I’m going to purchase a new .300 win mag and would like to see what y’all would recommend. I shoot a ruger m77 .270 and m77 .243 right now so leaning towards the new Hawkeye ftw Hunter. Hit me with y’all’s knowledge/thoughts. Thanks!

My thoughts…unless you’re hunting elk or something big, just use what you have. The recoil is horrible and who likes having their teeth rattled.


Nice looking rifle.

https://ruger.com/products/HawkeyeFTWHunter/specSheets/57155.html

My standard answer is Tikka for everything, but the Ruger 77 is a classic workhorse. I have one in 257 Roberts and wouldn’t dream of trading it for a Tikka.

I had a stainless laminate 77 in 338 Win Mag. That thing killed on both ends. Wish I still had it though.

Tikka, on the reputation of accuracy alone.

Don't have one in this caliber, but have .308, 7mm Rem Mag, and 6.5 Creedmoor. All shoot 1/2" or better. The 7mm Rem Mag I have came threaded with a brake, not much recoil at all.

I’d say go to a Cabela’s or similar and handle as many rifles as possible before deciding. And, yes, I own a non-current Tikka m695 in .300 Win Mag, and it’s probably more accurate than I am.

I'm looking at a Sig Magnum in 300WM. Probably will buy after the new year.

I love my 300 wm, its a Savage 111 LRH it shoots lights out. I'd say don't go too light weight and get a threaded barrel so you can add muzzle brake.

I have a Hawkeye FTW Hunter in .300 Win Mag and have carried it all over the world. It’s shoots the Hornady Precision Hunter 200 gr ELDX very well.

Ruger or Tikka are both fine for 300 Win Mag if you only shoot factory ammunition. The Ruger is stouter built which is a plus in a 300. If you plan to load heavy for caliber, Ruger is limited by magazine length. You can’t load much longer than SAAMI. That seriously cuts into case capacity if you shoot heavy bullets. Tikka has the same limitations and is further restricted by their one size kinda fits all action length. A really nice compromise is a Tikka chambered in 300 WSM. I am not aware of Ruger offering the Hawkeye in 300 WSM.

I liked Ruger but I now prefer other bolt guns.

My tastes run more toward Weatherby, Chirstensen ( yes, I know) Sako, Winchester, Browning, etc.

I do recommend getting a brake on a lightweight rig

I’m gonna be the outlier here and say if I was going to buy a new .30 caliber magnum rifle, it would be .300 PRC. It does everything a Win Mag can do, plus more. Better factory ammo, more bullet options, no belt. I don’t see anything not to like.

Give Bergara a look. Also check out the 7mm PRC and 300 PRC calibers. You might like the ballistics better than the 300 WM.

Bergara is a solid choice. I have an HMR in 6.5, a Premier HMR Pro in 7mm (2 actually, gifted from my FIL). They are fine rifles. I also have their 10/22 carbon.

I want a 7prc or 300PRC in their Ridge Carbon.

Kraken, [b][/b]Did you order the ruger or find at a retailer? I’d like to hold one. Leaning towards tikka roughtech if I don’t go ruger but just love how solid my rugers feel and shoot.

I ordered mine. I live in the DFW area and would be happy to connect with you to let you shoot it, if interested. It is a very solid rifle.

I may take you up on that, I appreciate the offer!

I have both Tikkas and Ruger 77s. I don't think you can go wrong with either but I personally like the Ruger 77s more. Like you, they feel more robust even though I've never heard of a Tikka breaking. Tikkas have better triggers. I think the Rugers are fine but I'm good with just about anything under 5lbs. Some people need sub 2lb triggers.

^^This

If someone is starting from scratch, they may as well go with the more modern cartridge.

The tweaks the .300 Win Mag needed, is what is the .300 PRC. I have developed loads for a pile of 300 Win Mags, and now several .300 PRC rifles. .300 PRC is the clear winner.

Well, depends on what you actually are going to use it for, and what you like the most... here is some food for tought...

I hunt west texas for aoudad rams, where most of it is super hard backpack hunts and weight is a major concern, I also do Colorado Public land hunts and believe me, there too every ounce counts. This I shoot a custom madre "rifles inc" 5lb strata rifle. I also do mexico hunts in a pickup truck, high racks, blinds and feeders. Where my old rem700 run of the mill .270 does great it is probably 25+ year old rifle. Are you planning on long range shots? (200-300,300-500,more?) are you into wood/synthetic? heavy bore?muzzlebreaks? , Do you prefer USA made, German? dont care?

I love buying used rem700 and customizing them with a gunsmith, I like picking stocks, cerakotes colors, barrel weights, twist rates, triggerts, Lenghth of pull, and so on.. but its really not needed and not for all...most factory rifles are great shooters out of the box... again just food for tought

best wishes enjoy the ride!

I’m leaning towards a .30-06 as to stay away from muzzle break but have varied options of bullet weights, hunt hogs a lot with buddies in the ‘off season’. Just looking for best everything gun out to 300 yards and open to options. Planning on aoudad hunt in next two years and hopefully an elk hunt in near future.

your 270 is a better option then the higher recoiling 30-06. Hard to beat a 270 for under 400 yards. if you want to push the limits on range at 800 yards, get a 300 wm

Yup.

No point in having two .473" long action cartridges.

Drop down to a .473" short action (.308 Win)

Or up to a .540" face and long action (300 PRC)

To augment a pair of rifles in .270 and .243, I think one of the .30 mags does make sense. The one thing I have against the .300 WM is the recoil you have to tolerate vs. the ballistic gains, but OTOH the ballistic gains you get over the .270 by adding a .30-06 are not great. That's all pretty subjective, but you gotta please yourself.

I'm in the process of downsizing the population of my own gunsafe right now, having sent a .280 and a .35 Whelen down the road. Choosing what to keep has been a little difficult because two of my remaining rifles overlap in purpose and capability, one being another .280 and the other a .30-06. I decided I would just keep both because I have tons of components for both and both are very good shooters (the .30-06 seems to be a "lucky" rifle---I tend to see more stuff to kill when I carry it for some "reason"). There's not a thing I can do with one that I couldn't do with the other, but I have a reason rationale for keeping both...entirely subjective, but there is some factual basis for the decision. Availability of components could and probably should be a major consideration if you're a handloader, and of course ammo availability if you're not.

I kinda like the .300 PRC suggestion myself, but it's your gig and you're likely to have your own way of looking at things. Making the decisions can be hard, but it should be fun too.

Remington 700 with 5R barrel.

^^Over rated.

Might get a great one. Might get a P.O.S. At least from the pre-bankruptcy Remington.

Sakos are on sale right now...