Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Lightweight 300 WSM recoil question?

I've never owned a 300 WSM in a lightweight rifle. I am not bothered by recoil, but am also not a sucker for punishment, ha. I have a 270/129 LRX on the light end (an 84L Classic) and a 300WM Bergara Hunter on the heavy end. I have a Kimber 8400 in 300WSM/175 LRX on the way. I kind of envisioned this 300WSM as more of an all arounder. By that I mean set up for deer and elk, from near to 400. For a deer hunt, I'd take the 270/300WSM, for a elk hunt I'd take the 300WSM/300 Win Mag. I also would use the Bergara for nasty weather. In the 300WSM I am considering starting out with the 150 TTSX but, since its a magnum, maybe I'd be better off with the 175LRX in it also? Anyone found one bullet weight (monos) "easier shooting" than another or is it moot? I'd like to hear from you guys? I have some 200 Nosler PTs for the Bergara also, but are they "too much of a good thing" in an 8400?

My 300 H&H weighs just a little under 8 lbs, I shoot 180 TTSX's and for me that's about the most recoil I can still find some joy in. Your 300 wsm should be about the same, but with the lighter barrel contour will have more"muzzle flip".
I suspect if you dropped down to say, 150 TTSX's it would be easier on the shoulder while still killing stuff dead enough.

Thanks pard! Good observation, I too always considered the 300WM to be very close/if not the same as a 300 H&H.

I have a Kimber Montana in 300WSM. I, too, am not recoil sensitive. Plus, I think the very nice Montana stock helps to mitigates the recoil. But, I do have a limit of about 40 rounds off the bench with this setup. I've never noticed the recoil when hunting, and I sure do like carrying such a light rifle in the elk mountains.

I usually shoot 180gn bullets, but recently have started experimenting with 150gn mono bullets. The 150gn bullet gets a little more speed, a flatter trajectory, and with the mono metal bullet structural integrity, can reliably take anything in North America (although I would want a little extra insurance for the big bears).

150gn at 3350fps lacks for nothing. This would be for western hunting. Probably too much cartridge for shooting whitetails in the usually closer quarters of eastern forests.

JMHO

I had the Tikka in 300 WSM for awhile. It was tolerable, I suppose, but not enjoyable to shoot with 180s. If I were an elk hunter maybe I would justify the thump on the back end but since deer or bear are about it, pass the 308, 280 or 6.5.

I would try the 165 or 168 TSX or TTSX also. They work well in everything from 308 to 300 WM and are also a good single deer elk load. I like some weight to a 300 magnum and 7.5-8lbs is at the low end for me. May not be a factor for you but I would not hesitate to put a heavier scope on the Kimber to bring the weight up some.

I have a 300wsm built on a mauser action with a light barrel and fairly light, straight stock.
It really likes 180 nosler solid base bullets, but it kicks pretty hard. Last year when first
shooting a 257 Bob and the 300 at same time, I decided I did not need the abuse and shot
up all I had loaded for the 300, cleaned it up a put it away for awhile.
I have since secured some 165 ABs from Muledeer that I will give a try out some time this summer.

I have a Ruger MKII with a 22" #2 in a 20 oz MPI stock, 6x36 leupold. I don't have a weight but its a trim rifle ( at least by Ruger standards). I shoot 168TTSXs and it lively, but not really punishing. Site in and small practice sessions like 20 rounds are not big deal, but It wouldn't really be fun to do an extended session from the prone.

My m700 SPS has the soft Rem. pad that seems like a LimbSaver. It is probably for all practical purposes nearly as lite as a Kimber and I find the recoil about equal steps between some M70 sporters in 7Rem. mag and 300 WM.

You'll probably find the WSM to be an accurate round.
Happy Hunting

I have a 300H&H in a Brown stock. Weighs only 7.75lbs scoped and is easy to shoot 180gr full loads from recoil wise.

I give credit to the stock shape for this more than anything. Weight and loads are only two pcs of this puzzle.

I have a Tikka T3 Lite in .300WSM, not fun to shoot. I put a new Limbsaver recoil pad on it and that tamed it a little, but after 20 rounds I’m done for the day. I am not recoil sensitive and heck, I actually like shooting my .338 WM. I also have a Remington 700 BDL/SPS in .300WSM, not nearly as bad to shoot as the Tikka.

