.300 Ultra Mag opinions?

Question

I plan on buying a rifle to shoot targets at LONG range (maybe some hunting). I love the idea of very small & fast (220 swift, 25 mag, sabots, etc...) but my father who has LOTS of experience (retired Army) tells me that a very small bullet is very susceptible to wind and sheds velocity & energy quickly regardless of muzzle velocity. He tells me I shouldn't go under .30 caliber for that reason. I've done a little research (along with his advice) and I'm thinking about a .300 Ultra Mag. I don't have alot of experience, I just like long range accuracy. Is a .300 Ultra Mag a good rifle at 300 yards? Any suggestions for a better rifle? I don't want to be shooting a cannon so please don't tell me "get a .50 cal". That's my target range-300 yards. I don't want to spend more than $2500 or so. So pretty much my question would be what is the best rifle (around .30 caliber or under) for TIGHT 300 yard groups? Thanx for experienced advice!

Answer 1

Energy isnt important to punching holes in paper,, Velocity shed has nothing to do with weight it has to do with balistic coeficient, basically the length to diameter ratio, As in a spear will fly farther than a brick of the same weight. You can compare balistic coeficients of bullets on bullet maker websights. Higher is better.. But wind drift is determined by weight. heavy is better.. However 300 yards is not long range in rifle world. For you the most important thing to making small groups at 300 and less is trigger time. That means lots of practice. Lots of practice means cheaper ammo and lower recoil. from 0-300 yards the 5.56 or .223 rules. In an acurazied AR-15 platform or a bolt action Varmit/tacticle style. It's cheap, low recoil, wont wear out a barrel in no time like wonder mags will. You can buy cheap blasting ammo or super accurate match grade ammo. The other choice would be the same type of rifle in 308 with the heavier bullet you can now have a pretty good 800 yard rifle at the expense of a little more recoil and ammo expense. I really would stay away from the ultra mags or other underbored rifles. Ammo is extremely expensiive and for 300 yard shooting you will only be making more noise and recoil with zero gain in performance.

Answer 2

Buddy, Ive never shot a 300 Ultra Mag but ive been next to one and they are cannons. That thing will KILL your shoulder. And even if your man enough to handel that, The ammunition is very expencive. I had earmuffs on and my ears were ringing after he shot it. Go for it but i suggest 30-06. Its a retiltivly small bullet and was once used in Sniper rifles (the Springfield) And also its for the most part unneffected by wind. Also a .223 is a great long range swift bullet. I can shoot over 1000 yards and still get a retiltively small group with a .223. Go for any of the three.

Answer 3

It depends on what you know about ballistics. When you actually break down and do the math you see how similar so many calibers are. Then you break down each round and see what it actually doing, and what it takes do to it. Your typical shooter that shoots less than 20 rounds a year, it doesn't really matter. The barrel will never wear out and the cost per round broken up over a year is un-noticeable. But if you shoot a lot it does. Extra powder cots, extra abuse on the shoulder, and replacing a barrel every 1000 rounds gets old quick. Find 2 calibers to compare, 1 that sees an extra 10% in muzzle velocity, but takes an additional 30% powder, and in real life only gains an additional 50 yards in point blank range = a pointless cartridge, as far as the math goes. If you're in the market for a rifle, no reason to not buy it. But if you're looking to replace a rifle, you're pretty much spending a whole lot of money to just stand in the same place. I've yet to see a miracle cartridge, anything that makes me go WOW! But shoot what you want to shoot, personally I pretty much look at anything new as just a xxx with an extra 20 yards, yippee.

Answer 4

300 yds isn't "LONG RANGE" dude, get a clue. My .223 shoots 3" groups at 500 yds {this is not a target rifle} and drops coyotes easily at that range. You need to go to a LOOONG distance Range to figure it out. I go to a 5 MILE range to practice my long range high power shooting {I use the short course 1 mi. for most days} and practice allot. When buying a gun consider that you'll spend an equal amount of money on good optics and with ammo prices climbing you must account for that too. Simple facts are that you'll shoot about 2000 rounds just to get comfortable with any weapon. Real GOOD shooters will burn 20-30 THOUSAND rounds per month. Lets do a bit of math here, $1000 for the rifle + $1000 for a scope + Glasses, Ear protection, sand bags, etc, another $250. $42.00 for 20 rounds of .300 Ultra Mag x 2000 rounds.= $4200.00 for just enough ammo to start to get to know the weapon. Why don't you start with a .22LR and learn to shoot first {100,000 rounds minimum} and then step up to a .223 for about 10 thousand rounds. By that point you will have learned to judge wind and trajectories. You don't by a Indy car to learn to drive, you start with a regular car. BTW for many years the .308 has been the standard issue SNIPER rifle for good reason, it WORKS and it's cheap to shoot.

Answer 5

I have heard from my RTO who is green beret that a regular .300 mag is good to about a mile. the ultra mag might be a little much unless you are hunting bigfoot. he told us that he has shot men at 800 yards with a .223 before, and it didn't faze the person. at 300 yards your options are huge. when you want to go out toward 1000 you become limited. the .300 ultra i think would be over shadowed by the .338 lapua... a true longrange round. if 2500 is your limit. look at sig arms and harris gunworks. there are a lot of makers that can make a gun for that price that will give you a 3" at 300 plus yards.

Answer 6

300 yards is not long range. 300 yards does not even begin to tap the 300 ultra mags potential. They are usen a lot in 1000 yard shoots. Lots of recoil. for 300 yards I would go with a .308. Cheaper and more comfortable to shoot.

Answer 7

Forget about the Magnum.* The best choice for your purpose is 30-06 or 308 caliber.* Preferably a Remington, Savage or Winchester.* Buy used an save $$$$.* A new rifle doesn't shoot any better than a good used one.* gunbroker.com, auctionarms.com.... Check these sites for new and used prices for your rifle.* A 22-250 is also an excellent choice for your intended purpose.*