which 300 magnum?

I do this occasionally (thinking about what i have to do way ahead of time) so bear with me.
Have a 308 BSA sporterised p14 for a future project. barrel is a 1-11 twist for target shooting I think. Had plans for a 300 win mag one day
this is the most logical as there is quite a bit of ammo around if iIdont want to reload.
But for a bit there I thought of being different and considered the old school 308 Norma magnum. pretty much what the 300 Win mag was meant to be.
Cool old calibre and suit the heritage of the action.
Then to muddy the waters I have been reading a bit a bit about the 300 H+H. This would be a very cool cartridge to have it done in and still very useful.
Also meant to feed better than just about any other cartridge.
The norma can be made from 338 winchester cases as a last resort (but not ideal), and I think the 300 can be done from the big bro 375 otherwise cases are a bit thin on the ground for both although the reality is I wont need many
next issue is reamers and this could be a killer. It could easily come down to what ever the local gunsmiths have.
Thoughts on this?
Big long action so not interested in the WSM's, RUM's or SAUM's. And yes I know there is such a thing as the 30-338 but havent compared it to the 300NM although they are sort of kissing cousins.

If you've read P O Ackly's books, he limited the max pressure on the P14 action to 50,000cup. I've got a BSA commercial action in the cupboard that I've fitted a timney trigger and wyatt extended box mag to do exactly the same thing, 300H&H

with modern powders and projectiles ...why not go 30/06??? heck of a lot easier to do and you will be able to do 90% of what would with bigger case.

All good calibers but if the P14 action is limited to 50,000 psi the 300 H&H would probably be the go. The win Mag and Norma Mag run at higher pressures. I read an article about loading the H&H and it certainly can produce good velocity and be a good performer on game.

The 308 Norma cases can also be made from 300 winmag.

Id go 308 NM, then 300H&H

If you're not going to be reloading then just ream it out to 30-06 and buy something decent like superformance. The magnums are only worth it if the action can take bubba's hot loads.

I am biased as l have used the 300 HH in Africa & my favorite rifle l have carried around the world is a very out of fashioned Rem SS Mountain Rifle ,in a caliber many would not have heard of any more, a thing called 30/06 & my Long Range rifle is a 14 yr old Sako custom Allan Carr built for a mate in 300 Weatherby Magnum & l have fired over 1100 rounds through & still killing like lightning on its second barrel ,so l have a thing for a certain size hole in the end of barrels.

The 300 HH would do justice to the old BSA P14 & it is a very accurate cartridge that kills way better than it should ,l put in that same class as the 6.5x 55 on that basis.I dropped a nice Gemsbok at 335 yards with one a client had mucked up & it went down like it had been hit by the hammer of Thor,taking out both shoulders.

For me the 300HH is a bit more of a good thing on the 06 still in a very mild package to shoot.Do not make it stupidly light as is the fashion now & you will have a accurate & mild shooting hunting rifle that will perform way above its pay grade,especially with the modern bullets/powders now available.

@mimms2 it has a 308 barrel on it at the moment so it isnt a 303. I have a 25-303 that I have had for yonks but havent shot, has accuracy issues that I have fiddled with and still some bedding to do but may turn into something else.
This one has the original bolt modified with a ring built up around the bolt face (done by Din Collins I believe back in the 70s) for the target work it was barrelled for.
Also have a dogleg p14 original bolt to suit the larger rim and a P17 mag box and follower to suit a magnum cartridge.
@Micky Duck dont need a 3006 when I have a 270 just about finished lol. Also I see no need to chamber to a 3006 when it is already a 308.
Wasnt aware of the psi limit but considering there was a shit ton of rifles built on them back in the day including big game rifles, I am a little surprised at that. 308 would be up to there anyway?
Mind you gundoc made a good point a while back after mucks 264 blew up. They are old rifles with unknown abuse and heritage but this is the rabbit hole I have started. Have a 264 project on the books as well
Just remember everybody that if this was for logic and need it wouldnt happen. Way to easy to buy a cheap good centerfire and stick with that. Same reason I cant seem to let go of the 416 even though I have pretty much given up on the safari thing. Nice gun that just shoots too good haha

yes I see the 270-30/06 thing

@bunji pretty much confirmed what I have read about them.

