That seems like quite an effort and expense when you could just go buy a .300 Win and get even better performance. Why is a .300 WSM so important?
300wsm v 300 min mag and other big 30cal rounds
- Thread starter thepolinator
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That seems like quite an effort and expense when you could just go buy a .300 Win and get even better performance. Why is a .300 WSM so important?
I have in my safes at present 1 300WSM [Vanguard, 24"] 1 300 Win Mag [R700, 26"] 3 - 308 Norma Mags [2 are PH 81 Classics, 24", 1 is Custom 700, 26"]
My WSM will make 3045 with RL 17 and the 180, and is very accurate. More powder leaves ejector marks. I have tried several powders, including SP, all peak in the same area.
My 300 Win Mag will make 3180 with Norma MRP and 3190 with IMR 7828. Several other powders will exceed 3150 safely.
My 24 inch 308 Normas both work similarly, but one prefers 200 grain pills. 3020 with the 200 and Reloder 25. the other works great with Norma MRP or Reloder 19 and 22, reaching 3140 [+ - 5] fps. H4831SC and 7828 both give 3100+, SuperPerformance very similar results, but poor accuracy.
My 26" 308 Norma mirrors the 300 Win Mag, and so it should. The two are about 2.5 grains different in water capacity. [less than that using Norma Cases in the Norma and Winchester cases in the 300 Win.]
As Doug so eloquently pointed out, the 300 WSM and the 300 H&H have about identical capacities, so results are similar. [3000 and pennies with 180's]
In all fairness, the WSM works well with lighter bullets, since they are shorter, and do not intrude on powder space as much as longer bullets do. For example, when moving to 200 grain bullets in the WSM, quite a bit of the bullet is well down in that stubby case, and velocity suffers, due to reduced powder space.
But I have always felt that the Magnums benefit most from bullets of 165/168 grains and up, so the lighter bullets are not the greatest option. With today's monometal bullets, [TSX, TTSX, LRX, E-Tip, GMX, etc.] lighter bullets perform well, but still have lower BC's, so are really not the long range wonders assumed by some, even though started faster.
Recoil? There, but far from intolerable. If there is any less with the WSM, it is not particularly discernible.
Reloadability? All of these are very straight forward to load. No surprises. On a belted case, the only time the belt means anything is on the first firing, after that, I treat them like any other rimless case.
Bottom line? The WSM's and RSAUM's are what they are, short, fat cases that perform admirably, just like their capacity would indicate. But case capacity rules, period!! They cannot equal the speed of their full-sized counterparts when loaded to equal pressures.
Regards, Dave.
My WSM will make 3045 with RL 17 and the 180, and is very accurate. More powder leaves ejector marks. I have tried several powders, including SP, all peak in the same area.
My 300 Win Mag will make 3180 with Norma MRP and 3190 with IMR 7828. Several other powders will exceed 3150 safely.
My 24 inch 308 Normas both work similarly, but one prefers 200 grain pills. 3020 with the 200 and Reloder 25. the other works great with Norma MRP or Reloder 19 and 22, reaching 3140 [+ - 5] fps. H4831SC and 7828 both give 3100+, SuperPerformance very similar results, but poor accuracy.
My 26" 308 Norma mirrors the 300 Win Mag, and so it should. The two are about 2.5 grains different in water capacity. [less than that using Norma Cases in the Norma and Winchester cases in the 300 Win.]
As Doug so eloquently pointed out, the 300 WSM and the 300 H&H have about identical capacities, so results are similar. [3000 and pennies with 180's]
In all fairness, the WSM works well with lighter bullets, since they are shorter, and do not intrude on powder space as much as longer bullets do. For example, when moving to 200 grain bullets in the WSM, quite a bit of the bullet is well down in that stubby case, and velocity suffers, due to reduced powder space.
But I have always felt that the Magnums benefit most from bullets of 165/168 grains and up, so the lighter bullets are not the greatest option. With today's monometal bullets, [TSX, TTSX, LRX, E-Tip, GMX, etc.] lighter bullets perform well, but still have lower BC's, so are really not the long range wonders assumed by some, even though started faster.
Recoil? There, but far from intolerable. If there is any less with the WSM, it is not particularly discernible.
Reloadability? All of these are very straight forward to load. No surprises. On a belted case, the only time the belt means anything is on the first firing, after that, I treat them like any other rimless case.
Bottom line? The WSM's and RSAUM's are what they are, short, fat cases that perform admirably, just like their capacity would indicate. But case capacity rules, period!! They cannot equal the speed of their full-sized counterparts when loaded to equal pressures.
Regards, Dave.
