Last Friday, I received the HAMR barrel for my Contender. What a wait! And I should point out that this isn't the normal time from order to fulfillment. Like all MGM barrels, it is .810 inches in diameter. A 24 inch bull barrel.

It used the last scope sitting on my shelf. It's not really good for the 300 HAMR, but the price was right - no charge. It's an Athlon 4-16. I got Vortex Optics Hunter 1 inch rings for it. I have never used Vortex rings before. The reviews seem okay. This time of year, some items are hard to come by. With the scope mounted on the rifle, the whole thing weighs in at 8 lb 5 oz. I hope to get out to the range sometime within the next week.





I have loaded up some sighters and test loads. These are 130 grain Speer HPs. Hopefully, I have them loaded to produce about 2400 fps at the muzzle. Recoil will be soft at 6.5 ft/lb. This was supposed to be a summer 2023 project, but anytime is a good time to go shooting!

I see the attraction in a platform like the AR, but not at all in something like the Contender since you have the .30 WCF available, but logic has no place in this business I guess.

The .300 BO isn’t known for its accuracy potential; hope your HAMR exceeds expectaions.

I may have mentioned this before, but ARs are range only firearms up here. You cannot use them for hunting. An unfortunate circumstance.

It was the cartridge that grabbed my attention, not the platform however. 😊

However, when the government hires professionals to cull deer population, it provides special licences for the contractor to use suppressed ARs and thirty round magazines. Rules for thee but not for me. Sorry, I couldn’t resist a shot at our hypocritical Liberals backed by the inept and equally hypocritical NDP.

Nick

What government? Ottawa or Ontario?

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

I was out testing my new boots and went to the range. The first group looked odd but I kept shooting. After 20 shots, I felt the forend moving. I did not torque it down, so there's a reshoot in the very near future.

The weather was good for the time of year, but it was raining. Temperatures were above freezing - about four degrees.

CZ550,

The CCFR reported on the BC island deer cull stating it was managed by Parks Canada, the special firearms permits would be issued by the RCMP I guess. The contractors were from the US and New Zealand and they would also be using helicopters. Total cost was over $800,000. Don’t let Canadian hunters have a special season and pay for the opportunity to collect extra venison.

Nick

Interesting project. Let us know what else develops as you get more into it.

Will do.

I am going to try again tomorrow. It's supposed to be -9 Celsius, or about 16 F. That will keep almost everyone away.

To what spec do you torque the forend, Steve?

Hi Mark. I torque my walnut Contender foreends to 25 in/lb. My laminated Encores to 30 in/lb.

Thank you, Steve!

Steve,
May I ask what is was about the HAMR cartridge that caught your attention?
Thanks

There were a few things that attracted me to this cartridge.

It started with Bill Wilson’s HAMR videos. I saw that this little cartridge had the capability of taking down hogs and whitetails. His use of the cartridge and the kills he has racked up were proof of its effectiveness.

I could see that hunters did not have to buy copper, partitioned or bonded bullets. He tested a lot of different cup and core bullets and made recommendations based on what he found that had worked in the field.

The majority of hunters take game at less than 250 yards. The HAMR works well within that range.

It is an efficient design and is less expensive to reload. Using less expensive bullets, less powder and easier to find and less expensive cases, the HAMR is a modern update on older cartridges like the 30-30 that can be fired from a number of different platforms.

The HAMR is a perfect example of taking an existing cartridge and improving on it.

Almost a ballistic twin to the 7.62x39. I guess it’s advantage over the Russian cartridge would be the better selection of .308 bullets. Good luck with the project.

Nick

Yes, using 308 bullets is a big advantage. Over the years, I have ordered 308 diameter replacement barrels for several of my rifles. Using these slightly smaller barrels with the 7.62x54r, 7.62x39 and 303 British, reduces the problems associated with .311 bullet availability. 308 bullets are much easier to find and have proven to be more accurate too.

There are also more weights available. For example, I have been using 168 grain bullets from my 30-303 in short range shoots. Both the rebarreled No4 Mk 1 and the single shot Encore prefer them over what is available in .311/.312.

Plenty of X39s done up in 308. But it negates the use of surplus ammo. Which may not be a thing up there as they are about at the point of liking no guns at all.

At least they gave me no grief years ago coming through with AR15s.

It depends on the chamber, and whether the neck area has proper clearance. My MGM barrel is fine with ammunition loaded with .310" diameter bullets, but has a .308 groove diameter.

That's right. My 7.62x39 and 30-303 have a little more throat and can handle the larger bullets with no problems.