Came by a as nib sako 75 hunter in 300 win mag at way too good of price to pass up. Being that this beauty weighs in at over 8pounds naked should I consider going with a short action (300wsm) I would go with either a sako 75 ss/syn or a kimber montana? this rifle will be for hunting out west. Is the kimber too light?

handwerk, if you dont mind im in a bit of a jam myself, I was thinking about going 300 wsm, but now am leading toward 300 win mag..I just cant make up my mind....can some guys on here help us out?

I had a 300 win mag and sold it. It was no fun to shoot and just kicked the crap out of me. My '06 and 7mag take care of business. If you have the opportunity for a long cross canyon shot on an Elk the 300WM is the way to go IMHO. There is not a wit of difference in performance of the 2 calibers. You can find 300WM ammo just about anywhere so if you don't reload that would be a consideration.

Handwerk...you will appreciate that 8 pound Sako when you start shooting it. Let's face it, it's only a pound heavier than the Mod 70 or 700 Rem. Put a nice Zeiss Conquest on her with all the money you saved on the rifle and you gain 6 to 7 ounces in weight back from a similar Nikon/Burris/Leupold etc! Regards, Rick.

I shoot a .300 Weatherby Sako 75 and I can tell you, I appreciate the extra weight.Then again I don't hunt out west and don't have to tote it around very much. Honestly, if I had to do a lot of walking, I'd probably want something a little lighter.

As far as the .300 Win versus .300 WSM is concerned, I've never owned either one, but I know they're very similar in performance. The WSM appeals to me simply because of its newness and because it doesn't have a belt. Lately I've developed an aversion to belted cases for some reason and want to eventually get away from them altogether. There's no logical reason for it, just don't like the way they look I guess.

I also got a great deal on a Sako 75 in 300 Win Mag 7 years ago; couldn't pass it up. It's not by any means my ideal rifle since I like short action, light rifles (M70 Featherweight, Mountain rifle, etc...). The extra kick took some getting used to at the range but now I can shoot it all day w/o a problem. The extra weight/length can be distracting in the field too.

I have no experience w/ the WSM though I do like shorter actions. The first time I took the 300 Win Mag hunting I failed to cycle the bolt all the way for a follow-up shot......I can still hear the <click> [&o] Anyway, I got used to it (and I got the deer).

Cheers

Performance wise,the 300wsm and 300wm are almost identical using factory loads.If you handload the 300wm offers slightly more velocity.If you handload you could just as easily flip a coin to decide but if you use factory loads,there is a much greater selection of loads available for the 300wm.As far as rifle weight is concerned,I carry a 300ultramag that weighs right around 8 lbs while elk huntingand I don't find it to be a problem to carry it all day.The extra weight also helps to absorb recoil and will make the gun much more pleasant to shoot.I do however prefer stainless synthetic rifles as the hunting conditions in the mountains can be quite severe and the less maintenance that is required at the end of the day,the better.The synthetic stock is also more stable in wet conditions that are very common in mountain hunting.

I have a 300 Win-Mag built on the 1917 Enfield action with a synthetic stock.

I love it. The recoil is not that bad. If you can shoot an '06 without flinching, then you can shoot the 300WM also. I actually enjoy shooting it from the bench. I'm 6 feet and weigh 180. (NOT big) so it isn't like I'm 6'4" 250.

At the bench, you can use some padding on your shoulder anyway. AND we all know that when you shoot at a deer or elk, you'll never remember the sound of the shot, let alone the recoil!

The 8 pounds of weight will help tame the recoil, mine weighs 9 pounds 3 oz. with a scope.

Kev