My girlfriend's brother has a full-size M&P 40 that I've shot, so take this for what it's worth based on that. The gun just felt good. It fit my hand well, the felt recoil was minimal, and it functioned flawlessly while we put 500 rounds through it that day. I've made it known here that I'm not a fan of Glocks. They're reliable as hell, but I've never picked one up and had it feel right in my hands. Shooting them has been the same--they just don't feel right. I think you'll be fine with the M&P and I don't think that you'll have any reliability issues with it. Most of the full-size and compact versions of modern guns will be reliable enough for the majority of shooters. When you get into the pocket guns, that can change, but you shouldn't have any issues with the 9c. The fit of the gun means a lot, and it seems like the 9c is definitely the better gun for you based on that. Just my .02.
I used the search option, and got no results, so I am just going to go ahead and ask. Does anyone here have a 300 win mag or a 300 wsm? If so what brand, style, etc. Love it? Hate it? Thanks.
Thanks for the feedback and, yeah, I'm thinking I'll probably go with the M&P based on how it feels and I seemed to point it better. Plus, a lifetime warranty is pretty hard to beat.
A co-worker of mine has a .300 wsm. In his words, "It's an unnecessary shoulder cannon. But I love it." It's a Ruger, I believe, and he hunts whitetail and boar with it. He's made it clear that it is absolutely not a target gun, and he only puts about 5 rounds through it before the season to make sure he's still sighted in. Personally, I think .300 wsm is overkill for anything you'll be hunting in the American Southeast, but I'm not going to get into a caliber fight. If you want one, it'll kill anything you pull the trigger on and possibly whatever is behind it. So if that's what you're looking for, look no further. Note: I'm assuming this is for hunting, since you'd be nuts to target shoot with the thing.
My Uncle has a Remington 700P in .300 Win mag that he used as a long range (1000 yards+) competition gun for years, so it saw a bit of practice. He told me he wished he had one in .30-06 or .308 because the higher pressure mag cartridges were rough on the rifling. He had to get it re-barreled a couple times and doesn't shoot it anymore. Just an anecdote for your consideration.
It is a great gun and has great range, mine is made by Weatherby Vanguard, synthetic stock. It is the only one I use for big game. Antelope, elk, deer. I shoot 180grain round and even at 250-300 yards it has a lot of knock down power, if you want a smaller grain round they are available as well. Good Optics are the key, the scope on my gun was just about as much as the gun was. You may want to get a muzzle break because it has some kick to it.
Just to clarify, when I said that's it's not a target gun, I meant it as it's not a "Hey let's go to the range and pop off a hundred rounds for fun" type of gun. As far as competition goes, it's probably a great round to use because it's got a pretty flat trajectory and can definitely reach out there.
You guys are a fantastic help. It's going to be used for long distance shooting, over 400 yards. Probably going to be used mostly in Michigan for bigger game. Alot of the 300 win mags are now in synthetic. I understand that can be a more powerful kick, but is it really going to make that big of difference? The different brands that are popping up for them are Remington, Savage, and Browning. Any others you would throw out there? Any huge difference between them? Then comes the difference kinds of barrels. Blued, stainless, etc. Which is going to go the extra mile? This is going to be the first gun that I have ever purchased brand new, and I want it "perfect," if there is such a thing.
Any of those manufacturers will be fine, if you are shooting that far your focus should be more on optics. The bullet is going to go where you point it.
The brands you listed should all provide more than adequare accuracy... a Remington and Savage will have a tremendous amount of aftermarket options available too. I think what should help make a decision for you is how well the stock fits. An ill-fitting stock will make a hard recoiling rifle punch you even more than one with the proper LOP and comb height, etc. Synthetic stocks can actually reduce the recoil some by flexing, but the really cheap ones can lead to poor accuracy. The difference in recoil between synthetic/wood could vary between whoever shoots it. I'd pick up and shoulder as many different rifles as you can and pay attention to those that feel right in your hands and which you have to force into fitting and aren't too comfortable. A thick, cushy recoil pad is never bad IMO. Some stainless steel can rust just as well as blued steel, so don't be fooled by the notion that SS is the be-all end-all. Quality and consistency in the manufacturing will play a bigger role in precision than the materials, and both should be wiped down if they ever get wet. I agree with dewercs in that the optics are just as important as the gun itself. Don't dare skimp on cheap rings and mounts either. Burris Signature Rings FTW! If it were me I'd get a Remington 700 CDL with a quality scope (maybe a 30mm tube even?) and would consider bedding the sucker for insurance. Some more money and you can get a new Winchester 70, which I hear are worlds better than the glorified pre-64 actions.