Ditto on a Kimber Montana - no fun developing loads. Great mountain rifle and enuff power to feel good in brown/grizz country.

I've owned several 300 WM rifles, several 30-06's and one 300 WSM. My WSM was a Winchester SS Classic that I had in a McMillan Edge stock. With a Leupold VX-2 3-9X40 scope on it in Talley LIghtweight mounts it weighed exactly 7 1/2 lbs. The same as a my 30-06 set up in a similar way. Recoil was only slightly more than my 30-06 of the same weight, but a lightweight 30-06 can be sporty.

A 300 WSM comes within 50-75 fps of what you can do with a 300 WM, and will beat 30-06 by about 200 fps with 180's. But since it uses quite a bit less powder than 300 WM recoil in same weight rifles is noticeably less. Doing the math with my loads through a recoil calculator my 30-06/180@ 2800 fps hit me with about 22 ft lbs recoil. My 300WSM/180@ 3050 hit me with about 28 ft lbs recoil and a 300 WM/180@ 3100 fps was 33 ft lbs recoil. 300 WSM is right down the middle in recoil, 6 ft lbs more than 30-06, but 5 less than 300 WM. To me, I scarcely noticed the 6 ft lb difference between 30-06 and 300 WSM. I did notice the 11 ft lbs between 30-06 and 300 WM.

I found was that a 300 WSM in a 7 1/2 lb rifle recoiled exactly the same as a 300 WM in an 8 1/2 lb rifle or a 30-06 from a 7 lb rifle. I like the 300 WSM. If I'm looking at the same recoil as 300 WM anyway, but can carry a 1 lb lighter rifle while only giving up 50 fps I'd make that trade every time.

First off, I guess am not recoil sensitive but I really did not realize it till I got on this site and read all the pink panty crowd posts about the intolerable recoil of such "hard" kicking cartridges as .270 Win, 30-06 and .300 Win in light weight bolt action rifles 😂.....Now to answer the OP's question. I have had several Kimber Montana/Subalpine 8400's chambered in the excellent .300 WSM cartridge, I have experienced minimal recoil in any of the bullet weights I have tried from 130gr - 180gr ...I too am a big fan of Barnes TTSX bullets so My preferred load is a 150 gr TTSX over 64.0 grains of H4350 with a CCI Magnum primer......Good luck....Hb

So when I wanted a dedicated elk rifle I bought a Kimber Montana in 300 WSM. Between my son in law and myself we have taken 18 elk. 1 with 180 Accubonds and 17 with factory 165 BarnesTSX. Recoil is not bad off the bench and in the field you never feel it. I don't think you need 175 or 180 Barnes. The 165 TSX give me quarter size groups @100. I would have no problem using the 150's or even 130's on elk if I hand loaded.

My son in law had now taken possession of that rifle leaving me to hunt elk with a ULA 300 Win Mag shooting 165 TTSX's. That rifle does kick a little off the bench.

Why not an 84M in 280ai?

I too have several mountain weight rifles in the superb 300wsm. Not range rifles and more than 25-30 rounds isn't fun. But at this point, they are dialed in and range time is just for making sure.

Mine like either 180 gr AB or 190 gr LRAB. My latest and greatest likes the factory eldx 200 gr.

I have a sweet little 84L in .270, nice wood. I've used 7mms of all kinds for decades. I've used many 338 to 375 Mags through the years, on elk size game, I like the flat shooting hard hitters. On deer, I find the 270 with a 24 inch barrel runs about as flat shooting as any 280/7mm Rem Mag, especially since I don't shoot past 400yds on unwounded game. I was "considering" an 84m in 30-06 when I found this 84L/270. I do not have any big bull hunts or Africa plans again, so the 338 WM felt like "an embarrassment of riches", especially for a cow elk. Cows and big pigs are about the biggest game I'll hunt again. But a flat shooting 30 cal Magnum isn't unreasonable to use for mule deer/antelope/coyotes way out there. And if at 67, these mountains aren't getting any easier to hunt in, ha. Plus, I tend to "bust my azz" at least once in snow or wet mountains, and a spare rifle can save a hunt.

My 300 WSM weighs 7 lbs all up. I run my 165’s at 3050 fps, not a problem.
300 WSM number two weighs 8 lbs and runs 155 Scenar's at 3285 fps, not a problem.

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