No one is any more enamored of the original 300 Win. Mag. than me though I no longer own one. I shot a few over a couple decades or more and frankly, in the right rifle platform, 500 yards is just beginning to stretch the legs of the cartridge. Powerful, accurate, great ballistics but not a big bore in any rifle regardless of how much one wants to make it a big bore.
I was a lever nut for several years and had 86's and Marlin's in 45-70, 45-90, 444 Marlin and a couple I've forgotten...oh, I do still have an '86 in 40-82 WCF. Are they big bores? They are in my opinion but not big bores like my 500 BPE, 450/400, the couple 375 H&H's and 416 Rigby I had. They're completely different beasts. No question the 300 WM with a 220 gr. bullet is powerful but no comparison to a 400 gr. bullet out of a Brno 416 Rigby or 500 gr. bullet out of a 500 Jeffery or any of several dozen other real big bores.
