300 wsm build for european games, selective hunting in Italy

[bigred1]

Twenty years ago my wife bought me a Winchester model 70 for Christmas that is chambered in 300wsm. I have taken Moose, Elk, Deer, Antelope and even a Jack rabbit at 400 yards ( not a pretty sight). The effectiveness of this rifle with a Zeiss scope and Winchester 180 gr. factory loads have proven their worth many times over. Everyone has a go to rifle and this one is mine.

 

[simone]

Simon,

Great choice here for your setup and I think you are generally headed in the right direction.

I have too many calibers and rifles to count …. But the 300 WSM is my go-to choice for hard hitting, long shooting and good ballistics/wind bucking capabilities. It is one of the easiest calibers to 'tune' if you are planning to do reloading for it ….. and is basically just an inherently VERY accurate caliber choice.

I hunt frequently and also shoot competitively to 1,000 yards …. and if I am shooting at 1,000 yards I am reaching for my 300 WSM …. Not a 7mm.

To address your questions/points:
1) caliber choice: 300 WSM is excellent …. You will not regret it. It does have more recoil, but with a few trips to the range as you get accustomed to your rifle you will get used to it. Your muzzle brake will help with that a lot. Just watch you eye placement on your very first shot (wink)…. Lots more recoil than a .308 WIN or 7mm type round.
The 300 WSM is inherently accurate.

2) gun choice: I own a TIKKA hunting rig … not in your setup, but TIKKA a makes great guns (for the money … and if you are sticking to factory rifles) and this will be a highly capable hunting rifle. I believe that specific rifle has a 1:11 twist in the factory barrel ….. which is capable …. But I'd rather it be a little faster twist. I run heavy bullets (208-215 grain) and faster twist barrels (1:9) on my competition 300 WSMs

If you are staying with a factory rifle … you have a solid choice picked out. Custom is a whole other animal …. And will be far more expensive.

3) bullet selection:
I am an advocate of trying several bullets and different ammo setup in a new gun … and then 'let the gun tell you what it likes'. having said that … I suspect you will end up wanting to use something in the 180 grain range. (like a federal 180gr Power-Shok) or something similar for your hunting ammo (not sure what is available in Italy). Try the lighter bullets you mentioned if you'd like …. But I'd be expecting that the 180's + to be giving you more accuracy. The heavy bullets will also be a bit of a better selection for the larger game (boars) as well.

4) Muzzle brake
Like mentioned earlier ….. no issue with that on a hunting setup. You will see a fair amount of muzzle back-wash though. It will bring the 300 WSM recoil back to manageable for this 'lighter setup'.

5) General setup.
I liked everything you mentioned. You might want to think about other scope magnification options.

S&B sure makes very good glass and optics. So if you like that 4-16 scope it is a perfectly acceptable option from one of the best optics makers. For this application you may want to consider the benefits of a slightly more powerful upper end on magnification….. especially if you want to go longer on range … or if you just like the extra magnification (I do!) If you will be shooting out 400/500 to 600 yards …. Getting a scope with 25X or more on the upper range may be a real benefit (depending on your eyes!!).

As an example … Steiner makes a very good 5-25X (the T5Xi) which I have on several of my rifles. Good scope …. FFP, MIL tough, and good glass. there are many other options …. But if I were outfitting this … I'd probably consider higher magnification.


Sounds like a fun path you are on. Let us know your final selection and how it performs for you.

Gotta love the 300 WSM!

Thanks man for the time you took for this reply. Very informative. As far as the caliber, I may be wrong but i am start thinking people tend to overthink caliber/hunted game combination. Yeah, it's funny to find the minimum sufficient caliber for a specific task but why you should do that? Of course, taking a 30 pounds 50 bmg hunting is nonsense but also taking a 223 hunting deer for me is not very practical. Why you should do that. In europe we have another kind of craziness that got totally out of hand and I will make a thread about this in the future because it can be informative: more traditional hunters absolutely care about the aesthetic of the dead body of the animal. A baseball sized hole in the chest is not gonna make you lose more meat than a ping pong sized hole, right? Ok, if you post a pic on an italian hunting forum with a baseball sized hole in a roe you will get insulted by some members. They even look for harder bullets to make them discharge the energy on the ground without damaging the animal. That's delusional. So they use maybe 7x64 for shooting a roe with the hardest ball they can find producing the damage of a 22 mag with expansive bullets. And they really care about the aesthetic of the dead body of the animal, it must "look good", independently by the useless sufferings they caused to the animal or to the equal amount of meat they get from that animal. Same rigidity for shot placement: if you say you shoot in the shoulder in specific occasions (when you need an instant drop like when dark is coming, a precipice or a property where you can't hunt is close by, very thick brush where finding the animal would be difficult) you get insulted because for some reasons they think you are disrespecting the animal.

