Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 300 WIN MAG question

Fellow gun head text me yesterday about a Ruger 77RS 300 WIN MAG that he has owned for a very long time. I believe his dad bought for it him in the early 70s, its a very nice looking rifle, but to heavy for my taste and I really have not had the urge to own a rifle in this caliber. He has killed a fair amount of deer with it in PENN over the years, but he never considered it his go to rifle as he owns several others. He has always shot 150s and 180s in it and his groups usually stayed around an inch or a little more. Recently he had a coworker who also owns a 300 WIN and handloads for it. He gave him a box of reloads with 200 grain bullets and told him to try them out. His Ruger shoots snug little clover leafs at 100 yards with the 200s and he is really impressed with the change of groups. Is the 300 WIN MAG made for 200s or is this just his rifle liking the reloads?

Not real smart to shoot someone else's hand loads in an unknown rifle that said loads were not developed for. Other than that, I've gotten excellent results with 200gr bullets in 300 magnums of all kinds..

BSA I was thinking the same thing about other guys reloading ammo. He said the rifle fed smoothly with the reloads and he had no problem with extracting or ejecting loaded or empty brass. He said the recoil is more noticeable but he shoots a lot more than I do and recoil doesnt seem to bother him much. He is going to try it 200 and 300 yards when he gets a chance. He showed me the target he shot with the 200s and I was really impressed.

The rifle liked that combination. May do the same or even better with other bullets and powder.

True, but, if they were full length resized, and if they were comparable to factory ammo, shouldn’t be a problem. However there’s always the unknown.

Sizing would be the least of my concerns.. You want me to load you some up? I take no liability.. Its usually said that "there are no stupid questions", but this one is stupid..

Well I won't shoot other people's handloads.... unless I disassemble them and know exactly what the powder, and the charge and bullet weight is...

back on topic.. sounds like the OP is asking the forum on this and obtaining the rifle based on what this load the seller is recommending or including..

don't think that is a reason to buy a rifle....

if you are a handloader, and the rifle has a good price on it.. and the barrel is in good shape ( the bore and chamber), I'd jump on it...

I own a couple of 300 Mags, but I don't use factory ammo in them, when I hunt with them... most often, I load them to be the equivalent of anything from a 30/30 to a 300 Weatherby.. depending on what the application is...but most often a 300 Savage to 308 equivalent.

The two I own are both very accurate rifles....regardless of loads... one is a Model 70 and the other is an early Browning A Bolt...

The Browning has been used by kid shooters, in most of the deer it has killed... 22 grains of Unique with a 150 grain Ballistic Tip or 150 grain FN.
MV is at 2000 fps and we had the kid where he'd be shooting at 100 to 125 yds...did the job every time....

But its also taken a few big bruiser Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin bucks at Distance..... 220 grain RN ( lots of swamp and brush hunting)... but still plenty of MV out to 300 yds or so... fueled by 83 grains of H 1000....Weatherby load... and 5 grains over 300 Win Mag book max..

The rifle never seemed to notice it... nor what deer it took down...and the bullet in either extreme never ever failed to do its job also...

"Is the 300 WIN MAG made for 200s or is this just his rifle liking the reloads?"

I think it all depends on the rifle but will add this. I have five rifles chambered to the .300 Win. Mag. Four Ruger #1s and a Winchester M70. I worked up a load using the 20 gr. Speer Hot Core using he now long discontinued Winchester WMR powder, Winchester brass and WLR primer. Load seems to work with regular and magnum primers BTW.

First rifle was a Ruger #1B I bought back in 1975 Winchester load booklet #15 said to use the load as posted so I did, Velocity I learned later on was pushing 2900 FPS and groups as small as .375" with the average closer to .50". I never tried another load in that rifle.

Rifle #2 was the M70 I picked up cheap at a gun show. Tried the 200 gr. load and basically the ame results. Sub MOA groups and decent velocity.

The next three rifles are al Ruger #1S models picked up over the years. The all like that 200 gr. load.All five rifles have 26" barrels. Just for fun I tried that same load using the 200 gr. Partition and while groups are slightly larger, they're still MOA or less.

I've often wondered if I should increase that load some but as I'm kind of, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and that load ain't broke. Based on my results, if the .300 Win. Mag. ain't made for the 200s, my rifles think it is.
Paul B.

Im not trying to buy the rifle from him, just commenting on the accuracy of it. He is planning on trying factory 200 grain ammunition when he gets a chance.

Well, he fired factory 200s in the M77 yesterday and the groups opened up to about 1.5" said he also cycled the remaining handloads through the gun and two of them were difficult to extract

I shoot 150’s in a Sako and a Rem 700, bit sub inch.

“….fueled by 83 grains of H 1000....Weatherby load... and 5 grains over 300 Win Mag book max.”

Living on the edge!

Agreed on the handloads - a no-no in my book unless you have a death wish.

As to the OP and 200g bullets, a 300WM should shoot 200g and heavier bullets just fine. That said, I run 180's in mine. I think around 210g is the optimum for very long distance but my shots are self-limited to 600 and shorter and have never taken one past 487 yards (cow elk with a 338WM and my Roberts would have worked).

A Ruger 77 300 Winny can't shoot any bullets worth a fhuqk,due to the trite COAL. Can you stoke it with 200gr Milk Duds and make it go "Bang!"? Yep. Though it mechanically pales,to a platform which can squirt slick bullets. Hint.

Mechanics matter ldies,if only to your perpetual chagrin. Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!..............

Funny how those worthless 180 & 200 grain bullets keep killing elk, moose & other stuff dead as a door nail.

specialneeds,

Pardom mechanics,surging your Estrogen Levels...you "lucky" kchunt. Hint. Congratulations?!?

Feel free to cite any/all "180 & 200gr bullets" which enthrall you and I'll simply slap you atop your pointy head,with your own fhuqking STUPIDITY. Factor that as (2) dogs worth of dare,you Drooling Clueless Fhuqktard. Hint.

Don't "forget" to cite rifle particulars,COAL,velocity and the like. Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!..................

Nothing wrong with shooting 200's. Win Mag is likely 1:10 twist and should handle them. As usual, make sure the hand loads are from a reliable source. And ignore the Alaskan idiot's reply - he does this with everyone....

My elk load is actually 300 Weatherby 180 grain TTSX Fed 215 primer 77 grains of IMR 4350 coal 3.60 a little under 3200 FPS. Very accurate load that hits hard at extended range if needed.

It has accounted for several elk, longest was 550 yards shortest about 90 yards, no bullets recovered no animals lost most Dead without traveling any significant distance.

I’d try to get Barnes 165 grain TTSX to shoot and adjust from there. A 200 grain bullet is fine especially if not an overly high BC bullet but at 200 grains the short neck starts to work against it.

I'm VERY fhuqking "Surprised!" that yet another Crying Kchunt from Bitchagain and specialneeds faltered so magnificently...you "lucky" kchunts. Hint. Congratulations?!?

Bless your poor poor(literally) hearts,for doing your best though.

Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!.................