I can't decide. Both are M70 EW BACOs both shoot factory ammo under and inch (so I know both will shoot).

What I like about the win mag:
Ammo availably and price
Brass availability and price

What I don't like:
26" barrel
Stupid spacer in the mag box limiting COAL

What I like about the WSM
24" barrel and shorter action
3.1" mag box

What I don't like:
Ammo availably and price
Brass availability and price

Which one would you keep?

What do you intend to do with the rifle?

I've had both. I don't need anything that potent and sold them all, but I'd choose 300 WSM 10 times out of 10 if I were going back. My 300 WSM was a SS 70 Classic that I put in an Edge stock. It weighed 7 1/2 lbs scoped and recoil was tolerable in a rifle that light. Not so much with a 300 WM.

The WSM gives up 50-100 fps compared to 300 WM, but the 300 WM needs 26" of barrel to do it while the 300 WSM does fine in 24". Even 22" for that matter. It still beats 30-06 by 200 fps. It also burns about 10 gr less powder than 300 WM to do it. The combination of less powder burned, and giving up 50-100 fps means noticeably less recoil. When I ran the recoil numbers when I had mine I showed about 22 ft lbs from a 30-06 with 180's, about 26 ft lbs from my 300 WSM and 30 ft lbs from my 300 WM. I simply never noticed the 4 ft lbs difference between 300 WSM and 30-06, the 8 ft lbs between 30-06 and 300 WM I noticed.

I haven't been in a store in years where 300 WM was sold that didn't also have 300 WSM and they are priced within $2 of each other. I did have trouble locating unfired brass. But was able to buy Federal factory loads in 300 WSM for $10-$20/ box. I'd shoot them and reload the brass.

Ultimately I decided that my 308 was as much gun as I needed, and I had 30-06 rifles with a lot of history. The 300's became expendable. But I did like the 300WSM round and the rifle I had.

I'd choose the 300 WSM because its shorter and lighter than a 300 Win...........Hb

I just can't stand the way the 300 Win. mag chamber has so much slop around the shoulder region of typical new brass.

I choose the Win, with a long box magazine.. It will allow me to load to the potential of the caliber.. Had a nice super grade WSM gave to one of my best friends..

Wow! You gave him your rifle? I need some buddies like you 😁👍.....Hb

I am a wsm fan.

My choice, too.

My gun is throated to reflect the long, 3.6” box bag. There is plenty of room for long bullets and I like that.

Regarding brass being loose around the shoulder, depends on how it’s chambered. And, after the first shot, you have a chamber fitting case.

I like to neck size with Lee Collet dies, bump with a body die as needed.

DF

I've owned both, My choice and the one I currently own is the 300 WSM. In the rifles I've owned it's the most accurate.

It's the first shot fit I can't stand. When the difference in fired vs new brass is quite obvious to the naked eye it's just too much.

WSM... the 26” WM barrel sucks.

Take them to 300 yards and see which one shoots. Shorten the 300 barrel if need be
300 is so easy to load for

300 WSM, never saw a shortage of ammo or brass.

A lot may depend on the individual rifle.

DF

In that platform, I’d take the WSM and not look back. No 26” barrels for me!

I've owned both as well. I'd pick the wsm over the win mag everyday of the week and twice on sunday.

I argree.

Depends on the use. For a light packing type rifle with light to mid weight bullets I like the WSM. For a long range rifle utilizing a detachable magazine and throated for heavy high bc bullets I prefer the standard WM.

I have both a 300 WSM Montana that runs either 150’s or 165’s for packing and a 28” custom 300WM shooting either 208 ELD-‘M’s or 212 ELD-X’s.

Both have valid uses and both see equal use depending on the goal of that day/hunt.

Would go with the WSM. As mentioned the mag box spacer limits COL. This can be removed to gain flexibility but the bolt stop and ejector will also probably need to be modified to eject reliably. Can get about 3.5 COL out of my SG M70 but it took some doing and still not touching the lands and yeah the 26" spout is not optimal. Currently using 208's but switching to heavier bullets when my stockpile runs out so I like to seat them way out there. For the WM the 700 is probably a better platform can get almost 3.6 out of the box and still have it feed and no tuning involved.

I haven't seen that 300WSM availability is a problem. It's readily available everywhere that I've looked, if they have any 300 magnums at all.

So, I'd keep the WSM unless you like long rifles that are heavier. If so, there are no flies on the WinMag.

I have both, it’s whichever one you like best. None of our opinions make a cshit. In my opinion!

Another reason to choose the WSM over the Win mag is that it doesn't have the stupid useless belt on the cartridge case.

Short & Fat is where it's at.

Ballistically no difference in the field. Belt, no belt? Personally I’ve never had a problem feeding 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag or 338 Win Mag. I’ve heard of more problems early on with WSM cartridges feeding appropriately, but that was early in the WSM’s introduction. Many 300 Win Mags available in 24- inch barrels. Both can be tailored in light weight or heavier rifles and both are fairly popular. I would suggest finding a rifle that fits you best and use it and not lose any sleep over your choice.