Custom rifles are not made by such famous and respected manufacturer here. I mean, my country has a great tradition of making firearms but custom rifles are not a thing here, especially for hunting. Also the market is much smaller. So the choice is limited and i trust more a big manufacturer. We can get gunwerks and kelblys btw.

I thought about a more powerful scope but why specifically you suggest it other than the possibility to stretching distances even more?

Shooting past 600 yards at pur games becomes tricky also because they are much smaller than a elk or a moose and i don't feel confident at those ranges. And especially i can get closer!

 

[simone]

Twenty years ago my wife bought me a Winchester model 70 for Christmas that is chambered in 300wsm. I have taken Moose, Elk, Deer, Antelope and even a Jack rabbit at 400 yards ( not a pretty sight). The effectiveness of this rifle with a Zeiss scope and Winchester 180 gr. factory loads have proven their worth many times over. Everyone has a go to rifle and this one is mine.

Do u use a muzzlebrake?

 

[Huntz]

300 WSM in a Tikka T3x is a great combo. It will do everything you want it to for your type of hunting and then some. I also shoot a fast twist 270 WSM with 170 Bergers that would do the same thing with slightly less recoil and further range capability.

 

[bigred1]

Do u use a muzzlebrake?

No. I don't have a problem with recoil, but I do have a problem with the noise and blast of gas that a hunting partner can get from one up to 50 feet a way.

 

[montanamurf]

Is the increased weight and slower MV compensated by higher BC inside 600 yards?

Simone,

I agree 100% with BELUEBOW … when he says the 215 Berger's work well with the 300 WSM.

Many calibers just have a sweet spot where certain weight bullets work exceptionally well in (as a general rule). If you talk with a lot of hard-core 300 WSM folks … you will find that the 215 Berger is the place to start if you are seeking absolute accuracy. It just tends to tune in well and is a natural pairing for the caliber. I'd be shocked if you could not find a node for it in your gun. that of course if you are reloading. If you are not reloading …. Then you will want to try out a selection of what ammo you can obtain around you …. Try them out …. You'll find one. Don't be afraid to go heavy …

It's one of the always accurate calibers … you will love it.

The Berger 215 is a premium bullet … with great BC. The real secret … work with your gun enough to see what "IT" likes ….. listen … it will tell you.

 

[Playtimefun]

Well ironically... I don't own a Tikka lol (own one or multiple of virtually everything else) but own multiple of all the various 300 magnums. Tikkas are incredible accurate and I have yet to see one that doesn't shoot. Friends have multiple and I have shot them in calibers ranging from 22-250 to 300 WM. The only complaint that I hear (doesn't bug me but does for some people) is the polymer magazine.

My 300 WSM is in a Kimber Montana and I have loaned that gun out to a few friends who wanted something light to carry but knock down power for elk. Each of them (3) bought a 300 WSM afterwards.

Load or buy 300 WSM ammo with 180 grain Barness TTSX or the 175 gr LRX bullet (both have become my go to bullet lately but also having good luck with Nosler Accubonds) and hunt anything pretty much anywhere you want.

You do not need a brake on it. If you do, it's only because your not practicing enough. Friends daughter is 5'11" and 115 lbs. Literally a bean pole... and she shoots a Rem 770 in 300 WM.... but each year she goes out and shoots 10-15 shots with a 22 then throws in a shot with her 243 then 15 more shots with the 243 then 22 then throws in a shot from the 300 WM. She doesn't hesitate to shoot her elk/moose at 400+ yards.

The only issue with the 300 WSM around my neck of the woods is ammunition availability. Sometimes, it's not the easiest to buy.

The shorter... but fatter bolt makes for a slightly lighter gun then a normal 300 WM with the same barrel lengths. The other gun to consider is a sako finnlight, but the Tikka is a great gun.

In short... go for it!!! You will never regret the cartridge UNLESS your local store doesn't carry it. And if you reload... you'll never regret it.

 

[simone]

300 WSM in a Tikka T3x is a great combo. It will do everything you want it to for your type of hunting and then some. I also shoot a fast twist 270 WSM with 170 Bergers that would do the same thing with slightly less recoil and further range capability.

270 wsm is another great option but to me it seems like it's slowly disappearing..

 

[simone]

300 WSM in a Tikka T3x is a great combo. It will do everything you want it to for your type of hunting and then some. I also shoot a fast twist 270 WSM with 170 Bergers that would do the same thing with slightly less recoil and further range capability.

270 wsm is another great option but to me it seems like it's slowly disappearing..

Simone,

I agree 100% with BELUEBOW … when he says the 215 Berger's work well with the 300 WSM.

