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Do I need a 300 Winchester Magnum

Related to the intended use question is how does what you have now NOT do what you intend? The .30-06 can be loaded nicely hot with modern bullets and powders to do a lot of what the Win Mag does. The decision should be made based on problems or limitations actually encountered.

I didn't see the 30-06, a round my brother in law tells me is altogether diff than the Winchester 30 I have...... At 70, there are too many things I don't see. But I keeps on trying.
 
Related to the intended use question is how does what you have now NOT do what you intend? The .30-06 can be loaded nicely hot with modern bullets and powders to do a lot of what the Win Mag does. The decision should be made based on problems or limitations actually encountered.

It is a little tougher to get out to 1200 yards with a two groove barrel and a 2.5x Weaver scope. It was fine for man size targets around 1943 because it's what they had.... But now...
 
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The .300 Win Mag is still the most popular/high demand caliber for the KMW LongSword rifles.

Lately the .300PRC has been getting enough requests to push it into 2nd place at my shop. People can bitch about the belt and complain about it being old but when good ammo is fired through a proper chamber, the old .300 Win Mag is still extremely accurate and carries a lot of energy downrange.

./
 
Everyone should own a 300WM and if they jump on board perhaps quality brass would be plentiful and affordable!
 
The .300 Win Mag is still the most popular/high demand caliber for the KMW LongSword rifles.

Lately the .300PRC has been getting enough requests to push it into 2nd place at my shop. People can bitch about the belt and complain about it being old but when good ammo is fired through a proper chamber, the old .300 Win Mag is still extremely accurate and carries a lot of energy downrange.

./
Yes you need at least 1. With 230 gr Berger Hybrids I'm getting 2916 fps out of 1/9 twist 26" bartlean barrel.
 
You know this has me thinking I could use another 300 WM. Eurooptic I'm on my way there now!
 
Yes. Go get one. I got one recently (TRG 42 300 Win Mag) Great Gun! Great Round. Plan is to go ahead and shoot 300 WM since the 300 PRC is still taking off. Buy the time I burn out the 300 WM barrel, I am hoping the 300 PRC has a lot more choices. Then will switch the barrel to 300 PRC, If not, will continue shooting the 300 WM and enjoy. I use 224 Valkyrie inside 600 yards. 6.5 CM for 600 to 1200. 300 Win Mag from 1200 to 1500 or a mile. Will see. I don't reload, I don't hunt. I just compete. I think this is the highest caliber I would go. Good luck. Enjoy. Be Safe.
 
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Yes but by some magic the prc is supposed to have longer barrel life over the WM. Longer barrel life = less barrel costs = more money to buy more ammo and shoot more.

Plus the whole better factory ammo aspect
Coming from buddies who trained out west with the Hornady ballisticians the .300 PRC is basically a laser gun, but I’ve heard the same from guys testing out the .300 Norma in the MK22. I wish either of those calibers was out before I was invested in .300 WM and ammo in both calibers was more readily available. I have heard however that the .300 PRC is compatible with the .300 WM bolt face which could make for an easy transition once a .300 WM barrel is shot out. Just my .02

p.s. to answer the ops original question yes you need one, I have 2
 
Coming from buddies who trained out west with the Hornady ballisticians the .300 PRC is basically a laser gun, but I’ve heard the same from guys testing out the .300 Norma in the MK22. I wish either of those calibers was out before I was invested in .300 WM and ammo in both calibers was more readily available. I have heard however that the .300 PRC is compatible with the .300 WM bolt face which could make for an easy transition once a .300 WM barrel is shot out. Just my .02

p.s. to answer the ops original question yes you need one, I have 2

What is 300 PRC, about 60-80 FPS faster than 300WM shooting the same bullets? I think it's more about convenience than performance.
 
What is 300 PRC, about 60-80 FPS faster than 300WM shooting the same bullets? I think it's more about convenience than performance.
That’s why I haven’t put thought into changing over, but from what I’ve heard from guys using .300 PRC in training and have used .300 WM down range say it’s lights out better. I’m not sure about the numbers and specifics, just the relayed experience.
 
What is 300 PRC, about 60-80 FPS faster than 300WM shooting the same bullets? I think it's more about convenience than performance.


All depends on the rifle. But ideally yea. My 300WM that got rebarreled with a Benchmark barrel shoots damn nasty! I got two boxes of match PPU ammo loaded with 210 VLD bullets. Was shooting .2 and .3 moa 5 shot groups with every single round! I couldn't believe it. FPS was pushing 2900!!! Labradar was used.
 
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That’s why I haven’t put thought into changing over, but from what I’ve heard from guys using .300 PRC in training and have used .300 WM down range say it’s lights out better. I’m not sure about the numbers and specifics, just the relayed experience.

"Lights out better" can mean different things to different people if 60-80 FPS faster with the same bullet is "lights out better" to your friends then ok. That's why when I talk exterior ballistics I always perfer to talk numbers not opinions.
 
Being able to shoot Core Lokts from Walmart is a huge plus for a regular .300WM. Sort of like the Dishka being able to shoot .50BMG. You'd rather have your handloads, but you're plenty happy to have any ammunition that goes bang at all.
You cannot shoot 50 BMG out of a dshk. I don't care what your friend who says tampons are essential in an IFAK and claims to be a Green Beret told you.
 
