Why is the 300wm so popular

AJC1 said:

How many guys have 300wm and never have a shot over 250.... having a dragster to get groceries is not exactly efficient or cheap.

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Having used a friends drag Civic for exactly that ......your right....its not.....but it sure is fun!



...top fuel dragster might not be as much fun......who knows tho haven't tried it yet.

AJC1 said:

How many guys have 300wm and never have a shot over 250.... having a dragster to get groceries is not exactly efficient or cheap.

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I can’t speak as to why other folks like chocolate ice cream. But I know why I do.

Out here where elk can be taken from 30 yards, to 700 yards, flat-shooting magnums are popular, as are the latest "cool" calibers such as the 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, and 30 PRC.

My brother is an avid hunter and HAS to have the latest and greatest caliber. He went from the .30-06 to the .300 WM, then the .300 WSM, then the 6.5 PRC, to now the 30 PRC.

He's taken animals with all of them yet still finds some reason to move on to the next one.

I hunted for 20 years with a .30-06, then was was given a .30-06 Ackley Improved by my dad. He did load development that pushes a 180 grain bullet to 3000 fps. It's 2-3 grains over max load listed and uses a bullet you can't buy anymore, IIRC. I load it to more sane 2800 fps levels.

That is now my "big medicine" rifle and the .308 Ruger Predator rifle is my everything else rifle.

My brother has a ballistic table taped onto his stock so he can calculate shots out to 700 yards or so. Yet the elk he took a couple of years ago was point shot at 30 yards when it ran by him...

Im not much of a hunter but I can tell you that for longer range shooting the 300WM is far better than the 308. Last time I went out to a mile I found the 300 shooting 220 grain handloads easier to get on target at a mile than the 308 shooting 175 grain handloads at 1100 yards. Not to mention the wind drift benefits.

AJC1 said:

That is a valid answer but I propose that is far from common. The proposal is not that the 300wm is not more capable. The question is why is it so popular when its real capabilities are almost never realized.

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Because.......

I know more guys that shoot 300s than 30-06s for no real reason than just because

“One rifle to rule them all” and still remain within the bounds of being tactipoor, I suppose.

Years ago I was influenced by friends with belted magnums and finally in 2004 I decided to get a "big 300". Did a lot of research and narrowed it down to either a 300 Win Mag or a 300 WSM. Almost got a 300 WM but someone beat me to it. Then I found a new Savage in 300 WSM at a good price ( FFL holder that was retiring and selling everything). I like the 300 WSM a lot but over the years the 300 WM is still going strong because it's a good round with a good following. Heck; they're both good, and IIRC the 300 WM has a bit more powder capacity although they are both still in the same ball park ballistics wise. In that performance range either one would be a good choice. Both are a step up from the .308 / .30-06 class and lots of guys just want something with the word "Magnum" in its name.

AJC1 said:

I shoot a lot of calibers and am always on the hunt for ammunition. I seem to run across 300wm often an think who really shoots that. Is there something that 300wm is doing that 308 isnt????

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Killing big and thin skinned dangerous game with authority.

AJC1 said:

That is a valid answer but I propose that is far from common. The proposal is not that the 300wm is not more capable. The question is why is it so popular when its real capabilities are almost never realized.

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It might not be realized often where you are buy out west here it's extra abilities are utilized often. Big game hunting can often be at longer ranges. A lot of hunters really like the extra velocity, bullet weight, and wind bucking ability the 300 provides over a 308 when shooting large elk at ranges over 400 yards.

The Glockodile said:

tactipoor

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That’s a new one on me.

Hugger-4641 said:

Well, I guess I resisted being a man for 30+ years. Glad I'm finally a man now.

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I see you ignored the first two lines of my post and concentrated on the last. No doubt a psychiatrist would make a great deal of that.

Oh, congratulations on finally being a 'man'.

Archie said:

I see you ignored the first two lines of my post and concentrated on the last. No doubt a psychiatrist would make a great deal of that.

Oh, congratulations on finally being a 'man'.

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I see you ignored the laugh emoji at the end of my post, as well as my prior posts. My Psychiatrist has much bigger problems with me to deal with
Seriously though, I actually agreed with your statement and was making humor from the fact that I used to resist the 300 because all the macho men were using it, and then I finally got one.

Now days if I just added a man bun and big hoops in my ears I'd be a man's man.

I have a 300WM which I got as part of a trade for a Colt Python. Anyhoo...the intent was to turn it around and sell it but I decided to see what all the hoopla was. I'm not a big guy...200lbs...but I've shot a lot of rifles through the years either hunting or in competition(High Power/Palma) so I was curious. I worked up some loads with it but found it no more accurate than my .308, 7mm-08 or .280. Just pounded me more. Personally I won't ever need the extra "power"(animals don't die due to energy though) as I've been very successful at getting within 400yds of virtually any big game animal I've ever taken. I find that there are many hunters who have a mis perception of the ranges they'll be realistically be hunting at. The idea that IF you go out west you should expect a 500yd shot is NOT realistic. Having lived and hunted in Wyoming, I never shot at anything over 450 yards...and even that was simply because it was a last day/last light hunt. Realistically, so long as you can push your _________(insert any reasonable hunting caliber) round ACCURATELY out to 400yards you'll be just fine.

