caliber choice choice with reasoning

[SoDak636]

Ok so i managed to pick up a magnum bolt face Savage 111(long action for those who don't know) that I'm looking at building a semi-custom/custom over the course of the winter. Here's the general plan, nothing is set in stone:

-xlr chassis
-28" mcgowen prefit most likely either Douglas 7-W or Savage Varmint contour
-Rifle Basix trigger
-EGW 20moa base
-Burris extreme tactical rings
-Badger FTE brake

My dilemma is I'm having trouble deciding what caliber. I'm looking primarily at 4 choices: .300 Win Mag, .300 WSM, 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm RSAUM. I'm also open to other option but those are the main 4 I've been looking at.
My question for the board is which would you choose and why. The rifle will be a multi-use rig for hunting game up to elk at 800yrds or less and shooting steel as far as i my skills allow me to.

 

[deathwobble]

.300 win mag :mutiple bullet choices, capable of launching heavy high b.c. bullets at respectable speeds, good brass selction, higher case capcity. a friend of mine shoots a .300 wih 230gr bergers and it will shoot though a 1/4 steel plate at 1000 yards. cons : heavier recoil than the other choices, uses more powder, long action if that bothers you.
... just my opinion

 

[SoDak636]

The long action aspect isn't a problem as i already have the rifle and it is a long action. I was thinking of building a short action and do one of the short action mags but i got a good deal on this long action so I picked it up. I left the short mags in the options because i know alot of people build em on long actions so they can seat the bullets out farther without having to worry about magazine restrictions.

 

[HARPERC]

.300 win mag :mutiple bullet choices, capable of launching heavy high b.c. bullets at respectable speeds, good brass selction, higher case capcity. a friend of mine shoots a .300 wih 230gr bergers and it will shoot though a 1/4 steel plate at 1000 yards. cons : heavier recoil than the other choices, uses more powder, long action if that bothers you.
... just my opinion

Pretty well covered it-might add decent barrel life.

 

[BountyHunter]

WSM, can run with the win mag and better (2-3x) barrel life.

 

[deathwobble]

.300 wsm is a sweet one too but it wont out run its big bro. .300WM should run a full 200 fps faster. Kinda like comparing the 30-06 to the .308. also the shorter fatter case makes it inherently more sensitive to minor changes in loads also may not feed as reliably due to the sharp profile of the case.... Also theres after market bottom metal available that should fit big heavy bullets seated long ...any way good luck with your build all the choices you listed are all very capable of doing what you want.

 

[winmag]

.300 wsm is a sweet one too but it wont out run its big bro. .300WM should run a full 200 fps faster. Kinda like comparing the 30-06 to the .308.

I don't know where you got your "misinformation" but it's wrong.
My custom Model-70 Long Action 300WSM is out running my factory 24" barreled Winchestermodel-70, 300Wby!
3100+ fps with the WSM & 3062 fps Max with the Wby with 180 Accubonds.

Now, I will concede that the nod goes to the WinMag for case capacity for launching heavies, but I'll be willing to bet its by a few FPS not anywhere near 200 fps.

All my homework has shown 2900+ fps to be about where I'll wind up launching 200gr Accubonds. Which is about what every 300WinMag I've played with has pushed them to.

Don't get me wrong, my next rifle I build will be a 300WinMag. I love that cartridge, but it will basically be a twin to my 300WSM ballistically. I guess I just have a love affair with 300's.

 

[HARPERC]

I think your numbers are pretty good winmag. I picked 300win just cause. If 300 H&H was an option I like it best. I've never had much trouble getting 2900fps with 200gr bullets, and case capacity is very close to WSM. Velocity in similar actions and barrel lengths etc. they run fairly close with selected handloads.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

300 win is about the only one I'd build of the list you have. But I already have a good 300 win, so I'm not in the market. I use a 165 hornady at 3280 fps in mine, but it will take a 180 to 3150 fps and a 200 to 2950-3000 fps depending on load.

Why don't you think of the 300 rum?? A savage LA will go to 3.6" won't it?? 3300 fps is easy for a 180 in a rum.
If you build a 7, think about the stw.

 

[bigngreen]

I like the long action short case idea, a 300 WSM set up for optimum performance with a bullet that can take advantage of the room like the 210 Berger or maybe the 215 Berger, I'm not a 7mm fan in any form BUT the 7SAUM really interests me and set up in a long action with a longish barrel and set up with a 180 Berger it would really be interesting. The WSM and SAUM cases are efficient cases and are beltless which is all things I personally like and then setting them up to maximize performance in a long action, how could a guy go wrong!

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

.300 wsm is a sweet one too but it wont out run its big bro. .300WM should run a full 200 fps faster. Kinda like comparing the 30-06 to the .308. also the shorter fatter case makes it inherently more sensitive to minor changes in loads also may not feed as reliably due to the sharp profile of the case.... Also theres after market bottom metal available that should fit big heavy bullets seated long ...any way good luck with your build all the choices you listed are all very capable of doing what you want.

may be correct for factory loads but winmag has a good point. I have both and the only time the win mag has an edge over the wsm is with very heavy bullets and the edge is so small its not worth comparing.

 

[Edd]

Isn't it neat how those short fat cases come with a magic wand. Maybe someone could list the reasons, except by increasing pressure, how a case with less capacity can give equal or better velocity.

 

[SoDak636]

Why don't you think of the 300 rum?? A savage LA will go to 3.6" won't it?? 3300 fps is easy for a 180 in a rum.
If you build a 7, think about the stw.

Not entirely sure just how long you can run as a single shot in the Savage LA but through the magazine you're limited to 3.6", lots of people build .300RUM's and .338 EDGE's on savages. I actually had considered building a .300 RUM as a single shot, but everything I've read has said they have horrible barrel life(under 1000rnds).

If I went .300 WSM i was looking at running the 208 A-Max, or the 215 berger hybrids to 2750-2800 if i can. Where if i go .300WM i'm looking to launch the 230's to 2700-2750. From the reading I've done either of these should be achievable with a 28" barrel.

 

[HARPERC]

Isn't it neat how those short fat cases come with a magic wand. Maybe someone could list the reasons, except by increasing pressure, how a case with less capacity can give equal or better velocity.

Could be because many of the larger cases were overhyped from the start. Factors like barrel length, actual case capacity with a bullet seated play into it. It's not too difficult to find loading manuals where looking at only top velocity the 300 H&H may come out ahead. Mild factory loadings can make the difference seem larger than it is. When loaded to similar pressures it takes a fair amount of capacity to equate into a meaningful change.