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Is the .300 WSM a good bet?

44K views 53 replies 26 participants last post by  OKIE2 
#1 ·
This year I am looking at new rifle mostly for deer hunting, but as I live in Manitoba there are plenty of chances to go for moose/elk/black bears. I was thinking of the .300 WSM. Up until recently I was leaning towards the 7mm Mag or .300 Mag. The 7mm and .300 Mag are both time proven rounds. I will be reloading my own shells so not too worried about costs. So the question is, is the .300 WSM here to stay.
 
#3 ·
I tend to prefer the long action magnums, simply because they have been around forever, and are proven in the field. I personally see NO advantage to shooting the short mags. However, a lot of guys do like em, and they seem to have pretty close to the same performance as their big brothers.
 
#4 ·
This year I am looking at new rifle mostly for deer hunting, but as I live in Manitoba there are plenty of chances to go for moose/elk/black bears. I was thinking of the .300 WSM. Up until recently I was leaning towards the 7mm Mag or .300 Mag. The 7mm and .300 Mag are both time proven rounds. I will be reloading my own shells so not too worried about costs. So the question is, is the .300 WSM here to stay.
Welcome to a Manitoban,

I was born there and hunted there as well in my early days. Great place to be into the outdoors.

No idea whether that cartridge is here to stay or not. If you are buying for the long term and handload then it doesn't make that much difference. I have a 264 WM which is kind of orphaned, and it is no problem at all.

If your main target is deer I think you are looking too big. Suggest you read another thread here (link posted further down).

Suggest you research and consider these cartridges in decending order. If you want something different then the 270 WSM seems interesting, and I think the old 280 Remingtion is worth consideration also. The 300 RUM made the list as kind of a fluke, and I would ignore it.

Cartridge, Bullet Wt, 300 Yd Vel, Muzzle Eng, 300 Yd Eng
270 WSM , 130, 2444, 3114, 1724
270 Win, 130, 2442, 2702, 1721
260 Rem, 120, 2334, 2392, 1560
264 WM, 140, 2326, 2854, 1682
7mm-08, 140, 2314, 2542, 1664
280 Rem, 140, 2309, 2797, 1657
300 RUM, 150, 2270, 2820, 1716
30-06, 150, 2270, 2820, 1716
308 Win., 150, 2219, 2648, 1640
7mm RM, 160, 2212, 2987, 1739
308 Win., 180, 1974, 2743, 1557
350 RM, 200, 1921, 3419, 1639

http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/big-game-hunting/45116-best-way-select-big-game-cartridge.html

Ron
 
#5 ·
The only reason I can see for the short magnums to exist is to sell guns unless you really need a short action.What rifle you are thinking of buying will help determine whether it is a logical proposition.No point in having a magazine spacer in there to accommodate a short mag when a full length H@H (300 WEATHERBY) or shortened H@H (300 WIN MAG) will fit nicely.Sorry to WSM fans-no slam intended.Progress?
 
#6 · (Edited)
I have a .300 win mag and a .300 win short, both savage stainless. I still like having the extra round in the mag (with a .300 win mag) especially hunting bears up here in the NWT. I cant discern any real difference in point of impact at 200 yards between them both, but I got the short mag from a friend in DIRE need of quick bucks. So I couldn't turn him down.
I will probably sell it back to him when he's back on his feet financially. I have found that if you can find a gun that fits your body well, it wont really matter if its a short or long mag. I hear that reloading the short mags can be a little harder as the process is a little bit tougher on the brass life span.
I tend to hunt alone more than I should, so I guess for me having 3 in the mag instead of 2 (in most .300 WSM's)makes me feel safer. Hope you like which ever one you choose. I hear GREAT things about the .325 but where I live ammo selection is near NIL and it wasn't too great whenever I looked down south at sporting goods stores too. Keep that in mind - ammo availability, if you choose the .325 .
 
