I purchased a 300R from Midsouth for $259 and have about 1,000 shots through it - mine was very smooth and accurate out of the box. I did manage to dry fire it about 3 times during the 1st month I had it - accuracy has not suffered, but does seem more twangy as a result. I plan on having Ed K in Houston tune and install a JM spring soon. The only other springer I have ever shot is a stock model 52 (also .177) which I still own, so I don't have much to compare the 300R to. I was a competitive PISTOL shooter (including air) in college and I have lots of experience with firearms in general. My $0.02:
1. I like both the 52 and the 300R, but I always reach for the 300R.
2. The finish on the 300R meets or exceeds the 52 - 300R finish appears deeper to me. Checkering is slightly sharper on the 300R.
3. The 300 was muzzle heavy with open sights, but balances perfectly with a scope (mine's a Weaver V-16 on BKL 7 deg droop mount).
4. I like the longer forend section on the 300R - you can place your hand anywhere it's comfortable.
5. The 300R is not hold sensitive.
6. The scope hasn't budged since I mounted it to the 300R (1,000 shots).
7. The 300R shoots reasonable groups with every pellet I've tried. When shooting paper, I shoot sitting @ 35yds w/no rest. JSB Straton and Beeman Field Target Specials both had the best feel(crisp) for me and grouped 1/2 inch (and in the same POI). Crow Magnums also grouped 1/2 inch, but had a really twangy feel. Kodiaks grouped 3/4 inch and also felt slightly twangy.
I think with optimal range conditions and a bench, the JSB's and FTspecials would print 1 hole groups.
The only negatives:
I was aware of the dry firing issue with the 300R and still managed to do it - the instruction manual does not explain the indexing and loading cycle very well.
Extra magazines are cheap and readily available. I'm not sure about the magazine carrier. A.G.E. has a schematic that shows the carrier assembly priced @ $100. If you lose it and can't replace it, it seems the rifle will be useless b/c the loading port is too narrow to load a pellet manually. I will never loan this gun to anyone for this very reason!
The front sight blade is tall enough to appear in the sight picture of your scope (w/my setup). Doesn't bother me as it is VERY dim and at the outer 1/8th with the AO focused under 40ft @ 4x-5x magnification.
Sorry about the long post - almost every post I could find about the 300R was pretty general...
Priced out the magazine carrier assembly at $79.56 from Glen at Umarex USA. Also the front blue seal is $8.65 and the entire pushrod/seal assembly is $48.67. Be ready to resist the strong "Send the gun in and we'll install the mag assembly" sales pitch!! Once you firmly establish that you are capable of installing the parts yourself and have done it before they will move on to business. They also are concerned with whether you are a professional tuner as well so you have to establish the fact that you are a consumer replacing worn parts. Must be a corp mandate from Umarex they must go through before selling parts...
I was going to buy these parts and keep them onhand but decided to wait until something breaks. I'll let Umarex warehouse the parts at those prices... Like I mentioned in an earlier post the only thing I was concerned about with this gun is the little plastic cap that is press fit on the spring loaded release that you push to get the mag assembly off will start popping off from the recoil after use 5-6K rounds or assuming you reload every 6 shots about 1000 cycles of use for the mag assembly. I keep a watchful eye since its popped off 3 times already. Minor issue but an $80 replacement if you need the plastic cover for cosmetics...
I'm using a discontinued Sportsmatch (Beeman) one peice 4 degree droop mount with a Bushnell Legend. I'm still shooting the stock spring (but have a JM spring ready for replacement) and mainly Crosman Pointed now at 860 fps. I've tested all the pellets as well with good results - can't think of anything bad until my barrel got gunked up but after cleaning its shooting great again. Velocity still consistent. Best shot groups is right around 5/8-3/4" at 40 yards but I'm getting a new shooting bench to see what the gun is really capable of. My desert shooting range near work is plagued with high gusty winds and trying to angle my shooting downwind is sometimes impossible. I've only been shooting Crosman Pointed since I've got millions in stock and they have the best BC for long distance applications. I do alot of multishot springer shooting so I haven't dry fired the gun yet.
Diddo on the front sight ghost image in the scope. Too bad its not a removable ramp.