300 WIN or 300 WSM?

[Wanttohuntmore]

Well it's been a few years now, since the advent of the WSM's.  There are positives and negatives to the new WSM's.  If you definitely lean one direction in your vote, please state your reason.  Thanks!

[Bofire]

 :)300 WM, more ultimate power, is that not what a Magnum is about? 7-10% more powder capacity. long (heavy) bullets screw with the WSM more, and the WM is proven! LOL besides I own a WM, my Brother owns both,  I shot both and see no reason to change.
 
Carl

[Huntbear]

The 300 WSM is a great round.  Less powder, nice fat cartridge, speeds within 100 fps.  Shooting 165 or 180 gr. bullets, it will put down a deer or elk easily.

[Jellymon]

For those that dont reload the 300WM has more options at lower prices. Why the WSMs cost so much, I dont know.

[Wanttohuntmore]

I heard the arm's manufactures own patents on all of the new cartridges (last 10 yrs), and that to manufacture ammo, they get royalties.  I know this is the case, which is probably why they push these so much in the ads.  I'm trying to figure out what the WSM does better than a WIN?

[danceswitharrows]

I got a weatherby 300 mag and love it but hate spending $70 on a box of ammo.  I vote 300win because its not that less of a gun and ammo is CHEAP compared to the other 300 mags

[thinkingman]

Buy the 300WM if you don't handload.
More and cheaper choices.
The 300WSM is easier to handload and you can get mild to wild.
Don't pick one just because somebody else has one.
And for heaven's sake, don't let somebody tell you the 300WSM will be discontinued in a few years.

[400out]

I love my 300 WSM! never shot a better all around gun, I  reload my own rounds (would never pay what they want for them at the store STUPID!) they have good speed and plenty of power ,three elk two of them hit pay dirt with one shot and the other was not the guns fault it was mine  and the der they just die  I took one the year I built it at 500 yrds never took a step.

[Coulee]

I own 2, 300WSM's. I chose them because of the short action, less weight. The ballistics are close enough to the 300WM to make little or no difference.

[GoldTip]

Buy the 300WM if you don't handload.
More and cheaper choices.
The 300WSM is easier to handload and you can get mild to wild.
Don't pick one just because somebody else has one.
And for heaven's sake, don't let somebody tell you the 300WSM will be discontinued in a few years.

I would have to disagree with just about everything you said.

If you handload you can get quite a bit more out of a 300winny than you can out of the WSM.  I've loaded for both and that is quite simply a fact.  The 300wsm is no easier at all to handload than the 300winny is, no more difficult either, but certainly not easier.

I would say if you want to just go in and buy ammo for the gun and get all the performance available in that specific caliber, then buy a WSM.  If you want to handload and EXCEED the factory available performance, then get the 300 winny.  I see not clear advantage to either gun if you are simply buying factory rounds, unless you want the shorter lighter action of the WSM.

I have nothing against the WSM family of cartridges,  I have a 325wsm that I love and my buddy's 300wsm is a great gun as well.  That being said I can handload my 300winny to close to 200-225fps faster than anything I can get out of his 300wsm.

Ok, I won't disagree with you on the 300wsm being extinct in a couple years, it is here to stay.

[Antlerking]

My 300 wsm is at 3248 fps  with a 22 inch barrel, my budy has 300 wm with a 26 inch barrel and he is 150 fps slower. In my oponion I love the 300wsm and would never go to a 300 wm.  I am not 2 sure why his is so much slower, I am not a bullet expert and dont know much about ballisitcs, but I see no reason to shoot that bigger bullet.

[BlackRidge]

For those that dont reload the 300WM has more options at lower prices. Why the WSMs cost so much, I dont know.

Looks to be the 'special' brass. If you're reloading for a more common round (30-06, 300wm, 223, etc) the brass is relatively inexpensive. But when you start dealing with these new rounds, the cost of new brass alone is just ridiculous. At least thats what I've found

I love the proven stats behind the 300win, it works, and is a great cal to handload for IMO, too many sweet options to work with

The 300wsm is a good round, I have a few buddies who use that while hunting and love it, but I have a feeling more of that is just because theyre AR-nuts and the 300wsm allows them to bring their Olys into the field (like theyve always dreamed  )

It has good ballistics, but the drawback in price (ammo) and how new it was made me lean towards the 300win 

[thinkingman]

Buy the 300WM if you don't handload.
More and cheaper choices.
The 300WSM is easier to handload and you can get mild to wild.
Don't pick one just because somebody else has one.
And for heaven's sake, don't let somebody tell you the 300WSM will be discontinued in a few years.

I would have to disagree with just about everything you said.

If you handload you can get quite a bit more out of a 300winny than you can out of the WSM.  I've loaded for both and that is quite simply a fact.  The 300wsm is no easier at all to handload than the 300winny is, no more difficult either, but certainly not easier.

I would say if you want to just go in and buy ammo for the gun and get all the performance available in that specific caliber, then buy a WSM.  If you want to handload and EXCEED the factory available performance, then get the 300 winny.  I see not clear advantage to either gun if you are simply buying factory rounds, unless you want the shorter lighter action of the WSM.

I have nothing against the WSM family of cartridges,  I have a 325wsm that I love and my buddy's 300wsm is a great gun as well.  That being said I can handload my 300winny to close to 200-225fps faster than anything I can get out of his 300wsm.

Ok, I won't disagree with you on the 300wsm being extinct in a couple years, it is here to stay.

Most people find it easier to reload un-belted mags.
Not going to debate which one is capable of the highest velocity.
I reload for bullet selection and accuracy, not ultimate velocity.

[Wanttohuntmore]

So which is more accurate, and which feeds better?  So far, I've only seen 300 WIN's shoot better than the WSM's.  I feel that the WSM has more potential to be accurate though, with a shorter case (more consistent burn).  In my opinion the weight difference between a short action/long action is a very small issue, as usually short actions have shorter barrels, so you're looking at a combined weight loss on the short action short barreled wsm.  I think this is something the mag writers and arms manufactures have pushed heavily, trying to sell more wsm's.  I've heard multiple complaints on wsm's early on that they didn't feed well.  I've yet to experience that, but what are your opinions on that?

[Bob33]

Tastes great, less filling.

I vote for the Win Mag, just because...

The Win Mag has a longer and proven track record, more factory ammunition offerings, more capacity for heavier bullets.

But, I still think the 300 WSM is a fantastic round: one of the best short mags.

[carpsniperg2]

I Like the 300win better myself. No real reason, just my fave gun is a 300win I like the 300wsm as well. But could not see buying one with already owning a 300win.

[addicted]

Both. it's not a matter of justifying either one. its a matter of WANT.

[700xcr]

Which ever one you like. My son has a 300wsm and I handloaded a Nosler 200gr. Accunbond for it. I chronograph-ed it at an average of 2874fps. and getting 1.0" group at 100yds. Plenty of horsepower and accurate for hunting.

[hoyt2002]

All I got to say is the 300 wm has been around along time and the 300 wsm is the same thing in a shorter version. I like them both. I have a 300 rum my wife shoots a 300 wm and my buddy shoots the 300 wsm they all put down game nicely. I don't know if the game feels any of them any more than the other plus all three shoot under an inch at 100 yards.

[2506]

300 wm

[tlake]

I went with the 300wsm because I wanted a light weight rifle. My Browning TI without a scope is 5 3/4 pounds. If peak performance was what I was after I would choose the 300WM over the 300WSM.