.300 WM, .300 WSM, or .300 Ultra???

SirRonny

Hi,I am in the process of buying a new rifle and had it worked out to a Winchester Model 70 Classic syn/SS in .300 Win mag w/BOSS. Then I started to look at the ballistics of the .300 WSM and the .300 Remington Ultra mag and got confused, which is not hard for me. Anyway, are these cartridges really as good as the ballistics say or are they just hype? If I am reading the ballistics right, the .300 Ultra mag has it all over everything else in it's class. Over 2000 ft.#s of energy at 500 yards. The Win mag or WSM can't compare by the looks of it. Would I be better off with the .300 Ultra in the same rifle? It will be used mostly for longer range elk. Too, this will be a MAJOR purchase for me, so I don't want to screw it up. Any help? Sorry if this is so long.

Rafter-S

Of the 3 cartridges you mentioned, personally, I would go with the 300 Win mag. It has withstood the tests of time and proven itself to be a great round. Someday, the other 2 may also prove themselves, however, they also stand a good chance of fading into obsolesence.

BoltactionMan

One important thought on a rifle that you will take to the far reaches, ammo availability. I have shot an elk with the .300 UM, it had awesome results. But ammo is expensive to buy. Also uses lots of powder, even if you do reload. I am not sure about ammo availability of .300 WSM, sometimes new rifles arrive before the ammo to feed them.

SirRonny

Thanks for the feedback on this. My initial reaction was the same thing as yours, to stay with the .300 Win Mag., as it has stood the test of time, but the ballistics of the Ultra mag sure do make me swoon. Your right about the price of factory ammo too, it is expensive with most I am seeing running around $33 a box. I do reload and haven't bought any factory ammo in years, so it would be no problem working up loads, IF the components were available. I see where Midway had just got in the brass. Sure makes me wish I could see into the future and see where all of this was going to go. Anyway, thanks again for the info

DaRoosta

I just read an article in the new March 2002 issue of American Hunter magazine entitled "High Caliber Winners & Losers" by Jon R. Sundra. Great article. He goes through the evolution of hunting calibers and gives the pros and cons of each round, why it has been successful or why it hasn't. There is a special portion dedicated to your exact question. He basically states that he doesn't think the 300 WSM will withstand the test of time with the 300 UM on the market. The 300 Win Mag is a great caliber that we all know will withstand this same test of time.I bought a 300 UM about a year ago that is my long range elk rifle. I couldn't be happier with it's results. A couple months back I was at the range and met a doctor from my area who was shooting his Rem 700 in 300 Win Mag that he had magna ported, glass bedded, free-floated, etc. We started fun shooting together and were dropping clay pigeons at 283 yards (from his range finder). Both were more than adequate for picking these little targets off on the hillside at the range. My Sako Model 75 SS is straight out of the box. He couldn't believe the results.It's true the factory ammo for the Ultra Mag calibers is quite expensive. My opinion is the additional power it provides is worth the extra money. I'm so confident of this round, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone else. In my opinion, it definitely lives up to the hype and the field results are unprecidented.

chuck

I think all these new cal. are over bored and will eat up barrels, I am sure they will show ware with in 3 to 500 rounds, stay with the 300 win mag, proven and bench rest shooters are useing them fer long range

JustC

First of all, the 30-378 takes 1000 rnds to show barrel erosion as all research will show. The 300UM is 200fps slower than the 30-378 therefore, you draw your own conclusion on barrel wear. The 300UM is very accurate in the SENDERO from Remington. We fired it right out of the box with core-lokt bullets(which aren't the highest grade) and touched holes at 150 yds. If you give it some time, I honestly beleive you will see the 300UM available in remote areas due to the fact that it is getting great reviews on long range/heavy game performance and is being purchased frequently (around here anyway). It will stand up as one of the tried and true elk and moose loads, you are just in the tried stages right now and it seems like a big chance to purchase it. I would use the UM, it has more power and ammo will eventually come down. Here is an example, remember how high the first balistic tips were? even for reloading? now they are right down with the rest. Ammo price is negligable when you only need one shot to kill the moose after sight in.REMEMBER, barrels are like car tires, when they wear out, and they all will eventually, get new ones.

muskyguide

I have to agree w/ the 3oowsm. I shot one last fall & found it great. The felt recoil seemed less than my 300wby. If I didn't hve so much in components for the wby I'd buy the wsm in a heatr beat.

bullhauler

go with the wsm. i shot one last season and was very impressed. the ballistics are te same as the old win mag and the plus is the load is a short action. say what they will the short action will always outperform the long action. you hand load so that is a plus. get a load for the wsm with the new barnes xlc 168 grain boat tail and have a weapon with the "perfect" load for anything that walks short of a cape buffalo or elephant. the um has too much recoil and the win mags usually are too big to be lugging up and down mountains. give the wsm a shot and i promise you wont be dissappointed.

MIKE WISKEY

i have to disagrea with justc, i do some rebarreling myself and know several high power shooters and thier gunsmiths. .308 win. type calibers show accuracy (precision) loss after about 4000/5000 rds, std. belted mag's (.300 win. ect.) 1500/3000 rds., over bore mags. (.264 win. .300 h&h imp. ect.) 800/1500 rds. i doublt a .300 ultra mag. barrel will last more that 800/1000 rds. but thats still a lot of shooting for a hunting rifle. type of loads and barrel steel will have some bearing on this.

gundawg

What's the case life with the short magnum & the 300 UM . Any better than the 300WM? belted magnums cases and done after 2-3 loads.

JustC

I only consider stainless steel and at least contour .850 to be a real barrel or .600 for a hunting gun. I have put 1000rnds through 30 harts and still had accurate groups. My assumption is always based on the use of bull barrels as I don't consider anything else to be in the competitive/accurate category. With that clarification, I am sure you now see MY logic on barrels. Notice I almost always give performance reviews on bull barreled factory guns. Hope this clears up my statements for anyone who misunderstood me. Also, as I am sure those of us who reload know, the most accurate loads are almost always charged down from maximum, therefore extending barrel life. Sorry for any confusion.

hunter280man

I have a buddy that ownes all 3 calibers and hunts whitetail in MI, elk in CO, moose and caribou in Newfi land, and everything with hooves in Africa. For whitetail the ultra mag is a little big even with mixed handloads. The win mag does about everything anyone could ask for without the punishment and the occasional cut eye hunting can deliver on rough terrain. Now the wsm is quite new and I prefer it over the other two, for kick and handling. Will it stand the test of time? Don't know, but from our testing it sure passes all the tests. the only way it will last is if people buy them, I shoot a .280rem, and I love it. How many times dit it have to be re-introduced, 4 times if my memory is correct fro;m the above mentioned artical. If your a reloader, and don't wish to be mamed, try either the wsm or the win mag. neither will let you down! This is just a opinion, Please dont shoot the messinger..

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