I assure you that a good scope will go on it. I am not worried about the scope part. I am worried about all the different options that the gun can come in. I have read so much on the pros and cons between the mag and the wsm my head is spinning. I am getting the impression that unless I am reloading myself the mag is the way to go, because their specs are so close. I read that the mag bullets are more easier to come by.
Yep, you'll probably find them more readily than the WSMs. When it comes down to it, a deer won't care what's on the headstamp or if the bullet is going +/-100 fps. If you hit it in the right place, it just won't matter.
As to the synthetic stock, yes, it will make a difference when you shoot it. If you were at the range and put 10 rounds through a heavy wood stocked rifle and then 10 rounds through the synthetic, it's more than noticeable. At the range. If you see a beast through the scope, you could fire 5 rounds and not feel a thing. You might wake up in the morning wondering why your shoulder is a bit sore, but then you'd remember and you wouldn't care. I have a synthetic stock Browning A-Bolt in .30-06, and love it. I bought it new in '86, and to this day it's my main hunting rifle. It's not affected by weather or water, it's light enough to carry around all day without even noticing it's there, and you don't give a shit if it gets scratched up. It does have some pretty top-end optics on it, and that makes a difference. If I'm shooting skeet/trap or fucking around on the range, then I'll look for a nice wood grained stock. If it's a "work gun", I prefer synthetic. Might not look as purdy, but it gets the job done way better, in my opinion.
The "reach out and touch someone" kit. Both synthetic stocks. A rifled and non-rifled barrel for the shotgun. A-Bolt hasn't had anything done to it since I bought it, other than some quick-release scope mounts so I can easily swap to my backup scope. The shotgun was a $450 blow-out deal at a local gun shop about 5 years ago; 870 with synthetic stock, 2 barrels, and a red-dot scope. Too good of a deal to pass up, and has been quite effective in some of the brush we hunt in where you're not able to see more than 100 yards. Never needed anything else for the hunting I do. (I don't bird hunt, so no long/choked barrels required). Also can't speak highly enough about the Cabela's double gun case... I've got probably 100k travel miles on it, and it's still solid. You can drive a truck over it and it won't fuck your shit up.
The only thing I'd warn you against with a synthetic stock is developing a flinch. Yes, they can kick hard, because there's not as much weight to absorb the recoil. If you take it to the range and start putting tons of rounds through it, you may develop a flinch, which will fuck you up. Actually, same goes for any large calibre rifle that kicks like a mule, synthetic or not. Be cognizant of that, and train yourself to not fall prey, and you'll be a better shot for it. Here's an interesting article on flinching and it discusses the .300 magnum: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.midwestoutdoors.com/magazine/article.cfm?articleID=55" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.midwestoutdoors.com/magazine ... ticleID=55</a>
Snap Caps are a cheap investment for that. Not only can you dry fire the rifle as much as you please, you can have someone load a mag with snap caps randomly distributed with real rounds. When the hammer drops on a snap cap you can tell if you're flinching right away.
So what techniques do you guys use to combat flinching. I do it a lot with pistols and not so much with rifles. I was always told to breath out right as you squeeze the trigger and keep an eye open on the target at all times. I've always heard of the dummy round thing, but that helps identify that you do pull/flinch, correcting it seems like you'd need to focus on other things....
Honestly, correcting it is simply a matter of not being a little bitch. Ball and Dummy drills help because your friends can laugh at you for being a little bitch. It's all about not thinking about the gun going off and concentrating on a smooth trigger squeeze while you maintain a clean sight picture. When you start thinking about the gun reacting to your inputs, you start to try and compensate, and become a little bitch. Don't be a little bitch. That said, you can compensate with a long gun (and many do) by having an extremely light trigger. I've shot quite a bit of 300 wm, .338 Lapua, and .50 BMG and we tune our triggers to maybe 2 pounds. The gun goes off before you have a chance to react anyways.
Re: Re: Guns and Ammo Thread This. I have a Savage, with the Accutrigger, and have it set to the lightest setting. It is sweet not having to pull hard on the trigger. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk
Bring a .22 with you when you go shooting, so when you get tired with the centerfire or need to let it cool, shoot some with the .22 so you can focus on the basics without recoil or a muzzle blast. No reason not to have nice, crisp triggers on any rifle either. 1.5 to 2 lbs is what I like hunting rifles at and 2 oz is a standard for target shooting.