Updated Factory Short Magnums/Ultramags

Preferred magnum/ultramag bottle neck cartridge Hunting Rifle setup


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And here's Brownings Factory heavy for the WSM.

Dang I never saw any of these factory heavy 300WSM options back when I was using it... Seemed like everything was 180 or less.
 
It almost look like hornady's 300 WSM ELDX is different shape than their 300 PRC ELDX. Do they make their bullets in different shapes even if they have the same name like ELDX? If so, that is confusing as chit.

The 200 grain ELD-X was designed for the 300 Win mag and works in the 300 WSM and 300 RSAUM. The 300 WSM, RSAUM, and RCM were all designed to use the same bullets as the older Win Mag. If you want to use the longer-ogived 300 PRC bullets, you will need to seat longer than SAAMI spec to get close to the lands. With the short mags, you can gain significant powder capacity by loading long.
As you can see in the photo of the loaded round, the ogive of the 200 gr ELD-X is short enough that some of the full-diameter shank extends beyond the case. The 212 grain ELD-X has a longer ogive, which is why I mentioned the long jump to the lands in a SAAMI-length WSM. The published G1 BC's are: .597 for the 200gr and .663 for the 212gr, so you can see that the jump in BC is significant for just a 6% weight increase. These are the best pictures I could find.
Hornady 30 cal ELDX.jpeg

140 AMAX, 140 ELDM, 143 ELDX, 20ELDX208AMAX208ELDM212 ELDX.jpeg

The 200 gr ELD-X is in the middle, the 212 on the far right.

FWIW, Federal also loads a 200 grain bullet for the WSM: https://www.federalpremium.com/rifle/terminal-ascent/11-P300WSMTA1.html
 
I guess 300WSM is good as it is going to get for factory short action 30 cals. Guess Ill have to settle for a 23 incher. Does anyone know when the browning boats will be bringing more cheap 300wsm synthetic stalkers over? Or did they just stop making them so they could make more of their $1500 bronze camo rifles??
 
Savage's website lists a number of rifles in 300 WSM, although all the ones I saw had 24" barrels. Tikka also has some. I don't know how easy they are to find, though.
 
This entire thread can be summed up as asking for Hornady to do the same thing they did to the 260 Rem with the 6.5CM, but now to the 300 WSM.

Are we admitting the 6.5CM has some virtues over the 260 Rem now?


I'll show myself out now....
Awkward Stephen Colbert GIF by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
 
FWIW I'm on board with new things. A few months ago I mocked up a WSM scaled up to CheyTac bolt face, the problem is no action exists that I know of other than full-sized monsters. So I did a 30-338AI instead.
 
The WSM series of cartridges was one of the last to use the old single-taper chamber design (as opposed to having a section of snug freebore to assure bullet alignment prior to rifling engagement). Remington had switched to using freebore by the early 1960's and the RSAUM series has it. The 6.8 Western follows this design as well. Hornady engineers have stated that a section of .1" or more of snug freebore helps with average accuracy and makes the rifle less picky as to which loads it likes.

I have wondered if people have found SAAMI-chambered WSM's (and Winchester Magnums, in general) to be noticeably more finicky than the Remington and Hornady magnums and short-magnums?
Thanks
The Winchester Magnums are not finicky at all, and it has very little to do with throat angle. The angle that matters most is the angle at the start of the rifling. I suggest you look at several reamer diagrams and see what angle the very accurate cartridges use, such as those used in target rifles, PPC's, Lapua & Norma, even the XC line, this should tell you plenty.

Cheers.
BTW, Hornady's HYPE regarding shorter case length and longer overall length has been widespread knowledge for years. The WM's thrive in rifles with 3.7" mag boxes and the appropriate chamber…
 
Do you know if 300SS or 300RSAUMI will work in this short action and short AICS WSM bottom metal with the peep hole??

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The Winchester Magnums are not finicky at all, and it has very little to do with throat angle. The angle that matters most is the angle at the start of the rifling. I suggest you look at several reamer diagrams and see what angle the very accurate cartridges use, such as those used in target rifles, PPC's, Lapua & Norma, even the XC line, this should tell you plenty.
It is not throat angle, which is fine, it is the lack of a section of freebore to assure bullet alignment prior to hitting the lands. In front of the case, the 300 WSM's just has a cone into the rifling starting at .3099" diameter.* Pretty much every SAAMI cartridge accepted by SAAMI since the WSM's uses a section of smaller diameter freebore to assure bullet alignment prior to the taper into the rifling. The lack of freebore also limits how far the bullet can extend out of the case before being jammed into the rifling. The WSM design was for maximum case capacity and speed from a short action. Many argue that the SAAMI RSAUM is more accurate, but Remington had to shorten the case a little to use the better chamber design. This cost them a few fps in speed and is largely why they were less popular than the WSM's. Speed was king at the time.

In many newer cartridges (and some old ones), a section of the bullet shank is actually inside the freebore when the round is chambered. In other words, the cartridge is aligned with the bore by the bullet, not the case neck. This helps to ensure that the bullet is straight when the rifling is engraved instead of being slightly angled. Extended freebore allows the bullet to be loaded farther out of the case before it hits the rifling. The RSAUM, RCM, and PRC cartridges (as well as 6.5 Creedmoor and 260 Rem, etc) do this. Even older cartridges like the 7mm Rem Mag and the Weatherby magnums can do this. None of the SAAMI Winchester Magnums or Short Magnums have this type of chamber.
All the WSM target rifles that I have seen use a custom "match style" reamer that has a section of tight freebore prior to the taper into the lands. This has been common for over 20 years. When you seen a comment that a rifle was "throated" for a certain bullet, that means that a section of freebore was added. There are numerous threads on sites like AccurateShooter and Sniper's Hide that debate which improved chamber works better, but no one suggests that the SAAMI chamber is best.

On the Hornady podcasts, they readily admit that it is common knowledge that it is possible to make an improved custom 300 Win Mag with a longer-than-standard action and mag (to take a longer OAL cartridge), a custom chambered barrel and load custom ammo for it. The US Military does it for some sniper rifles. You can't get these rifles or the ammo at your local sporting goods store, though. If you have extra time and money, you can do a lot of interesting things.

The whole point of getting SAAMI approval for their newer cartridges is make this sort thing less expensive and available to the masses with less expensive factory rifles and ammo. Heck, Sportsman Warehouse currently lists twenty 300 PRC rifles normally priced under $1000 and ten more under $1,200.

* FWIW, this is much better than the regular 300 Win Mag that has a cone that starts at .315" dia. I have read many complaints about accuracy issues with this cartridge.
 
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