Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Is the 300 Win Mag on the way out, or are people still using it?

Hey, my 23" tubed .284 does 140s at 3k. See what I mean? But I would't have a Rifles Inc. Lightweight Strata if the Montana was available in a lefty. When I finally figured out what was important to me in a rifle, being a lefty, it became necessary to build it.

Anyway, they all work to one degree or another.

+1,
Nice to be able to have choices!

1. You must be looking at marketing charts for WSM. The load manuals make it clear that there is a distinct advantage for the WM when pressures and barrel lengths are equal--especially in the heavier weights where magnums are meant to excel.

2. Any good reloader sizes brass to headspace off the neck and not the belt. However the belt is there for using factory loads and will help in bore alignment when the neck is pushed back too far whereas a WSM will just lay on the neck and be out of bore alignment. The WSM has a long way to go to collect all the trophies the WM has earned in long range shooting competition.

3. When using a typical Leupold-sized scope the long vs. shorter action is of no consequence.


As for accuracy testing with any magnum--100 yards is just getting started. What will it group at 300 or 500 yards? Groups that appear good at 100 can open significantly at longer ranges. I shot my model 700 BDL in WM (which I tuned and hand-loaded) at 1,000 yards in the sporter class competition with the first 3 shots going into 6-3/4", the 4th opening to 11" and the rest spreading from the heat in a sporter class barrel. I still took 5th place in a Williamsport PA shoot--and that was with the factory wood stock which I only had bedded and free-floated. It would be hard to wow me with the inherent WSM accuracy argument.

I have nothing against the WSM, I just don't see it as being on par with the true 30 magnums.

Amen to that, and speaking of choices I have some 270 bullets set aside for you.

Dober

Thanks Dober!


I've been meaning to ask you something.
Rancho Loco was cool and took me out to Logan a couple weeks ago. Pretty sure I'm gonna join up.
Anyway, how wide is the 430 yard gong? Must be fairly big?
It was the first steel I've ever shot. boom...pause...thwap Lots of fun!

I used to have the measurement written down, then they changed the gong and made it one really big butt gong (note I didn't say bong...)!

We should meet out at Logan one of these days and for darn sure lets get you signed up and coming to the quarterly meets with me and we'll get some things done on the rifle range that's needed to be done for a long time!

I'll even buy the pollo on the way home at the Oasis on your first time out.

Dober

I'll have the Iceberg Lettuce Salad (grin).

Sounds good!

Bong rips and gong hits?

I'm entirely new to the range deal but things seemed pretty 'chill' when we were out there. It wasn't real busy though.


Is the 270 Win with 140 Partitions at 2850fps acceptable? Should work with Leupold dots okay?

Sam it'll work with dotz easily, I set mine up yesterday in a matter of minutes with the 140 Horn.

You can slow it down to 2500 and make it work or gas it to 3500 and make the dotz work. That's the beauty of dotz, you can make em work with about any combo going.

I was there 2x in the last week and both time pretty much had the range to myself. Once the permits come out in July/Aug the range gets a bit busy till hunt season opens. Other than that it there isn't much going on. Most of the people might a hundred or two hundred rounds and year and dats about it.

Good deal for us, and if you really want it to yourself try going out when the weather is really in the toilet. I do that a lot on purpose to shoot in bad conditions and there isn't much for company.

Lets get out there after the New Year and meet up a couple of times a month to pound those gongs. (buy yourself a can of black spray paint so you can paint and easily see all your hits).

Later

Dober

They do have the greens going don't they Mac...

Dober

I like shooting almost as much as hunting anymore Mark.

Sounds like a good idea meeting out at Logan. I'll keep in touch with John. You'll like his Shamu.

Fer the record, at the speeds I mentioned for .325 wsm, primers be flat <grin>...

Not saying that isn't true, but I've taken a .375 after moose and brown bear and never felt the need for a .300 WinMag. By the same token I would rather have something smaller for deer--my next project is putting a .257 Wby barrel on a Sako action.

Thanks Bob. I've sent you a PM to the same effect.

Maybe there's something to the mag"numb" part.......likely the several that I own and shoot put more $ in my surgeons pockets than a .243 would ever do over the long turn.................grin.

Yes the 300 Winbag is on the way out. Only old fogeys that like to
remininess keep them around.

I've had a 700 SS 24" win mag barrel for sale now for a year and can't sell it.

$30.00 shipped, any takers? Come on now don't fall all over yourself buying it.

Call RCBS and they'll tell you which die set is most popular.
300 WSM or 300 Winbag.

The 300 Winbag is dying and I could not be happier. NO more British belted rounds.
The WSM has an all American USA pedigree.

The 308 Norma Mag would have been a better choice. The extra length of the 300 winnie is a waste not to mention the girdle it wears and short neck. It's an ugly hag who had it's day.
Terrible design.

Two friends of mine have bought 300 Winnys in the last year. I bought a Winchester Model 70 Classic in 300 Win last year also. Not sure if it will stay that way. I already have a Remington 700 BDL 300 Win I bought 25 years ago that still shoots tight groups. If I'm asked what rifle to buy if that person is only ever buying one, if that is at all possible, the 300 Win is always first on the list. Not that other 30 calibre "magnums" aren't as good just a preference and confidence I have in it. If a 2 1/2" Ruger case had a thirty caliber well my mind could be changed.

Jim

Jim: I hear through the rumor mill that 375 Ruger "basic brass" is going to become available; so the real whacky rifle nuts among us can buy it and neck it to all sorts of screwy things, even Jeff's funky 8mm

We could name it the 8mm Olsen Indigo Express and everyone would know precisely what it was...next evolutionary step up from the 325 WSM....

Is the .300WM on its way out? I don't care one way or another, but I doubt it.

Several years back, when I wanted a .30 in a mag, I chose the WM over the WSM. When I wanted a .30 in a shorty I chose the .308. Somewhere in there I chose three .30-06's as well.

No regrets. The WM is a keeper as is the .308. One of the -06's was purchased as a wedding present, still waiting on the wedding, and one may get given to Older Brother (or not, TBD). Will undoubtedly keep at least one -06, though. Don't see a WSM anything in my future.

I would love to have access to a range such as you guys describe. I can see that with a few good friends one could pass a few minutes there ringing the gongs and generally calling your bud lucky each time he did

Basically, I have a farmer's 500 yard path bordering a line fence; he and his boys are shooters too so it works but not like a formal range.

There is only a 300 yarder and it's 50 miles away just south of Sioux City but I may still look into it. There's nothing like busting primers to stay sharp whether it's a .3oo Vanilla or a .300 Chocolate or your choice.

Sorry for the aside.

Were I designing a "Magnum" from scratch it wouldn't have a belt for sure... however, it wouldn't be short and fat like the WSM/SAUM's either. I design it about exactly like the Ruger 375.

OTOH, the 300 WM is so good why bother...