I have a fairly recent Mark V synthetic in 300 wby - it's a US made gun. No problems with it and it is an MOA or better rifle after I bedded it. I am a fan of the round and have used it to take a number of animals at longer range. Only downside is the rifle is fairly heavy, which is also a benefit with the recoil.
THIS ^^^
100% My only complaint, like you, is that if you have enough weight in the rifle to be appropriate for the caliber it is on the heavy side for carring in rough terrain. I usually don't have a "Gun Bearer" when elk hunting.
I will also say that I never even notice recoil when shooting at game...in ANY caliber. Recoil concern and flinches comes from time you spend on the bench. You just have to get through the sight in process.
And the key is to learn how to shoot big rifles off the bench.
1) Noise heavily influences percieved recoil. Put ear plugs in your ear
WITH a set of cans over your ears. I litterally can not hear what a person next to me is saying when like this unless they shout.
2) Wear a recoil pad.have one that straps on over my shirt. Or wear a shirt with a built in pad. Or do like my son did last weekend and put some cloths folded up on your shoulder under your shirt.
3) Throw away whatever recoil pad came with your gun and replace it with a 1" Pachmayr Decelerator Recoil pad...unless you gun already has a 1" Pachmayr Decelerator Recoil pad of course.
4) Use good form. Set your rest up tall so that you are sitting upright when looking through the scope. This helps you ride back with shot same as if you were standing up shooting of sticks. Your don't want to be leaning forward down into the gun, which both increases felt recoil and increases the chance of taking a scope to the eyebrow.
5) Start with the lightest bullets you can get for your caliber, get the scope dialed in, then replace them with your bullets of choice and make final adjustment.
6) Get the gun sighted in with as few shots as possible. I take ONE SHOT at 25 yards. I don't need to take more than one at 25 yards. Since quality scopes are all 1/4 MOA or 4 clicks to the inch you adust your scope 16 clicks for each inch of movement you need vertically and horizontally to adjust a 25 yard shot to get me theoretically to a spot 2 inches over center. I then move to 50 yards. I take one shot again. I again make adjustments only now it is 8 clicks to an inch, to get me two inches over center. I then confirm with two more shots at 50 yards and make any final adjustment to get my 50 yard shot dead on left/right and 2" high at 50 yards. All of this is done with the lightest bullets in my caliber.
If it is a non-DG gun, I then go to 200 yards and see where it hits by firing two shots with the same, lightest bullets. I adjust to be dead on at 200 yards with those bullets. At 200 yards it is 2 clicks to the inch. This will center that load at 200 yards.
I then put in the load/bullets I want to use my hunting...for the .300 Wby it is 180 grain Trophy Bonded or Nosler Partitions or Swift Scirocco or Nosler Accubond. One of those 4 but for sure 180 grain. I then shoot a 3 shot group with my load of choice. It is usually not the same spot as the lighter bullets. I then make the adustment and do another 3 shot group which should be zeroed at 200 yards.
If a DG gun in .375 or above I move to 100 yards and zero there instead of 200 but the process is the same.
This way I usually get my gun sighted in at 200 yards (or 100 if DG caliber) in 12 shots.
6 shots with the lighter ammo (which is also cheaper, no need for premium bullets for this)
6 shots with load of choice in the expensive premium bullets I will use for hunting.
12 shots and gun is sighted in.
This assumes factory ammo where you are not experimenting with loads.
It will be more shooting if you are also developing a load. In that case use your cheap ammo (generally factory) for the 25 and 50 yard shots, then you always go to 100 yards and fire two, 3 shot groups with different charges of powder until you find your load of choice, then move it to 200 for final zero.
Take your time. Relax plenty between shots. If need be do the above in two sessions. Or even three. Don't sit there and bang away for 20 or 30 shots with heavy ammo in 30 minutes. Take as long as it takes including relaxing between every shot. I have the luxury of shooting on our propety so nobody is rushing me and we are not waiting for other people to go check results, hang new target, put stickers on bullet holes etc.. But you can do it on a public range. Once again, don't rush. Take as long as it takes even if you need to do two sessions.
After my gun is sighted in, I never shoot it off the bench again except to check zero on trips and practice off sticks (standing and sitting) and over a backpack as a rest, both prone and sitting. I practice in the kneeling position out to 100 yards. I can drop to one knee and shoot in seconds compared to setting up on any rest for when I see an animal unexpectedly.
This is how you get used to shooting big boomers but also how I sight in any caliber.
www.hodgdonreloading.com
