The .300 Debate

WhelanLad

WhelanLad

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in well advance, sorry.

This isnt a whats better or which should i get. but to me there is a big following of the traditional .300winchester magnum but also a fairly good following of the .300WSM....
I want to know the pros an cons that made you decide over the WM or WSM chambering?

generally speaking the wsm ticks all the boxes most of us need ticked... yet so many WinMags are still top pick for most big game hunts.

i own a wsm fwiw

WL


Posted from Canadiangunnutz.com App for Android
 
Generally, a 300 mag is a 300 mag is a 300 mag. Regardless if it is the slow cousin (300 WSM/SAUM twins) through the middles of the pack (30-338, 308 NM, 300 Dakota, 300 WM, 300 Wby, 300 H+H) or the speedsters (300-378, 300 RUM, 300 Pegasus, etc), ballistically speaking they vary only a little and will perform roughly the same on game. FWIW - dan
 
100% mate.
just want to split hairs between the two for a while.
theres a log on the fire an i just cracked a beer,more in the esky if anyone wants


Posted from Canadiangunnutz.com App for Android
 
Ill take one more in the mag over 75fps. I realize not all wsm loose a round in the mag
I find the tradition bottle neck to feed easier when the bolt is worked hard as well
Longer thinner brass looks better then short fat ones!
I have a 300wm. Would like a 300hh though
 
.300 WM is easy to find everywhere and significantly cheaper t han .300 Norma or H+H.

.300 RUM should eat a barrel (throat erosion) with 3-4 times less rounds through it. Not worth it IMO, but whatever makes ya feel good!
 
Shrek said:
.300 WM is easy to find everywhere and significantly cheaper t han .300 Norma or H+H...
Click to expand...

+1 on that. I would say the 300WM is easier to find and cheaper than all other 300 mags. The local gun shops post hunting sales in early December last year had 300WM ammo for less than $18 a box!
 
For starters guns are fun and if you want to try a new calibre.... fill your boots and have fun, but I'm not sure some of these new calibers are worth the hype some folks are giving them. I really wanted a 300 WSM, but after looking at ballistic charts till I was blue in the face I came to the conclusion that it was marginally better than the 300 win mag. Shooting the exact same bullet a 300 win mag sighted in at 200 yards will be less than 2" lower at 500 yards than a 10 to 50 fps slower. Add to this that the rifle I wanted to purchase would loose one in the mag if I went to WSM I didn't feel it was the way to go. SOme guys swear by them. I shoot 223 rem, 270 win, and 338 Win mag so maybe I'm just a stuck in the mud old dinosaur.

This is where I go my info from. I thought it was a good source for comparing two Winchester calibers.
http://www.winchester.com/learning-.../Pages/ballistics-calculator-silverlight.aspx

G
 
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g-manz35 said:
I really wanted a 300 WSM, but after looking at ballistic charts till I was blue in the face I came to the conclusion that it was marginally better than the 300 win mag.
Click to expand...

It's not at all better ballistically in any given bullet weight. In fact, with the heavier bullets (200gr.+), it's inferior to the WinMag.



The 300 winmag is the best balanced one out of the pack,IMO. It tends to feed better and mags load easier than the shorts, at least in the rifles I've had. The super magnums burn a whole lot more powder for little comparative gain. It's the 375 H&H of the 300 magnums, there may be faster ones,newer ones and shorter ones, but people still choose it over the others as it's a proven design that's worked for decades worldwide.

And before someone brings it up, the short neck is really not an issue. :)
 
The .300 Winchester and the .300 H&H are the most practical of the fast .30s. The shorter WSM style cartridges typically produce .30/06 velocities when loaded with long bullets, but at greater cost. The big boomers like the .300 Ultra, the .300 Dakota, the 7.82 Warbird, the .300 Imperial, and the .30-378 Weatherby have a velocity advantage, but its unclear whether or not their advantage over the .300 Winchester/H&H equals that of a big case .338.
 
IMO the barrel errosion thing is a moot point on a rifle this large. Most people, myself included may put 20-30 rounds down a barrel in a year for load development, zeroing, practice and hunting. Most of my practice is done with smaller calibers, and especially rimfires. If we figure the avg life of a good .300rum barrel at 3000rds, at that rate it would take 100 years to shoot it out. Even at that point, hunting accuracy will probably still be acceptible. On a .220 Swift Varmint gun, or a bench rifle that could see a few 1000 rounds a year, throat errosion is a major concern. But here, I just dont see it. Ammo availability, cost, rifle weight and recoil would be much more siginificant factors in my not choosing a particular caliber. There is a case to be made for the really fast 30's the speed takes a little of the guesswork out of long shots. But they obviously have their well-published downsides. They must be good at something, or they wouldn't be selling any.

