[andy]

rifle, cause the 2 lb greater wt reduces recoil by 28%, and the gas op reduces felt recoil by about 25%, and the BOSS compensator reduces muzzle jump by quite a bit. Such a 300 makes the 308 bolt action look SICK by comparison, for either hunting or sniping, much less fighting in general. The threads for the BOSS will suffice to mount a nice can, if need be, too.

 

[Garand]

And do you own a .300 Win Mag??? Or is this just something you read in a magazine?

 

[John in AR]

This is one of those rare things I’m qualified to comment on without too much equivocation. I own a .308 “scout”; a Weatherby Lightweight Carbine, in standard .308 winchester, with 20” skinny barrel, synthetic stock, and a Redfield Scout Scope.

I used to own a BAR in .300 win mag; admittedly the older version without the BOSS on it. It carried a 3-9x40 scope, Redfield as well, iirc. Finally sold it, as there wasn’t anything around here that I needed that much power for, and ammo was very expensive.

I’ve used both enough to say without equivocation or hesitation: the .300 win mag BAR recoiled a WHOLE lot more than my little .308 bolt gun does. Can’t say whether it “should” have or not, but I know it did.

The .300 puts out around 1,000 more ft/lbs than the .308 (2650-2750 vs 3550-3850 ft/lbs). The BOSS may compensate for that much; I can’t say. (OK, there's a little equivocation... ) But without the BOSS, it’s literally almost “night and day” difference between the two guns. I got “scope-eye” on more than one occasion from the BAR, never have from any other shoulder gun I’ve fired, except an M203 once.

 

[hipster]

John how loud was that 300 with the boss? I owned a mod 70 in 300 win mag and it was plenty loud enough and pretty rough on the butt end too, not like a slug gun with 3" mags or 1-7/8 oz mags for geese. Not a good rifle for "confessed flinchers" but a real killer on Moose and the like, vaporised any and all whitetails in my comfort zone. Way too much rifle for anything I ever did with it but I got it for a song traded a 30-30 win and 150 bucks for it spent way to much coin on ammo like 40 plus a box for fed premiums. If I ever return to the west and start hunting elk and moose in alberta a 300 will be in the plans again.

 

[Magnum88C]

The BOSS makes the .300 Win Mag a real shrieker. Never shot it, but was NEXT to the guy shooting it (the worst place to be with a compensated rifle going off) damn, that was loud.

 

[hipster]

loud bad

I had a guy next to me on an indoor range in 97 I can't remember if it was 27 yards long or 37 anyway I was shooting a BLR in 243 getting on paper with a new scope. This guy came in and sat at the second bench. He had a .338 win mag. That rifle in that closed space was brutal even with hearing protection after 3 rounds I called it quits. I cannot imagine that rifle with a brake or boss on it. I wonder if that guy has any hearing damage from hunting with something like that? I would figure Aslan could attest to the boom of the .338

 

[Aslan]

Let's just say you don't want to be next to the muzzle when it goes boom...

:devil:

 

[John in AR]

John how loud was that 300 with the boss?...

I used to own a BAR in .300 win mag; admittedly the older version without the BOSS on it.

I've never used one with a BOSS; that was my one concession about the topic. "...The BOSS may compensate for that much; I can’t say."

I have no idea how much it cuts recoil, but I'm sure it cuts some, and adds noise in the process. Without the BOSS, that rifle was a flat brute, even though it was a gas auto. Then again, I may just be a recoil-wuss; I like my .454, but I have no desire at all for a .338 or a 50BMG.

 

[andy]

the 300 win mag gets the same wt bullets to about 500 fps more than the 308 does. 20% more recoil. Did the BAR have the same recoil-pad buttplate as the 308?

 

[andy]

how much does your "little" 308 weigh? Same 7 lbs as a Scout Rifle?

 

[hipster]

oops

sorry john miss read your post I had just gotten home from shooting so I was still pretty wound up. I will hopefully post pis after this weekend with me the new gem and a whole bunch of cottontails and squrrels. If not i will just post pics of the new addition. Well here is to a great weekend to all.

 

[John in AR]

the 300 win mag gets the same wt bullets to about 500 fps more than the 308 does. 20% more recoil. Did the BAR have the same recoil-pad buttplate as the 308?

They both have (or 'had' for the BAR) factory recoil pads. Nothing aftermarket or fancy, just the normal, factory pads.

how much does your "little" 308 weigh? Same 7 lbs as a Scout Rifle?

Had to look this up. The shooter's bible doesn't list the 20" 'Lightweight Carbine' anymore, just the normal "Sporter" at 8.0 pounds, and the newer "Ultralight" at 6.0 pounds. The Ultralight's weight includes a 24" barrel, 4" longer than mine has. So, figure a little weight loss with the shorter barrel, and add back in a little weight gain with the small "scout" scope, and 7 pounds should be pretty close; 7 1/2 max. Don't have a precise enough scale to say for sure.

Best comparison I can give is to a couple other guns I have. It's just 3/8" longer OAL than my little CZ 22 rifle, and 1 1/2" longer than my Mossberg 500 with an 18.5" barrel; so yes, it's a "little" .308 rifle. I do have a 'big' .308, a heavy Savage 10FP-LE "Police Tactical" with a 24" heavy barrel, with a fairly large scope and Harris bipod on it. Thing probably weighs 12 pounds or more.

The old BAR in .300 win mag is listed in my old 1992 shooter's bible at 8.4 pounds, so it was around 1 or 1 1/2 pounds heavier than my little 'scout' is. Don't know the "why" of it, but mine in .300 really kicked quite a bit. It's a slightly heavier gun (what, 15% or so), and an autoloader, so that should cut recoil some, but at the same time, it is putting out 35-40% more power than the .308 does, which is very relevant.