Thoughts on the 300wsm?

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Aabradsh

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Hey guys.

I've mentioned in a recent thread that I'm on the hunt for a first or second generation Browning A-Bolt. I'm seeing a fair number of them for sale, but most of them are chambered in .300wsm. I have fired one of these, in a Winchester Model 70 deluxe (absolutely gorgeous rifle) that my buddy owns. it's a thumper, but not in excess of what I find manageable.

I'm just wondering what people generally think about this cartridge? I mainly hunt whitetail in eastern Ontario, so it's definitely more gun than I need and I know ammo is going to cost more than my .308. That said, I do have the opportunity to hunt moose, if id like to, so it'd definitely set me up for that. Other than the one occasion, I have very little experience with any of the WSM cartridges.
 
Out to 300-350 yds the 308win or the 30-06 is capable of killing moose no problem
The 300 wsm May offer a bit more energy past that range but not enough to be a game changer .
If your thinking past those ranges 7 mm mag with 160 gr bullets or 300 win mag 165-180 gr bullets
 
One of the guys on the Vortex Nation Podcast swears by the 300 WSM. I picked up a barrel on the cheap but haven't put it on my rifle and shot it yet so I cant tell you how good it is. I am planning on getting it setup as a moose/elk barrel myself.
 
I’d say keep your 308! I’ve never shot a moose past 200m! Good quality bullets and good shooting will do good on a moose with a 308!
 
Aabradsh said:
I'm just wondering what people generally think about this cartridge?
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I have been shooting one for a decade now and have taken deer, moose, bear, cougar and wolves with it. I really like the cartridge as it is very versatile and will work on everything from coyotes up to large Northern Moose.

Yes, it is more than the typical Eastern deer hunter needs but I would rather have the speed and not need it than need the speed and not have it.
 
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While I favor a different "big" 30, I have owned and hunted with 2 different 300 WSM rifles.
This is an effective chambering. I shot a good size Bull Moose at 365 yards several years ago.
180 Partition at just around 3000 fps muzzle velocity. One shot, and done!

But......ammo these days is a bit if a wild card, and it is more expensive than 308/30-06/270.
I no longer own a 300 WSM, but I would certainly not discourage anyone from buying one.
Both the rifles in 300 WSM that I had were very accurate. Dave.
 
I guide and many clients have used my 300wsm, I also use it extensively. The outfitter I work for also uses one exclusively. I've always had excellent success with it and never lost an animal, or even had to track very far. Farthest being maybe 100m. Have killed and seen killed wolf, yotes, deer, elk, bear, and moose with it. 4 bears last month alone.
 
I bought a 300WSM that was sold to me as a 300WM years ago from Canadian Tire. Of course all firearm sales are final.

It's been my moose gun ever since. I can shoot great groups up to 200 yards, but that's mostly my fault. It has almost the same range as your typical 300WM. My only gripe is ammo is more scarce than the 300WM, and I can't find anything over 180 grain from the factory, whereas you can find 200 grain ammunition for the 300WM. Reloading will solve that problem, however.
 
The 300 WSM is a good round but for mostly deer and occaisional moose I would stick with .30/06 type of rounds personally. The reason for the lack of factory loads with over 180 grains of bullet weight is heavier bullets underperform in the WSM as the bullet encroaches on available powder space, it is called short for a reason. The 300 winmag is far superior for heavy game for precisely that reason. My 2 cents.
 
Marlon, thanks for reminding me.

I shoot my 300wsm to a km (not that far on game). But I have it doped out to that far and can engage my 12 inch gong without much effort. I roll my own as it's an expensive round. You can get the most out of it by doing that. Also it's short and fat design makes it efficient and allows for a lower loss of velocity with a shorter barrel. I run mine at 20 inches and I have two friends who run their 300wsm's at 18.5".

175gr Berger VLD with 65gr of 4350 has been my go to for a number of years.
 
