooting off a bench lol. If you already have a 30-06 and arent planning on long range hunting the 30-06 will kill everything just as dead as the 300wm.

 

[rustneversleeps]

I love my 300 too - I think a lot of it just comes down to shooting the rifle and feeling confident in it. If you are hammering them at the range, your shoulder can get a little sore, but in hunting situations the last thing I think about is the recoil. 308, 30-06, 300 all will get the job done - I personally think its more about confidence in the rifle and knowing the gun.

 

[wannabemountainman]

Thanks for all the input. To go off of what rustneversleeps said, what are you guys’ opinions on limbsaver pads?

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

Thanks for all the input. To go off of what rustneversleeps said, what are you guys’ opinions on limbsaver pads?

They're nice. You're not going to notice a difference in the field, but you will when you practice. If I were a rookie with rifles I would NOT be starting with a 300WM. Tons of smaller calibers that don't recoil as much that will do what you need it to do very well. You start shooting a cannon and you have a good chance of developing bad habits that are tough to get rid of.

 

[belshawelk]

I always love these posts. First you should shoot what you can shoot well. But I really LOL when ever one says a this gun wont do anything more than this gun does. Then why don't snipers use a .223 Why then does Chevy make a Camero and Corvette? All dead is not created equal.

Recoil effects many shooters ability to shoot well. No arguments there. Recoil is usually only a problem on a bench. You feel nothing when shooting at game, but if you think you will you'll flinch.

And here comes the rebuttals......................

 

[noharleyyet]

The feeling on game is marksmanship apprehension...not recoil.