I just purchased a Remington 700LSS Left Hand in .300 Ultra Mag 26"barrell. I am a bowhunter, but being from Idaho, want a good elk rifle anyway. I sold a .300WBY (not left hand) two years ago to help with medical bills. I realy wanted a UltraMag and a left handed gun. My favorite rifle is the Browning A-Bolt but I couldn't get one left handed in a .300 UltraMag. I am worried about the quality of the Remington Rifles. But in the furture, maybe next year if the rifle doesn't shoot good, I plan on making the gun a custom job with a longer barrell, new stock, and custom trigger. But if the gun shoots well, I plan on using it for a few years as it came in the box. I am planning on mounting a Leupold VXIII 4.5-14 50mm long range (30mm tube) on it. I want to hear your opinion, the good and the bad, about the gun and the scope. I should add that I also reload my own ammo. Thanks.

All I can say is, you've got a pretty dang nice elk rifle now. Remingtion rifles are great. My dad has had his for thirty years now, and it is still an awesome rifle. He has the same bushnell 4x scope he got when he bought the gun, and hes killed too many animals to count with his rifle. More than 20 of those have been elk. If anything else, his Remington has just gotten better over time from being used & broken in. As for your scope, I wouldnt even question its quality. Leupold has made a real name for itself because they make such nice, durable scopes. And the VX-III is almos their top of the line. So I wouldnt even have a second thought about my elk rifle if I were you.

A friends son has a left handed 700lss in 300ultramag and it easily shoots 1" groups.I own two 300ultramags myself and am very happy with them but they are suited more for specialized uses by a person with several rifles.By this I mean that they only offer an advantage over the 300win mag at distances of well over 300 yards.This advantage comes at the expense of increased recoil and reduced barrel life.To take advantage of the flatter trajectory at long range you must also be a much better than average shot and must practise a great deal at the longer yardage to maintain your shooting skills.Combine the recoil and shorter barrel life with a lot of practising and you can see that the 300ultramag is not a good choice unless you have other rifles of similar trajectories to practise with.The 300 win mag is a far more suitable cartridge than either the 300ultramag or 300win mag for the vast majority of shooters.
As far as your choice of scope,I would go with a scope in the 3x10x40 range as it can be mounted lower for better cheek fit especially considering the recoil.A maximum power of 10x is plenty for 500 yard shots on big game and a low power of about 3x is better for shot opportunities that suddenly appear at close range.

Your set up sounds pretty good, but I would mount a VX-III 4.5-14x40. Good luck.

Stubble thanks for your opinion. I am in the break in process right now. I shoot it (reduced loads) three times and let it cool and clean it. I plan on shooting it every week, sometimes twice a week this summer to get ready for rifle season. I will be hunting with both gun and archery this year. I will coordinate shooting it with my bow, which I shoot every day at our family range, or in my backyard. I will shoot my bow when my barrel is cooling. My inlaws have about 1500 acres 1/2 hour east of Idaho Falls, with a shooting range 30-1000 yards and a homemade bench to shoot from. As far as short barrell life, I have known that can happen with the Ultramags and I am prepared for it! I plan on practicing up to 600 yards, but while hunting I am confedent that I can get under 400 yards for a shot. Heck the last three elk I have killed (bow) were all under 20 yards. Which brings us to your point about being close and having low power 2x or 3x. I agree that could be a problem having a 4.5-14 scope up close. But why not a 50mm for light gathering? I am wondering which brand of scope do you prefer, and why? Thanks again.

I have swarovski av 3x10x42 scopes on all of my hunting rifles.I have compared them side by side with leupold varixiii 3.5x10x50 scopes in low light conditions and to my eyes they are just as bright but can be mounted lower and are less bulky than the 50mm scopes.

stubblejumper not to be a pest but I have more questions for you? After reading my replies in the ulrta mag post, and these posts do you think that my approach to shooting my ultra mag needs rethinking? Meaning is it crazy, and a waist of time, to shoot with reduced loads in the off season? I would love to buy a swarovski scope of any kind. Since my son was born two and a half years ago with a lot of medical problems, I've had to sacerfice (sp?) here and there. So the swarovski might have to wait. How much did you pay for your scopes? I do own a leupold 4x12x42 bought new, by me in 1991 that not being used at this time. Would it be smart to use this scope until I have made up my mind, and have the financeses (sp?) for a new scope. Do you think that I am in over my head so to speak with the ultra mag? Also am I breaking in my ultra mag correctly by shooting it 3 times in about a 2 minute period. And then letting it cool and cleaning it? I have been told to do this for the first 100 shots? I admit that for the last 10 years I have hunted only with a bow. I started reloading 2 years ago, just to save money on ammo for my pistols, (.454 Casull, .41 mag) which I shoot a lot. Getting back into rifles has been challenging but fun. I am not one, to do something half assed, its either all or nothing. Thanks and I welcome your reply.
I should add that if anyone else wants to comment on this and give me advice. It will be apprecated (sp?).

The 4x12x40 leupold will work fine although it would not be my first choice.To break in a barrel,I clean after every shot for ten shots then after every three shots for another fifteen.I then clean after every 12 to 15 rounds with high velocity cartridges.I load and shoot only full power loads in my ultramags in order to keep familiar with the trajectory.I have many rifles so I spread out my practising over several rifles.

As far as the scope is concerned, you might want to take a look at the Nikon Monarchs. They are a pretty good scope for around $300. The LSS is a great gun. I have one in 7mm Rem Mag. It shoots an honest 1.5 MOA (sometimes a little better), and looks darn nice doing it.

You will be better of sticking with a 40mm objective on any scope you buy. THe 50mm will require you to elevate your head more to see through, and with the ultramags recoil, this could be a consideration. I also like Leupolds long eye relief, for the same reason. You don't really need a 50 anyways. The feild of view and low light transmission will be fine on a quality 40mm. As for reduced loads, you will be having to re-zero and re-learn your tragectories. Stay full power and use a sissy pad or bag of lead shot on your shoulder. Also consider putting on a decelorator or R3 recoil pad to replace the factory hockey puck.