Yes, in many cases there are "better" chamberings for many people.
Exactly.
From what I've seen at the range and in the field, , most people have no business shooting past 200 yards and that is a stretch for many. You don't need to put up with .300WBY levels of recoil for shots that close in and in fact the recoil would only add to the accuracy problems many shooters have.
Here at the fire we are mostly a bunch of rifle loonies - completely atypical of the average hunter. I've hunted with guys who had their rifle bore sighted by the dealer on Day 1 and on Day 2 be in the field hunting with it, having never fired it at all. Numerous times I've asked people what load they were using only to discover they didn't have any clue. Many who spend more time with their rifles are still far from rifle loonies - they practice enough to be fairly good with them but simply have other priorities. They are quite happy and successful with their .30-06 or whatever and feel no need or desire for anything else.
Daughter #1 is no longer a kid but she is still rather petite and doesn't care much for recoil. For her first elk hunt we settled on a .308 Win with a 130g TTSX running 3045fps at the muzzle. Recoil is very moderate at about 15 ft-lbs. She is not prepared for ranges over 300-350 yards and within her range I expect that load to work just fine. Unfortunately she only had 2 days to hunt this year and didn't get a shot opportunity. We'll have to wait until at least next year to find out how that combo really performs.
While I've taken two elk with a .338WM with a 225g AccuBond @ 2742fps, the last at 487 yards, and while I really like that combo, at about 33 ft-lbs the recoil is more than most people are comfortable with. A .300 WBY factory 180g @ 3240fps claimed will probably exceed this by 1 pound or so in the same weight rifle (depends on powder charge, could be as much as +3 ft-lbs). My .300WM loads (180g @ 3033fps) run noticeably less at about 28 ft-lbs. and have proven capable of whacking elk just fine at 400 yards, my longest with it so far. Under perfect conditions I'd take shots out to 600 yards (the extent of my regular practice) with this combo and not worry about whether or not I had "enough gun". Tomorrow I'll be taking my .338WM/225g AB/2742fps, a .30-06/150g AB/2991fps and my .280 Rem/140g AB/2900fps to the range to decide which two will be going elk hunting. Frankly, I doubt it makes much difference in terms of final outcome. I do know I'd rather pull the trigger on the .30-06 or .280.
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For myself, I am one of those individuals who are very recoil tollerent. I shoot most bigger guns just as well as I do smaller rifles, but for many shooters this isn't true. For most, the recoil limit is somewhere near .30-06 level before shooting is negatively effected.
The .300 Wby is just past that limit and for those people a 7mm Magnum or .30-06 might be a better choice.
Recoil for 150-180g .30-06 loads typically run around 20-24 ft-lbs. My 7mm RM loads are about 22-25 ft-lbs depending on the specific load, not much different than .30-06 loads. Not to be picky but a .300WBY load that runs up to 10 ft-lbs more is considerably more than 'just past' those recoil levels.
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For those, like myself, who aren't as sensitive to recoil the .338 Magnum is a better choice as it hits a bit harder and (in my experience) kills quicker than the .300's.
What the various .300's have going for them is that they are a near perfect compromise chambering. It's recoil is stiff, but not as punishing as the bigger .338's. It shoots as flat as the smaller 7mm and .270 rifles. And it handles heavier bullets than the smaller chamberings as well....providing better killing power.
It is a near perfect "tweener" round that sits between "too small" and "too big" competitors for most people.
For 20+ years my only bolt action big game rifle was a 7mm RM. I often wondered if a .300WM would have been a better choice and eventually I got one. As much as I like that .300WM, its advantages with the loads I use are vanishingly small when compared to the 7mm RM. At the ranges I've used it (400 yards max), it doesn't have a lot of advantage over a gentler .30-06, either.
Last night Daughter #1 got married to Son-in-Law #2. Like Son-in-Law #1, he is getting a .30-06 as a wedding present. For 90% of all hunters and hunting situations I think that is more gun than they will ever need.
Not knocking your choices, though, I think the .338WM will likely make the elk hunt this year - the main question in my mind is whether to take the .30-06 or .280 Rem.
Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!
No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.
