300 winchester mag

Cariboudreamer

Cariboudreamer

New member
Ok guys i'm looking for a new toy,And i'm looking at the 300 winchester mag.But i have aquestion what is the difference between the 300 mag over the 300 wsm???Is one better than the other.This will be a big game gun only.Elk antelope ,bear??? ect.

Also i already own a 30/06 loaded with 180 grain Hornady SST v-max they both are 30 caliber bullets but is the 30/06 have the same ballastic as the 300???
If so i don't think i will need the 300 then i will look at a new 357 mag instead.
Any help and commits will help me out here i'm in a middle of a rock place here!!!!!!!!!
 
Your 300 mag is going to have alot better ballastics than the 30-06, the 300 can be a very long lange gun, the millitary uses them for there 1000yd shoots and competion. The 300wsm and the 300mag are pretty much the same gun the WSM is a touch faster and it has a shorter action so you can get faster follow up shots. I went with the .300win in a Browning BAR, its a time tested cartidge, and will be around for a long time. Either the 300wsm or the 300mag will be perfect for what you want.
 
The 300 Win Mag holds bout 10 grains more powder, and is about 200 fps faster than the 300 WSM (with 180 grain bullets).

I have never seen any evidence that an action that is 1" shorter made a faster second shot ( 0.1 sec??)

I would get the 300 Win Mag, unless I found a WSM in a gun I loved.
 
The .300 Win Mag is my favorite big game caliber. The WSM is a shorter fatter non belted case with a limit of 180 grain bullets. The WSM ammo generally cost more and is not available everywhere. The WinMag has a belted case with a wider range of bullets. I also have an "06 which is a great caliber but the Win Mag shoots flatter with more energy and more acurately, with only about 6 more lbs of recoil. We take deer, elk, bear, coyotes, and anything else with $15 box ammo. Last year I shot the heads off two grouse with one shot, my friends jaw dropped. Good Luck
 
With factory ammo, the WSM and the Win Mag are nearly identical with the same weight bullets. The WSM has the advantage of being in a short action so it is lighter. The WSM case is supposed to be more efficient and produce less recoil that the big Win Mag. The Win Mag has the edge when handloading because you can use heavier bullets (the heavier, ie. bigger, bullets in a WSM start to take up case capacity).

Another option for you, depending on what you hunt, might be a 7mm Mag. These are fine for elk, black bear, and great for deer and antelope. They are flatter shooting as well. If you want it for really big stuff (elk, moose, brown bears) I would go with a 338 Mag or the 325 WSM. They have the advantage of heavier bullets and more energy downrange.
 
Supermag thanks for answering that question that was going to be my next question the 7mm or the 300 mag.I'm a big Savage fan and the 7mm seems to be about 50 bucks cheaper per cailber than the 300 also i will be reloading all ammo for this weapon.No moose or brown bear ,just whitetail antelope and elk just about that size animals.
Thanks for all the help guys.
 
I personally don't believe you gain a whole lot over the 30-06 with the 300 WM until the range pasts 300 yards. The paper Ballistic look good but in the real world of hunting the 06 kills just as well if you place the bullet where it is supposed to go. The biggest difference between the 300 WM and the 300 WSM is get the same ballistic in a short action and a shorter barrel. I do like cases that don't have the belt and headspace off the shoulder but any handloader can do the same with the belted case. I quess it just comes down to which case you really want and the rifle that it comes chambered in. The Magnum round might give you a couple of inchs less drop than the 30-06 or 308 , but most big game animals could care less. If you are going to shoot 200 gr or bigger the 300 may be the way to go, if not then the 30-06 will give you all you will ever need but then maybe you just want a excuse to buy a new rifle . Can't blame you for that. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
the WSM will lose MV to the win mag at 180gr+,..the throat can be bumped out to make up the case capacity difference,..but the overall capacity of the win mag will best the 300WSM in equal length barrels. However,..the animal you hit with either one will NEVER know the difference. There is a ton more components available for the win mag, so that alone may be enough to make your decision.

The long action can always be rebarreled for a WSM or any other long action magnum,..but a WSM gun can't be rebarreled for the longer magnums,..keep that in mind also.
 
If you aren't going any bigger than elk then the 7mm would be a good fit. You can go all kinds of directions here, you can go with the old standby 7mm Rem. Mag or one of the more exotics such as the 7mm STW, 7mm RUM, or 7mm Weatherby Mag. There are even two short mags (7mm SAUM, 7mm WSM).

If you want to get really fancy check out the longrange hunting forum and look at Kirby Allen's 7mm AM, now that's a screamer.

