Savage 110BA 300WM OK for a newbie to precision?

[derek1387]

So-I have a guy wanting to trade a 110BA 300WM, 11 boxes of Hornady Custom ammo and a custom cut pelican case for one of my higher end AR's and 500rds of ammo.
Trade value I would be coming out WAAAAY ahead, I already know this. I am not worried about that, and trying to not let it sway my decision

My concern-Newbie to precision/bolt guns. Is this gun going to be too much for me? Is it something I can learn on? Or should I start with something smaller?
Most of the ranges close to me are under 125 yards, but I do have a few within a few hours of me that are 6-800+

Thanks Hide!

 

[MoBoost]

300WM in BA shoots very soft - awesome gun. 300wm muzzle blast and cost of ammo makes it not a very good learning cartridge. Being a Savage you can have 308(ish) barrel on it for practice with minimal cost; you can even do 223 if you wanted to.

AR market bottom fell out so hard - unless you have $1500 glass on said AR, you can build TWO high-end ARs for the price of used BA - not trading would be insane!

 

[derek1387]

300WM in BA shoots very soft - awesome gun. 300wm muzzle blast and cost of ammo makes it not a very good learning cartridge. Being a Savage you can have 308(ish) barrel on it for practice with minimal cost; you can even do 223 if you wanted to.

AR market bottom fell out so hard - unless you have $1500 glass on said AR, you can build TWO high-end ARs for the price of used BA - not trading would be insane!

I can change from the 300WM chamber to a 308? I thought it was a completely different action?

 

[MoBoost]

Switch barrel power!!!! Savages have the same receiver - you just change the barrel and bolt face, set the head spacing - done! It won't feed from your mags, but single load you can shoot pretty much ANYTHING.

 

[derek1387]

Thanks MoBoost!

Any other opinions here?

 

[Masked]

I had a Savage 10 BA LE -- My experience is a rather bad one...

In regards to switch barrel -- Finding a quality head is really going to be your only issue -- It will have to be a Savage because last I heard, PTG's were a bit off...

That being said, my 10 BA (the model down from your 300wm) had a crooked barrel (was canted at 10*) and because of that cant, I had to re-true the receiver...Re-true the bolt face...The original barrel was actually TOUCHING the left side of the rail...So, who knows how it made it out of factory...

When I swapped barrels, re-trued the receiver, trued the bolt face it was a 1-hole shooter...Actually sold it to pay a few bills...Miss her but, don't miss the headaches she gave me.

 

[Patriot Prepper]

I have a 110 BA chamber in .338 LM - been shooting it for several years. Easy to shoot, little recoil, and accurate. A 300 Win Mag is not too much gun. And you can learn all the fundamental at 100 yards.

I believe the throat on the 300 WM will burn out sooner than some non magnum rounds like the .308 etc. Plus the cost of the ammo is more costly to buy and to reload.

If you can get a decent .22LR or a 6mm gun - it might be a better option to learn on. I started as a kid on a .22LR - even today, I will practice at 100 or 200 yards with my .22 LR bolt guns. Even though .22 ammo is hard to find, and costs more than it used to, it is still a cheaper option. And you do not have to contend with recoil at all. Shooting a .22 at 100 yards is similar to shooting a .308 at about 300 yards. It's good practice.

I shoot a .50 BMG using Hornaday Amax - even reloading is expensive. The .338 LM is expensive. The .22LR is cheap!!! The ballistics of the .22LR at 100 yards are similar to the .50 at 1,000 yards - almost. Get an accurate .22 and learn to judge the wind at 100 yards, practice marksmanship, become proficient, and you will be able to shoot anything at longer distances using a larger caliber.

Just a thought. If the allurement of the 300 WM is not too attractive, think of a smaller caliber non magnum.