Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 300 dakota chambering

anyone have any thoughts on how this is an improvement over the current 300 mags available?
i know brass is expensive but other than that?
thanks
woofer

What do you mean by improvement?
It was certainly an improvement over anything that was out at the time of its introduction, with maybe the Weatherby coming in second, with a magnum-length action required.
It smokes the 300 Winchester.
Just because their are other rounds out there that go faster doesn't make them "improvements" anyway, otherwise we'd all be shooting 300-500 Jeffery's!
Perhaps you have a beef with the Dakota round you'd like to share?
Myself, I think the 2.5" Jeffery case is ideal for a Mauser or pre-64 Winchester if you're looking for "magnum" speeds.
Give me one in 338, 375, and 416, please. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
As for brass $$$, well, looks like you can now form from RUM brass, so the price just dropped through the floor.

i wasn't bad mouthing the chambering! i have a chance to buy a select match ss shilen threaded and chambered for this. cheap. i just wanted some input on it. no one ever speaks of it so i asked.
i have the action and stock. i have no reason to build it other than just to have.
thanks
woofer

I wonder how much is simply that the rifles usually chambered cost so damn much there aren't many to have anything to say about in the first place.
I personally feel that the .284" and .308" bores really max out in utility right around here, or just before it with the Win Mag case. It's always good to have a little more than you need, so there's one good thing about it.
If I wanted a fast 308, this one would be on my short list, ESPECIALLY if I was working with a Mauser or pre-64 M70.
I'd say that about 338 and 375, too. Maybe 416 even....
I'd go straight for Norma brass and form my own, as I've heard Dakota farms out to a few places, and you can't be sure what you're getting.
Save the factory load$ for trips abroad when you need the casehead.
A 180g breaking 3200 fps in a 24" bbl is all I would EVER want in a carrying rifle. That's about 50% more recoil than the old '06, you know.
What action would you be putting it into?
If the barrel was up for less than $150, I'd have a hard time not doing it, especially since I just donated my .308" ('06) for a wildcat conversion.

#4 ss fluted. i have a remington donor action and a TI stock. as much as i hate brakes i feel it would be in my best interest. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
you are very close on the price. i shouldn't have more than $800 in it with a blueprinted action and moly coat... it is a hard one to pass up....thanks
woofer

Did you go ahead with the project?

Anyone else with .300 Dakota experience?

With a case capacity of 97 gr. of water, what velocity advantage does it have over the 300 win mag.?

Don't have it in front of me, but seems like loads from Dakota ran alongside the 308-8mm Rem or other full-length, blown-out H&H cases. IOW, it is to the 300 Win what the 416 Rem is to the Taylor. Definitely worth it velocity-wise, though the 300 Win is about perfect in my eyes in terms of expansion ratio. And if you plan to use long bullets, and can have it throated accordingly in a long action (up to 3.5" or so) you'll have quite a bit of power. Not qutie the RUM, but coming up on it.

i have a 300 dakota in the works as we speak. i chose this chambering for two reasons one it beats the 300 win by 100 to 150 fps which i know is not much but it is an advantage, it is also very close to 300 weatherby performance, two it gets rid of the belt which means you can headspace on the shoulder instead of off of the belt. this is enough for me. i was thinking of going for the 30/8mm but the dakota matches it pretty closely and no belt. i have nothing against belted magnums i am just trying to get away from them. i also have a 338 win mag that i will be converting to 330 dakota if all goes well. by the way anybody looking for a 2 die set for the 300 win mag i have one i will let go of cheap............blake

The disadvantages of the Dakota Chamberings are mostly cost related. The brass is expensive but it lasts forever, I've had 8-9 reloadings on some of my 330 Dakota brass. The dies are also more expensive.
There can be a few issues with getting a standard action to have a magazine box wide enough to feed perfectly but these are fixable.
The advantages of it are that it's basically a non-belted 300 Weatherby in a standard length action. When properly setup they feed great and are made to be very accurate.
If you can afford the higher priced brass and dies and don't mind a little rifle work to get it set up it might be an excellent chambering for you.
If you want an out of the box type rifle that you never have to mess with you will either need to skip any Dakota chamberings or buy them in a Dakota 76 or 97......DJ

Thanks dj.

Again, anyone at the campfire with a 300 dakota chambered rifle?

Please comment on the cartridge and velocities that you are getting.

Big Thanks!

I've built several that are used in 1000 Yard Benchrest competitions. We use 1:10, 30"-36" custom barrels. Also, the 330 Dak brass is made by Norma but the 300 Dak brass was not. That means necking down and fireforming (or short chambering) since the 330 is shorter than the 300 by a small amount.
The lack of a belt makes this a great cartridge for serious reloaders and shooters. The 300 Ultra Mag has more capacity than needed for accuracy at 1000 yards.
Opinions, just more opinions.