300wsm or 300 win mag??

[ablank45]

Hey everybody I am new to this forum and I am looking for some info and advice on a new hunting rifle. I live in Montana and most of my hunting is done in big open country with the possibility to shoot out to 1,000 yards plus. However most of my shots are in the 300-400 yard range. I have a 270 that I use for deer and antelope hunting and I use a 130 grain bullet, but I am in need of a new elk gun. What are the pros/cons between the 300 win mag and 300wsm? As a side note I am a college student so I don't have time to do any reloading so I will be shooting factory ammo. What is a great shooting gun using factory ammo and is under $750? I've been looking at the tikka, vanguard s2, savage trophy hunter xp, and remington 700. Anything helps guys! Thanks!

 

[theEMP]

I own both. They are almost identical in performance. Both are great shooters. If you are only going to be using factory ammo go with the 300 win mag. Ammo is cheaper and way more plentiful. I found that the real benefit of the short mag comes with reloading. My buddy has a 300 wm tikka t3 that shoots lights out. Being such a light gun it can be hard on the sholder but a limbsaver fixes that. Good luck in your choice but either round will perform awesome for you.

 

[Deleted member 46119]

I own both. They are almost identical in performance. Both are great shooters. If you are only going to be using factory ammo go with the 300 win mag. Ammo is cheaper and way more plentiful. I found that the real benefit of the short mag comes with reloading. My buddy has a 300 wm tikka t3 that shoots lights out. Being such a light gun it can be hard on the sholder but a limbsaver fixes that. Good luck in your choice but either round will perform awesome for you.

++What he said.

Non-handloader, go 300 win mag.

 

[FEENIX]

Hey everybody I am new to this forum and I am looking for some info and advice on a new hunting rifle. I live in Montana and most of my hunting is done in big open country with the possibility to shoot out to 1,000 yards plus. However most of my shots are in the 300-400 yard range. I have a 270 that I use for deer and antelope hunting and I use a 130 grain bullet, but I am in need of a new elk gun. What are the pros/cons between the 300 win mag and 300wsm? As a side note I am a college student so I don't have time to do any reloading so I will be shooting factory ammo. What is a great shooting gun using factory ammo and is under $750? I've been looking at the tikka, vanguard s2, savage trophy hunter xp, and remington 700. Anything helps guys! Thanks!

Greetings from the Great Falls side of the Big Sky Country! Welcome to LRH and enjoy.

I have 2 .300 Win Mags and just recently got my 1st .300 WSM ... I'm very pleased with all of them.

Another vote for the .300 Win Mag over .300 WSM.

You might also want to check out the TC Venture weather shield in .300 Win Mag. If you have access to base exchange at Malmstrom, they have it on sale ... with factory rebate and sale it's $401. Normally, it's $569

Good luck!

Ed

 

[ablank45]

Thanks for the advice so far guys! I am leaning towards getting a 300 win mag based on the availability of shells. I know the 300wsm factory loads are hard to come by year round but there seems to be plenty of the 300 win mag shells on the shelves. As far as brand now which one would you guys recommend? I've heard a lot of good things about the tikka but personally I am not a big fan of their stocks. Just seem kind of cheap in my opinion. I was also considering the remington 700 and the savage 116. I also saw a howa 300 win mag with a hogue stock that seemed pretty nice. What do you guys think? I just want a gun that is accurate and reliable when it comes time to put a bull down.

 

[ablank45]

I have also been looking at the 30-06. What do you guys think about the 30-06 for elk hunting?? I typically don't shoot over 600 yards because I am not comfortable making that shot. Would you go with the 30-06 or 300 win mag?? I just know that the 30-06 shoots a little slower but it has less recoil and you can get ammo for it anywhere and everywhere.

 

[upacreek]

I have also been looking at the 30-06. What do you guys think about the 30-06 for elk hunting?? I typically don't shoot over 600 yards because I am not comfortable making that shot. Would you go with the 30-06 or 300 win mag?? I just know that the 30-06 shoots a little slower but it has less recoil and you can get ammo for it anywhere and everywhere.

300 Win Mag!

 

[el matador]

30-06 is a pretty decent elk gun for short to moderate ranges. Although they will take game further out I'd feel better about keeping my shots within 500-600 yards, and 400 would be even better. Stepping up to the magnum will buy you another 175-200 yards on top of that. So my advice would be to go for the magnum if 400+ is a good possibility.

Between the WSM and the Win Mag I don't see much difference if you're using factory ammo out of a factory gun. 180 grain bullets are going to be the most prevalent and either cartridge will push those roughly the same speed. Accuracy with this setup may not be good enough for really long shots anyway so I'd plan on being content with shooting out to 600.

So in summary I'd go with either of the magnum chamberings, shoot 180 grain bullets and limit my shots to 600 yards. If you wanna go further I'd get the Win Mag for sure and plan on reloading with 200 grain or heavier bullets.

 

[Litehiker]

Even the U.S. Army converted their Remington long actions from .308 Win (7.62 NATO) to .300 Win mag when they changed from the M 24 to the XM2010 sniper rifle with folding stock.

It is supposed to be a "transitional" rifle to bridge the waiting time for the .338 Lapua Mag Precision Sniper Rifle, also made by Remington Defense. But the money for the PSR is lacking so the XM 2010 looks to be our main sniper rifle for the foreseeable future.

Field reports from snipers give a lot of praise to the .300 Win mag performance. That says a lot coming from those who almost exclusively do long range shooting and whose lives depend on a cartridge performing well.

Plus Germany long ago chose the.300 Win mag for their sniper cartridge. They felt it was the best choice, "all things considered". (i.e. recoil, ballistics, choice of bullet weights and types, etc.)

All this is just to say that it's a great cartridge with "the right stuff".

 

[Deleted member 46119]

Like others have said... and I'll repeat my self, 300 Win Mag.

Factory ammo 300 Win Mag.

Decades of knowledge, tuning and load data. High BC bullets can be driven at speeds to do the job. Actions can easily handle COALs.

I say this even though I prefer WSM until I need to go faster, then Wby until I need to go faster then 300/26-Nosler until I need to go faster then RUM. For me, no need to go faster. LOL

 

[adam32]

Under $750 and 1000 yards doesn't go well together. Even 600 yards needs some thinking about.

Have you thought about the scope you'll need to shoot over 600 yards?

I vote for a 30/06 and keep your shots under 400 yards.

 

[Greywolf18]

I was just on an elk hunt in Montana and I never felt undergunned carrying around my 22" barrel 30-06 shooting 165gr accubonds. The gun shoots great and I just planned on all shots being 400 yards and under. Several people will say to bump up to 180gr, but when it's shooting 1/4 MOA I'm pretty confident in being able to put the bullet where I want inside those distances which in my opinion makes a bigger difference than those extra 15gr of bullet. Mine's a semi-custom so it will not be in your 750-1000 price range but there's nothing wrong with a good old 30-06. It's not as fast and sexy as the magnums, but if you can shoot it accurately then there's nothing wrong with it. Just my 2 cents.

 

[CogburnR]

My 300 Win Mag is a LOT faster than my 300WSM. Like 200fps+ faster.

I would go to the 300WM over the 300WSM. My 300WSM is closer to a 7RM than the 300WM.

 

[BergerBoy]

300 win mag. Ammo is more readily available. I guess one can make the argument that the short mag is more efficient but rounds usually cost more and are harder to find. That's just my experience. They both could shoot the same round so not an issue.