300WSM vs 300WM short barre hunting rifle

[Jaegerr]

Hey all,

I recently joined the tikka club, 300 win mag t3x lite SS, and wanting to rebarrel and thread to 22” or 20” but with buying a new barrel I guess I can go to any caliber. I’ve read some people say 300 WSM is a little better going down to something like a 300 WSM.

Does anyone have any first hand experience with either? I’m also getting reloading equipment so I’ll be learning and reloading my own ammo with whichever caliber (excited for this). A 300 WSM in a 20” barrel or a 300WM in a 22” configuration?

I’ll be building this rifle to take game out west as a begin my adventures doing that. This will ideally be my do all rifle from elk and moose down to western whitetail.

(I plan on loading Barnes copper pills. Preferably the 175 LRX but potentially the TTSX or TSX depending on what the gun ends up shooting best if this info is relevant)
Thanks!

 

[ElPollo]

Welcome. Lots of good stuff to read here on Rokslide to help you make good decisions on gear and not waste time and money. I had a Tikka in 300 WSM with an 18” barrel. Sold it. Lots of recoil in a light package. Expensive to shoot. Not the easiest gun to shoot accurately. More horsepower than needed for western hunting unless you are shooting really long distances. And the Barnes bullets are not the choice for that because they don’t open well at velocities below about 2100-2200 fps.

 

[H80Hunter]

I think if I was shooting copper in a 300 win mag I’d use the 150 TTSX or else the copper 130 grain TTSX but you’d have to hand load that, which I don’t. Barnes ammo shows like 3125 fps for that out of a 308 so I’d think you could really get it moving in a 300 win mag.

 

[Jaegerr]

I think if I was shooting copper in a 300 win mag I’d use the 150 TTSX or else the copper 130 grain TTSX but you’d have to hand load that, which I don’t. Barnes ammo shows like 3125 fps for that out of a 308 so I’d think you could really get it moving in a 300 win mag.

Talk about a rocket ship

 

[hereinaz]

I like WSM for ease of loading and precision.

Short and fat is where it’s at. Winning bench rest cartridges tend to be short and fat for a reason. I shoot short fat cartridges like the BR and variants and SAUM variants. They are so easy to load for. Loads tend to work well in many different barrels.

I don’t shoot 300 WSM, but a couple guys who shoot it say they like to load for it.

Of course the 300 WM is good. It has the belt and if course is longer. I don’t like that about traditional mag cartridges.

 

[83cj-7]

I have a 22” 300 WM built this year. I have no interest in shooting it without a suppressor. I’m running a mild load pushing 208 ELD-Ms at 2820fps. Light on recoil and absolutely devastating on game.

 

[inkedspot]

My 300 WSM is 22” with a fluted steel barrel. Before that I ran a 24” carbon barrel. I shortened it the 2” to keep the weight the same with a steel barrel.
Factory Federal 200gr Terminal Ascents 2800-2815 fps with either a can or a brake. It groups slightly better with a can but even with the brake it’ll shoot 3-4” at 600 yards which is certainly good enough for any animal I felt the need to use a 300 WSM on.

It’s a lot of bang in a light package. Generally speaking I am extremely recoil and noise tolerant but if you’re not then can is definitely the way to go. With no can or brake an 8lb 300WSM is fairly spicy.

You should be able to get to a good velocity with 22 for sure. My speed drop from 24” to 22” was less than 50fps

 

[Mike D Texas]

There is no 300 grain .308 Terminal Ascent bullets.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[inkedspot]

There is no 300 grain .308 Terminal Ascent bullets.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Sorry typo - 200gr TA

 

[Mw01313]

I went to a 22" 300wm 3 years ago. Have been shooting it with a brake since. Muzzle blast is pretty wicked. I am kind of dumb so it took me until recently to order a suppressor for it. I think I will enjoy it much more suppressed.
I went from a much heavier and longer 300 rum to the wm. Recoil difference was barely noticeable, but the blast from the short barrel was a fair amount worse. The main thing I learned going to a light magnum was how it exposed weaknesses I had in my shooting form. I had to put some time and rounds in to get the results I thought the rifle was capable of.
If I could do it over, I think I would have gone 300 WSM. I handload and it's my understanding that 300 wsm doesn't require the amount of case trimming that WM does. I may be incorrect here. Have only loaded for one WSM and it wasn't a lot. I hate trimming cases.
If you go with a short barreled mag, my advice would be to order the suppressor when you start on the gun.

