300?

Hello there all, new to the fourm and I must say it looks like a good bunch of people here!

I have a question for you, I am looking at getting a new rifle for Mule Deer/Elk and have my caliber choice down to either 300 WinMag or 300 WSM.

Which one would you choose and why?

Thanks!

300 win mag, there are many reasons but the main ones are:

Popular cartridge anywhere, you can find ammo for it anywhere that sells ammo

It's a proven cartridge, it's been around a long time and is very popular for a reason

Less recoil, all the WSM have much more recoil than their brother cartridge.

Ballistics are pretty close yet the 300 win mag is cheaper to shoot

Also 300 win mag isnt as fat so magazines hold more.
My uncle has a 300 wsm in rem 700 and I believe it holds 3+1

While a 300 win. Holds 4+1.

Might not make a difference in your decision but maybe.

+1 to both of those responses. The fat case and steep shoulder on the wsm's also makes for a rougher cycle. I have a Kimber Montana with no floor plate so you have to cycle all the cartridges to empty the magazine. After a few loads/unloads the brass gets deep scratches. Other guns may not have that problem, but mine does...

I think the two cartridges are more similar than different. In my experience, the 300 WSM is pretty widely available, anymore. Both are excellent handloading cartridges. I would make the choice based on the action you prefer: short or long.

i agree with bitterroot. I would add loading your own ammo, I had a 300 wsm and wasn't too happy with it, but from what i've heard, with custom loaded ammo they perform alot better, i only used ammo off the shelf. Took more animals than not but lost a couple due to the bullet not hitting hard enough. Seemed like it would just pierce a small whole and slip right thru without mushrooming. After about 50 yards they would close up and were untrackable and would keep going and going and going. The ones i did harvest, had the same small hole but a better placed shot. Not proud of it, but it happens, hopefully you have better luck with it than i did.

they sure are showing some killer shows on the Outdoor Channel and Sportsmans Channel tonight!!!!

I don't know what jay means by "not hitting hard enough" but that's certainly not the caliber's fault. Sounds like a crappy bullet.

The ballistics between the two are so close, it just comes down to what bullet you want to shoot. If you want to launch heavier bullets, 180-210+ gr., go with the winchester. If you are thinking of going lighter, 150-180 gr., the short mag will do that very well.

The 300 win. is legendary and that's what I would choose, but it should also be noted that your rifle will be lighter on a short action. Just depends on what you're looking for and your personal preference. You really can't go wrong with either one.

[QUOTE=Elkoholic307;13558]I don't know what jay means by "not hitting hard enough" but that's certainly not the caliber's fault. Sounds like a crappy bullet.

I think I noted I was using "crappy bullets", thanks for the recap!

I can't speak about the wsm because I have never shot one, but my 300 win mag has 6 consecutive one shot kills!