Greetings Csmiffy,
My old no 7 Speer manual has data for both the .300 H&H and the .308 Norma and they are two peas in a pod. Both would have considerable retro cred with the H&H perhaps a little more so it comes down to who, if anyone, has a reamer. A friend developed a burning desire for a .300 H&H years ago but had to settle for the .308 Norma for which a reamer was available. His rifle was built on a Parker Hale M98 action using a take off target barrel with a 1 in 14" twist. Shot well with the lighter projectiles. Rescuing old rifles from the scrap heap is a rewarding pastime as my rifle cupboard shows.
Regards Grandpamac.

@grandpamac good friend has been doing some relatively long range shooting with a rem700 chambered in 300 win mag. Wondered why it didnt shoot for shit with the more classic heavier projectiles used in a magnum.
Barrel is either 1-13 or 14 twist. Went from big groups at a hundy instantly down to tiny ones using165gr projectiles I think. Same as they use in the palma competitions what ever they are. Hopefully he has a few left over for me haha
But I digress.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by csmiffy

@grandpamac good friend has been doing some relatively long range shooting with a rem700 chambered in 300 win mag. Wondered why it didnt shoot for shit with the more classic heavier projectiles used in a magnum.
Barrel is either 1-13 or 14 twist. Went from big groups at a hundy instantly down to tiny ones using165gr projectiles I think. Same as they use in the palma competitions what ever they are. Hopefully he has a few left over for me haha
But I digress.

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Greetings Csmiffy,
Barrel twist is one of the least considered restrictions in hand loading. Most find out the hard way when they don't have enough. Thinking some more about the .300 H&H, the cartridge was introduced around 1920 so only a few years after your action was made. BSA converted a lot of the P14 actions to a number of cartridges which may have included the .300 H&H. Originally H&H intended their cartridge to give .30-06 performance at low pressures using Cordite which was super temp sensitive. Today start loads in the H&H give about .30-06 max velocity but at much lower pressure so would tick all the practical boxes. You wouldn't get much more velocity than a stoutly loaded .308 but I suspect this is not what this is about. There is just the problem of the reamer. Please keep us all informed.
Regards Grandpamac.

Norma still produce 308 norma mag brass.

If it does end up a hollandx2 it will be loaded up to its potential otherwise no point

Quote:

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Originally Posted by csmiffy

If it does end up a hollandx2 it will be loaded up to its potential otherwise no point

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Having shot game with the 30/06AI -308 Norma mag & 300H&H Mag off hand & off sticks around 40 rounds of the AI & Norma & over 80 of the H&H,all with 180grn loaded to around 3000fps +, the 300H&H felt recoil is noticeably less than the Norma mag & felt the same as the 06AI ,it is also significantly less felt recoil in the field than the 300Mag & 300 Weatherby l have extensive experience with both in the field.

Bare in mind the 300H&H l used was a old Pre 64 so it had a very good design for the stock that brought the recoil straight back, the others had the fiberglass stocks in fashion back then (nearly 2 decades ago) & just some info on loads the 300H&H was loaded with The 180-grain Swift Scirocco II, 180-grain Federal Trophy Bonded Tip, pushing 2970 from memory & l think they used a Barnes 168 gr. TTSX going around the same that shot to basically same point of aim, the heavy load was a 220-grain Hornady InterLock round nose doing around 2700fps,these were all mild loads designed for hot conditions & all killed way above their pay grade.

From my experience the great thing about the 300H&H is it has very mild recoil, comparable to my Rem Mountain rifle in 06 to the point where l can not feel any difference , the Norma Mag & up is noticeably more of a sharp punch than a push & as stated before the 300H&H is mild to shoot allowing you to quickly get back on target & kills way out of its pay grade.

I like speed, my 2 tops/LR rifles l have used around the world are the 300 Weatherby Mag for 14 yrs & a Winchester EW in 270 WSM for a Decade, but l would jump on a Old School 300 H&H with a classic slim stock ,like a fat kid on a ice cream if l had the chance.it really is a great example of how the developments in modern bullets & powder have allowed it to have a new lease on life ,much like my 300 Weatherby Mag.:thumbsup:

A chap i know is looking for a 25-303, if that helps.
B

I have always hankered for 300 H&H, but haven't been financially flush enough. Faultless controlled feeding, or better yet in a double, perfect for thin-skinned dangerous game, and a classic among classics!

@Benji your experience is golden but I think your experience might end up costing me money.
The more I hear about the Holland the more I like the idea.
There is one way I might be able to make this work to my advantage. Just have to do some digging

I have a 300 Weatherby MK V and I must admit, for a round designed in the 1940’s it’s pretty hard to beat even against the best of the “modern” magnum cartridges. I have also never had an issue finding brass or ammo for it.