The WSM delivers about 90% of the WM in a shorter and lighter package. Absolutely no shortage of ammo or components - even I can find multiple sales sights. The WSM wins in all respects.

Agreed, but the only thing I'd change is the WSM delivers 97% of the WM...

OK I'll play...I agree too but I'd say the WSM delivers 94% of the Win Mag.....😁...Hb

Factory 150gr ttsx ammo chronographed on avg 3354fps for the 300 win mag and 3343fps for the 300 wsm. The box says 3285fps for the 300 win mag and 3310fps for the 300 wsm. 165gr fusion chronographed 3175fps in the 300 wsm and 180 non typical chronographed 3085 in the win mag. With being able to load longer in the 300 wsm and being restricted to swami in the 300 win mag, they are effectively the same performance for me.

Given the OP's choice of rifle, I'd go with the .300 WSM.

I like the shorter action and 24" vs 26" barrel. If he was looking at a Remington 700, I'd go with .300 Win Mag. I'd rather deal with the longer barrel and smoother feeding over a shorter barrel and rough feeding. I've had a couple 700s in WSM cartridges and they were real rough feeding from the mag compared to a belted case in a long action. My best guess is winchester's CRF resolves that.

Tom

I’d go 300 Win Mag.

Match barrel twist to weight you want to shoot. I love my Sako 300wsm but it hates anything over 168gr.

I would go 300 Weatherby.

The WSM appeals if the package optimizes a shorter and lighter rifle like the Tikka T3, which might be too lite. If in the same weight and configuration then the 300 WM is a sentimental favorite. If I wanted short and lite I would go 270 WSM and have. So I have a heavy mid weight 300WM at 8lbs all up and a lite mid-weight 270 WSM at seven pounds ready to go. Maybe I need a 7mm WSM to maximize redundancy.

Between the WSM and WM it would entirely be based on the rifle not the cartridge.

Everytime I look at a 300 win mag my shoulder starts aching lol.

Wow...

Depending on the actual capacity of the particular brand of brass you use
and VMD of the particular power one uses, the spacer may prove not to
be as big an issue as some imagine.

btw;How much capacity do you gain with a 3.1" WSM..?

The availability and price of WSM ammo and brass are what they are - you can't change them - but there are plenty of .300WM rifles with 24" barrels.

Since you are not happy with either, dump them both and get a .300WM you like. (24" barrel, no spacer.)

I have had all three 300 win, wby and wsm and the WSM will win everytime. I simply have to make a real concerted effort to shoot the 300 win mag and 300 wby. The recoil on the WSM does not bother me one iota. Go figure

I guess it would be how ever much powder fits in the volume of a cylinder with a diameter of .308 and height of .200 (3.080"). I'm not sure how that converts to grains of powder. Perhaps someone else would know?

I use Norma brass for my 300 win mag but that that rifle lets me use 3.6" of mag space. The difference between a 3.6" 300 wm and a saami loaded one is significant to me.

It would be interesting to know the volume of a 3.1" 300 wsm vs a saami 300 wm. Using the highest internal volume brass for both (I believe Norma wins for the 300 wm but I do not know what WSM brass has the highest volume).

Were they all stocked exactly the same?

Other

I already have a push feed 3.6" capable 300 wm. I like the ew because it's stainless, crf (and ease of bold disassembly) and has a decent stock. I'm not aware of a 3.6" crf stainless b&c type stocked rifle for the price of a gently used FN m70. What else is out there?

I shot both EWs back to back and they weighed within an oz of each other since the 300 wm had alloy mounts and the 300 wsm had steel rings and bases and since the 150gr ttsx shot virtually the same speed I noticed no difference in recoil. The recoil argument has no sway in my decision.

No, Weatherby Mark V for 300 wby mag, Winchester model 70 Winlite 300 win mag and for the 300 wsm Browning Abolt, MOdel 70 SS Classic,Sako 75 SM and a Weatherby vanguard .

I've had 7 300 WSM's since the cartridge first appeared around 2002... my current is a first year production EW that is among the most accurate factory rifles I've ever owned. 180's at 3,030 - 3,060 fps with RL17. I may drop it in a Banser to get it under 8lbs all-up.

300 WSM ammo is a snap to find around here, and I really haven't seen it's more than 300 WM, but I don't shoot factory ammo so maybe don't pay close enough attention. Brass is also widely available, especially now that Hornady is making it. Seems a simple matter to stock up 250 pieces which should last the life of the barrel. The 300 WSM has become a "world cartridge."

First off ! I have NOTHING against the WSM.

WAY back there the W M always appealed to me. IIRC I have my 5 th W M and have had NO complaints with the cartridge. My second one was a B B R that had some problem that Browning Utah could not fix. After it returned from Morgan Ut and still would not group my dealer swapped a Rem 700 BDL to me. The first group I shot with the 700 went 3/4" with 4 shots.