Mike Webb said:
The 300 WSM is a good round but for mostly deer and occaisional moose I would stick with .30/06 type of rounds personally. The reason for the lack of factory loads with over 180 grains of bullet weight is heavier bullets underperform in the WSM as the bullet encroaches on available powder space, it is called short for a reason. The 300 winmag is far superior for heavy game for precisely that reason. My 2 cents.
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Fair response. However I would argue the 300wm is not far superior for heavy game. The outfitter I work for and my other buddy who runs a 300wsm have killed bison with their 300wsm's. Thats a shorter barrel running 175gr pills for one of them, the other runs factory rounds, not sure on the weight. If it's fine for that it's not losing anything against the WM for everything up to moose.

Between the 3 of us we've seen probably close to 100 big game hit the ground at the hands of clients and ourselves at the end of a 300wsm. One of them is on cgn and may pop on to this thread at some point.
 
I'll add that if you don't handload or want a shorter barrel it doesn't offer anything over the 300WM. But if either of those two things are a factor I would personally always take the 300WSM. There is something special about a handy little 20" barrel sending a 175gr pill at speeds a comparable 308 barrel length can only dream of.
 
Aabradsh said:
Hey guys.

I've mentioned in a recent thread that I'm on the hunt for a first or second generation Browning A-Bolt. I'm seeing a fair number of them for sale, but most of them are chambered in .300wsm. I have fired one of these, in a Winchester Model 70 deluxe (absolutely gorgeous rifle) that my buddy owns. it's a thumper, but not in excess of what I find manageable.

I'm just wondering what people generally think about this cartridge? I mainly hunt whitetail in eastern Ontario, so it's definitely more gun than I need and I know ammo is going to cost more than my .308. That said, I do have the opportunity to hunt moose, if id like to, so it'd definitely set me up for that. Other than the one occasion, I have very little experience with any of the WSM cartridges.
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Dont worry about energy. Its over rated. All the 30 cals have plenty of energy for deer and moose.

What you get with the 300 wsm is heavier bullets going faster, which means less wind deflection and typically better shot placement.

As long as you dont develop a recoil flinch. Heavier gun is better for this and many of the complaints from guys shooting 300 wsm are guys who get the lightest possible rifle.

IMO the 300 is the best of all the wsms, and will probably be the last one standing long after the other wsms fade into history.

Ammo isnt that much more expensive, not that ammo cost should factor at all into the cost of a $1,000+ moose hunting trip. An extra dollar a round isnt even worth thinking about.

most hunting stores will have at least a good box or two.
 
300 WSM is more than most folks need but if you have one that shoots well (and most seem to) then you are all set. It will flatten game pretty decisively with good placement out to pretty impressive ranges. I like 180's exclusively in the WSM, Interlocks on deer and Partitions or Accubonds or TTSX on everything else. I've only owned one in a Tikka T3, it kicked a bit too hard for my liking and I find I never brought it out to practice.
 
I have a light weight Sako A7 in 300wsm and shoot 165 grain bullets for deer hunting. It's very effective, and decently accurate. I went with it because I have hopes of one day hunting something bigger, like elk or moose.

So far, I have only shot my hand loads through the gun. When I bought it, I bought some new brass went only that route.
 
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300WSM has become very popular, despite the cries of "stock up on brass, the 300WSM will be dead in a year!" back when it was introduced. Laugh2


I've had one for almost 20 years, killed lots of stuff big and small with it. There is no reason to not buy a 300WSM if you want one.
 
"stock up on brass,

I like my Short Mag, that's why it'll be a cold day in Hell when I run out of brass. :redface: If you hand load, you will always have a lot of options.

Grizz
 
I’ve boom flopped more big game animals with my .300wsm than anything else. Great cartridge. Hard to find ammo at the moment, if you aren’t into reloading I would suggest grabbing something a bit easier to find.
 
JDForBrkFst said:
Marlon, thanks for reminding me.

I shoot my 300wsm to a km (not that far on game). But I have it doped out to that far and can engage my 12 inch gong without much effort. I roll my own as it's an expensive round. You can get the most out of it by doing that. Also it's short and fat design makes it efficient and allows for a lower loss of velocity with a shorter barrel. I run mine at 20 inches and I have two friends who run their 300wsm's at 18.5".

175gr Berger VLD with 65gr of 4350 has been my go to for a number of years.
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Awe, look at us scum in the same thread. :):)
I’m one of the 18.5 guys mentioned above and they peer pressured me into the rifle. No ragrats!
 
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