30 caliber question.. 30 Nosler, 300WM, 300 RUM

[Matt W.]

Figured this was the spot to ask this question...

30 Cal Fans. Can you walk me through the differences between these 3 variants?
30 Nosler, 300 WM, 300 RUM
Pros and Cons of each and why one over the other?

Thanks!

 

[Ryan Avery]

I don't think it matters. Few would use the top end performance a RUM would give you at longer ranges, with 230s. From a reloading standpoint, I think the 300 win will be easier to get brass for. I would also like to see what a 30 Nosler can really do, before I would jump on the bandwagon. Not a fan of Nosler brass either.

 

[Matt W.]

Perfect... Thanks

 

[Beastmode]

I am building a 300 wm right now. Cheaper to shoot and can do what I need it to do. I would give the 30 a couple years to see how it does and if brass goes down. You are stuck with nosler brass too.

 

[GKPrice]

I am building a 300 wm right now. Cheaper to shoot and can do what I need it to do. I would give the 30 a couple years to see how it does and if brass goes down. You are stuck with nosler brass too.

I'd go 300 Win Mag just because of ease of loading and availability of brass (recoil is lighter too) - If the 300 Win Mag is not still the alltime winner at the 1000 yard Wimbledon it is very close and no matter what you shoot there will always be long range correction - it is obvious that much thought went into the .30 Nosler but how much is functional and how much is marketing ? Brass cost will bring ya to your knees (although I do like the dimensions )

 

[Matt W.]

I am building a 300 wm right now. Cheaper to shoot and can do what I need it to do. I would give the 30 a couple years to see how it does and if brass goes down. You are stuck with nosler brass too.

What load / bullet are you building your rifle around?
Is it a light weight alpine style rifle?
Midweight?
Or a heavyweight long range thumper?

 

[belly-deep]

Obviously the ballistics of the RUM and Nosler are better, but they may be more than is required.

Right now, RUM brass is extremely scarce. Nosler brass is more available, but in a few years Nosler might decide to discontinue it if sales are poor. A lot of guys got screwed on the RSAUMS, 7mm & .338 RUM, RCM's, and 7mm & 325 WSM's.

The companies are not backing their products for very long these days, so be aware.

.300 Win Mag is never a bad choice. For just about any application.

 

[Beastmode]

What load / bullet are you building your rifle around?
Is it a light weight alpine style rifle?
Midweight?
Or a heavyweight long range thumper?

It is in between a mid and heavy weight long range. It is more of a semicustom than a build at the moment due to funds. When is all said and done I'm hoping to be in the 10-11 lb range finished with optics. Hopefully be sending 215 bergers out of it in the 2900 fps ballpark.

 

[big10hunter]

People are nocking Nosler brass. Is it bad?

 

[Sam Millard]

People are nocking Nosler brass. Is it bad?

It's beautiful brass, but softer than others.

 

[elkguide]

.300 Win Mag fan here. Because of availability of ammo.
As said on another thread, while guiding there were many times that a hunter arrived in town and had forgotten/lost their ammo and couldn't find the "special" ammo they needed. When hunting around home you never know what caliber rifle I might be carrying but on road trips....... .300 Win Mag for sure.

 

[Broz]

I may never own a rifle that has made more long range one shot kills than my 300 win mag. And hits on targets past 1 mile don't lie either. The 300 win with a 215 Berger is a very good choice for a mid sized magnum. But like Ryan said few will realize the difference the 300 rum has with a 230 because if we are going much farther than 1000 on game, most of us will opt for our beloved 338 of choice.

I have been comparing the 300 win mag to the 30 Nosler. They are so close to each other in performance that the individual rifle will make more of a difference than the chambering or load. They use almost identical charges of H-1000 with a 215 Berger from what I have found.

300 win mag brass. There are many choices. I prefer the larger case volumes of WW, RP, Lapua (discontinued now) , Norma and some others. But quality of RWS and Bertram is very good with your load coming in about 3 grains less than the first group. This is due to the thick case and lower case volume on a cartridge where we usually fill close to capacity.

Factory ammo is readily available for the 300 win in most places, with some very good offerings from HSM and ABM on slate soon.

Barrel life is excellent with the 300 win mag, as is brass life with sensible loads even with the 200 plus gr bullets.

I have been shooting and hunting with the 300 win mag long range for years. Many have jumped on the band wagon and I have yet to hear one complaint about the accuracy or terminal performance if the bullet was placed anywhere close to where it should be.

Jeff

 

[6mm Remington]

How about 300 WSM??

 

[elkguide]

I like the .300 WSM. Have it in a Kimber Montana. Tight chamber so it builds pressure fast and get some incredible speed out of it along with great accuracy too. Light rifle so there is quite a bit of felt recoil but manageable. Shoots like any other .300. Things fall over when mine gets pointed at game animals.

 

[GKPrice]

I like the .300 WSM. Have it in a Kimber Montana. Tight chamber so it builds pressure fast and get some incredible speed out of it along with great accuracy too. Light rifle so there is quite a bit of felt recoil but manageable. Shoots like any other .300. Things fall over when mine gets pointed at game animals.

elkguide - have you encountered any feeding issues in the Kimber ?

 

[Retterath]

When I build another 30 cal it's going to be 300 rum or 300 norma

 

[elkguide]

elkguide - have you encountered any feeding issues in the Kimber ?

Haven't had any issues whatsoever with feeding or ejecting. I have two other Montanas in .270 WSM and in 7mm08 and they all shoot and function very well.

 

[Broz]

How about 300 WSM??

They shoot very well, but I have found them to run a bit slower than a 300 win mag both with 210 or 215 gr bullets where most 300's shine. This is not always a bad thing, it depends where you will draw the line for max distance you want to shoot. The closer shots with bullets like a 215 Berger or 210 Berger VLD the little less velocity actually helps the bullet to not over expand. But this will also show up with less expansion on game for the real long pokes where you want a little more impact velocity. There will also be more drop and wind drift with the lower velocity rounds.

Jeff

PS: elk #71 just tipped over from 506 yards about two hours ago. I let the hunter use my 338 LRKM.

 

[Broz]

When I build another 30 cal it's going to be 300 rum or 300 norma

This sized case is where the 230 Berger will start to shine over the 215.

Jeff

 

[TrophyHunter_colorado3322]

Broz got me hooked on the 230 OTM's out of a 300 Win years ago and they have killed me a lot of game out to a long ways. I am using the 215's on my Light weight rig and they are shooting like a dream the first day out. I was using 75 grains H1000, Fed210M primer best groups shot for me .002-.006 jump.
A 300 Dakota is a vary awesome chambering as well, the brass is good and now more available. The only down sides are you have to have the bolt face opened up from a magnum BF and there is only 1 maker of the brass. The 300 win is one of the most versatile cartridge on the planet in my opinion.