In summary, if you already have an 06 and want more (you don't necessarily need more) gun then I would suggest a 7mm Magnum of some type. It will work great for western (long range) deer, antelope, caribou, and elk. The 7mm will also go a fine job on black bears but the 30-06 might even work better do to closer range and heavier bullets.
 
i shoot the 300 mag and a 06 the nicest thing is the different choices in the bullits and you can load either rifle with them. i'm sure that the 300 is better on elk than the 06.
i site the 06 in with 150 gr bullits for deer and antalope and the 300 in with 180's for elk
 
If you handload a 300 winny mag holds more powder than a short mag. with 180 grain there is a difference, the old win mag, out performs the short. However as someone else said, I doubt game knows the difference.
Short action or long, there is no one alive that can shoot aimed shots faster with either one, based on the action length, you are talking about 100's of a second at most. Same thing goes for bolt lift.
Get what ever you want, the old win mag has been doing it for longer than most and has done more, you can buy ammo in most hardware stores.
I shot a 7mm mag for many years (14 I beleive)I like it, shot the barrel out(3700 rounds) and bought a new gun. I am no expert, nor do I take a lot of measurements, I have killed over 24 elk for tags and many for the Wash. state game dept.on nusiance calls for farmers, tons o deer and a few bear.
My observations are this, shooting wise, hold over etc, the 7mm 150 grain and the 300 180 grain shoot about the same, the 300 180 hits MUCH harder. my experience also is the 175 grain 7mm is too heavy it is a brush bullet or a short range(150 yards) penetrator if it is stout, the 160 is about the best 7mm Mag. same with the 200gr. in the win mag, just too heavy, the 180s work better all round. Oh, I been killing game with the 300 win mag for about 25 years.
Just my experience, hunting and shooting,
not reading computer generated "balistics" in books
Carl
 
The whole WSM, WSSM and SAUM thing is and will be the greatest waste of all time. All the short action craze did was complicate production and create confusion in the marketplace. Sure a shorter action gives "faster" follow-up shots but that should never be replacement for firearm handling and skilled marksmanship. Plus have there been any studies involving throat erosion, barrel wear, and excessive chamber pressures from the short, fat cased little bullet pushing short action cartridges like the 223 WSSM, 243 WSSM, etc?

I'm a purist. I'm a fan of the tried and true all around cartridges of old. I mean the 3006, 308, 270, 280, 300mag, 338mag, and 45-70.
 
First off, Keep your '06 becauase as everyone knows the 30-06 is hard beat for almost any use, but that said---

For Elk and Bear, I'd recommend going the other way from most of the posts above. Look at the calibers like the 338WinMag or the 325WSM, or even the 35 Whelen. Bigger holes for more blood, Heavier weight bullets for more knockdown power and bone breaking.
 
My first vote is to stick with the 30-06. Shoot it until it's a natural extension of your body. With quality 180 grainers it'll kill any elk on the mountain.

2nd vote is the 300 win. You don't gain much over the 30-06.
 
Thanjs to all that replied and you help me out in my decision.I will opt to stay with the 06 and start looking into another handgun to go with my collection.!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe someday when my list of wants go down i will look more into the 300 mag.And again thanks again.
 
Look at the new high energy loads for the 30-06 like the Hornady lite mag and compare that to plain jane 300 mag loads and you will see there is not too much difference. Like Bea175 said, it doesn't matter until after 300 yards and then you still need a quality optics platform beyond that. If you were chosing between the 7mm mag and the 300 win mag, I think you should stay in the 30 cal range. Have fun with your new pistol...
 
Cariboudreamer,
I have 300 Win Mag that I bought back in 1992, the Rem is still like NIB, only 100 shots thru it and has never been in the mountains!

Why don't I use it? Because I like using the 7 mag more. The 700 I bought in 1977 and it is the only one that I use for Elk. It has a very nice muzzle break which really makes it a joy to shoot.

I do also have a 700 in a '06, but would still opt for the 7mag or 300 for elk.
 
Personally I used a 7MM Magnum for years on Elk. They work well most of the time. But then one day I shot a very nice big five point at fifty feet. He jumped back off the ground and started running like a horse coming out of the gate. He made it about fifty feet and ran head long into a tree. He tried climbing the tree until he got vertical fell on his back and didn't move.

As I started to take care of him I noted that the 160 bullet had severed the heart totally from the arteries. He was dead on his feet. But my guess is with the head of steam and adrenaline he had if he hadn’t ran into the tree he would have been good for some more yardage on the ground.

Were I live in Western Washington if the go very far when you get there someone else is putting their tag on them.

The next year I made the switch to 300 Weatherby and a 200 grain bullet. My next Elk was shot at 150 yards running (a long shot on the West side). Managed two steps went on its nose and never regained it feet. I’ve since moved on to an 8MM Remington Magnum it has near the MV of the 300 but uses a 220 Gr. Bullet. It has an almost identical trajectory but lots more energy. Same results they do the two step if they are hardy. The bigger guns with more energy take them right down.

Now if you’re a little recoil shy go with the gun that makes you confident and fits your hunting needs. But on Elk there is no doubt in my mind that bigger is better. My results have indicated that’s true.
 
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