#7 ·
Sorry if I ruffle a few feathers here, but I feel the short mags only exist to sell guns unless you feel you really need a short action for some reason.The model of rifle that appeals to you both esthetically and monetarily will answer this for you.No need to have a magazine spacer in an action that will already accommodate either a full length H@H case(300WEA) or shortened H@H (300WIN).But,what do I know?
 
#8 ·
You have hit the magic button . . .

Thank you for asking the truly relevant question concerning all the new cartridges on the market. The history of firearms is paved with good cartridges that simply did not make it in the marketplace. Personally, I feel these new, shortened cartridges are a sales gimmick.
What meaningful performance "hole" do they fill? The 7mm and 300 mag have proven to be successful in the marketplace and will last. I would not sink my money into one of the shortened magnums. However, this is a forum and you will get other opinions and I have just given mine.
 
#9 ·
Sorry if I ruffle a few feathers here, but I feel the short mags only exist to sell guns unless you feel you really need a short action for some reason.The model of rifle that appeals to you both esthetically and monetarily will answer this for you.No need to have a magazine spacer in an action that will already accommodate either a full length H@H case(300WEA) or shortened H@H (300WIN).But,what do I know?
You dont stop to consider that the short mags get rid of the belt which was never needed to start with and only led to accuracy problems. sam.
 
#11 ·
The belted mags seated on the belt,similar to the old rim cartridges.This allowed the full length of the long cartridges to go lopsided in the chamber,thus the bullet wasnt centered with the bore.Once fired so you could neck resize only,they seated on the shoulder the same as beltless cartridges,giving better centering of bullets and better accuracy.The casing of short mags is the same as the diammeter of the belts and the cartridges seat on the shoulder,centering the bullet better for more accuracy. sam.
 
#12 ·
the WSM's are here to stay.
MOD70, there are no magazine spacers in guns chambered for the short mags, they build them on short actions. as far as not outperforming the standard rounds, yeah the 7mm and 300 are equals, but the 270WSM smokes the 270win, and runs neck and neck with the 270weatherby at a much cheaper cost for brass, and loaded ammunition.
 
#13 ·
lefty O, I agree that they are here to stay. They can be liteweight, short barreled, and they can be loaded to outshoot the long mag in velocity and accuracy. 7mm x 300wsm in a Rem mountain rifle has a 200 fps+ over a 7mm mag when loaded properly, and barrel treated with AccuVel. I shoots a moa when I do my part. I am sure that the 300 wsm can accomplish the same. The 325 wsm is comparable to the 338. You reload so what's the problem. Recoil, noise,velocity, sectional density, accuracy.
 
#15 ·
300 wsm

I had a rem 700 in 300 wsm that I got for , believe it or not $280 on clearance at my local D . I. C. K. 's. They couldn't get rid of it because they didn't even sell ammo to fit it! Beautiful wood, bdl, not a scratch on it. Shot great, really light, but recoil no worse then a 30.06. Nice magnum performance, though. Traded it so I could go to 6.5 grendel for hunting. Figured that would be more suitable for eastern deer.
 
#16 ·
thanks

Thanks for all the useful info and relpies. I guess I'll just see whats out there when I buy and that won't be for a few months anyway. All the calibres I am looking at are a bit much for just deer, but as I said living in Manitoba have more than enough chances for Elk/Moose/Black Bear. And animals do get big here, they have to with the -52 wind chill we had this morning when I got out of jail (I'm a correctional officer but love saying that). I was registering a gun once and had to call from work and when the lady on the other end asked where I was calling from I told her "from jail" she paused but had a good chuckle when I told her I worked there. She said that it kind of blew her away that I was trying to register a gun from a jail thinking I was an inmate, but stranger things have happened.
 
#17 ·
The belted mags seated on the belt,similar to the old rim cartridges.This allowed the full length of the long cartridges to go lopsided in the chamber,thus the bullet wasnt centered with the bore.Once fired so you could neck resize only,they seated on the shoulder the same as beltless cartridges,giving better centering of bullets and better accuracy.The casing of short mags is the same as the diammeter of the belts and the cartridges seat on the shoulder,centering the bullet better for more accuracy. sam.
Just read more on this and found lots of info to substantiate it.