Many calibers just have a sweet spot where certain weight bullets work exceptionally well in (as a general rule). If you talk with a lot of hard-core 300 WSM folks … you will find that the 215 Berger is the place to start if you are seeking absolute accuracy. It just tends to tune in well and is a natural pairing for the caliber. I'd be shocked if you could not find a node for it in your gun. that of course if you are reloading. If you are not reloading …. Then you will want to try out a selection of what ammo you can obtain around you …. Try them out …. You'll find one. Don't be afraid to go heavy …

It's one of the always accurate calibers … you will love it.

The Berger 215 is a premium bullet … with great BC. The real secret … work with your gun enough to see what "IT" likes ….. listen … it will tell you.

Thanks man, i'll definitely check the ballistic and I will decide which bullet weight to try first! Yeah I will handload for this gun

 

[simone]

Well ironically... I don't own a Tikka lol (own one or multiple of virtually everything else) but own multiple of all the various 300 magnums. Tikkas are incredible accurate and I have yet to see one that doesn't shoot. Friends have multiple and I have shot them in calibers ranging from 22-250 to 300 WM. The only complaint that I hear (doesn't bug me but does for some people) is the polymer magazine.

My 300 WSM is in a Kimber Montana and I have loaned that gun out to a few friends who wanted something light to carry but knock down power for elk. Each of them (3) bought a 300 WSM afterwards.

Load or buy 300 WSM ammo with 180 grain Barness TTSX or the 175 gr LRX bullet (both have become my go to bullet lately but also having good luck with Nosler Accubonds) and hunt anything pretty much anywhere you want.

You do not need a brake on it. If you do, it's only because your not practicing enough. Friends daughter is 5'11" and 115 lbs. Literally a bean pole... and she shoots a Rem 770 in 300 WM.... but each year she goes out and shoots 10-15 shots with a 22 then throws in a shot with her 243 then 15 more shots with the 243 then 22 then throws in a shot from the 300 WM. She doesn't hesitate to shoot her elk/moose at 400+ yards.

The only issue with the 300 WSM around my neck of the woods is ammunition availability. Sometimes, it's not the easiest to buy.

The shorter... but fatter bolt makes for a slightly lighter gun then a normal 300 WM with the same barrel lengths. The other gun to consider is a sako finnlight, but the Tikka is a great gun.

In short... go for it!!! You will never regret the cartridge UNLESS your local store doesn't carry it. And if you reload... you'll never regret it.

Thanks man, my lgs has 3 boxes of norma brass for a total of 150 brass and 330 euros (crazy) but I think I should take them now. The only issue is that apparently tikka hasn't in stock anywhere a t3xlite in 300 wsm. Just asked today.. ***

 

[msouris]

Hi everyone. I followed this forum since many years and i already posted a similar thread somewhere else but i finally managed to login here so i want to know your take on this guys!

so, until now i had a very prolific career hunting with a .308 here in Italy. That rifle, a bergara b14 with a 2-10x50i khales scope with a standard german IV type reticle, is intended to be used inside 250 yards and i built it in order to be as simple as possible, no need to worry about anything at that distances: from 200 yards below just point, shoot and the animal dies. I am currently using 170 gr geco teilmantel ammo (softpoint basically), which my gun shoots extremely well (0.3-0.4 MOA all day in range conditions). Now i want to try to reach a couple hundred meters further so i am looking at a tikka t3x lite in 300 WSM (but i am open to other calibers suggestions). I am still a bit undecided between a 300 wsm and a 7 rem mag but the possibility to have a shorter action and barrel, better barrel life and the fact that i like 30 cals make me lean towards the 300 wsm, despite the heavier recoil (luckily it seems that i just don't develope a flinch when i shoot, maybe until now ahah). And i would use a muzzlebrake anyway. So i wanna know what you think of this setup before starting buying stuff. Consider that i will hunt mainly roe deer (50 lbs), fellow deer (up to 240 lbs), wild boars (up to 380-400 lbs) and hunts outside my country are possible in the future (but this is not central in my choice now). Ranges would be from 10 to 500 meters (550 yards more or less), on average probably around 300 yards. I don't like the idea to shoot further because of the many variables that come into play and are more difficult to face at distances past 550 yards but i could change my mind in the future depending on the outcome of my future long shots. I do both stalking and still hunting, depending on the circumstances (50-50 i'd say). So:

-rifle: tikka t3x lite 300 wsm with 4-16 s&b scope (FFP, MIL reticle, uncapped turret for elevation, capped for windage and parallax adjustments) in a PSE composite e-lite stock with a bipod (still have to decide which one), sling and a muzzlebrake. Overall weight will be around 9.5-10 lbs.. a bit on the heavy side but i am young and in good phisical shape and a bit of weight will help with the actual shooting.
-ammo: no idea, i thought about 165 or 180 grains accubonds but i want your suggestions

My main questions are:

what about the caliber choice? I know i don't strictly need a magnum for this ranges and games but I think more power downrange is handy giving a little more more margin of error in regard to shot placement for long shots. There are calibers that have even better ballistic for sure but I think the 300 wsm has good ballistic anyway and I heard it's very accurate, pretty available here in my country, and packs a punch. Additionally it seems like this caliber is gonna stay pretty popular for many years to come and i love the longer barrel life in comparison to other faster calibers (in italy rebarreling is not easy for legal and practical reasons).

