Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Push Feed Win Model 70 in 300 H&H - Opinions?

Here's the story.

Went to a friend's shop tonight and another guy was there. We got to talking rifles and he said he bought a 300mag and had bought some ammo that wouldn't chamber in the rifle. Around here a 300Mag is always a 300Win Mag. He asked me to go across the street to his house and see if I could figure out the problem. I picked up the rifle, looked at the barrel, and immediately diagnosed his problem. It was stamped 300 H&H Magnum!

He really wants a 300Win Mag since ammo is more available so he's looking to unload this one. We may work up a trade for a shotgun I have. The rifle is a walnut/blued push feed model and is immaculate. I doubt it's had a box of shells through it. Winchesters are rare around this part of the country. Mostly Rems, Brownings, and Savages are all that come available on the used market so I'm not real sure about the value.

I'm not a big magnum fan, especially 300s, but I've always thought the H&H was a cool old cartridge. It's definitely something that very few folks around here own, and I like being different. I reload so ammo is not an issue.

I posted a price check thread in the classifieds about this since that forum seems to get the most traffic, but if anyone wants to chime in on value, feel free. Also, what's the recoil like on these? I'm fine with a 30-06, but the 300WinMag I had was just more recoil than I wanted, especially since I don't hunt anything larger than whitetails or hogs. My heaviest recoiling rifles at the moment are 7RemMag and 35 Whelen. Any reloading issues with the round? I know the push feed 70s are kinda the red haired stepchildren of the Winchester line, but are they quality rifles? Accurate? I own a few Pre-64s but I've never owned any of the modern Winchesters. Any and all opinions about the rifle and the cartridge are welcome.

TATELAW, I can't give any personal knowledge on the .300 H&H, but recoil should be comparable to a "warm" 30-06 load. Feeding should be great with a long tapered case. Win. Model 70, push-feed accuracy has been "bad-mouthed", but as an owner of 4; a .223 Rem., a .338 Win. Mag., a .375 H&H, and a .375 AI, all are capable of sub. 1" groups with proper handloads. It's a classic combo, only thing that would make it better(only from a nostalgia standpoint) would be if it were a pre-64. All above statements are MO and true to the best of my knowledge! memtb

for me it would come down to price, quality, reliability and just how much I wanted a .300H&H. Unless I thought push-feed might get me killed (extremely unlikely for my hunting), push vs. controlled fees would not be a significant concern.

The .300H&H won't do anything you can't do with your 7mm RM. My choice, after using a 7mm RM for 20+ years, was a .300 WM. Recoil is significantly greater with full power loads but my first handloads were .308 Win velocity/recoil, followed by .30-06 level reloads. (I didn't have either at the time.) Where a 7mm RM and .30-06 will generate about 22-24 ft-lbs recoil, the .300 is around 28-29 in a similar rifle (all Ruger M77 and MKII with identical scopes).

While my .300WM will never be a target rifle, I have to say I don't much notice the recoil when in the field, even when shooting off an improvised rest or bipod/tripod.

The .300 H&H is a grand old cartridge with a lot of history. That wouldn't play a part in my decision any more than it would if the cartridge was the newest, "hottest" thing on the market. The question would be "What will it do for me other rifles won't do as well or better?" That said, I've bought rifles because I thought they would be fun to shoot rather than because the provided any advantage in the field. (My three Marlins in .30-30, .375 Win and .45-70 come to mind.) Scratching an itch is OK.

In the end only you can decide whether the rifle is worth what you have to give up to get it. I'd probably pass simply because I'd rather have a new Winchester assembled in Portugal and chambered for a different cartridge than a push-feed, post-64 New Haven .300 H&H rifle - even if the newer rifle cost more.


YMMV

Sweet rifle, identical ballistics to the 300 WSM. What is the asking price?

Had one and used it quite a bit years ago. Perhaps the most accurate factory rifle Ive owned. Recoil is like a warm '06 as someone said, but it is more of a push than a slap like the .300 Win.
I recommend it highly.

You own a 35 Whelen. Unless you are running anemic loads through it recoil is nearly identical to 300 WM. I've never fired a 300 H&H, but I own a 300 WSM and it ain't rocket science. Both 300 H&H and 300 WSM shoot the same bullets as 300 WM about 50 fps slower. Recoil will be slightly less, about 1/2 way between 30-06 and 300 WM.

