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300 H and H vs 300 Win Mag
Rex Mahan
Member Posts: 529 ✭✭
Which is better?
Comments
The 300 H & H fires a 180 grain bullet at 2,920.
(Ballistic info is from Cartridges of the World by Amber)
This extra 150 fps favors the Win. Mag.
300 Win. Mag. is more readily available.
300 Win. Mag. can be fired in a shorter action.
All of these points favor the 300 Winchester Magnum. In my opinion
this would be the better of the two.
That said, I have loaded for half a dozen 300 win mags. All of them were finicky as to bullet seating depth and powder charge. Really kind of a pain.
I have also loaded for about the same amount of 300 H&Hs all of them were a dream to load for and shoot. They all like about the same load and seating depth but not a great impact on accuracy. They just shoot.
I am not advocating loading over published data but you can push an H&H in an old model 70 to 300 win mag velocities. If you want to shoot 220 grainers then the H&H is your huckleberry.
Better is subjective, My money is on the H&H[;)]
I have some pet loads that the model 70's and rem 700's really like for excellent accuracy. Very easy to tune and will shoot further than you can see.
Recoil is bad.
Never played with the H&H.
Either is an admirable cartridge for big game hunting or long range target shooting.
The 300 Winchester is a shortened H&H, and requires not quite as long of a bolt stroke. It can be chambered in 30-06 length actions. The H&H cannot do that. The rifles weigh more, and offer less in the external ballistics arena. The 300 WSM, goes on further to prove shorter and fatter is better, as it can do most of the chores that the regular length belted Win. Mag can, but can be chambered in a 308 length action, even lighter yet, and burn less powder doing it, thus extending barrel life.
So, it is entirely up to you. If it were me, and I was buying a Holland & Holland manufactured rifle, it would be in one of their chamberings. Any other rifle, there are much better rounds out there.
Best
I do remember from some articles about reloading the 300 H&H about the case tending to stretch and split; and one time, while at John Durys' Gun Shop in San Antonio, a gentleman came in with a Win M70 which he was concerned about having a tendency to split cases.
quote:Which is better?
I have to agree with the members above, what is meant by 'better'? Better than what at what?
Certainly either cartridge is fully capable of handling all large game on this continent and both have been proven for accuracy in various types of shooting endeavors. I personally don't adhere to printed velocity ranges through older printed material. Major advances in powder and bullet construction put these references out to pasture these days. In essence, the .300 H&H doesn't give up anything to the .300 Win. Mag. insofar as velocity and energy is concerned. Both have access to a huge range of bullet designs, weights and construction.
There are some action which will not accommodate the additional length of the .300 H&H but that can be overcome by gunsmiths who are familiar with magnum conversions which are simple in this situation. This was a common project when we worked with the less expensive Mauser actions but the shooter wanted one of the H&H family in a rifle. Even now we work to increase the limits of short actions when we include the Short Mags in the range of cartridges and bullets for hunting and competitions.
I have built and shot both for hunting and competition including one bullpup model based on the .300 H&H which performed all out of class in a modern benchrest competition. It woke some folks up to the fact that this older cartridge in a non-traditional platform could kick some serious butt.
I have an appreciation for being able to convert .300 H&H to .300 Weatherby by fireforming which I have done when Weatherby brass was unobtainable for a while. This is pointed out above. But with Remington and Winchester refusing to support the reloading industry by shutting down the manufacturing of component brass cases, we lose this ability. Most of us are now forced to buy the premium brass from manufactures like Norma, Lapua, RWS and Horneber. Hornady is trying to fill the gap abandoned by Winchester and Remington but it takes time and a bunch of money to get a new line of cases going.
If nostalgia plays a role in your choice then you have no choice but to go with the H&H and an appropriate platform. I think the H&H has a push rather than a sharp smack attributed to the .300 Win. Mag. I know, you can download the Winchester but that defeats the purpose.
I hunt with the H&H now and I shoot long range range benchrest with the .300 Win. Mag.
Best.
Which is better?
Any intelligent answer will depend precisely upon WHAT the intended purpose is.
We'll wait.