Who shoots a 300 WSM?

Lead Poison

Senior Member
Does anyone here on the forum shoot a 300 WSM in a Winchester 70 FTWT or other brand of rifle?

Please tell me if you like the caliber and the gun you have it in.

Is the recoil severe, tolerable or mild?

What type of accuracy are you getting?

What handloads are you using-bullets, powders, etc. Factory loads?

Have you chrongraphed your loads? If so, what are your velocities running?

How has it performed on deer, both at short and long range?
 

Jeff Phillips

Senior Member
I just got 1 last week and have not had time to get the scope mounted.

Do ya'll shoot 180 or 150 grains? I have always been a big fan of the 150 in 30 cal. rifles and it looks like it would be plenty hot in the 300 WSM :D
 

Lead Poison

Senior Member
Jeff I'm thinking about using 165 grain bullets since the 300 WSM is so blazing fast.

If I do try the 150's, I think I will try the Hornady Interbonds first. Its jacket is bonded to the core. Hopefully, it won't separate if used on a deer at close range, but only field testing will tell for sure.

A 300 WSM shooting 150 or 165 grain bullets should be quite a long range deer rig. I just hope it doesn't kick like a mule.

I think a Nikon Monarch 5.5-16.5x44 would be a great scope for this type of rifle, what do you think?
 
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Jeff Phillips

Senior Member
The Nikon is a good choice! I am going to put a Pentax Lightseeker 3.5-10 on mine until I get the Leupold LPS I am ordering. I have a co-worker whose son-in-law works in their marketing dept. so I can get their scopes at employee discount :p

The 165 may be a better choice than the 150. I know it has a better B.C.
 

DaddyPaul

Senior Member
Call me a sissy, you won't be the first but I had a buddy who owned an A-Bolt in .300 WSM and I did not like the recoil at all! It was a real sharp, short feeling recoil but it was there nonetheless. He hunted with it for 2 years and missed more deer than he had missed in the past 10 years and went back to a .308 and is dropping them like first period calculus with it. Everybody has their opinions and mine is that I can take any whitetail walking the planet with my trusty .270 so I don't see the reason to subject myself to the extra recoil and muzzle blast associated with the .300 WSM. Again ballistically speaking it is a super round just not for me.
 

Lead Poison

Senior Member
DP your right.

DaddyPaul, your absolutely right and I absolutely love the 308 Win. as well.

I hunted for years with a 7mm Rem. Mag and its recoil didn't bother me at all. Did I "need" the magnum, no. All of the deer I killed with it were under 200 yards-well within the range of the standard calibers.

I guess its the lure of a new caliber, one that shoots extremely flat and gives you a "little extra" measure of confidence when looking way across a big field at a monster buck.

If I need to make a true long shot on a deer, it would be nice to have just a little more or should I say less drop out to 300 yards.
 

Hunterrs

GONetwork Member
I have hunted with a Browning A-Bolt in 300 WSM for the past two seasons. I don't notice that the recoil is excessive. This gun has a wood stock though. I hate to bring this up, but I shoot the Nosler CT 168 grain Ballistic Tips. I really think we have beat that issue slap to death. I have taken five deer over the past two seasons with it. All shots were short range. (-100 yards). All of the deer fell in their tracks. I worked up my load from the latest Nosler book, can't remember what number we are up to. I hope this helps and doesn’t take the thread in the ballistic tips versus every other bullet direction.

Robert
 
H

Huntnhart

Guest
A-bolt 300 WSM

I have a Browning A-bolt Composite Stalker in the 300 WSM. I fired the rifle 6 times before deciding that it was more gun that I need. The recoil is not bad....but the muzzle blast is awful. I wear protection when shooting or sighting, but like to know what to expect when hunting.

If you are interested in buying a rifle in this caliber, I will sell mine (fired six times) including 2 boxes, minus 6, of 180 grain ammo for $500. It is in perfect condition with the box and all reciepts.

Drop me a pm if interested.

HnH
 

Hunterrs

GONetwork Member
Does it have the BOSS? I had a 30-06 with a BOSS on it and it was really loud.

Robert
 

Buzz

Senior Member
I've shot a buddies Sako 75 in .300 WSM about a dozen times. He shot it over my chronograph and he's getting 3250 fps for 150g bullets and about 2940 fps with 180g bullets.

Recoil wise, it's a lot closer to the recoil of a .300 Winchester Magnum than it is a .308 Winchester or .30-06 Springfield. Neither of us could tell much difference between my Ruger M77 .300 Winny and his WSM in either recoil or muzzle blast. All the WSM rounds seem to have severe muzzle blast, especially for a short action round, which would really bother me in woods hunting situations.
 

