King of WSM's

mcp1

mcp1

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So with the talk of the wsm's coming up quite a bit which of the short mags is the best? In other words is there one short mag that delivers substantially better performance than standard calibers? And of the WSM's that offer a benefit which one is best?

Up to this point I am skeptical of a benefit but I'm looking for someone to convince me of their merit... If it helps a couple rifles I'm looking at would be 257 bob, 338 win mag and maybe some type of 7mm. Reloading isn't a limiting factor here I'm open to rolling my own.
 
None of them offer substantially better performance than standard calibers. The only reason I would buy one would be to get a specific rifle. Others of course may think differently, but consider practical situations.

The chamberings you listed, the .257 Roberts and .338 WM, are excellent and would make a good light/heavy combo. The .257 is great for varmints to deer, caribou, sheep and so on, while the .338 will be more than sufficient for everything larger. The .25 wssm is virtually dead and the .325 wsm is not in the same league as the .338 WM.

In 7mm you have a variety of choices - there was a recent thread about 7mm cartridges and you can read many pages of a variety of opinions. I like the 7x57, 7mm RM and lately have become interested in the 7mm Wby.
 
Any of them will dump anything in Manitoba without a problem, but the .270 and .300 are more popular than the 7mm or .325. .300 wins for overall versatility, I guess. but I wouldn't feel outgunned with a .270 unless I was out in the Churchill region.
 
There are 2 popular WSM:
  • 270 WSM - extremely popular, more accurate, compact 7 Rem Mag
  • 300 WSM - very popular, more accurate, compact 300 Win Mag

I like light rifles and hate recoil so 270 WSM is the way to go for me.
This cartridge delivers a 140gr Accubond at 3200fps and is great for any non-dangerous game in North America, its recoil is "moderate".

It's bigger brother, the 300 WSM, drives a 180gr Accubond at 2950fps and is even better for any game in North America but its recoil is "strong".
An unexplained advantage of 300 WSM is much longer than expected barrel life (might have to do with case design).
Unfortunately, 300 WSM recoil is too much for me in a 8lbs rifle.

If you have a 270 Win, a 7 Rem Mag, a 30-06 or a 300 Win Mag, you only get an 1/2" shorter, 1/2lb lighter and slightly more accurate rifle with 1 round less a magazine capacity.
Case life is much better than conventional magnums (a big plus for reloaders).

Alex
 
Those WSM are loaded to max pressure but now cie like Hornady are giving back to the 7mm and 300 win mag their edge over WSM, Superformance ammo really opened up the gap between the two, i predict they will survive but slowly fade away... JP.
 
mcp1 said:
So with the talk of the wsm's coming up quite a bit which of the short mags is the best? In other words is there one short mag that delivers substantially better performance than standard calibers? And of the WSM's that offer a benefit which one is best?

Up to this point I am skeptical of a benefit but I'm looking for someone to convince me of their merit... If it helps a couple rifles I'm looking at would be 257 bob, 338 win mag and maybe some type of 7mm. Reloading isn't a limiting factor here I'm open to rolling my own.
Click to expand...

Have you checked out the RCM's they claim to match 300 and 338 win mag with a 20'' bbl and 15 percent less powder .

The 338 RCM is calling to me . :D
 
The "King" of the WSM's imo is the 270wsm. It significantly improves on the 270 winchester (3300fps with the 130gr) and shoots 140 accubonds at 3215fps for me. It is the only one of them that has better performance than what they aim to improve (7mm rm and 300 win do the same as the wsm's). Some people do hotrod the 270 winchester but you have to consider that most 270 winchesters sold come with 22" barrels and the wsm's come with 24" barrels and they are still not much longer because they have shorter actions. The 270 winchester is also longer than the 270 wsm which means you get an extra 1/2" or so of usable barrel length on the wsms as well.
 
mcp1 said:
So with the talk of the wsm's coming up quite a bit which of the short mags is the best? In other words is there one short mag that delivers substantially better performance than standard calibers? And of the WSM's that offer a benefit which one is best?

Up to this point I am skeptical of a benefit but I'm looking for someone to convince me of their merit... If it helps a couple rifles I'm looking at would be 257 bob, 338 win mag and maybe some type of 7mm. Reloading isn't a limiting factor here I'm open to rolling my own.
Click to expand...

None of the WSM offer much in comparison to the calibers you're looking at. The 7mm WSM is scarce and only Browning chambers guns in it,I think. I wouldn't choose a 325 WSM over a 338 WinMag, personal preference as a reloader and bullet choices available.

Of the WSM's, I think the 270 has the greatest advantages over standard calibers (meaning the 270 Win), if that's what you want to call it.

I don't buy into the "less recoil" hype. Most guns chambered in WSM calibers tend to be lighter, negating any recoil reduction btw calibers. Also, in the case of the 300 WSM, it won't do as well as the 300 WinMag with heavy bullets, a fact to consider.
mahony1977 said:
Have you checked out the RCM's they claim to match 300 and 338 win mag with a 20'' bbl and 15 percent less powder .

The 338 RCM is calling to me . :D
Click to expand...

The RCM's can match standard 300 and 338 WinMag with Hornady Superformance ammo. Of course, it can be found for the 300 and 338 as well, so again they lag behind. I can see those two calibers becoming obsolete quickly.
 
kman300 and bearkilr - take a look at the load data - I only have new Barnes data as that is what interests me. I have not owned a .270 wsm, but have owned .270 Wins. - I don't see any advantage to the wsm, let alone the OP question of "substantially better performance".