You cannot shoot 50 BMG out of a dshk. I don't care what your friend who says tampons are essential in an IFAK and claims to be a Green Beret told you.
No one told me that. I read it somewhere a long time ago, because I’ve thought that was case since the cold war; that their .50 was slightly longer so we couldn’t use their ammo, but theirs would cycle ours...
 
You can't find 300PRC ammo at the gas station........lol.

I think right now you can't find 300PRC ammo anywhere........zip zilch zero........Midway USA had their last 300prc ammo sale out at $2.30/round before the ammo shortage it was $1.66/round.

That's the problem with a caliber that's only supported by one manufacturer especially to a guy that's getting into that caliber because he's wanting to shoot factory ammo. When something like this happens the price shoots out of control and availability is terrible and I'm sure that'll change but it's going to take awhile. Personally if I were getting into 300PRC and were only shooting factory ammo as the OP stated I'd want to stack enough ammo shortly after buying the rifle to burn out my 1st barrel or at least 500 rounds. Used to be for non reloaders I'd tell them to go with 300PRC because 300WM's factory loads weren't as good for long range performance but Federal is now loading 215 Berger Gold Metal Match in 300WM and that narrows that gap considerably.

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Bull-I can find 300 PRC easily here in Albuquerque. I like my 300WM but Just went to the PRC because I’ve been aggravated by the short comings of the WM. The heavier bullets will out perform the lighter bullets meaning more hits at 1k. The WM will work and be cheaper to shoot factory, but it will still be behind the times. The 300 PRC was designed to shoot heavy for caliber bullets. You may not care about that, but I only want to shoot 215 gr bullets or larger without jamming the bullet deep into the case.
 
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Bull-I can find 300 PRC easily here in Albuquerque. I like my 300WM but Just went to the PRC because I’ve been aggravated by the short comings of the WM. The heavier bullets will out perform the lighter bullets meaning more hits at 1k. The WM will work and be cheaper to shoot factory, but it will still be behind the times.

People who don't take the time to read force others to repeat themselves. :rolleyes:

I'm not following you since they both shoot the exact same bullets 300 PRC is only 60 to 80 FPS faster.

Actually Mark and Sam got better velocities from the 300WM wth the ATIPS that video's posted above if you'd like to watch it.

There are some valid reasons to go with 300PRC over 300WM performance is not one of them.
 
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Bull-I can find 300 PRC easily here in Albuquerque. I like my 300WM but Just went to the PRC because I’ve been aggravated by the short comings of the WM. The heavier bullets will out perform the lighter bullets meaning more hits at 1k. The WM will work and be cheaper to shoot factory, but it will still be behind the times. The 300 PRC was designed to shoot heavy for caliber bullets. You may not care about that, but I only want to shoot 215 gr bullets or larger without jamming the bullet deep into the case.

Depends on your chamber. I have a Criterion match barrel on mine and it allows me to seat 225 ELD-M bullets to just shy of 3.700” without jamming. Getting 2860 and could good higher but I’m happy with this load, it’s a hammer.

Mike
 
People who don't take the time to read force others to repeat themselves. :rolleyes:

I'm not following you since they both shoot the exact same bullets 300 PRC is only 60 to 80 FPS faster.

Actually Mark and Sam got better velocities from the 300WM wth the ATIPS that video's posted above if you'd like to watch it.

There are some valid reasons to go with 300PRC over 300WM performance is not one of them.


One of the reasons I ended up getting a 300 PRC is casing. The belted vs a non belted case. And the powder burn from what I'm reading is more complete in a 300 PRC vs a 300 WM. But if someone where to ask me if I would sell my 300 WM or not use it HELL NO!
 
I’ve been aggravated by the short comings of the WM. The heavier bullets will out perform the lighter bullets meaning more hits at 1k. The WM will work and be cheaper to shoot factory, but it will still be behind the times. The 300 PRC was designed to shoot heavy.


Lol.............

 
220 gr projectile or below i'm going to one of my .300 WM. 230 gr i might as well be in my 300 nm. 250 or above im pulling out the 338 nm.
 
Yes

shot-a-doe.jpg
 
Bull-I can find 300 PRC easily here in Albuquerque. I like my 300WM but Just went to the PRC because I’ve been aggravated by the short comings of the WM. The heavier bullets will out perform the lighter bullets meaning more hits at 1k. The WM will work and be cheaper to shoot factory, but it will still be behind the times. The 300 PRC was designed to shoot heavy for caliber bullets. You may not care about that, but I only want to shoot 215 gr bullets or larger without jamming the bullet deep into the case.
Rifles built for 300 PRC are 1/9 twist or 1/8. 300 Win Mag is normally 1/10 twist (Only factory 300 Win Mag with 1/9 twist is Ruger). Berger states their 230 gr hybrid requires 1/9 twist. Wonder if this is the real difference?
 
