Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Winny wsm

Here is a picture illustrating body sizes. Apologies for fuzzy cellphone pic. Small branch antlered bulls in foreground. Trophy bull in trees. Killed that bull a month later.

Boy those big fella's are a whole nother level of big!

A 7mm-08 with the right bullet will knock that bulls di ck in the dirt.

I was at the range yesterday, and had to listen to a guys bullschidt about how his 26 Nosler would cleanly kill an elk at 1,000 yards. Then he proceeded to not hit the target with said rifle. Rifle was a brand new Christensen (he said he bought it last year), wearing a new Hawke 5-30x56 rifle scope and Talley lightweights that were supposed to have 20 moa built into them. He had the turret cranked all the way down, but was hitting 10" high at 100. He said that the velocity of the bullet probably had something to do with the scope not adjusting all the way down. Then proceeded to shoot a 5" group, put the rifle away and said he had to take it home to clean the barrel as part of the break in process.. I told him good luck, and I hoped he didn't have to shoot at an elk with that rifle.

That 338 mag in the Brown stock doesn't leave a lot of room for improvement!

Sure your 7-08 would BSA, my 6.5 - 06 with a 127 grain Barnes killed that bull with one shot... I had recently sold my .300 WIN Mag and it was the largest cartridge in my collection at the time. That doesn't mean it is the most appropriate tool for the job! Those bulls spend a lot of time in the dark timber above 9500 feet in my spot and I want to be prepared for a less than perfect shot angle.

Mike, what shot would you not wanna take with that combo of 6.5 and 127 LRX? Brother took a cow this fall at 500 with that bullet this past fall, I was very impressed with it. Just wondering where you'd worry about it not working.

While it dropped the bull in its tracks, I was impressed enough by its shear body size to want more wallop with a larger caliber heavier bullet. I would be concerned with a hard quartering away shot, which I have never had to take, but there is always a first time. I still have the 6.5-06 for Coues deer, although I used my 30-06 with a 155 Scenar this last year just to change things up.

Totally understand the want for more. I probably err on the side of being bigger than needed, but I have pondered a few times if a 270 wouldn't have done about all of them the same. I was pretty sure it was a sure yes till we had three elk this year between 500 and two at 600. The 500 yard bull, no issues, but I was glad to have a little extra at 600. Not saying it wouldn't have been the same, cause it could have been, I just fell into your camp, having a bit extra made me feel better'er.

Wasn’t long ago you claimed anyone that shot a short action cartridge was a puzzy.

You’re a clown.

I have a M70 7wsm in a McMillan compact stock. It weighs just over 7# with talleys and a Leupold. It shoots 140 TTSX sub moa. It’s a wonderful rifle.
I have the same setup in a 270 win. Same same.

Nice looking rifle RP. I have a M70 7 WSM in a EDGE filled Bridges.

I've had at least 5 different M70 300 WSM's. One I cut to 22", but I found it lost a lot of velocity - like around 90 fps (not all inches cut are the same, and the 25fps rule doesn't always hold true). My friend Pete H. was the Chief Design Engineer at USRAC when the 300 WSM was being developed at Olin, and we corresponded a lot about the WSM's and the M70 platform prior to them being released. He (and by extension USRAC) was originally going to release all the WSM's with 22" barrels, but I talked him out of that. I convinced him Western hunters would want the extra barrel length, and that it was easier to cut off 2" than add it back (lol). Generally I prefer sticking with the 24" barrel on the 300 WSM, but I had at least one that I ran at 23." Anyway, Pete trusted me and they released them with 24" barrels.

Here's some older threads on lightening the M70 WSM:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/5472414/300-wsm-build-what-action
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/6131485/model-70-fwt-300-wsm

Personally, my favorite WSM action is the Kimber 8400, and the MT stock sucks up recoil like nothing else I've ever used. I personally think the barrel is too light, but that can be remedied. I've had at least 6 or 7 McMillan Hunter Edge stocks, and I find them brutal. The Edge fill and comb drop magnify recoil for me. Doing an M70 WSM today, I'd just find an EW and drop it in a Bansner. I'd use PT&G Aluminum bottom metal, Talley Lwt's and a Butler Creek Mountain Sling. Depending on the scope, you can keep the entire "all up" package sub 8lbs.

Making a gun light and expecting it to ease up in the recoil department doesn’t happen. Sure the stock design may make it feel not as bad. But it’s a hunting gun, not a bench gun. If you can’t haul a 8.5# er around, don’t complain about the recoil when your burning out the barrel of your favourite lightweight rifle on the gong range.