I've been satisfied with the 300 WM so that I saw no need to try the WSM. I like the 6mm Rem case better than the 243, and the 270 W case better than the 7-08 AND the 300 WM better than the WSM. I like long and slender better than short and fat.

We all have our personal preferences.

Jerry

I prefer the .300 Win Mag to the 300 WSM as well. I have a Remington 700 Alaskan Ti chambered in 300 WSM that I'm going to sell or possibly convert to .375 SAM for my gf. I also have a Kimber 8400 300 WSM that currently has a 6.5 PRC barrel screwed on. I have no plans to sell or convert the .300 Win Mag rifles that I have.

Might be just my experience but WSM's and Remington 700's just don't feed as smooth as other brands. I had a Sako SM action that fed WSM's so smooth you could not tell a cartridge was fed and the Weatherby Vanguard was not far behind. If I had a 300 win mag I favored and shot well I would not go out and buy a WSM.

The worst feeding WSM’s I’ve seen are M700’s...

Oh yea without a doubt

That’s because the 700 short action is really too short for the WSM cartridge. Like a 257 Roberts or 6mm Remington it is really more suited for an intermediate action

I agree with this. One thing that needs to be added, is you tend to get more loadings from the WSM brass too.

I like the 300wsm. Woukd take it over a 300 win mag. If I want more power I just step up to the 300 ultra.
With a 300 wsm you get a modern beltless case that has factory ammo loaded to its potential. 300 win mag factory ammo is always down loaded to less than wsm velocities.

I would go with the rifle you like best and the one that YOU shoot the best. All the .300 magnums are within a gnat’s whisker of each other in performance on game at reasonable ranges. I just cut to the chase with a .300 Weatherby and don’t worry about the trivia in the rear view mirror. Nothing bigger than the .300 Roy offers much improvement. Happy Trails

I had two 300 bees as well as a 300 ultra and a 30-378. I can get 3k with a 200gr partition and Norma brass in a 300 win mag and 3.6 magazine. I don't need more than that from a 30 cal.

The 300 wm at saami and the 300 wsm EWs would do all I need from a light hunting rifle. I would probably shoot the 165/168 ttsx in either and call it good.

Not to argue but I don’t have any problem with case life in my 300 WMs.
I would like to see test results comparing the two.

Jerry

My shoulder objects more to 165's loaded max than 180's at max... I find the 165's have a much sharper recoil.

I agree. I'm on seven firings for some belted magnum cases without any issues. It's not hard to get good case life out of belted magnums. Minimal resizing coupled with annealing as needed is all it takes. I find bolt lift easier for the .300 Win Mag and .375 H&H Mag cartridges compared to the 300 WSM. That's another plus for the Win Mag over the WSM.

Uh oh. I feel a lecture by Savage99 coming on....

s t - I deleted your comment so he would not see it.

As to short case life, improper, aka OVER, sizing cases causes excess headspace, albeit artificial, and therefore short case life. I remember the first couple of times I read “incipient” case separation I had no idea what it meant. Had to look it up.

The very first time I encountered it was in a military 303 British. I don’t remember what the rifle was but
the 303 is NOT a belted cartridge. Case separation can be created in ANY cartridge.

Jerry

I have loaded for both cartridges and I have experienced zero difference in case life...It seems a .300 Win does feed smoother in the rifles I have had but I'd still opt for shorter/lighter .300 short mag .....Hb

Shsh I'm trying to count the number of angels dancing on the head of this pin.

Jim

I have a 300 WSM in a model 70 featherweight.

I agree with comments that it's more the gun than the cartridge. That said, I would always favor the WSM unless I wanted to shoot bullet weights over 200 grains.

My 300 WSM shoots the 200 LRX @ 2900 in my M70. That's all I'll ever need.

Can’t you cut the barrel and get rid of the spacer on the WM?

Doesn’t matter to everyone, though it does to me, if you cut the 26” bbl. to 24” you’ll be into the flutes...

Bigger point is, why devalue the 300 WM when the lighter, smaller WSM is good to go?

Exactly. Why throw money at something that will only detract from the value when a ready built item already exists?

Not to mention the WSM saves a little weight because it does not have an unnecessary belt added to the brass 😁







Trystan

That fraction of an ounce that makes the belt? Multiply that by the four rounds in the rifle and three in the pocket and MAYBE we get to one ounce of brass.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess humor isn't your thing...

I thought the big grin at the end gave it away...

Some are such linear thinkers they'll criticize a steel ruler...

Agreed. The 165/168 TTSX is all I shoot in .300 Bee and .30-06 and 150 gr TTSX in 7mm. Fine performance on game. The only 300 WSM that I have fired was a T3 Lite and that was tooth-rattling. Never again! I have shot a couple of .300 RUM and they buck pretty good too. Happy Trails