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

In my 78 years I have seen a lot of trends come and go in hunting and competition. If I were a young man, I wouldn't have a short magnum anything, no matter the bargain. Or any proprietary cartridge other than the 6x47/6.5x47 Lapua( I don't think anything with that precision is going to fade away).

I have a Montana Rifle Company rifle in 7WSM (talk about a dying cartridge!). You're right, these rifles feed and feel quite nice. As MD mentioned, they also use a slightly longer action so you can load the bullets seated out a little farther than in the typical short action rifles. My particular rifle has a very tight chamber, which results in higher pressures. In fact, the early Winchester factory ammo would almost lock up my action. Quite high velocities, also!! When loading for mine, I need to start at starting loads for the powder/bullet I'm using and slowly work up since I've found that if I don't, I can have way over-pressure rounds right from the beginning. My rifle is plenty accurate. I say if you desire it, go ahead and get it. Doubtful you'll be disappointed.

Having done several, the 300 WSM is one of my favorites. It's at it's best when hand loaded....the Nosler 180 Accubond is pretty impressive. Lapua's new 300 WSM case due out soon will be a welcome addition though I've never had issues with the Winchester brass.

As to the difference between rounds in a magazine....how many rounds do you need if you can't get it done with 3?

Good shootin' 👍-Al

I like 4 rounds in a magazine for a magnum. If you spend $10,000 or more on a hunt or the game are a long way out, I often put in an extra few insurance shots unless it is immediately obvious they're dead after the first shot. One of those shots may not be a killing shot if they are running or a long way out. Just trying to work out how to modify an aluminum canoe floor plate to hold the extra 4th WSM round.

All that's needed is to rebrand it as the .30-06 Tactical, stick it in a black stock, and thread it for a can.

With that, you're golden...

While not my first choice my 300wsm with 155 Scenars at 3350 fps is an elk hammer.

Agree... this is why I've landed it on it as my main 30 cal. Recoil is right between an 06 and a 300 WM. Rifle is a little shorter with a suppressor. Even with a 20" barrel it way out-performs a 308...my 20" gets 200-212gr bullets close to 2800, though accuracy nodes are generally around 2750 fps. That's with temp stable powders.

Honestly none of these calibers are all that different.

I have owned three MRC`s in 300WSM.All were shooters .MRC`s are not a light weight rifle and to me the recoil far from punishing . Also no problems feeding in the MRC action .

This sounds so counterintuitive. I know it did to me when I switched solely to the 155 Scenar's in 300 WSM. I had a lot of premium bullets stocked up. After reading ScenarShooter's posts on the Scenar thread, I decided to try them first. After load development, velocity proofing & field use, I was stoked. It is an incredible terminal solution. Sold ALL my premium bullets, bought as many original 155's as I could get my hands on and am as happy as I can be. I shoot them in my all of my .308 cartridges. Hard to imagine any gun they would not shoot accurately in.

300 WSM runs 3285 fps with a middle load of VV550.
308 Win runs 2825 with TAC.

30 wsm is flexible and accurate.......easily loaded down to 308 /06 levels if thats what you need at the time or will tread right on the heels of the 300 Win


it does pretty much anything a 30 caliber needs to do

Sho' got dat right.

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..

For your information I've killed quite a few moose with .270's of various makes. I was not trying to make an argument that something of the power of the .300 WSM was actually necessary. I consider the WSM as much overkill on something as small as deer.

Jim

Be honest with yourself,

Are you a fan of recoil?

8lb gun or under, its ‘lively”. Don’t care who agrees with that or not……….

65 grains of H4350 is 65 grains, no ifs ands or buts……….

Also, noticed most reply’s here were, “had” a .300wsm, myself included.

You find yourself in desire with the Gun, not the Cartridge……The novelty of the gun will fade, the recoil wont.

It also depends on how often you want to shoot it, and if you hand load.

Yup everything but find on sale at wallyworld like 300 win mag. And you know you will never find 300 wsm priced even close to what you can buy 300 win mag for anywhere in SD..mb

.300WSM at Midway, 3 to 4 dollars a round,

Like I said above, how often would you like to shoot this rifle.

Find yourself that rifle in .308 Winchester or such, Their out there somewhere.

I’ve had two …one model 70 ext weather and one Tikka T3x rough tech . Both shoot or shot great. I run a 165 grn and find recoil not so bad. Good round imo.

I am now on my third 300 WSM, and I taught a friend how to Handload his (after I worked him up a 168 TTSX load). I love 300 Magnums, great Game killers. I gave the first one to my long deceased Pastor in Texas. It was when the WSM was first arrived. I had my great Smith (also gone now) rechamber a new/store bought Mod 700 Varminter to the WSM and install an inline Lazzeroni magazine box. It was for Beanfield deer, very accurate with the 180 NBT. Second one( I bought off a guy on LRHunting for $1200) was a Kimber 8400 with beautiful reddish brown French Walnut/SS that I worked up a load for(also 168 TTSX) and then gave it to my grand daughter. I had sold all 'inconsequential" (3) guns to buy a Mark V 338/06 ($1400) This is a Jewell of an elk/300WM replacement rifle! Anyhow, I had just got my Shilen SS barreled Mod 70 Fwt in 7x57 from my current gunsmith he put together for me. Its a shooter, and with its 25" barrel it is running on the heels of past 280's I've owned. However, I felt I needed to "bridge that gap" between them and was searching for an "inexpensive Spare" to take along on hunts. I saw many ugly, stamped metal/plastic junk guns out there, or basic Mod 700s that need another $1000/Plus to make them shoot/worth owning. Then, in a local paper, saw an older Gent selling his Kimber 8400 300WSM. He was done with hunting and I asked him "what would he take for it in cash that very night"? (he lived an hour away) I drove over and gave him his "unreal asking price", very much less than I paid for a store bought Tikka T3X Lite in '06" and brought home a like new, not a scratch on it quality rifle! He had only made one hunt with it. Pride of Ownership is a prerequisite for me now at 70. Blued steel/brown French Walnut. I'm having its trigger adjusted at another Smith's. I am going to work up a load with the Hammer 154 HHT for an all around load (deer to elk) and play with some other bullets I have on hand. I couldn't pass it up, only a Kimber in 84L Classic in 30-06 (I gave my grand daughter my 84L 270 I had too) would have made me as excited! lol You got to love this short life of ours! I've had several 300WMs too, plus a couple of 300 RUMS. Not a bad one in the bunch.

This

I've had at least six (maybe seven) 300 WSM's. I've taken antelope, deer and a number of elk with it. Great round, and it and the 308 WIn have been the easiest rounds I've ever worked with to get excellent accuracy with. I like SA rounds. With RL 17 I could get excellent accuracy and 3,035 fps with 180's. That's definitely "magnum" territory. And Scott makes excellent points about Lapua brass and the trend to suppressors. An 18" 300 WSM with a Suppressor is a LOT of power...

Never owned a 300 wsm.
I just don't care for the concept of short and fat.
Maybe ,because I prefer mine - tall and lean -thinner in body , with a gently sloping shoulder(s)
The .300 H&H is one example of what I mean.
My wife is the other .
I guess it depends on your deep seated preferences.
My little old opinion, folks
Cheers