My .300 Win Mag finally arrived!

[schwerpunkt88]

You're missing the .22 for the squirrels in the back 40...

 

[skydiver386]

Very nice rifle. Being a taller guy, I've always liked the high comb on the Weatherby rifles. The stock is straight grained with no fancy add ones. A great hunting rifle.

Looks like you put some nice glass on it too.

 

[Badboymelvin]

I need to look into the .425 Express…

Ed Z

The 425 Express is the .300 Winchester Magnum necked up to .423" - same as the 404 Jeffery.

I load mine pretty easy and l'm getting 2300fps with the Hornady 400rg DGX, and, 2500fps with the all-copper 360gr Atomic29 projectile...

Awesome cartridge.

Here's my custom Zastava 425 Express built by Farmboy at NT Firearms Gove

Russ

 

[Badboymelvin]

You're missing the .22 for the squirrels in the back 40...

No squirrels in Australia mate - but l do have a .22!
Just loves CCI Mini-mags and it's the most fun rifle l've ever owned...

Russ

 

[Badboymelvin]

Very nice rifle. Being a taller guy, I've always liked the high comb on the Weatherby rifles. The stock is straight grained with no fancy add ones. A great hunting rifle.

Looks like you put some nice glass on it too.

skydiver386,

There's a funny story about the scope on it...

One Saturday night I was just looking on Ebay - which l often do, seeing what bargains were available and l came across a scope that had sold heaps - and had good reviews.
I had a look at what they wrote and they did indeed seem ok.
In fact they promised the world!

The scope was a Chinese made Westhunter 4-16x44.

As l said, they had good reviews and had sold heaps... and l could get one for the massive sum of $123 posted!
Now, they did indeed look ok... but were they really?
I mean what does $123 buy you these days? Especially in optics...

So l put it on my watchlist and left it... until my wife saw it on my watchlist and decided to surprise me and bought it for me!
Bless her...

So now l had a new scope... whether l wanted it or not!

So a week later it arrived and it did indeed look pretty good.
The glass quality, brightness and clarity was really surprising and the click adjustments felt good and positive.
And l mean this - the clarity was really, really good. I was genuinely surprised.
It looked really good too.
The parallax adjustment worked well and l found myself liking this cheap scope - in fact l was rooting for it, I really wanted it to work... but would it?

And would it live?

Well, if you're going to test something you might as well test it properly!
So on the .300 Winchester Magnum it went!

Well, so far it's had about 40 rounds through it and it has worked like a charm.
I've sighted in 2 different lots of ammo with it and both time the zeroing in process has painless and quick.
The scope (so far) is showing no signs of ill-effects with regards to the recoil - and speaking of recoil, it has nearly 4" of eye relief.

Even though l have another, proven scope in the cupboard as a spare, I like this one so much as long as it lives I'm keeping it on.

I really, really like it

$123 posted

Russ

 

[Philip Glass]

Hey crew,

Well after weeks of negotiating, selling stuff, and waiting on post and permits, it's finally in my safe!

My latest (and almost certainly last) .300 Winchester Magnum.

It's a Weatherby Vanguard and up top it's fitted with a 4-16x44. It has a nice bit of timber on it too...

While l've been waiting for it's arrival, it's given me a chance to think about what l'm going to feed it... and after much deliberation, l've decided on the Winchester 150gr Copper Impact - provided of course that the rifle likes this ammo.
If it does, this should be a nice all-round, flat-shooting load for everything from Sambar to Fallow.

l'll keep you all posted on how it all goes - but l have to be honest and say l'm pretty excited. It's nice to have another .300 Win Mag in the stable again.

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for a hunt report... hopefully really soon

View attachment 612832

It is a great caliber for sure. I wish I had bought one decades ago. Well done!

 

[skydiver386]

skydiver386,

There's a funny story about the scope on it...

One Saturday night I was just looking on Ebay - which l often do, seeing what bargains were available and l came across a scope that had sold heaps - and had good reviews.
I had a look at what they wrote and they did indeed seem ok.
In fact they promised the world!

The scope was a Chinese made Westhunter 4-16x44.

As l said, they had good reviews and had sold heaps... and l could get one for the massive sum of $123 posted!
Now, they did indeed look ok... but were they really?
I mean what does $123 buy you these days? Especially in optics...

So l put it on my watchlist and left it... until my wife saw it on my watchlist and decided to surprise me and bought it for me!
Bless her...

So now l had a new scope... whether l wanted it or not!

So a week later it arrived and it did indeed look pretty good.
The glass quality, brightness and clarity was really surprising and the click adjustments felt good and positive.
And l mean this - the clarity was really, really good. I was genuinely surprised.
It looked really good too.
The parallax adjustment worked well and l found myself liking this cheap scope - in fact l was rooting for it, I really wanted it to work... but would it?

And would it live?

Well, if you're going to test something you might as well test it properly!
So on the .300 Winchester Magnum it went!

Well, so far it's had about 40 rounds through it and it has worked like a charm.
I've sighted in 2 different lots of ammo with it and both time the zeroing in process has painless and quick.
The scope (so far) is showing no signs of ill-effects with regards to the recoil - and speaking of recoil, it has nearly 4" of eye relief.

Even though l have another, proven scope in the cupboard as a spare, I like this one so much as long as it lives I'm keeping it on.

I really, really like it

$123 posted

Russ

To tell the truth, it looked like a Schmidt & Bender. Glad to see you saved a couple thousand.