Now as far as the WSM vs. WM debate, we are really splitting hairs. Most rifles, (not all!) will use a more compact action design to house the WSM family, as such they weigh about 1/2lb less. Will you notice a difference? Maybe. Depends how far you are planning to walk. That being said, they typically hold one less chubby case in the mag, sometimes as little as 2 total. The WM does do better with 200+gr bullets. Now let's be honest, most guys are shooting modern, bonded 180's out of these, which are more than adequate for anything up to moose and big bears. In that context they are ballisitically very, very close. The difference in real-world performance is so slight, you really cannot go wrong either way. I have hunted moose, deer and black bear with both and would reccomend either to someone looking to step up from a standard caliber.
 
dan belisle said:
And that's always been a prime concern for all my hunting guns, how cheap the ammo is at the local crappy tire, lol. - dan
Click to expand...

Haha, my dad drilled that into me as a kid... "If you can't find ammo at the Biscotasing General Store, you shouldn't hunt with it!"

I suppose if that comforts you, go for it! I've forgotten alot of things on hunting trips, but ammo was never one of them! I had to use my Rem 742 as a single shot one year because I left all three mags at home!:HR:
 
Haven't owned anything in a WSM yet. Kinda thought the 7mm WSM would be cool to play with but it kinda died out. It's .300 or .270 that you see most of now.

I got into .300 Win Mag ~ 20 years ago. Currently, have a Browning A-bolt composite stalker in it. Chosen for the factory 26" barrel. With it I don't see a need to go to a .300 WSM.

My .02

:canadaFlag:
------------
NAA.
 
NAA said:
Haven't owned anything in a WSM yet. Kinda thought the 7mm WSM would be cool to play with but it kinda died out. It's .300 or .270 that you see most of now.
Click to expand...

The .270 is a sweetheart becuase its the only WSM that doesn't do something already done by an exisiting cartridge. If you believe there are gaps in the cartrige lineup, that has to be one of them.
 
I would mainly look at what is your rifle's intended use:
  • Are you looking for a "Super 308 Win" ? Get a 300 WSM.
  • Are you looking for a "338 Win Mag Lite" ? Get a 300 WM.

The practical differences between the 2 cartridges are:
  1. 300 WSM rifles are 1/2 pound lighter and often 2 1/2" shorter (major issue for mountain rifles)
  2. 300 WM handles 200+ gr bullets much better (major issue for long range big game hunting)

This debate is very similar to the 308 Win vs 30-06 debate: not much to argue once you've decided what are your needs and even if you pick the "wrong" cartridge, you've still made the right choice.

Alex
 
JB101 said:
Now as far as the WSM vs. WM debate, we are really splitting hairs. Most rifles, (not all!) will use a more compact action design to house the WSM family, as such they weigh about 1/2lb less. Will you notice a difference? Maybe. Depends how far you are planning to walk. That being said, they typically hold one less chubby case in the mag, sometimes as little as 2 total. The WM does do better with 200+gr bullets. Now let's be honest, most guys are shooting modern, bonded 180's out of these, which are more than adequate for anything up to moose and big bears. In that context they are ballisitically very, very close. The difference in real-world performance is so slight, you really cannot go wrong either way. I have hunted moose, deer and black bear with both and would reccomend either to someone looking to step up from a standard caliber.
Click to expand...

x1000! The argument that the .300 WM does better with 200+gr bullet is pretty lame!
 
I have owned, over the years the following "big" 30's
300 H&H, 300WSM, 30-338, 308 Norma Mag, 300Win Mag, 300 Weatherby Mag, 300 RUM.
What do I still own and shoot? I have 2 - 308 Norma Mags.
While that is the chambering I prefer, it is in a category that has several occupants.
All will deliver 3000 to 3150 fps with a 180 grain bullet.
I just feel that the 308 Norma is the best balanced of this group.
As far as factory ammo availability is concerned, I consider that a non-issue.
It is so long since I shot any game with factory ammo that I cannot remember it.
One poster conjectured that a 300 RUM barrel should last 3000 rounds...good luck with that!!!
Even with very good care, [not shot "hot", cleaned properly, etc] mine showed significant throat erosion at 1200 rounds. Accuracy was starting to go south as well.
The velocity gain is there, but at a noticeable cost. [recoil, erosion, etc]
Basically, this boils down to personal preference.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
And another vote for the 308NM. The first was a Parker Hale and this is my second, a Schultz & Larsen model 65DL.

SchultzLarsenM-65DL308NM.jpg


Factory ammo isn't something you see in every shop but there is some available. For the reloader, I've picked up quantities of new brass and actually some factory ammo at local gun shows. That with what I've purchased from Henry at Budget Shooter Supply, a site sponsor, I have enough to last me as long as I'll be shooting:).
 
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