Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa How Does the 300 WSM Rank for Plains Game?

One of my buddies just returned from SA, killing everything from duiker to eland, 12 animals I think it was, with his 7mag and 160 TSX with outstanding results and zero problems killing stuff. .30's not necessary in his opinion at least.

I recall reading the original "30-06 TSX" thread by JJHACK.

One of his anecdotes was about a military sniper who headed for Africa with a 7mm Rem Mag for plains game. All went well until the zebra, which he hit but never recovered due to lack of blood trail.

Given the expense involved in an African safari, I think I'll personally error on the side of "too much gun". The 300 WSM seems a like a great fit for plains game, with only marginally more recoil (165-168 versus 160 grain bullets), substantially better damage factor, and absolutely no measurable ballistic disadvantage relative to a 7mm magnum at typical plains game ranges.

On the other hand, there are many alternatives from 8mm to 9.3mm that sound like a lot of fun as well. ;-)

What's the difference between a 300 Win. Mag. and a 300 WSM? 50-100 fps? How would an animal know that?

if they had a chronograph?

wouldn't be all that surprising, afterall, those impalas have night vision goggles.

Anybody that says to us a 300 Win mag but not a WSM, shows complete ignornace when it comes to ballistics. As to the 7Mag, a good bullet like the TTSX or Partition in 160gr ormore is about as good as it gets.

A .308 shoots a 165 gr about 2700, 30/06 2900, 300 wsm 3000, 300 win mag 3200, 300 weatherby 3400 these are not etched in stone lots of factors from barrel length and various loads and barrels, just as an example here.

However nobody that has seen these perform on game and has opened up the body to examine the results can deny that velocity effects the reaction to tissue.

Even a FMJ through the chest with the 3000 plus FPS rounds will blow a huge hole through the chest simply because the tissue is escaping the path of the projectile at close to the same speed of the impact. The stretch of this tissue ruptures smaller animals to the point of bursting through the skin.

This happens less and less the lower the speed. Bullet weight does not do this, velocity does. However Bullet weight retains the momentum and drives further by retaining the velocity for a longer time. ( greater distance)

So the bigger the bullet and the faster the speed the better it works by holding on to the speed and causing the flesh to get the heck out of the way as it blows through tissue to get out the other side.

When you suggest that 100fps is a small amount, that is a reasonable observation when we are talking about 3000 or 3100 fps. But the additional velocity at the impact distance, is big. The use of heavier bullets to start with which are longer and eat up the capacity of the case which could be used for powder is significant.

Roy Weatherby felt that the short neck of the 300 win mag ( unique to all modern cartridges as it's shorter then the bullet diameter) Was a problem to be able to get the maximum use of the various selection of .308 bullet shapes and weights. He Then developed his magic death wand the 300 Weatherby Magnum. It has a long neck, which can hold any bullet with ease, and a huge case that can handle any bullet length that will not suck up more case capacity then it should.

Unfortunately it also must have a 26-28" barrel to burn that powder, and it's recoil will definitely get your attention. However that cartridge does drive a bullet to another whole level of performance over most other 30 caliber cartridges, even though it's only 100 fps faster then the 300 win mag with a standard or more specific load, shooting a 200, 220, 250 grain bullet from the 300 weatherby can be done well above the 300 win mag potential.

Exactly like shooting a 150 grain bullet in a .308 or 30/06. Not much difference not an obvious reason why a 30/06 is the better choice. But then consider shooting a 200 grain bullet, or a 220 grain bullet and the difference is huge. The 30/06 leaves the .308 behind when the bigger game and bullets are included.

With the advent of TSX bullets some of this difference has tightened up. If your gun shoots them well, the much lighter bullets hold 100% weight and out penetrate all CUP and CORE designs. But they are also longer for the weight which use up some case capacity. (Nothing comes free)

There is a difference, and in my personal and simple minded opinion none of these today have yet surpassed the over all balance of the original and very first magnum cartridge..... the 300Holland & Holland. If I had to move from that to the next more modern level, the 300 ultra, or Weatherby would be next for the huge case capacity and long easy to reload neck.

I have not seen more internal trauma, deeper penetration, and absolutely decisive kills folding game that otherwise would have run. Many of these from a bad hit simply fold in their tracks. This is common from a 300 weatherby shooting 165 TSX at 3400fps.

That combination has just destroyed more sell-able meat for me then all other cartridges combined. My opinion of that cartridge is inversely proportional to sell-able meat loss and impressive performance. A quandary for the choice of a Safari company owner, but a simple choice for the visiting hunter that should not care about the meat. For the guy that can handle that rifle using it for plains game, it is without a doubt as decisive and with the most astonishing internal trauma on large animals as I have ever witnessed in 1000's of animals we have killed.

