Light weight and 300wm make a tough combination if you don't spend a great deal of time behind it. For that kind of price I think a semi-custom build would be the way to go....more accurate too. P_102

For me the only attraction of a true custom build now days would be so you can have everything exactly the way you want it. And then, of course, you get to brag to your buddies how your custom shop rifle shoots 1/2 MOA (and better) than the bone stock Tikka he is holding.

the big thing is shoot what you shoot well.

Accuracy is more important than getting a magnum.

After reading this whole thread I see very little about shoot no bigger cartridge than one the hunter can shoot accurately and place the bullet in the right spot. A gut shot deer, elk, bear or moose is still a gut shot animal that will take a lot of killing to put down, especially in the case of big bears that can bite back.

Like an outfitter friend in Montana says about elk rifle choices, what is wrong with the clients bringing their deer rifle in 308, 30-06, 270, 7mm-08..... they can shoot well. Why do they bring a new gun in some magnum they are afraid to shoot because they cannot handle the recoil? He has had show some of them how to operate the rifle they came to camp with.

If you can handle the recoil a 338 or 375 magnum can handle anything on this continent with ease but if you cannot shoot it then it will be a disappointing and potentially a more dangerous hunt than you ever want to be on. For many years the 30-06 was considered the best all around gun and may be today considering it is still more than some can shoot accurately in a hunting weight rifle.

I have never taken that Moose hunt I had planned but still have the gun I bought for it 350 Remington Magnum and still would use it if hunting coastal areas. Thought if I went after a coastal bear with the rifles in the safe it would most likely be a 45-70 loaded with the best bullet I could find and there several that would work well.

Get the best of both worlds, fast flat, heavy caliber.
338-378wby
Kill anything on the continent. Heck 90% of anything in the world.

For me the only attraction of a true custom build now days would be so you can have everything exactly the way you want it. And then, of course, you get to brag to your buddies how your custom shop rifle shoots 1/2 MOA (and better) than the bone stock Tikka he is holding.

I would have agreed with your last statement 20 years ago, or heck even 10 years ago. Now days most big name production grade rifles can hold their own with most customs and for a heck of a lot less money. There are days when I am at the range sitting behind a sub-moa Vanguard and shoot tighter groups than the guy next to me that just dropped $5k on a custom build and another $2500 on the scope. For me the only attraction of a true custom build now days would be so you can have everything exactly the way you want it and have the money to do it. And then of course you get to brag to your buddies how much your custom shop rifle cost you while not shooting any better than the bone stock Tikka he is holding. To each his own though.

With a tag like "Caliche Kid" and locale like West Texas, I'd be willing to bet you're from El Paso. As am I.

Caliche was all we had to throw at each other on the playground in grade school, and pretty much the only kind of rock you'd find anywhere nearby.