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The whole discussion about non .300 mag shooting for noobs was about costs, reloading skill, and all that! How many would take up the shooting part before the hand loading? It's an expensive proposition to kit up from scratch into a caliber such as the .300 and all the learning that goes with that, and it's why a lot of us recommended other calibers to start! .308 is a much less expensive option to start out with and there is plenty of good factory ammo out there right NOW for it, plus, it's cheaper to reload when you get to that point!;
 
The whole discussion about non .300 mag shooting for noobs was about costs, reloading skill, and all that! How many would take up the shooting part before the hand loading? It's an expensive proposition to kit up from scratch into a caliber such as the .300 and all the learning that goes with that, and it's why a lot of us recommended other calibers to start! .308 is a much less expensive option to start out with and there is plenty of good factory ammo out there right NOW for it, plus, it's cheaper to reload when you get to that point!;
Then again...when I taught rock climbing, there was a single guy, worked for intel, showed up for day 1 of class and it was his first climb, ever. He decided he liked it and went out and bought everything - shoes, harness, ropes, a full trad rack, slings, beaners, etc etc. Dude probably dropped 3k at REI buying all this stuff instantly at retail.

A decade later, he's still going strong. He's the 1 of 100 who didn't piss away his money. OP is probably related to him. Maybe.
 
Then again...when I taught rock climbing, there was a single guy, worked for intel, showed up for day 1 of class and it was his first climb, ever. He decided he liked it and went out and bought everything - shoes, harness, ropes, a full trad rack, slings, beaners, etc etc. Dude probably dropped 3k at REI buying all this stuff instantly at retail.

A decade later, he's still going strong. He's the 1 of 100 who didn't piss away his money. OP is probably related to him. Maybe.
Good thing about guns is they'll hold their value better than rock climbing gear would. After most check off the 1k mark on their bucket list, they can sell off their gun stuff and come out with a decent rental fee.
 
The whole discussion about non .300 mag shooting for noobs was about costs, reloading skill, and all that! How many would take up the shooting part before the hand loading? It's an expensive proposition to kit up from scratch into a caliber such as the .300 and all the learning that goes with that, and it's why a lot of us recommended other calibers to start! .308 is a much less expensive option to start out with and there is plenty of good factory ammo out there right NOW for it, plus, it's cheaper to reload when you get to that point!;
I think just about everybody takes up the shooting part first.

I sure did.

And the quality of factory ammo is so good these days a lot of guys quit hand loading.

If you added up what I've spent on all my reloading gear, plus my time at minimum wage, and divided it by $50 (maybe average cost of a box of quality cartridges), I'll bet a guy could shoot for years on what it bought him.

Excellent point on smaller cartridge choice.




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If you want a .300 WM, get one. I don't think it's necessary unless you're going wayyyyy out there. When my friend and I shoot, it's usually around 500 yards as in my region that's easy enough to find but further can be a challenge. His .308 with a 16" bbl and my 7 mag with a 24" bbl, both Remington 700 are comparable at that range and it'd take quite a ways before the extra velocity and BC from mine started to give me a real edge over his setup. But I wanted a 7 mag anyway, so that's what I bought. I also bought a .50bmg because I WANTED one. Shooting is about having fun.
 
Seen a few dudes show up with a .338 Lapua, cause POWER, and only have 2 boxes of ammo @$80+ a box, get sighted in and be out of ammo, sitting there board afterward! Same dudes might get lucky and have somebody near by with a smaller caliber and lots more ammo and offer to let them shoot!

By all means, get what you want, nobody should be talking anyone out of something, just pointing out the economics is all!
 
Seen a few dudes show up with a .338 Lapua, cause POWER, (...)
Well, yea. That quadruple ply cardboard with 110lb pearly white card stock with the IDPA pattern takes a real mean round to punch a hole. I'm sure anything less would bounce off it - probably ricochet right back at you to whisper in your ear how tough that target was.
 
Seen a few dudes show up with a .338 Lapua, cause POWER, and only have 2 boxes of ammo @$80+ a box, get sighted in and be out of ammo, sitting there board afterward! Same dudes might get lucky and have somebody near by with a smaller caliber and lots more ammo and offer to let them shoot!
By all means, get what you want, nobody should be talking anyone out of something, just pointing out the economics is all!
I was watching a vid and the guy was commenting on a rifle a guy had built.
Spent kilobux on parts and glass then due to the cost of ammo never shot it.

I just got some .308 Browning match pro 168gn and about had a stroke on a couple of boxes.
I wouldn't want to be feeding much more than that right now.
 
Seen a few dudes show up with a .338 Lapua, cause POWER, and only have 2 boxes of ammo @$80+ a box, get sighted in and be out of ammo, sitting there board afterward! Same dudes might get lucky and have somebody near by with a smaller caliber and lots more ammo and offer to let them shoot!

By all means, get what you want, nobody should be talking anyone out of something, just pointing out the economics is all!
I was watching a vid and the guy was commenting on a rifle a guy had built.
Spent kilobux on parts and glass then due to the cost of ammo never shot it.

I just got some .308 Browning match pro 168gn and about had a stroke on a couple of boxes.
I wouldn't want to be feeding much more than that right now.
 
I think just about everybody takes up the shooting part first.

I sure did.

And the quality of factory ammo is so good these days a lot of guys quit hand loading.

If you added up what I've spent on all my reloading gear, plus my time at minimum wage, and divided it by $50 (maybe average cost of a box of quality cartridges), I'll bet a guy could shoot for years on what it bought him.

Excellent point on smaller cartridge choice.




P
You will never realize the full accuracy potential of a rifle using just factory ammo. Every rifle is different. You can never get to the optimum load that produces the best results in a given rifle unless you can properly tune the ammo to the rifle. To me, this is the best part of the whole experience
 
You will never realize the full accuracy potential of a rifle using just factory ammo. Every rifle is different. You can never get to the optimum load that produces the best results in a given rifle unless you can properly tune the ammo to the rifle. To me, this is the best part of the whole experience
"Never" is a bold statement.

"Less likely" is more accurate.

At least in my experience. But I shoot Tikkas, so that's not a fair comparison.
 
Absolutely agree with bearcountrygun , and in my humble opinion it's more about the shooter then the gun/optics and caliber selection.I own some cheap rifles and some expensive custom builds. Custom precision loads and good shooting practices can certainly help any shooter. Good luck with your long range pursuit and don't be shy if you need help. Many good experienced shooters/precision handloaders on this forum.
 
Two very bold words, "never" and "always".
Personally I haven't gotten the very best performance with factory ammo in any of my rifles. Not saying it is impossible to do, just very unlikely
I agree with the term "unlikely," much better than never.

I have a model 70 XTR in 30-06, she shoots green box 180 grain round nose ammo like I hand loaded it.

My Tikka .30-06 shot 180 grain Federal blue box exceptionally well.

My brother's 7mm-08 really likes Hornady's 150 eldx factory loads.

It happens.




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