Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 300 Win Mag vs 300 Weatherby? What are the differences for big game hunting?

The sad thing, Ed quit making them. He's focusing his attention on his high end line of 1911's. Guess there's more money in those.

The 704 action is quite unique. Ed designed it to be controlled feed, but still have a round bolt like a M-700, sorta the best of both worlds. Even with steel bottom metal, it's very light and well balanced. It does have a brake. Ed says that magnums with light barrels are more accurate with a brake and he has evidence to support his theory. It has a Shilen barrel and a Jewell trigger from the factory. The stock is Ed's design, made by McM and sounds like Edge fill, although it's not advertised as such. From the weight, it must be Edge or equivalent. This is a very well made, well thought out rifle. The mag box is full length magnum and the throat works out perfectly for longer rounds. Just well done with top quality parts. Most rifles I acquire get tweaked or worked on by me. This one is pure perfection, absolutely nothing for me to do, even if I wanted to.

DF

76grs of RL-22 gets me to 3085-3100 in my 26" Sako 300 Winchester. 80gr of the same gets me right at 3250 in my 300 Weatherby. While I prefer the Weatherby, the Win Mag is the more logical choice.

The above load clocks at 3050 fps. with low S.D.'s.

I can push it faster, but this is an accuracy node, so that's where she stays.

Here's a piece I did, comparing the McM Legacy and the Ed Brown Damara.

Edited to add link.
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/4999702/McM_Legacy_vs_Ed_Brown_Damara

DF

I've owned ,hunted with,and loaded for multiples of all three(300 Win, Weatherby,and H&H)....shot them all a lot,too. I'd just as soon grab one as the other.

The 300 Win Mag did not come about because it represented any great technological advancement or improvement over the other two,other than squeeze comparable ballistics into a 30/06 length action.

Since most 300 Win Mags are chambered into rifles having H&H-length actions,I guess I have asked..."What was the point"?

It was cheaper to make the 300 Win Mag fit an 06 magazine rather than do the extra machining to a M70 to fit a 300H&H;the same logic spawned the 458,the 264,and the 7 Rem mag...all the "short" belted cartridges.Plus the cartridges fit in some of the Mausers and other military actions available in those days.It's a minor point but I hate short case necks and tolerate them because I have to....

Shorter bolt throw between an 06 action and a H&H holds no advantage at all if you are used to running a bolt.

The Weatherby is the fastest of the three,but it generally takes a 26" barrel to prove it.It will push a 200 gr bullet over 3000 fps,and a 180 will top 3200 without too much sweat although most go about 3150.A 300 Win mag with 180's tops out about 3100 and a 300 H&H comes so close it doesn't matter.70 gr of IMR4831 used to give me 3080 with a 180 from the H&H.

The 300H&H is a work of art...nothing feeds and functions slicker and with less effort from a staggered box magazine than the tapered case of a 300 H&H magnum. The Brits were into reliability and functional perfection under tropical conditions,unlike American designers, who like straight tapered "improved" cases loaded to sky rocket pressures,and where max velocity yield is the name of the game.

Mostly this is nit picking...I have hunted with all three and they are all great cartridges.One of my favorites from years past was a 300 Win Mag on the M70 H&H action, 24" Krieger stainless,set up for a 3.5" OAL with 180 bullets...it would do 3200 with a 180 but I ran it 3150.Been equally happy with those rifle chambered 300 H&H and Weatherby also,all M70's...what you can do with one, you can do with the other.

5 pages so far, what's that about one page for every 20 fps diff........

Dober

Some great loads...I have all three calibers, but the Win. is also found in three different rifles in the safe..my favorite is the old Model 700 in the Win. for only one reason..the miles we have traveled together, the places we have been and will likely not see again, and the memories of the game taken with the old custom BDL..When I built the rifle in 1970, I intended to make a .300 Wea. with no freebore..when I compared the loads, the Win. was almost a twin to the Wea. with no freebore, plus brass was cheaper...I love them all..from coyotes to elk, they are great killers and very accurate..

Yeah, Dober.

But look at how much fun we're having...

DF

Funny, I was thinking the same thing about two of those rounds (the H&H and Weatherby) when I bought the 300 Win Mag.

I have owned 4 model 70 classics in 300 rum and everyone was a great shooter with the factory barrel.

Trying not to think about that...

Was afraid that would be the case...

Guess I want a .404J more than another .30 cal big boomer.

DF

The other two is tha Ooriginals...

Well from a for just being able to buy a box off cartridges if needed most places are going to stock 300 Winnie's, from a just plan cool factor, there is the 300 H+H, just lay in 500 or so cases and you are all set, for the coolest boxes well Roy did a great job with that tiger on th box. I shot a 300 Roy for a bit in the 1970's All in all I never warmed up to any of the 300's including the 300 WSM I currently own. A 7mm RM dose every thing I need to do and then some, common sense would have me shooting a 30-30 for the kind of deer hunting I do these days. but when dose common sense have anything to do with these sorts of threads. If I ever was to jump on the 300 band wagon, it would be the Holland and Holland version and 200 to 220 gr bullets oh wait a minute I shoot a 338 with 225's and 250 gr bullets never mind!! You are missed Emily Litella !

And with further refinement came the 300 Ultra, which is better in every way than the rest H&H, Win Mag and The Bee...

Ben yes the RUM is the fastest....recoils too much for me.

Bob nailed it. My hunting partner hunts with a M70 Sporter 300 RUM. It is set on a B&C Medalist with a Zeiss 4.5x14. It is a BAD MF'er off the bench, or prone. I've shot a bunch of 300 Win's and WBY's in that weight range and they weren't in the same league of recoil. It is fast!

It is really a sweet cartridge, throw a brake on the rifle and it is a cream puff to shoot. I just don't need much more out of my 300's than what a WSM/Win Mag gives me.

Beretz my pal has a 300 RUM with a MB....I run for cover when he breaks that thing out at the range Standing behind him or to the side I can feel the concussion down to my ankles.

Those things were invented by the Devil.

You aren't kidding. The same buddy has a Sendero with a brake on it, 300 RUM as well, and the concussion you describe is about right. It is a killer cartridge, that is for sure.

Can you define "better"?

Actually JorgeI I feel that the important part of what you're asking is the "you define".

Point being, what makes these rounds better is largely an individual thing and isn't a one size fits all. Personally for me of the big 30's the one that's more better (4 me) is the WSM cause I can build it in a lightish package. Yet it's still has just enough weight to it so I can shoot it a ton and feel on top of my game with it and yet it's light enough for this mid life fella (53) to carry on the hunts that are toughest for me.

Just a thunk or two

Dober

shooting nearly identical remington 700s chambered in .300 win and .300 wby, the weatherby beat me up off the bench, and the winnie seemed tame in comparison.

the only real difference in rifles was that his factory m700 .300 wby had a slightly heavier scope, and my custom barreled m700 winnie had a slightly heavier contour barrel.

we were both shooting 180s loaded to max velocities from the same manual.