Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Tell me about the 300WSM

A local shop has a beautiful wood stocked Montana Rifle Co. rifle in 300WSM for a tempting price. (If it were a .308Win I'd own it in a minute) but I know very little about the WSM. I have read that it tends to shoot very well but has substantial recoil and noise? (Anything that moves a 165gr bullet over 3100fps is going to have some) Is it a dying caliber or something to seriously look into?

The WSM cases are going to be slightly smaller in case capacity as compared to the .300WinMag while still being substantially larger than 30-06 capacity. If you've had no issues with 7mmRM levels of recoil, the .300WSM shouldn't be much different in the same rifle. Websites like Midway, Natchez, and Graf's can tell you what's out there for factory ammo options and how readily available it will be. I don't see it dying off anytime soon, but the WSM rage isn't what it was 15 years ago.

FWIW, the Montana action was supposedly designed to house up to a 3.1" OAL in the magazine, if I recall correctly. Their action was seen as a good fit for the WSM as compared to a 2.83" magazine. I'd not be scared of a .300WSM if I wanted something at that power level.

Lapua is soon to offer 300WSM brass. That should be a shot in the arm to the chambering.

Good cartridge. Ballistics basically match .300 H&H, so as has been said slightly under Win Mag.

Only legitimate rock to throw is that it generally doesn’t feed as smoothly as most due to its blocky shape. But if the rifle is set up right, that’s not an issue.

The .300 WSM is a good round, and does tend to be more a little more accurate than the .300 Winchester Magnum. When the .300 WSM came out, Nosler bought a test barrel to do their handload pressure-testing on their indoor range. Before that they used the .300 Winchester Magnum to test their heavier .30-caliber bullets for accuracy, and the .30-06 or .308 Winchester to test the lighter bullets--but switched to the .300 WSM for testing all their .30 bullets.

However, some of the publicity stuff about the .300 WSM was BS. Winchester claimed it could match .300 Winchester Magnum velocities with less powder, due to the "efficiency" of the WSM case design. At the time the velocity of the standard factory 180-grain load for the .300 Winchester Magnum was 2960 fps--and the standard .300 WSM matched that. But the .300 Winchester load operated at lower pressure. Eventually .300 Winchester 180 factories appeared that got well over 3000 fps, more than the .300 WSM can do.

The .300 WSM is a good cartridge. I've owned three rifles chambered for it, and hunted big game from pronghorns to elk with it, but it does kick noticeably more than the .30-06, and since .300 WSM rifles tend to be a little lighter than .300 Winchester Magnums, their recoil is similar in factory rifles.

Since the original excitement over the short, fat beltless magnums (SFBMs) has died down considerably, it's harder to find .300 WSM brass and ammo--though both tends to be more available than any of the other SFBMs that appeared around the same time--some of which aren't available at all anymore. Meanwhile, .300 Winchester Magnum brass and ammo remains pretty available, even during shortages, partly because it's a standard world-wide cartridge.

The WSM's have gone the way of the DODO Bird . Rio7

It is what it is. I don't think there is any magic in any cartridge but fits a good spot for me. About halfway between 06 and a 300wm in terms of speed,energy and recoil. Its a short action if that matters to you, but if you like long slippery bullets is best in a mid or long action. I guess its got a reasonable reputation for accuracy as it has some following in LR circles. Its short fat so you get one less round in the mag in most rifles. Some manufacturers run a shorter barrel on the 300wsm than the 300wm so its an option if you like a shorter rifle. Its not real common but there are 3-4 makers of brass and ADG amd Lapua both make brass so good brass is available.

I hunt with the 300 WSM in three different rifles, Winchester 1885, Sako 85, Borden custom.

I love the cartridge as it fits in a short action. I can load it from 308 velocities all the up to vapor trail. It is accurate. It functions perfectly in my bolt guns. I have never had any feed issues.

Ah not exactly.............................................

Midway shows 35 listings for the 300 WSM, 3 in stock, prices starting at $67 and up! I owned one, a custom barreled Win 70 FWT, it was nice, sold it to a guy on the CF many moons ago.

On the other hand, Midway lists 103 options for the 30-06 with 64 in stock with prices beginning at $25.

As much as I think the WSM is fine, the '06 is the easy button of 308 cal. if the "308" is not your fancy (I have both).

Also, 76/36/$29 for the 300 Win Mag

That's what I eventually decided, after owning quite a few .300 magnums, including the three WSMs mentioned, several .300 Winchesters and a couple of .300 Weatherbys. Plus, the .30-06 is pretty close to the .300 WSM with newer bullets and powders. My latest handload for my Ultra Light Arms .30-06 is the 175-grain Barnes LRX and the maximum charge of IMR4451 listed in Hodgdon's data for 175-grain bullets--which gets around 2850 fps. Plus, have taken big game out to around 500 yards with the ULA, sometimes with 180-grain factory loads, in North America, Europe and Africa.

But have also come to the conclusion that the major fault of the .30-06 it's too boring for many rifle loonies....

As suppressors become more commonplace, I think the 300wsm is seeing new life from folks that want a shorter barrel and still want to drive a .30 cal bullet faster than the 30.06 can muster.

The 30-06 is often times the "easy button", as it should be. Especially when talking 30 cals. One of the things that sticks out the most in my mind about the difference between the WSM and the ol 06 is rifle mag capacity. 3 vs. 5, with the upper hand going to the 30-06. No one has mentioned this. Also, a 30-06 set up with the right bullet is devastating at any sane range anyone has business shooting to. So why the need for a 30 cal magnum? Yes, I have 30 cal magnums of many flavors, but none of them is going to replace my 30-06 rifles.

Scott, I still think this is the domain of the 308 W, mags with short barrels seem superfluous to me but I seem to be in the minority these days.

Already have a 30 Gov't 06, so that base is covered. Really don't need another rifle, but the action is so nice on that rifle it calls to me. Like I said earlier, if it was a 308Win or even another 30-06 it would be in the safe already.

My late brother in law bought 2 Ruger 77's in 300 wsm and gave me one and the both have a S.S. barrel and a composite black stock and I shot a deer in PA last year and my oldest Son asked if he could use it this year and he shot a nice buck with it at our camp in PA. We like the caliber in 150 gr. and have done well with it as we use several different and we have no complaints with it. Several of us at the local gun show thought the wsm's would fizzle out and that's why my brother in law chose the .300 wsm instead of the others available.

HS 58

I have a .300 WSM in a M70 Super Grade. It kicks more than an 06 and is slightly louder. I helped kill one moose with mine before I quit hunting, firstly due to covid then to health and age. If you hunt animals larger than deer it is a viable alternative to choose. Personally I have a huge quantity of brass of various makes that I acquired around the time of getting the rifle. I found the accuracy to be every bit as good as I am capable of. If you normally hunt game no larger than deer I would get an 06 or a .308 ( which I don't happen to like.)

Jim

I have pestered them about this for two years. Each time is the same response, "we do not foresee 300 WSM in Lapua's future."

I am quite relieved at this news.

You've never shot an elk or moose with a 200gr Nosler partition from a 30-06, have you? The 300wsm has no upper hand on the 30-06, when you use a bullet like that. Trust me, it plows through elk like a freight train. I've had elk stop the 180gr partition from a 300WSM, so there's that too..

If you have never had one, and you can load for it, get it. It's a fun cartridge, but be prepared to buy some extra stuff you probably don't already have in your loading supplies. Different loading block to allow for the fat case, and a different powder funnel as well.