Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Ok. Now please tell me about the 300 wsm…

I run my 165’s at 3050 with H4350. It is very reliably repeatable. I really love that gun, Sako 85, with that load. Do not see any need for more speed.

With the right bullet, that'll kill any big game animal in North America.

It's also about 100 fps more than 165's can be safely loaded to in a .30-06 with a 24" barrel, using newer powders. 100 fps is about what a typical 165 spitzer loses in about 40 yards, give or take a few yards.

I just built a couple 300wsm rigs, one a win classic in an edge with a 21" proof stainless tube. It is a hair over 7# if I had to guess. It's quite lively to shoot, but not punishing....and it flat works.

The .300 Sav/308 Win, .30-06, and .300 Weatherby do everything expected from a .30 cal, the newest of which is circa 1952. Everything else is just filler and fluff.

Hold into the antiques.

Had a 300 WSM for several years, a "controlled round push feed" Winchester Model 70 Coyote. Goodness, that rifle was accurate. It was no lightweight with a porky laminate stock and what I think of as a "light varmint" contour barrel.

A 1,000 yard BR competitor gave me his load, built with H4350 and the 210 grain Berger VLD. It was routinely 1/2 MOA out at 600 yards. Never took it farther than that.

Liked the rifle & cartridge, but it didn't stick around. I happily went back to the 30-06 for most of my hunting.



Three shots, 100 yards:


Always liked that thing, but... it just wasn't getting used much.

Regards, Guy

How many short fat rounds will that NULA hold in the box? I seem to remember my buddy's 284 only held two down? I remember thinking it wasn't a lot of bullets for such an expensive rifle. Might not be remembering right.

Otherwise...everyone has already covered it, though I don't see why you have to handload for that round. In normal times, anyway, there is a ton of good factory ammo for the 300 WSM from 150gr to 180gr, plus a few slicker 195gr and 200gr offerings.

3; 2 in wsm/prc. Some other chamberings will do 4 with coaxing.

Same with the regular 300 win mag. For deer a 165 loaded to 2950-3050 is a sweet spot for accuracy and lower recoil. Mb

IMHO, the WSM cartridges, while having excellent ballistics, are not about "superior" ballistics. Instead, the WSM cartridges are about magnum ballistics in a smaller, lighter rifle. Meaning, when it comes to the .300 WSM, talking about how it doesn't shoot any faster than any other 30 cal magnum misses the point. Rather, a person should be talking about how how light and handy their hard hitting .300 WSM rifle is. The corollary being, if a person isn't looking for a light hunting rifle, the .300 WSM doesn't offer anything special; and, dropping a .300 WSM into a magnum action negates any benefit of the cartridge. Also worth noting is that a 30 cal. magnum in a light rifle, while not brutal, is not for the recoil-shy. And, also, the .300 WSM is more of a open-country cartridge. Again, JMHO.

I don't have much experience with the .300 WSM. First time was at the range. I was packing up ready to go home when this kid, well he might have been in his early 20's came up to me and asked if I would help him sight his rifle in. It was one of the Winchester M70s in the standard rifle, not the Featherweight. Nice rifle and it was easy to get sighted in. Then I had the kid shoot and made the final adjustments to get him spot on. Like I said nice rifle, accurate and I thought rather pleasant to shoot. I told him to save his empty brass because down the road he's going to want to reload that brass.

The second, and so far the last time it was to work up hand loads for my son in law's .300 WSM Featherweight. I really liked that rifle but decided that with five rifles chambered to the .300 Win. Mag., I saw no reason to own a WSM. His rifle was a bit picky on what it liked and the SIL didn't make it any easier by specifying he wanted to use a load given to him by a co-worker. I told him to leave the rifle with me and I'd do a work up to try and reach the load he wanted. I even had him buy the dies, powder, primers and bullets. Once fired brass he had plenty of. He wanted IMR4831 and the 165 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip loaded as recommended by his friend. Took a few trips to the range before I had what he wanted. Thought I'd try a couple of 180 gr. loads as well just in case his "load" didn't work like he thought it should. His gun did not like 180 gr. bullets at all.

I liked the Featherweight version of the M70 .300 WSM but with four Ruger #1s in various configurations and a Winchester M70 Walmart Special I can't justify the cost of the WSM and setting up to reload for it.

The SIL came by and asked me to help him get the tools to do his own reloading and teach him how to do it. I guess I taught him right as he hasn't blown his damn fool head off yet. Knock on wood.
Paul B.