Oh, I actually talked a gentleman OUT of buying one at the local Gander Mountain a few years ago. I saw him looking at 30-06 ammo and didn't think much about it. Then the salesman asked if he could help. The man replied "I'm heading out to Colorado for a guided Elk hunt and need some rounds for my 30-06". The salesman says "Oh, that's much too small for an Elk...you should buy a new rifle like THIS (hands him a new .300WM). He gave him all sorts of numbers and my blood pressure was increasing by the minute as I "dipped" into what was being said. About 5 min into his spiel, he was called to the back room. Now was my chance. I sprung into action!lol! I walked over a casually said "I heard what that guy said and it's mostly all worthless info. I lived out there and have hunted Elk for 30 years. If it weren't for a 30-06, a .270 and years ago...the 30/30...the entire state would be overrun with them. Keep your -06, buy some new 180 grain rounds, go practice and hunt with confidence...your rifle is more than adequate". He thanked me, put the rifle back, asked which box of ammo I'd recommend...I pointed to some of the Federal Premium and he grabbed 3 boxes thanked me again and headed to the checkout!lol!

Hugger-4641 said:

I see you ignored the laugh emoji at the end of my post, as well as my prior posts. My Psychiatrist has much bigger problems with me to deal with
Seriously though, I actually agreed with your statement and was making humor from the fact that I used to resist the 300 because all the macho men were using it, and then I finally got one.

Now days if I just added a man bun and big hoops in my ears I'd be a man's man.

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You would have to shoot a Creedmoor...... And also wear very tight shirts......

Aletheia said:

The level of recoil it produces is more than I enjoy, so it gets less "fun shooting" than other cartridges, but if I'm thinking I want to drop a moose or elk (never shot it at a grizzly, likely won't ever, but wouldn't hesitate) and do it decisively and with no complications, or perhaps there is no snow yet and I want a good blood trail, that is the one I like to carry.

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I bought one for a Moose hunt, worked up loads with the 200 Partition, but even with those the recoil was no more than the average .30-06. Reason? Stock design. It had a McMillan stock on it, and the thicker wrist, palm swell, and Kick-eez pad made it very tolerable to shoot. So did my Dad's Sako .300 Win. Mag. he bought for that hunt. It of course had a palm swell and with a Pachmyr Decelerator, it was almost as pleasant to shoot as mine.
I shot a friend's Rem. 700 Win. Mag. , and while it was very accurate, I kept my round count to four. The target was a spray painted circle on a car hood leaned against a fence lasered at 960 yards. I was on the hood with all four (even the owner wasn't) and in the circle with the third and fourth. That is the longest I've ever shot, and each round of that four was painful, as the synthetic stock had a thin wrist, narrow pad, and I was shooting from a bench.

AJC1 said:

Wow that's a monster

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His last elk was a little smaller, but still a nice bull. It was taken at around 200 yards...

No idea what folks are talking about when they say recoil is bad in a 300WM. Borrowed one on my first elk hunt, never felt the recoil at all.

But my 30-06 is plenty for my old self, figuring elk out to 300 is fine (my goal is elk at under 100), deer (if I ever draw a tag) is well addressed, as is pronghorn. I can shoot my '06 a lot in a trip to the range, but I figure anything more mighty is just not going to be fun.

It might not be a bad choice for the guy that dreams of a big game hunting trip & wants to be prepared for anything. If an airline ticket & passport are in your hunting plans, what's a few more bucks for ammo? It kinda makes sense. I personally dislike the short neck for the long heavy bullets that make it do its thing.

I got my 300wm sighted in for 300 yards. I am going to be hunting a more open area this year for elk so I will be going to the 600 yard range. Never had to trail an animal I have shot with it.
i guess I am a MAN ! LOL

I knew a guy that use to hunt with us when I was a teenager. He had a 30-06 and upgraded to a 300 WM because he thought he wouldn't lose as many deer because of substandard shots. He was wrong.

I have a 300 Wby but in hindsight I wish I would have gone with a 300 WM. Cheaper ammo and easier to find (before last year).

david58 said:

No idea what folks are talking about when they say recoil is bad in a 300WM. Borrowed one on my first Elk hunt

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I would agree that my two examples of 300wm are pretty tame. One is a few years old, Rem 700 Long Range, heavy barrel with factory muzzle brake. The other is a new X-bolt Long Range Pro, which also has a factory brake. Neither of them kick any worse than my 30-06. My buddy's Mossberg 300wm kicks like a mule.