Thinking of going to Storm Mountain to take a course.  Am interested in shooting .300 Win Mag at this course.   However I am concerned about shooting this caliber a lot and giving myself a sore shoulder and/or developing a flinch with too light of a rifle.  However I don't want to be dragging around an excessive amount of unnecessary weight for a week.  Therefore, not including the weight of scope and rings, what would you consider to be the ideal weight for a 300 Win Mag rifle for this situation????????

I can't say what an IDEAL weight would be but my Saco weighs around eight pounds and has what I would consider to be a "reasonably light" recoil for a caliber of that size. Keep a tight shoulder weld and consider a shoulder pad and you'll probably be fine.

Really, my 700 in 300 Mag is Sporter Weight, and it isn't too bad with 125's, which I shoot exclusivley.

Dude, really. The 300 Mag is about Perfect as far as readily available long range rifle rounds go.
I would say if you want extra bulk, go with a Sendero...

Recoil perception is a notoriously subjective subject.

I am a total wimp when it comes to recoil; I started shooting Highpower competitions with an M1 Garand, and after 80+ rounds (even with a shooting jacket) I could tell I was flinching in slow-prone.  After competing with, and then shipping my AR's to temporary safety out of the PRK, I now shoot a 15 lb bolt-action match rifle in 243 Win--no more flinching!

My 30-06 hunting rifle with a "semi-varmint" contour barrel weighs about 10 lbs with the scope and a fully loaded magazine.  I don't have any problems shooting 165 gr bullets at 2900 ft/sec; more evidence that recoil perception while hunting IS very different from that experienced during target practice.

A 300 Win Mag should be able to drive 200 gr bullets to about 2900 ft/sec, at which point I would give thanks for every extra pound of rifle mass!

_McUZI:

125 gr bullets out of a 300 Win Mag?  What are you shooting them at, varmints out to 300-400 yards?  Or do you prefer your venison "pre-tenderized" throughout (or do your varmints wear Kevlar)?

For longer range shooting, the rule of thumb is to go with the heavier bullets; even a 150 gr bullet out of a 30-06 beats a 125 gr from a 300 Win Mag after 500 yards (in terms of wind drift and retained velocity).

Stock design and fit have a lot to do with "felt" reciol.10 lbs or a little less would tame it down quite a bit.