The belted case was invented to accommodate headspacing for a case with no real shoulder because of an archaic powder charge "Cordite".

The non-belted short mags do have more of an advantage, other than the shorter action itself, than I had taken into consideration.
 
#20 ·
it can. a lot of belted mags are still very accurate. many variables go into it.
My 700 Remingtion in 264WM did 1.25" out of the box with no modifications. That was hand held using a front rest only, and with a 4X scope. With a full rest and target scope I'm sure it would go under 1". It is a hunting gun, and I only shoot targets to check the sight in occasionally. I use handloads - 140 gr Sierra Boat Tails, with 62 grains of 4831. Loading it down a bit probably would tighten it up as well, as that is about the max load.

I think accuracy has a lot more to do with the gun, the shooter, the specific load, and the scope, than the cartridge shape.

Ron
 
#21 · (Edited)
My 700 Remingtion in 264WM did 1.25" out of the box with no modifications. That was hand held using a front rest only, and with a 4X scope. With a full rest and target scope I'm sure it would go under 1". It is a hunting gun, and I only shoot targets to check the sight in occasionally. I use handloads - 140 gr Sierra Boat Tails, with 62 grains of 4831. Loading it down a bit probably would tighten it up as well, as that is about the max load.
I think accuracy has a lot more to do with the gun, the shooter, the specific load, and the scope, than the cartridge shape.(end of Rons post)
(start of my post,dont know what happened your a good man Ron and I dont know how the posts werent seperated ) Could you post verification that a belted mag is just as accurate seated on the belt.I would post just the opposite but there is no sense as that is what it says in every gun book from shooting books to reloading books.Even wikipedia states this. sam.
Ron
I want to clear up what I mean about belted mag,s.They are not inaccurate.They are just not as consistently accurate as shoulder seated cartridges,nor were they intended to be.They were designed for hunting,not target shooting.One other downfall is casing flow leading to short casing life when full length resized.Both problems can be lessened if they are neck resized.I love belted mags,I just believe the newer mags without belts are a better design. sam.
 
#22 ·
I want to clear up what I mean about belted mag,s.They are not inaccurate.They are just not as consistently accurate as shoulder seated cartridges,nor were they intended to be.They were designed for hunting,not target shooting.One other downfall is casing flow leading to short casing life when full length resized.Both problems can be lessened if they are neck resized.I love belted mags,I just believe the newer mags without belts are a better design. sam.

If you check I think you will find the 300 win mag holds some impressive long range records. It may be in silloette shooting I am not sure just something I read.
 
#24 ·
belted cases listen to Sam

Just read more on this and found lots of info to substantiate it.

The belted case was invented to accommodate headspacing for a case with no real shoulder because of an archaic powder charge "Cordite".

The non-belted short mags do have more of an advantage, other than the shorter action itself, than I had taken into consideration.
Sams right ! I had a friend that built custom rifles and he would cuss those belted cases for one reason or another
 
#25 ·
One other downfall is casing flow leading to short casing life when full length resized.Both problems can be lessened if they are neck resized.
I always full length resized the 264 as it was the only die I have. Get about 20 loads out of a case, and have to length trim every 7 loads or so. When they failed it was the neck that gave out. Probably could have got more out of them, if I annealed before they got in trouble.

What do people get out of non belted cartridges? I only loaded 308's for a short period of time and got no feel for how they lasted.

Ron
 
#26 ·
I prefer the 300 WSM. It is very comparable with the 300 Win Mag. I specifically prefer it as a reload. The 300 Win Mag is a belted cartridge and can be reloaded only 2-4 times. As the WSM cartridge is rimless you can most likely double the life of a cartridge. I think that 300 WSM is a very good choice. Pardon the spelling.
 
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