Which 300?

[JAYgs8163]

Here the info from Hodgdon reloading center online. Notice the wsm and wm both have 24" barrels. These were the fastest loads available for either cartridge with a 200gr bullet. Still not a close contest.

Like comparing apples and oranges. Different bullets.

 

[KyWta]

A WSM wont fight you either on mag box length in a med. length action. Done on a med length action with a reamer that has
.225 freebore it will be knocking on the door of a WM in equall length barrel.
What action and reamer is your WSM built on? Everbody is gonna argue about which one is the best, they all will do what the O.P wants set up.properly.

I didnt think the OP was looking at a custom? I thought he named a bunch of factory rifles he was looking into? My opinions in this case are based off factory options. I built my WSM to fit in a short action and throated it accordingly to the berger 180 elites. And my WM is set up for 215 hybrids. Factory to factory a WM is going to send heavies faster. Which in my book is more effective at LR hunting.

 

[JAYgs8163]

Here's a apple to apple comparisons. These are 200 grain posted max loads but I've tweaked both of mine and got more. Same bullet used on each chart.

 

[L.Sherm]

Buy a tikka or Win. and throat it, it's not difficult. 180 in a short action throated or not still has the bearing surface below the neck shoulder junction. When doing comparisons take your WM throat it to a correctly seated 215 and do the same with a Tikka and your gonna find they probably will be close to 50 fps of one another. That's apples to apples

 

[JAYgs8163]

Here is the 180 data with same bullet. I actually shoot the 180 Swift Scirocco as my WSM just likes a steady diet of them.

 

[L.Sherm]

You put a W.M and WSM in 24" barrels and the FPS might even be closer because your burning about 10 grains of powder less in a WSM using the same powder in both.

 

[KyWta]

It actually does put the bearing surface right above the junction on MY short action. MY not factory confingured short action. Which we are not talking about because its not a factory option that the OP can order. Im sure if he wanted custom chamber and custom action advise he would have asked for it. Thanks for the input tho. Now if you buy a CA rifle off the shelf like mentioned it will be in a saami configuration. Which means short action wsm.

 

[L.Sherm]

YOUR WM is throated so it's not factory configured. CA rifles are not factory.Thats is why I'm not a fan of CA rifles because they use saami reamers that I'm aware of. Correct me if wrong.

 

[KyWta]

You want apples to apples take a factory gun. In this case a CA in WSM and WM stuff a 200 class bullet in them in a length that feeds out of its mag. Now tell me which one sends that bullet faster. End of story.

 

[L.Sherm]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a new rifle. I want it in a 300 for bigger animals such as elk although I will use it for deer here in Oklahoma at times.

Question is: 300WM or 300WSM

The reason I'm even considering the wsm is for the weight savings. I hope to have this come in at 8.5# or even less. That's hunting weight.

If I'm wanting to possibly shoot longer ranges, how much difference is there? Which should I go with?

Post #1 is he asking about factory guns. End of story

 

[sam4485]

I hunted my 300 Weatherby for more than 20 years. I had it built in 1989 on Whitworth Mark X action coupled to a Shilen barrel. We have an agreement. If I point it in the right direction my baby does the rest. I also have 7mm mag, 25-06, 308, 338 WM, 458 Socom, 6.5 Grendel.................. but if it's bigger than a whitetail and smaller than a brown bear my 300 why is my go to rifle.

 

[L.Sherm]

You want apples to apples take a factory gun. In this case a CA in WSM and WM stuff a 200 class bullet in them in a length that feeds out of its mag. Now tell me which one sends that bullet faster. End of story.

So you are calling a CA rifle a factory gun.

 

[JAYgs8163]

I've looked at 4 different load books and websites now and they all repeat the same data. Basically the WM and WSM cartridges are so similar it's laughable for a person to say the WSM is "not a capable" Long Range Elk cartridge. Look at the data, Hornady, Nosler, Hodgdon, etc. some shine with certain powders and bullets and the other may shine with a different variant. Both are very capable of downing a elk at long range. Both are capable of pushing a 200 grain at 3000fps. That being said I own both calibers and am happy with both. I've been considering one of the new Montana Rifle 300 Win Mag Long Range Hunter to replace my current rig. Good luck all.

 

[JAYgs8163]

So you are calling a CA rifle a factory gun.

It may not be your typical "factory" gun but that was one of the most desired choices of the OP. As a matter of fact he states he's probably ordering one on Monday.