I'm starting to plan the next project and I was set on a 300wm for elk and back up for mule deer. Hoping for 7.5-8lbs before scope. Planning on manners EH1, and leaning towards a Bartlein #3.

It's a long process for me to build a gun last one took over 2 years of buying one piece at a time. It gives me the fun of obsessing about each part and buying the right one.

Anyways. I am starting to consider a 300 Norma over the Winchester. It will be replacing a 300h&h, and besides the price of brass up front is there any downside? I would handload 100% for either. I was going to order a defiance deviant or surgeon, but leaning towards the deviant hunter.

Do you mean a 308 Norma?

No. The newer 300 Norma. It's based on a shortened 416 Dakota? It's a beltless case halfway between the 300wm and 300RUM.

Edit. The 416 Rigby not Dakota is the parent.

Just to muddy the waters a bit more how about the 30 Nosler? Looks to be similar to the 300 Wby for case capacity.

Honestly. I don't think the Nosler will be around for long. However the Norma was recently adopted by the military, so it probably will be.

Also. I could change my mind to the nosler later since they use the same action. I would need to buy a different action with the larger lapua bolt face. This might not be finished until next years hunt at the earliest.

This is intended as a LR hunting rifle... correct?

Purely from a ballistic standpoint, shooting the same bullet, the difference between these three rounds...say at 1000 yards is less than 100 fps.

The larger rounds recoil more.

I can take my pick from several light and handy 300 WM rifles tomorrow that will perform well at that range for under a grand, and abundant factory ammo anywhere, and that's about my recoil limit without a brake.

Since all three perform well and are equally capable, the question I always ask myself is how much unnecessary screwing around with more exotic stuff am I willing to deal with to end up with the same result?

Just some thoughts to consider.

Yeah. That's why I narrowed it down to the 300wm. I've owned a RUM and 30-378 and wouldn't go there again. I have a 300h&h now so was thinking that a 300wm is pretty close and the 300 Norma is a step above.

The max range for elk would only be around 400-500yds. Mule deer might be a bit more.

What action do you plan on using?

I haven't bought one yet.

For the sake of this decision say it's a defiance deviant hunter. Offered both in long action mag bolt and a magnum action with the larger .750" bolt with a .595" face for a lapua case.

How about a 300 WSM.?
dave

I think Nosler will support their round well but Norma sure does so you would be good there. They still offer their excellent cases for the 308 and 358 Norma which haven't been world beaters but have been around since 1960.

Given the coming and going of new cartridges lately and the possibility of other new ones failing, I think I'd prefer the 300 Wby. It has been around a long time, ammo and components are readily availalble and it just looks COOL.

At 400-500 yds, in 30 cal that's well within 308 territory.

I have a friend whose LR Elk rifle was a 300 RUM for a few seasons. It served him well with one shot kills at 1000yd+. When it came time to order it's 3rd barrel in 3 years, there wasn't enough time to get it together, so I gave him a Win 270 WSM I had picked up as a donor action.

I didn't know of any really good .270 LR bullets available at the time, but he managed to find one and ended up taking an Elk at 950 yards...one shot.

After taking various game he said it hits just as hard as his 300RUM and he couldn't tell any difference, except for 1/3 the recoil and an 8# lighter rifle. He ended up ordering a 270 WSM barrel and that rifle will never again be a 300 RUM.

But there are many better choices right now. At 500 yards, 300 H&H is excellent at that range, or at longer ranges that the other rounds would be useful for.

400-500 yards is where LR barely starts and isn't a challenge for 243 on up. Another friend's large game rifle is 6BR to 600 yards, and deer and varmints much farther.

With today's bullet technology, building a rifle around a chamber doesn't make sense, but building around a good bullet does. That's why the Creedmore is so popular.

Accuracy, high BC, good brass, barrel life... I think caliber doesn't make it on the list.

Yes, admittedly I don't "need" another rifle. The 30-06 in my safe covers everything I will ever hunt. I'm not wired that way though.

I have been trying to pare my hunting rifles down. I would rather keep the 6mm for a backup to elk. Figuring that a 6mm/308 combo would be a nice all around pair to cover coyote-blackbear/elk.

I'd build what I can get components for.

I used a friends snowy mountain rifle in 300 Norma to take a antelope this fall at 612 yards. He took his at 1560 yards and his doe at 850.

Go with the 300 Win Mag. Cases are easy to find, lots of factory ammo. If you had to sell, be easier to get rid of.

I have had one of each. I still have the .300 Win Mag (or at least my stepson does). I ended up rebarreling the .300 Norma to .338 Win Mag and was much happier with it.

how come?