Rifles built for 300 PRC are 1/9 twist or 1/8. 300 Win Mag is normally 1/10 twist (Only factory 300 Win Mag with 1/9 twist is Ruger). Berger states their 230 gr hybrid requires 1/9 twist. Wonder if this is the real difference?

Are most guys buying factory WM guns or building them? Because you can build a WM with the EXACT same barrel and twist you can build a PRC. Which means I'm not sure it's an issue.

Hell, I have a 308 with a 1:8 barrel. Great shooter
 
We've had 87 posts and I can't find a single mention of a .300 WSM...???? (I'm going to hide behind the couch now to avoid the incoming fire)
 
Yes, in fact you need one for each day of the week. 300wm throated properly is a very high performance combination. 200gr Sierra Matchkings (#2231) going 3000fps works very well out to a mile or so.
EJ
 
Are most guys buying factory WM guns or building them? Because you can build a WM with the EXACT same barrel and twist you can build a PRC. Which means I'm not sure it's an issue.

Hell, I have a 308 with a 1:8 barrel. Great shooter

Yes you can build one with a 1/9 but altitude also has an impact on Gyroscopic stability such as that the 1/10 works well for many.
 
We've had 87 posts and I can't find a single mention of a .300 WSM...???? (I'm going to hide behind the couch now to avoid the incoming fire)


No fire from me haha..... my only thing with the 300wsm is the case capacity, which in turn also limits the bullet types that can be used. The 300wm is what 92-93 case capacity. The 300wsm is 80ish. That can mean a big difference.
 
No fire from me haha..... my only thing with the 300wsm is the case capacity, which in turn also limits the bullet types that can be used. The 300wm is what 92-93 case capacity. The 300wsm is 80ish. That can mean a big difference.
I ran a "what if" on the Hodgdon reloading webpage and with a 200 gr bullet and H4350, the wsm max load is 62.0 gr for 2,792fps and the WM is 64.4 gr for 2,723 fps. This backs up what I've always heard about the wsm being more efficient with a touch less powder due to the shorter, fatter case.

***Full disclosure, I have never reloaded for either of these so I may have just grabbed the absolute dumbest powder/bullet combo possible for that cartridge.
 
I absolutely love my 300WM. Bought it off the px a few months ago and have run a few hundred rounds through it. Its got a 1:9 twist barrel which likes heavier rounds. I started with 185gr berger and was shooting just over 5/8 moa. Jumped up to 200 gr ELDX's and it loves them as shown in attachedpicture. Only thing is it shoots 2 inches below my original zero using 185's. Im going out right now with a few different rifles and a couple hundred rounds to practice. My 300WM is my favorite as seen below. I've since changed the scope and am shooting off of a better bench. On a side note......if i had to do it again I would have chosen a 300 PRC. Still love my 300WM though.
 

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I ran a "what if" on the Hodgdon reloading webpage and with a 200 gr bullet and H4350, the wsm max load is 62.0 gr for 2,792fps and the WM is 64.4 gr for 2,723 fps. This backs up what I've always heard about the wsm being more efficient with a touch less powder due to the shorter, fatter case.

***Full disclosure, I have never reloaded for either of these so I may have just grabbed the absolute dumbest powder/bullet combo possible for that cartridge.


I was shooting some 210 VLD Berger bullets compressed. 85gr of some ball powder I don’t remember haha it’s been a while since than. Out of my 26” tube I was able to get 2900 FPS. I still have the chrono data. .2-.3moa. I don’t know if that would be possible to load in a 300wsm being the VLD’s are really long.

As for what the OP was asking for was is a 300wm worth it? And the basic answer is yes. Reason is ammo of all sorts exists out there for it. Match and hunting ammo. Not that the 300wsm does not have its share of ammo but I have to say the 300wm has the edge over the 300wsm in this case. Here in CA anyways.

Now if reloading was on the table I would have to go 300 PRC.
 
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I absolutely love my 300WM. Bought it off the px a few months ago and have run a few hundred rounds through it. Its got a 1:9 twist barrel which likes heavier rounds. I started with 185gr berger and was shooting just over 5/8 moa. Jumped up to 200 gr ELDX's and it loves them as shown in attachedpicture. Only thing is it shoots 2 inches below my original zero using 185's. Im going out right now with a few different rifles and a couple hundred rounds to practice. My 300WM is my favorite as seen below. I've since changed the scope and am shooting off of a better bench. On a side note......if i had to do it again I would have chosen a 300 PRC. Still love my 300WM though.


You can still get one! Can never have too many rifles! 😂🤙🏼
 
I'm a 6.5 Creedmoor kind of guy, but this thread certainly has my curiosity piqued. Stainless T3x Lites are so cheap in .300 WM and WSM. It would be a hunting rifle only to supplement my T3x Lite 6.5 CM. I really don't need one, but dang...
 
I'm a 6.5 Creedmoor kind of guy, but this thread certainly has my curiosity piqued. Stainless T3x Lites are so cheap in .300 WM and WSM. It would be a hunting rifle only to supplement my T3x Lite 6.5 CM. I really don't need one, but dang...

This is a 300 win mag thread. Belted magnum, better than this kind of belt....
FCC112E3-1879-44E1-B061-5482F22FF48E.jpeg