.300 WSM 22" vs .300 Win Mag 26"?

[Rich Coyle]

I am wondering if one switches from a 26" .300 Win Mag to .300 WSM with a 22" barrel could a guy then use faster powders to take advantage of the shorter case and barrel to get similar velocity?

 

[Dosh]

My son's 300WSM most accurate with H4350.

 

[ohiohunter]

My son's 300WSM most accurate with H4350.

You've omitted a very critical detail, bullet weight.

 

[Dosh]

185 Berger VLD, H4350, 215M primer, Federal brass.

 

[Bigeclipse]

I am wondering if one switches from a 26" .300 Win Mag to .300 WSM with a 22" barrel could a guy then use faster powders to take advantage of the shorter case and barrel to get similar velocity?

Im not the most experienced reloader but I highly doubt a 300wsm in 22in barrel will even come close to a 300winmag in 26in barrel. Fast powders do get you up to speed faster in a shorter barrel but there is no substitute for case capacity and barrel length in my opinion. Many guys have compared 300winmag vs 300wsm in similar barrel lengths and when loaded to full potential they are close but the 300 winmag typically wins out as far as speed goes (maybe not efficiency). Now you are talking about cutting the barrel 4 inches shorter...even with a very fast powder I bet you are a couple hundred feet per second less than an equivalent 300winmag load. just my two cents.

 

[gohring3006]

Being the WSM is shorter, you are technically only losing about 3" of barrel when you think about how much the cartridge length protrudes into the barrel.

With that said, when you are talking about hunting ranges including long range hunting. I doubt you are you going to notice much difference in terminal performance out to 1000ish yards. Extreme range target shooting is where I worry about a few hundred FPS keeping the bullet super sonic as long as possible.

More power is better, but sometimes more power is not needed for the intended purpose.

 

[Broz]

4" of Barrel length alone should be 80 to 100 feet per second. Compile that with the WSM being a tad slower and I don't think one could get it done.

 

[Bigeclipse]

Being the WSM is shorter, you are technically only losing about 3" of barrel when you think about how much the cartridge length protrudes into the barrel.

With that said, when you are talking about hunting ranges including long range hunting. I doubt you are you going to notice much difference in terminal performance out to 1000ish yards. Extreme range target shooting is where I worry about a few hundred FPS keeping the bullet super sonic as long as possible.

More power is better, but sometimes more power is not needed for the intended purpose.

I agree...I was just stating if you wanted to really get down to it the 300wsm will always fall short of the winmag. That all being said...my father has one and I really love how small that rifle is and the action and yet still packs a wollop!

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

Just like every shortmag no matter what diameter...hard to beat H-4350 !! If you can find any on planet Earth that is !!!

 

[jpd676]

I have a 26" 300wm and am shooting a 208 Amax at 2940 with re-22.
I have a 22" 300wsm and am shooting a 208 Amax at 2700 with H4831 sc.
240 fps is a big deal at extended ranges.

 

[Rich Coyle]

I have a 26" 300wm and am shooting a 208 Amax at 2940 with re-22.
I have a 22" 300wsm and am shooting a 208 Amax at 2700 with H4831 sc.
240 fps is a big deal at extended ranges.

Boy, that is a big difference!

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

A short barreled short mag wouldn't be much better than a standard 30/06 for the most part, so why bother yourself....just give and takes.

 

[ATH]

You can't make up for a short barrel by switching to faster powder. You will still be limited by pressure. A WSM can't beat a WM with the same bullet, much less with a shorter barrel.

 

[orangediablo]

there's no replacement for displacement