Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 300WM v. 300WSM

..........................Fully size 300 WSM brass and it feeds smooth. My 300 WSM Ruger is a very smooth feeder. In fact, it is as smooth a feeder as my 300 Win Wby Vanguard was.

When partially sizing 300 WSM brass, that is when the feeding problems occur.

I`ll bet that fully sized 300 WSM dummy brass will feed smoothly every time.

I was going to suggest that to Roger. I really didn't want to call bs on him but I know one of his 300 WSM's (FN PBR XP) feeds very smooth, because I sold it to him. This is also how it shoots with me on the trigger:

5 shot group:


10 shot group:


10 shot group at 160 yards:


That rifle has a nice tight chamber and likes its brass to be FL sized. I've had problems with Vanguards extracting and had to send them back to the "factory authorized service centers". Don't get me started on that!!! What a crock of chit...

makes me wonder......



which one do you think cycles slicker than owl schitt?

GWB

I pick H&H and then WBY

The one on the left......grin

Sam when it comes to rifle weight, the WSM wins hands down. Tough to find a 300 magnum as comfy to tote as a M70 EW or Montana, although my Montana did romp a bit too much for me. I found the EW "perfect".I am one of those odd ducks who believes a 300 magnum can be too light,and if weight were the biggest concern would get a WSM.

300 magnums formerly in my stable included the H&H, Winchester Mag, WSM and Weatherby (several of each...and one RUM. In accuracy there was little to choose between them all if the rifle was "good"...if it were a POS chambering did not matter.

Function varied...early on in New Haven models,I found the WSM most troublesome in egged M70 chambers, feeding indifferent and mag boxes too narrow...so that cartridges jumped prematurely from the box onto the rails in rapid fire and jammed things up....I sold it immediately.

More recently the EW functioned flawlessly, as did a Montana and Kimber 8400.Kimber boxes seem set up for the WSM's from the get go and were all reliable IME in 270,7mm,and 300 WSM.

In the belted variety, the H&H is a champ for feeding and "theoretically" will extract easier as well due to case taper. But winchester long ago figured out how to make belted brass function in a bolt action and I have had M70's in the H&H, Win mag and Weatherby that were all excellent.

I had a 300 Win mag on a Tom Burgess 1909 Mauser that fed so slickly and functioned so flawlessly that the first time I shot it I swore the bolt had ridden over the second round fed from the left rail of the magazine while shooting prone....cursing, I opened the bolt to see the head of the case peeping from the chamber....all I could say was "WOW!".Never felt the cartridge leave the magazine or enter the chamber...like the rifle was empty.

This was one of those rifles for which I paid "too much money", being as I was "stupid" for doing so because it was not "worth it" and an over the counter rifle would have done as well.....right.

Hard to find a rifle that functions as smoothly as a pre 64 M70 chambered 300H&H.

If I wanted a 300 magnum today(I don't,at least not right now)I would likely grab a M70 in 300 Win or H&H, drop it in an Echols Legend and call it a day...there are better cartridge choices for lighter rifles IMO.

Bob - good post.

I've had several examples of both - ballistically they are same-same although again I tend to agree with Bob on 200+ gr 30 cal bullets.

That said, my go-to elk rifle is a M70 EW in 300 WSM shooting 180 Partitions. It feeds great, is short and handy enough, and is the right weight for a 300 magnum. The elk haven't really enjoyed that combination, but I've enjoyed the elk.

Frankly, I'd have zero issues with either cartridge. If it were me, I'd find the platform I liked best, then fill in the blank with the cartridge. I'm tending to picks guns that way these days. Poster Brad has a good signature line in that respect: "Cartridges are more alike than different". I tend to agree if we can group them into a couple of generic groups - varmint, big game, really big game, or some such categorical grouping.

I get 3075fps out of my 300 win mag with 200gr partitions and norma brass in my 24" xcr2. The wsm I had never did that.

Disagree, Sammo. A .270 will always carry lighter, what with the whole light-in-the-loafers factor...

If all you are gong to do is hunt with this rifle there is no real world differences honestly . It just depends on what itch you want to scratch. They will all get it done and the game won't notice the difference. really comes down to how looney you want to be and how much of the advertising hype you want to buy into.

I had the 300 WM / 300 WSM decision a few years ago. I went with the WSM, very content.

Studduck

I shot a 300 Win. prior to the intro of the WSM. In early 2000 I had a prototype WSM before they hit the market, and have had several customs ever since. To get it close to a 300 Win they run the WSM at higher pressure. I am now building a purpose built 300Win for long range heavy bullets. In order to get the WSM close to the Win with 215 class bullet you need a long action, long throat, and loooong barrel and runthem hard and they still fall short. For most hunting pick either and don't look back.
What do you want it to do? Hunt what? what distance?
I'm a huge WSM fan but for pushing a 215 Hybrid in a tactical rifle I had to go Win.

Answer me this: What's been your furthest 1 shot kill on a game animal? Are you using the 215gr. hybrid for "longrange" big game hunting? I'll also let you in on a little secret. You don't need that class of bullet to make 700+ yard kills with a good accurate 300 wsm

Well aware of that its being used for the long matches, my WSM could hold its own with a 175 SMK and was one of the few to get on the 1260 at ASC. I also cull deer with all of them, sometimes starting at 700

The OP is asking for suggestions on a "hunting rifle". I don't think he's looking to shoot in the Wimbledon cup matches. Pretty funny actually..

Actually you asked so I answered. If you read my post I explained as I see it just my .02 sorry for offending you. I also advised the OP to pick either for the most part. I'm done just tried to help after shooting several for 13 years not worth getting kicked in the nutz over.

If you do go WSM, don't be surprised if it feeds like crap. I've bought two 700 short mags and both needed Wyatts CF mag and follower. That said, the $45 upgrade makes them feed pretty slick.

I like both and buy and or build rifles for myself and others. Right now I do not own a 300WM but own 2 300WSMs and do not miss the 300WM at all, even for longrange. If I thought that not owning a 300WM left a gap in the guns I own, I would have one. There is not enough difference between the two for even talented and experienced arguers of ballistic gack to ever convince me to dump one of my WSMs in favor of a 300WM.

Now if I had a long action mag boltface action laying around, I would probably go 300WM. I would not swap a Mag bolt face short action for a long just to build a 300WM over a WSM.