What do you think of this setup? What would you change?

What about the bullet? How would a 180 gr accubond perform on a small roe deer (50 lbs) at 50 meters and 400 meters? And what about a big 400 lbs wild boar at the same distances?

What about the scope?

What about the muzzlebrake? I have always shot without ear protections while hunting but whit that artillery piece i would do it. Any downside other than that and other than increasing weight and bulk of the rifle?

a couple pics for entartainment!

I like the 300 WSM a lot. I have three 300 WSM rifles. One is a Tikka t3 Lite SS. Its action is a long action as is the case for all Tikka rifles. Tikka only uses long rifle actions.
My gun kicks hard with 180 loads. A brake helped reduce recoil a lot.
My Tikka 300 WSM required a lot of load development in order to find an accurate load with 180 grain bullets. Also the barrel seems to foul up quite easily. My two other tikkas, 308 and 9.3 x 62, seem to shoot everything well. So, my experience with the 300 WSM Tikka may only apply to my specific rifle.

Regarding long/heavy bullets - my experience is that they will work in 300 WSM. However, ballistically the 300 WSM provides best performance with bullets up to 200 grs. The velocities will be less than the 300 Win Mag. The Tikka barrel rifling is 1 in 11". This will probably be your limiting factor with some of the very long bullets.

I have no experience with 180 Accubonds in 300 WSM on roe deer or wild boar. From the experience I have had with Accubond bullets I believe that they will work well at the ranges you mentioned.

Regarding rifles, I have a 300 WSM Browning X-bolt and I like it's handling characteristics a lot. I like its rifling twist which is 1 in 10". Accuracy is good also.

 

[Playtimefun]

Just noted the other guys comment on the 270 WSM. All of the WSMs are great cartridges. I have them all and really enjoy them. As a side note... as much as I love my 300 WSM, when I look at the 7mm WSM it THEORETICALLY should be the better cartridge. BUT... the 7 and 325 WSM have become almost reloader only cartridges. Yes you can still buy, but your going into a store and MAYBE... big maybe that they have any in stock. I just picked up a Browning mountain ti in 7 WSM from a friend because he doesn't reload and can't buy ammo (I have the same gun already in 325 - we bought them at the same time). The 270 WSM is still pretty available but the 300 WSM is still by far the king for availability.

My 270 WSM is Browning White Gold BLR (lever action) and with a ballistic matched scope, rocks at 450 yards are no problem. Only shot a couple of mule deer at 100 and 200 yards with it otherwise.

If your looking at the one gun does it all... you just can't go wrong with the 300 WSM.

Hmmmmm.... based on my own argument... me thinks I need a second 300 WSM but in a Tikka????

 

[RowdyB]

I think a 300 WSM will do everything you ask of it. Personally, I have used and love the performance of the 165 grain Accubond. Given the variety of different game you plan to hunt, I think a bonded bullet like the Accubond makes the most sense. However, many mono metal bullets would also work well but I have no experience using them on game and would defer to those that have such experience.

 

[simone]

I like the 300 WSM a lot. I have three 300 WSM rifles. One is a Tikka t3 Lite SS. Its action is a long action as is the case for all Tikka rifles. Tikka only uses long rifle actions.
My gun kicks hard with 180 loads. A brake helped reduce recoil a lot.
My Tikka 300 WSM required a lot of load development in order to find an accurate load with 180 grain bullets. Also the barrel seems to foul up quite easily. My two other tikkas, 308 and 9.3 x 62, seem to shoot everything well. So, my experience with the 300 WSM Tikka may only apply to my specific rifle.

Regarding long/heavy bullets - my experience is that they will work in 300 WSM. However, ballistically the 300 WSM provides best performance with bullets up to 200 grs. The velocities will be less than the 300 Win Mag. The Tikka barrel rifling is 1 in 11". This will probably be your limiting factor with some of the very long bullets.

I have no experience with 180 Accubonds in 300 WSM on roe deer or wild boar. From the experience I have had with Accubond bullets I believe that they will work well at the ranges you mentioned.

Regarding rifles, I have a 300 WSM Browning X-bolt and I like it's handling characteristics a lot. I like its rifling twist which is 1 in 10". Accuracy is good also.

Thanks for the input. I never handled a browning xbolt, is it good quality? What you mean by accurate?