300 savage info

[Everyday Hunter]

ORIGINAL: spiff2

Shaman, thanks for the info.  I enjoy seeing your reponses and knowledge.  I think I will low ball the shop and see what happens.  I've got "New England" father in law who is one of the more informed gun persons I turn to and it seems both of you might have come from the same mold! Thanks

1. Welcome to the forum, spiff2. In five posts you've already found out how valuable the conversation can be here.
2. What Shaman said.
3. Low-ball the shop -- good move, especially if he seems too anxious to get rid of it.
4. See if he'll let you take it for a test drive or show it to a competent smithy.
5. Good luck. Under most circumstances (virtually all circumstances inside 150 yards) the .300 Savage will perform as needed.

On the question of its comparison to the .30-06, the '06 had a big advantage in that it was a military round. Even still, if hunters weren't so all-fired up about firepower, there would be more .300s in the woods and fewer .30-06s. When either one pokes a hole through both lungs or the heart of a deer, the deer dies pretty quickly.

Best to you.

Steve

[spiff2]

So I made a low ball offer on the 760 in 300 savage, but the shop didn't bite.  He had some new arrivals in 270 and 243 since I was last year.  Now I'm wondering what would be the best caliber for this gun for hunting game in the western US.  Is there a better caliber for this gun than the others????  I would use this gun for shots under 200 yards.  May or may not scope this gun.  Factors for me would be a cartridge that is readily available (I don't handload).  A lethal cartridge, fun to shoot and seem likes a good match for this specific gun.  Opinions please!

[shaman]

Given all that you specified, I'd be looking at the 270 WIN or 30-06.  I was at Walmart the other day, and I was appalled at how few rifle cartridges were available. However, 270 WIN, 30-06 and 30-30 were still there and in relatively good supply.  270 WIN and 30-06 are not going to be all that much different inside 200 yards. I doubt the deer will notice.  My personal bias is towards '06, but that's just me.

[spiff2]

UPDATE:  went back down to the original shop and offered $300 on a $350 price tag.  Ended up at $315.  This was the very clean, very nice condition 300 savage Rem. pump 760.  It has a bushnell Banner 3x9 on it.  Feel pretty good about the deal and I'm feeling better about the caliber after seeing some posts.  Have a 10 day wait (coolling off period) before taking it home.  Can't wait to go shoot it.  Anyone know best way to zero sights...1" at 50 yards??? 1" at 100 yards?  Thanks for the help with the decision and anymore feed back is welcomed.  Anyone taken black bear or elk with the 300 savage caliber (what grain)? Thanks again!

[shaman]

Welcome to the land of the Amish Machine Gun! I'm sure you two will get along famously.

My general advice is to zero it 2" high at 100 yards and you won't have to worry about anything from 0 to 200.  That's a good rule of thumb for a bunch of cartridges in this general range, because you end up about an inch high at 50 yards as the round rises to meet the plane of the scope and at 200 yards as it starts to sink.  It also means that in a pinch, you can zero dead-on at 30 yards and be very close to your goal of 2" high at 100.  However, if you want to get a little fancier with it, go and download a copy of POINTBLANK software.  It's free.  Put in the specs from the ammo you are using and then figure out the best zero from there.  I load for a bunch of rifle cartridges and that's all I use beyond my loading manuals.

The 150 grain ammo is the normal choice.  I had trouble finding a 150 grain load that worked in my rifle, and finally started loading the Hornady 165 grainers.  180 grain ammo is the normal choice for elk or black bear. 

Find yourself an extra magazine or two for the 760.  It is a great way to carry extra ammo and it will save the trip if you loose a mag.  The mags for all these Rem rifles are somewhat similar.  The difference between the 742/7400 and the 760/7600 is that the former has a follower that sticks up and holds the bolt open after the last shot is fired. They have an extra little release lever on the bottom of the mag. I had to put my Rem 742 30-06 down several years ago, and the replacement a 7600 in 35 Whelen took the whole collection of magazines I had acquired over the years.

Oh, and that's another thing:  practice loading the magazine with some spent brass in it.  Learn what the feel of that magazine properly engaging feels like.  The 760's magazine is not foolproof.  If it is not properly inserted, it falls out at the dangdest times.

Send pictures of you, the rifle, and all the dead deer at your feet.

[spiff2]

So I pick up 760 rifle tomorrow and want to put a sling on it.  Has not ever been set up with sling before.  Question is I've noticed many different locations of front clip on these guns.  Do I mount the clip on the barrel out front of the pump slide or on the slide itself?  Is one way better or correct?  Is there any tricks to drilling the hole for the back clip on the rear of the gun?  Is location of personal preference or is there a certain distance off the buttplate that is standard?  Thanks in advance and can't wait to go shoot the gun!

[shaman]

What I'll try and do is pull my 7600 out of the closet, get some pictures of it and  post them in a day or so.  I've been meaning to pull the Fall Deer Battery out of mothballs for a few days now.

What I can tell you is this, the rear swivel is a matter of taste.  Mine are usually at least a thumb's first digit from the end of the wood.  You want to take advantage of the most meat of stock, and not give the lug any particular reason to split the wood one way or the other.  The way I do it is:

1)  Figure out a way to immobilize the stock.  I have a gun vise, but any way to clamp it so it doesn't move and doesn't scratch the stock is fine
2)  Figure out where you want to put the hole.
3)  Carefully put a ding in that spot with an awl-- get all the way into the fiber of the wood. You do not want the bit to wander
4)  Use Masking tape to tape over the area to keep splinters from rising. Re-prick the hole with the awl.
5)   Use a very small bit and make a starter hole.  Make sure it's perpendicular to the bottom line of the stock. 
6)  Use the recommended bit and widen out the hole to the proper depth.
7)  Remove the tape.
8)  Gently screw the lug into the hole.

There may be a gunsmith out there who knows how to do this better, but I've gotten good enough at it that they stopped making fun of me

[shaman]

I'm back from the secret underground arsenal. The Shamanic Deer Battery has been transferred to the active vault.  During the offloading, I snagged one of the bearers and had him hand me the "Whelenizer" so I could snap some pics. I hope these help. 


The Whelenizer is a Remington 7600 in 35 Whelen, just a little bit different from your 760, but not by much:

[spiff2]

Thanks all for the posts...Shaman thanks for the pix, as I just put a sling on my rig last night and it looks in porportion to your gun.  As soon as I figure out how to get this newest gun by the misses, I'll put pix on the family computer.  She always gives me the look of "How many guns do you need to kill a deer"???  I'm running out of good reasons why I need "just one more" for this year's hunt..haha.  I'm really off to the range to sight in and I'll use the 2" at 100 yards suggestion.
 
Thanks again!

[shaman]

Here's a good excuse for you:  tell her it's your designated "rain gun."  That's what I've done with mine. Tell her you bought "This Old Thing" to take out in the rain and snow to protect your investment in all your other beautiful deer rifles.  She's bound to buy it.

As rifles go, the 760/7600 design is great for inclement weather. I'm always worried about a good bolt action taking too much water in around the forearm and warping the wood.  The lever actions have too many nooks and crannies. These pumps have easy access to everything.  I put a good coat of Turtle Wax on mine just before season and then clean it off as I'm doing the last cleaning before storage for the year.  I've never had mine out in below- Zero temps, so I can't comment, but I assume that a spritz of Pam would keep it from freezing up solid.