130gr TTSX
.270 wsm
3143 to 3260 fps
63.5 to 74 gr of powder

.270 Win
3133 to 3211 fps
55 to 59gr of powder


140gr TSX
.270 wsm
2997 to 3125 fps
60.5 to 70.5gr of powder

.270 Win
3002 to 3050 fps
54 to 58.5 gr of powder
 
* 270 WSM - extremely popular, more accurate, compact 7 Rem Mag
* 300 WSM - very popular, more accurate, compact 300 Win Mag
Click to expand...

Perhaps in theory the wsms are more accurate, but I have never noticed a difference in accuracy in hunting rifles.
 
the .325wsm is the king of the WSM. (we won't discuss the mutants - wildcats)

the 270, 7mm, and 300 wsm's offer no real world advantage over their 'standard' predecessors. a few 100fps? insignificant.

the .325 on the other hand offered something new to the north american shooter. a fast 8mm in a very small package. The 8mm Rem Mag going the way of the dodo, with only a few small boutique manufacturers still chambering it, there was a large void in 8mm offerings to western shooters. enter the 325wsm. something DIFFERENT - something the other wsm's were sadly lacking.

compare the 325wsm to the 338win mag? sure it's slower, less powerful. but it's not a .338, it's a .323. a 200gr @ 3000fps is serious thump no matter how you look at it.

anyone that thinks the 270wsm is a dramatic improvement over the 270win needs to hunt more with both chamberings.
 
Most ballance - most commony available in stores - Widest diversity of loads
300 WSM in the new .30-06 Springfield.
 
Nosler data says 3300fps with the 130 accubond (which is what interestes me) and I'm getting 3200fps with the 140 accubonds. I will also point out that the barnes data with the 270 win is taken with 24" barrels, however the majority of 270 win rifles sold have 22" barrels and you won't get the claimed fps. There is an honest 150fps with the 140's and ~100fps or more with a 22" 270 win. The 150's are also ~150fps different. That is significant to me.

The 308 vs 30/06 and 300 wsm/saum and the 300 win are also good examples of this. To some the difference is important, to others it isn't.
 
Amphibious said:
the .325wsm is the king of the WSM. (we won't discuss the mutants - wildcats)

the 270, 7mm, and 300 wsm's offer no real world advantage over their 'standard' predecessors. a few 100fps? insignificant.

the .325 on the other hand offered something new to the north american shooter. a fast 8mm in a very small package. The 8mm Rem Mag going the way of the dodo, with only a few small boutique manufacturers still chambering it, there was a large void in 8mm offerings to western shooters. enter the 325wsm. something DIFFERENT - something the other wsm's were sadly lacking.

compare the 325wsm to the 338win mag? sure it's slower, less powerful. but it's not a .338, it's a .323. a 200gr @ 3000fps is serious thump no matter how you look at it.

anyone that thinks the 270wsm is a dramatic improvement over the 270win needs to hunt more with both chamberings.
Click to expand...

So at what velocity difference does it become a significant advantage, if "a few hundred fps" doesn't cut it? That would make the difference between the 325 WSM and 8x57 insignificant.

The 270 WSM can achieve about 150-200 fps more velocity than the 270 Win with any given bullet. I wouldn't call that insignificant.
 
mcp1 said:
So with the talk of the wsm's coming up quite a bit which of the short mags is the best? In other words is there one short mag that delivers substantially better performance than standard calibers? And of the WSM's that offer a benefit which one is best?

Up to this point I am skeptical of a benefit but I'm looking for someone to convince me of their merit... If it helps a couple rifles I'm looking at would be 257 bob, 338 win mag and maybe some type of 7mm. Reloading isn't a limiting factor here I'm open to rolling my own.
Click to expand...

The .270 is the only one that delivers anything better as far as velocity goes, over its standard cousin.
Cat
 
1899 said:
kman300 and bearkilr - take a look at the load data - I only have new Barnes data as that is what interests me. I have not owned a .270 wsm, but have owned .270 Wins. - I don't see any advantage to the wsm, let alone the OP question of "substantially better performance".

130gr TTSX
.270 wsm
3143 to 3260 fps
63.5 to 74 gr of powder

.270 Win
3133 to 3211 fps
55 to 59gr of powder


140gr TSX
.270 wsm
2997 to 3125 fps
60.5 to 70.5gr of powder

.270 Win
3002 to 3050 fps
54 to 58.5 gr of powder
Click to expand...

Looking at various reload manuals, expect to see about 150-200 fps increase over the 270 Win.
This is comparing top loads in each caliber using the same bullet, the only fair way to compare.
 
Rocket Surgery said:
The king of the WSM's is the guy who actually convinced people to buy this stuff.
Click to expand...

stubblejumper said:
Perhaps in theory the wsms are more accurate, but I have never noticed a difference in accuracy in hunting rifles.
Click to expand...

Hammer meet nail.
WSM's go for a higher premium over standard chamberings (???) and hold less in the magazine. On select loads they meet some of the standard caliber loadings but the standards usually have a larger selection of choices.
As for the accuracy I only have limited exposure to the WSM's- both shot as advertized and were good accurate rifles (about an inch +) for hunting.
I have had a fair bit of exposure to standard calibers that the WSM's are compared against and they pretty much shot the same (some better).
As for recoil, the cartridge is only one piece of that puzzle, rifle weight and recoil pad design (etc...) contributes just about as much IMO.
Bought one,
Sold one.
No need to buy another.:)
 
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