 

[KenLee]

I love my 22 inch barreled micro hunter x-bolt 300wsm. Never shot one shorter

 

[chambersandsteele]

Had a 300 wsm shooting 212 eldx 2775 fps with H4350 out of a 20" barrel. I probably plug these too much but I've had great luck with Patriot Valley Bullets. Their 163 gr Cayuga Copper is a nice option for a 300 wsm with a shorter barrel. I definitely think you can get better recoil recovery staying on the lighter end of the bullet spectrum. That 163 gr cayuga gives you good velocity, lower recoil and not giving up much on the BC front for longer shots. Good luck with your decision, I'm a big fan of the WSM because they are efficient in shorter barrels.

 

[Jaegerr]

Had a 300 wsm shooting 212 eldx 2775 fps with H4350 out of a 20" barrel. I probably plug these too much but I've had great luck with Patriot Valley Bullets. Their 163 gr Cayuga Copper is a nice option for a 300 wsm with a shorter barrel. I definitely think you can get better recoil recovery staying on the lighter end of the bullet spectrum. That 163 gr cayuga gives you good velocity, lower recoil and not giving up much on the BC front for longer shots. Good luck with your decision, I'm a big fan of the WSM because they are efficient in shorter barrels.

What velocity did you pull out of the mono’s? I’ve been looking to use the 175 LRX

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

I have experience with 300WM at barrel lengths from 20-26in. I do not have experience with the WSM.

Personally, I would go with a bigger bullet than a 175gr in either 30cal. I subscribe to the “large for caliber” bullet theory, so if I was going to shoot something around a 180, I’d go with a 7mm like the PRC, SAUM, etc. My old man is launching the 195 out of a new PRC and it’s impressive.

I shoot Berger 215s out of 3 300WM. I just built a 20in barrel that I have a suppressor on. Whacked a bull with it and it carries reeeal nice in the shitty, NW MT river canyon, brushy, downfall country.

There is an obvious movement away from the 30cal magnums by some. I understand why, but I can tell you that every single bull that we’ve hit with the 215s did NOT like them at all. Instant gratification.

 

[Jaegerr]

I have experience with 300WM at barrel lengths from 20-26in. I do not have experience with the WSM.

Personally, I would go with a bigger bullet than a 175gr in either 30cal. I subscribe to the “large for caliber” bullet theory, so if I was going to shoot something around a 180, I’d go with a 7mm like the PRC, SAUM, etc. My old man is launching the 195 out of a new PRC and it’s impressive.

I shoot Berger 215s out of 3 300WM. I just built a 20in barrel that I have a suppressor on. Whacked a bull with it and it carries reeeal nice in the shitty, NW MT river canyon, brushy, downfall country.

There is an obvious movement away from the 30cal magnums by some. I understand why, but I can tell you that every single bull that we’ve hit with the 215s did NOT like them at all. Instant gratification.

I agree but I plan on using mono’s so I need speed haha

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

I agree but I plan on using mono’s so I need speed haha

Copy. I shot the 180 Accubonds and 180 TTSXs in 2 different rifles prior to switching to Bergers. I have seen the light and I’m all about the shorter barrels now. Anything 18-22in would work with the smaller bullets for sure. I would make that call based on using a suppressor or not.

 

[elkguide]

Have several of both of those calibers and in varying barrel lengths. If you're going to shoot monos at much distance, then I would be looking at the 150s or 165s.
Now as to which one.... they are both great cartridges but for some reason I always seem to grab one of my .300 Win Mags when I head out the door hunting.