The 300 mags are the Apex of plains game firearms. To exceed this option requires going to a much bigger rifle, 338 win mag is not a better cartridge for plains game, although the blood trails are better. You would really need to go to the 340 weatherby or another 338 super magnum case.

If you can shoot those, you are clearly in another league from my skill and tolerance level.

"Roy Weatherby felt that the short neck of the 300 win mag ( unique to all modern cartridges as it's shorter then the bullet diameter) Was a problem to be able to get the maximum use of the various selection of .308 bullet shapes and weights. He Then developed his magic death wand the 300 Weatherby Magnum. It has a long neck, which can hold any bullet with ease, and a huge case that can handle any bullet length that will not suck up more case capacity then it should."

I agree with what you say JJ, just Roy W did not compare the 300WM to his 300WBY. The 300 WBY was designed/introduced in 1944 and the 300WM was designed/introduced in 1963. The comparisons are just, but Roy designed without influence from the 300 WM.

My buddies' hunt included two zebras, but I certainly don't blame you with choosing to err "on the side of too much gun." Hit 'em where you're supposed to and it doesn't matter according to him. Good luck!

AB2506,

Thats dead on accurate on your part, I did read his opinion sometime after the fact and his over all views of the win mag by comparison. It's how I came to know his feelings, however the cart ended up a few steps in front of the horse in that last post. Your time line is however exactly right. So I stand corrected on the time line. His actual comments were also correct about the loading issues, at least from his view. Its why he preferred his design based on a big Wine bottle crossbred to a 300HH case, rather then past case designs by all others. Plus a wine bottle design fit well with the elite company he kept and made for a very long lasting name for the case, and what is now an industry standard! "Magnum"

Lets face it, somebody was gonna invent a line of excessive over bore cases. It just happened to be Roy Weatherby's time in history. Just like Holland and Holland before him. If Laupa in Finland had existed then, it probably would have been them!

Would anyone following this thread shoot an eland with a 165 gr TSX 300 WSM? And if I put a 180 gr FMJ in front of 44,5 gr of powder, would I be good on Cape buffalo?

Completely agreed.

No I won't.

I'll use a 168 gr TTSX at 3100 out of my 300WSM on eland, if I can afford an eland (I just added my projected fees up, and it currently comes to $8050 without eland.) It is currently my biggest rifle. If the little lady in the Safari Club Mag can whack an eland with a 260, I figure I can with a 300WSM.

Sam Fadala used a 30-06 on buff, but for that, I think I would go purchase/borrow a 9.3x62 or 375 of some sort.

165 grain bullet has worked more then a dozen times on eland from my 30/06 it only gets better the faster it goes.

44.5 grains of what powder? we don't have American Powders in RSA, so not many people will get an accurate answer to that one.

180 grain FMJ to the brain of a buffalo will work with flawless perfection, however miss by a tiny little bit and it will go horribly wrong in a hurry.

What are you thinking Pieter? What are you up to?

Exactly my question, JJ.

I would very happily use a .300 WSM with a 165 TSX on eland, based on some experience, though not as much as yours.

The one thing that gets everyone fired up out of their socks would be calibers, muzzle velocity and ammunition performance. The 300 WSM, though I have not had good results with hunters using it, is a great caliber. For a moment it got you fired up did't it Jiems?

I just figured you were up to some trouble boet, ek hoop alles reg

IME the 300 WSM is a solid 150+ fps faster than the 30-06... and 200 fps faster is not out of the question. RL17 really makes it go.

The question was how does the 300wsm rate for PG. the answer is fantastic. I reload for two wmags and one 300H&H. I get 0.5 inch groups on all of them with with 150 tsx.

Funny enough the H&Hbeats the wm for speed when we use 200 grn or more. But i do have a 26 barrel on the H&H. If today i am only allowed only one rifle for plains game I wil use the 300wsm. The better use of powder and all the advantages that comes with that is only one of the reasons for me. The fact that the wsm is beltless is a huge thing in my opinion.
The wsm"s simply reload more easy due to this and the better shoulder angle. To met the loss or gain of speed between the wm and H&H, and the wsm is so little that it cant be part of the consideratin.


What was the question again?
How does the 300wsm rank for pg? It ranks damn good!!

Ja dankie Jim. Are there any bad calibers out there today? Nope, don't think so, but there are calibers not suited for certain game species.

The 300 WSM in my opinion is suited for African game and I do recommend it to anyone wanting to hunt here.

In view of the massive weight of an eland, why not use 200 grain bullets for it instead of 165-168?