No worries, Phillip Glass will be a long any minute to talk you into a Swaro.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Fair enough. So the Saudi prince flies to Africa in his own jet, having bought up all the buffalo tags available on the concession, and only brings one gun, a 300 Win, with him? The question remains unanswered: was there not a minimum cartridge requirement for dangerous game in Zimbabwe? I guess the rule was overlooked for a very special generous client. Okay, I get that. It is Africa.

I get it that this chap was a life ring in the storm of pandemic. I also jumped all kinds of hurdles to get to Africa during the pandemic: three major operations and driving several thousand miles back and forth across the border here to get my vaccinations, one operation (hernia three weeks before safari), and gun rebarreled. Seemed like I spent the entire spring and summer in quarantine. And I did it because I knew my lodge was taking a beating. I shot eleven animals including buffalo and sable. Two impala were culled for farm staff and the sable was significant discount (as thanks for bringing a rifle over for lodge owner). The rest I paid full value trophy fees. That was a very expensive year but glad to help out. The lodge owner's wife said they were supporting twenty families out of their savings. Needless to say, I had the place to myself. Which is the way I like it. Perhaps if I'd had the right bullets, I could have made my 30-06 work on the buffalo. It would definitely be cool to say I'd accomplished such a feat. Not sure my PH would ever have agreed to let me try, no matter how desperate they were for my business. Anyway, I'm not the kind of guy to put him in a spot like that. He's my friend.

He said that the Arab killed many of the buffalo with the .300 WM. Not that he killed all 40 with it or that it was the only rifle he brought.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Hey crew,

Well after weeks of negotiating, selling stuff, and waiting on post and permits, it's finally in my safe!

My latest (and almost certainly last) .300 Winchester Magnum.

It's a Weatherby Vanguard and up top it's fitted with a 4-16x44. It has a nice bit of timber on it too...

While l've been waiting for it's arrival, it's given me a chance to think about what l'm going to feed it... and after much deliberation, l've decided on the Winchester 150gr Copper Impact - provided of course that the rifle likes this ammo.
If it does, this should be a nice all-round, flat-shooting load for everything from Sambar to Fallow.

l'll keep you all posted on how it all goes - but l have to be honest and say l'm pretty excited. It's nice to have another .300 Win Mag in the stable again.

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for a hunt report... hopefully really soon

View attachment 612832

Very nice. In a great cartridge too. I got mine a few years ago and used 180 grain AccuBonds to take 2 mule deer, a black bear and a moose. I switched to 200 gr. AB's for PG in Zimbabwe. I don't think there's much of anything you couldn't take with it provided good shot placement and the right bullet.

 

[Nyati]

Great looking rifle @Badboymelvin , happy hunting

 

[bobdahunter84]

Nice looking vanguard. I've never seen a vanguard with a nice chunk of wood. Usually they're plastic, and the good wood is reserved for the mark v.

Not to be a hater, but if I'm buying a weatherby rifle, it will be chambered in a weatherby cartridge. Love the 300 wby. I'll be bringing one to new foundland for moose this year. My go to whitetail rifle is a 7mm wby. Sucker for speed, let my shoulder be damned!

I've got 3 mark Vs. Weatherby makes a great looking rifle. My only complaint is I strongly prefer the control feed action. So when I'm hunting I usually use one of my pre 64 model 70s rechambered to a weatherby cartridge.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Beautiful rifle and a fine battery of calibers. Congratulations!

+1

 

[FlyGuy]

With the right bullet, I wouldn't think twice about taking on Cape buffalo with a .300WM
In the good old days, I did it a few times with something a little smaller.

 

[CBH Australia]

I’m sure @Badboymelvin would be loosing sleep wondering if YOU approved of his cartridge choice.

BadBoy? Spend a couple of days in the bush with him. He’s a big marshmallow softy, I think the technical term is gentleman but I know him so I can put $hit on him. That’s the Aussie way.

Russ, does Bob know that the mighty .243 is one of your select 3? Oh man you are gonna cop it.

And, you promised Sandra that this is the last rifle, ha, yeah right. She loves my last Facebook comment so we are friends now.

Last rifle, like the last one you were never gonna part with

 

[Doug Hamilton]

BadBoy? Spend a couple of days in the bush with him. He’s a big marshmallow softy, I think the technical term is gentleman but I know him so I can put $hit on him. That’s the Aussie way.

Russ, does Bob know that the mighty .243 is one of your select 3? Oh man you are gonna cop it.

And, you promised Sandra that this is the last rifle, ha, yeah right. She loves my last Facebook comment so we are friends now.

Last rifle, like the last one you were never gonna part with

I was kind of wondering if Bob knew about his .243 also. I still like his choice of .300 WM though.

 

[BJH65]

Congratulations sir on acquiring a fine rifle and caliber! I feel the 300 Win Mag is one of the most versatile calibers there is. I’ve used one (Winchester M70 Fwt All Terrain) on a variety of African plains game including Eland to elk, black bear and Alaskan grizzly. I admit I was a little reticent using it on Grizzly, but the old master guide George Faerber felt it would be fine with the correct bullet, 200 grain TBBC and it did the trick on an 8 ft 800 lb grizzly! In South Africa on our 1997 hunt, I used the now discontinued 180 grain Winchester Fail Safe to great effect. My PH Dion Cilliers was so impressed with the performance, he believed it would work fine on Cape Buffalo!

 

[Doug Hamilton]

No squirrels in Australia mate - but l do have a .22!
Just loves CCI Mini-mags and it's the most fun rifle l've ever owned...

View attachment 615538

Russ

Should be just right for rabbits, foxes, and feral cats. I hear you have plenty of those!

 

[Badboymelvin]

Should be just right for rabbits, foxes, and feral cats. I hear you have plenty of those!

PLENTY!!!!