TJay

Senior Member
Tikka T3 300WSM

I got a Tikka T3 in 300 wsm this year but I haven't hunted with it yet. Got it just before deer season and just haven't had the time to get it shot in yet. Recoil is about what you'd expect from a .30 cal. magnum. As soon as Sims has a recoil pad for it I'll probably get one. I haven't had time to work up a handload for it yet, I'll do that in the two longest months of the year, Jan and Feb. Factory ammo in 180gr shoots about an inch, 3 shots.
 

leoparddog

Senior Member
my .02. I had bought a 45-70 a while back for elk hunting in the woods of Coastal Washington (Olympic Peninsula - thick woods, close shots), but even with hot handloads it was not a flat shooting rifle/round combo. I traded it in on my current 300WSM ABolt II.

On the range it was thumping me so hard and the blast so loud, that I decided that since I wasn't going to hunt deer with it, and wasn't going elk hunting this year, that I really didn't need to sight it in that bad.

So I replaced the old 308's scope with the Burris.

I'm keeping mine, but will be wearing ear plugs and muffs when I get back around to sighting it in. Which won't be happening until I have that elk hunt scheduled.

It does shoot tiny little groups though! :shoot:
 

Lead Poison

Senior Member
Leoparddog, what loads were you using in your Browning?

Handloads or factory stuff?

I can live with the noise and the recoil, as long as I can get tiny little groups! :shoot: I wonder if the Winchester 70 FTWT can shoot as well.
 

leoparddog

Senior Member
I was shooting factory loads Winchester Silvertips 180gr I believe. I haven't started handloading for it yet - still a novice in that area.

The sad part for me was that I loved blazing away at the range with the 45-70, and don't think I'll ever enjoy running 50 rounds thru that magnum.

I'm gonna buy me another 45-70 so I can have fun :shoot: ringing that 200 meter gong.
 

Derek

Senior Member
I too have the A-bolt in this caliber. Recoil is not bad and I have not had issue with the muzzle blast. I have only killed 2 does with it the past 2 years but it has definitely put a hurtin on them. I have just used the Winchester 180 grain power points. Thinkin of tryin the new Accubonds next year. I normally hunt in a box stand where there is possibility of 300 yd shots, that's why I bought it.
 

Larry Rooks

Senior Member
I have the 25 WSSM, 270 WSM, 7mm WSM, and both the Rem 7Mm and 300 SUAM, love em all. In the 300 SAUM I use the Barnes 130 gr XLC bullet and it is awesome. With the Barnes, you can use lighter bullets and still get the heavy bullet performance. My next one will be the 300 WSM, working on one right now as a matter fo fact. Rebarrleing a Rem 700 SS that i picked up today in 7MM Weatherby CHEAP just to get the action and scope, real cheap :flag: I have not found that any of the short mag calibers have eccessive recoil. My 270 WSM does not kick any more than my Rem mod 700 in 7MM-08
 

cpaboy

Member
I have the Win Model 70 in 7MM WSM and the recoil is not bad at all. I'm shooting 160 gr fail-safe. I 've only killed an elk with it so I am anxious to see what it does on a deer.
 

Perry Hayes

Senior Member
I just bought a A Bolt Medallion in 300WSM and a Leupold VX-III 3.5-10X50
today.Thanks guys for your input.I will have on ear muffs while setting it up.
 

Muygrande

Senior Member
I'm kinda late getting here but for what it's worth I shoot the Winchester Model 70 Coyote with the 24" Semi heavy Barrel and it is awesome. I have 4 .300's the Winmag, Ultra, WSM, and WBY. The WSM in the Coyote kicks like a Rem 700 standard rifle in .30-06. With factory loads it shot terrible! 2" groups at 100yards. I bought brass and loaded 150gr SST's, 125gr Ballistic Tips, and 150gr Ballistic Tips The 125's shot into less than 1/2" with 4 different powders! The 150 BT's shot terrible just like the factory loads. The 150gr SST's were awesome. All four powders were under an 1" and two were .5 MOA! How do they work on deer? Well the 125 BT's are at 3540fps, and will empty the area between a Does ears! The 150gr SST's at 90 yards performed awesome entered through the shoulder quartering towards me and exited midway through the ribs, dropped dead in it's tracks. a Doe killed at 430 yards ran 20 feet as a last ditch reflexive action, both shoulders were shattered and exit was about 2" hole. :shoot:
 

Lead Poison

Senior Member
Maybe the WSM's are not a flash in the pan after all.

Muy, what powders were you using with the 150 grain bullets?

Did you chronograph the velocities?

I'm glad to hear that the gun didn't kick any worse than a 30-06. I really thought it would considering it uses much more powder. :clap:

It sounds like the 300 WSM is a very sweet, long range hunting round and capable of VERY FINE ACCURACY, to say the least.

Maybe the 270 and 300 WSM's are here to say. :clap:
 
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