Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .300 WSM?

I never could grasp the idea something was too much for a deer.. I have shot lots of deer with .300's, and they never complained.. A couple times when thing went bad at the last second, I got my deer that may have been lost other wise.. But I think any ,30 cal. from the .30-30 on up would have been successful, but who knows.. I had one .300 WSM, but gave it to a friend.. It shot great, but I decided I didn't need it.

By saying it's a bit too much for deer I simply met it was more then I needed. I have used mine with perfect results but tend to prefer smaller rounds and less recoil when only deer are on the agenda.

As a 1 rifle to do it all outside is dangerous game it's about perfect in my book.

Mallard, I understand your thought.. Often I shoot very small caliber at deer and antelope..

I had a m70 classic in 300wsm several years ago. Killed a few deer and an elk or two, but it didn't seem to kill any better than an ought 6, so i sent it down the road. However, if a fellow was looking for a "one rifle for everything", the 300wsm should be considered.

I love my 300 WSM!

I have a Model 70 Featherweight with Talley LW Rings and a 3-9x40 Leupold VX-R. I use NORMA brass which is very expensive but there is Federal and Hornady available at normal prices from online vendors.

I have loaded several different bullets and powders from 180-210 grains. They all shoot accurately and perform as expected. I like heavier bullets and so my bullet of choice is the 200 grain Barnes LRX at about 2900 fps.

It is probably "too much gun" for Deer Hunting, but if you just want one gun it's very versatile.

Turns out, the rifle is actually a Remington 700 SPS...should get a chance to check it out this evening.

I have three Rem 700 SPS's in 308 Winchester. They all shoot one ragged hole groups. I honestly believe the barrels on the SPS were of higher quality than usual.

The M70 feeds the short-fats well. The M700, not so much. It also lacks the magazine length to really utilize the WSM's OAL, though for $50 that can be fixed with a Wyatt's extended Magazine Box. Even still, the M70 feeds better.

Good grief, how does someone mix those two up?

I'd be looking elsewhere then. The Winchester rifles in these chamberings tend to be excellent.

I'm buying a 300 wsm for my 2020 Alaskan moose hunt ... in Tikka flavor

The Remington is sorely lacking in magazine oal. I had one, killed an elk with it, then sold it. The Winchester or Kimber would be my choices for the 300 WSM.

I think the 300 is the WSM that will survive. I wouldn't worry about ammo or brass.

I picked up the .300 WSM last night, and it most certainly is a 700 SPS...complete with melting R3 recoil pad and all! Quick call to Remington, though, and they are sending me a replacement. Had a set of Leupold turn in style mounts, already replacing them with a set of 1pc Talleys. Haven't decided on a scope, may go with a Burris FFII 3.5-10x50.

Good for you. I think you'll like the cartridge.

A wise man gave you some great information, I guess you didn't need it. Never the less, I wish you the best with your new rifle.

I don't think the OAL will be an issue, as I will be sticking with 150gr bullets. Not really looking for too much speed, 3100fps should be plenty fast enough for the hunting/shooting I normally do.

You ever had a 300 WSM?

You ought to be able to fall out of bed and peg 3100 with the 150.

Nothing wrong with that. Lots of folks buy a Ferrari and never get them out of second gear. Yet they still like to drive them and you'll still have no problem killing critters with a 150 at 3100.....but then I gotta ask, why not just get a 30-06 if all you are looking to do is 3100 from a 150?

That's a reasonable question.

Reality is, I have zero need for a magnum cartridge where I hunt. All the deer average under 200lbs, and I rarely shoot at anything over 200 yards. That being said, I do like the variety of having something different, even if I never use it to its full potential.

Interestingly enough, I picked up a Weatherby Mark V in .300 Weatherby a couple days after the WSM....but wasn't able to keep it long enough to start working up a load. Maybe I could have gotten it up to 3200fps with 150's...