In my experience the PF model 70's are very nice guns that are often available at bargain prices. I don't see how you can go wrong.

If it's 98% or better I think it could bring upwards of $600-750, easy..

Is this an XTR model? Those bring a few hundred more on the used market with the (usually) nicer stocks. Checking gun broker XTR's usually seem to be sitting in the 700-1000 range depending on configuration and caliber. If the trade is in your favor, snag it! I bet that would last all of 5 minutes on the for sale forum here on the fire, if you didn't care to keep and shoot it.

Have the prices on those gone up to that much just recently? I bought an XTR in 7mm Rem Mag from Williams Gunsight last summer for $500 shipped.

This is a good description of the 300 H&H recoil. I hunted one for quite a few years and never had an issue with recoil. If a 30-06 recoil is not bothersome to you then you will be good with the H&H.
The post-64's may not have the glamour of the pre-64 but I have never had one let me down and overall the post-64's have been a little more accurate.

drover

+1
We've also got one in .25-06 I bought from a friend not long after he bought it new. I bought because it was the most accurate out of the box rifle he had. At the time he was buying and selling ALOT of rifles in all makes and calibers.

He didn't give me a price on it, he just said that since it's not a Win Mag he'd like to get rid of it and get what he wants. He's looking for a 12ga shotgun and I have an older Browning BPS that we discussed possibly working up some sort of trade on. He wants me to bring the shotgun back over after the weekend so he can see it and us talk trade. I know what I've got in the shotgun, I just need to know a good value on the rifle. It has an older Vari-x IIc 4-12 on it but I'm not sure if he's interested in the scope going with it or not.

I really wish I'd thought to get some pics of it, but I didn't. How can I tell if it's an XTR? I do remember is has the cross bolt through the stock.

I saw a comment about my Whelen and recoil. It's a T/C Encore that gets used strictly for primitive season her in MS. It's 7.5lbs ready to hunt and the recoil is stout, not an enjoyable rifle to shoot.

The .300 H&H is a fine classic cartridge. If you get tired of it, and don't care about any collector value, you can "improve" the chamber to .300 Weatherby. The push feed 70 works great and is reliable. The receiver ring is thicker than the new CRF action, because of the extractor cut on the latter's receiver ring.

Those early post '64's were mega ugly. Later on, they improved the looks, including the XTR as mentioned earlier. Those are MUCH nicer looking guns than the early ones.

I bought one of the ugly ones back in the '70's for $90 from a friend. Put it in a Royal stock, glassed and checkered it. Great gun, accurate (7RM); my son still has it.

I'd go $5-600 for an XTR is decent shape, try to stay below $500, maybe $450 or so for the ugly ones. An aftermarket stock, even a cheap one, really helps those a lot.

DF

I found some pics online to compare to his. It is definitely an XTR.

The scope bumps his a bit. You could check on line and Ebay for how they're selling.

I don't think a used BPS will wash a post '64 XTR in good shape. You may have to kick in a few bucks, even more with the scope.

DF

It'll have "XTR" stamped on the barrel near the chambering..

Depends on the part of the country IMO.. But also keep in mind there are TONS of 7mm RMs out there but dang few .300HH..

Rarity=higher prices..

I have one it cost 800 with Nikon Monarch scope. I bought it because I had plenty of ammo on hand. If you do not have supply of ammo or components buying .300 H&H makes very little sense because brass and ammo is more expensive and more difficult to obtain. The .300 WinMag is far, far better choice.

I bought a new M70 push feed .300 H&H when they came out about twenty-five or so years ago. I doubt many were made as these are seldom seen for sale. Mine had pretty decent wood but did not shoot well with a variety of handloads, so I sold it. Other rifles in the production run may have been have been far more accurate.

The cartridge is an excellent one and my pre-'64 M70 .300 H&H is among my most accurate rifles.

I bet gun nuts from back when would like to have their pre-64 .300 Wby's back in original .300 H&H configuration. Punching the M-70 H&H to Wby was popular back in the day.

Not too many rounds cycle slicker than an H&H, .300 or .375.

DF