270 WSM or 300 WSM light weight long range build

[Justin Crossley]

6.5 mm saum.

 

[Shrek]

Ryan , I'm not sure. I will not be able to feed the 180's without stuffing them too far into the case so I haven't researched it. In a long action I would guess 2950 to 3000 depending on the barrel and how hard you want to work the brass. When my new tractor stops soaking every last drop of cash out of my wallet I'll try and find out.

 

[Shrek]

The first was a Kimber Montana...Sent it back to Kimber, they ground the feed ramp, but while doing it took a bite out of the rail, causing it to jam when riding the bolt forward. You can see the notch on the right rail right at the bottom of the ramp.

The other was a Remington Alaskan TI 700.

Stid2677 , the factory did that hack job on your Kimber Montana ? I did better work on my 10/22 Ruger when I was 13 years old . Imo Kimber owes you an action and an apology. I keep hearing how bad Kimber customer service is but pictures like that make me believe the stories.

 

[Colo4x4XJ]

If you want to shoot the heavier bullets then I would go with the 300 WSM. I have had the best luck with 140 GR Accubonds and RL22 out of the 270WSM. After practicing and handloading a bunch I have zero issues taking a shot on a bull out to 550 pending the conditions. Ive been playing with the new Accubond LRs lately and with a BC around .600 my effective range might increase

 

[Tanner]

It's all about the bullets, and always has been.

My affinity for 270 WSM's doesn't make a lot of sense, because I love A-Maxes and they don't exist in .277". But, with the intro of .277" ABLRs, and the 165 Matrix already out, it makes some sense. I had a Kimber MT 270 WSM that shot pretty well out to about 600.

If I was limiting myself to a 270 or 300 WSM and wanted the rig to be light, I'd probably opt 270. To me, it's quite a bit more shootable in a 7lb package. But, as Luke Moffat stated, go 7mm WSM if you've got the opportunity. 162 A-Maxes and 168 Bergers are what I've shot the most of in a 280 Rem and 2 7mm Rem Mags, and they are positively wicked pills. I prefer the 162 of the two.

In a backpacking weight rifle, you're going to get the most for the least out of 7's and 6.5's.

And, as another poster mentioned, make sure you build on an action that will provide suitable COAL latitude. If the internal box doesn't provide at LEAST 2.88" of latitude, I wouldn't even bother. You're going to want to be able to chase the lands and get some of the slicker bullets close to them in order to get 'em stacking up. The 2.83" that a Remmy 700 SA provides is just simply not enough. There's always the option of sticking a Wyatt's box or a DBM in, but that involves modifying the box mortise and possibly screwing the pooch on feeding.

In my opinion, a Kimber Montana 8400 or Tikka T3 Lite is the easiest way around the mountain.

Tanner

 

[elkeaterco]

Thanks for all the awesome info. Lots to think about and research. The 7mm wsm is very appealing and might be the best in the short mags from what I can gather. Thankfully there is plenty of time before the seasons start. Maybe not. Does anyone shoot a 7mm wsm? If so, what's your favorite load for big game? Does a specific brand shoot better and load easy?

 

[xxxarcher]

Here is a drop chart for my 300 WSM with 190 vld's going 3056fps. As far as your questions on feeding issues the 700's that I've seen don't feed all that well. I had a center feed magazine installed and it works perfectly but I can only put 2 rounds in it. The Brownings that I've played with seem to feed good.

 

[Stid2677]

Stid2677 , the factory did that hack job on your Kimber Montana ? I did better work on my 10/22 Ruger when I was 13 years old . Imo Kimber owes you an action and an apology. I keep hearing how bad Kimber customer service is but pictures like that make me believe the stories.

Yes they did. and yes they had the dealer take it back. I stayed away from them for a long time, until the Mountain Ascents came out and both of the ones I bought are shooters.

 

[elkeaterco]

http://www.chuckhawks.com/short_magnums.htm

Interesting read

 

[jpolson]

Interesting on the Kimber feeding problem...I run a 300 WSM Montana and have no feeding issues. I can run the bolt quickly with no problems. I have heard of people having problems with them, but I love that rifle. I have only had it for a couple years, but 300 wsm appears to drop animals in their tracks.

 

[Shrek]

I have the 7mm wsm and love it . I'm running 168gr berger classic in a Winchester ss classic action and I have no feeding problems. That said , if you want to run a 7mm wsm you need to start looking for brass now. One of the main reasons I want to go to a 7mm-300 wsm is that 300 wsm brass is more common and available in norma brass which is pretty darn good brass , second only to lapua brass. The case of the 7mm wsm is different from the 300 wsm so you can't just neck down 300 wsm brass ,it takes true fire forming to form 7mm wsm from 300 wsm but 7mm-300 wsm is just a neck down and then a neck turn. I couldn't recommend the 7mm wsm to casual shooter/loader because of the scarcity of brass and the difficulty of forming it from 300 wsm brass. I'd go with a 300 wsm unless you are truly dedicated to the 7mm wsm.

Btw , imo Chuck Hawks cup of knowledge is 3/4 full as usual but is presented as overflowing and being filled by the Mississippi River of knowledge. Not a fan.

 

[Rent Outdoor Gear]

If you're really going to hunt elk with this thing, I would recommend the 300 over the 270. The 284 would be more versatile option too with a lot of good LR bullet choices.

Just going to see better results on the business end with larger caliber on elk. Seen, read, and heard plenty of first had knowledge that leads me to believe 7mm and larger are better suited for elk sized game.

DC

 

[Jager]

Nice Bou btw Stid, very nice.

 

[elkeaterco]

I have the 7mm wsm and love it . I'm running 168gr berger classic in a Winchester ss classic action and I have no feeding problems. That said , if you want to run a 7mm wsm you need to start looking for brass now. One of the main reasons I want to go to a 7mm-300 wsm is that 300 wsm brass is more common and available in norma brass which is pretty darn good brass , second only to lapua brass. The case of the 7mm wsm is different from the 300 wsm so you can't just neck down 300 wsm brass ,it takes true fire forming to form 7mm wsm from 300 wsm but 7mm-300 wsm is just a neck down and then a neck turn. I couldn't recommend the 7mm wsm to casual shooter/loader because of the scarcity of brass and the difficulty of forming it from 300 wsm brass. I'd go with a 300 wsm unless you are truly dedicated to the 7mm wsm.
Btw , imo Chuck Hawks cup of knowledge is 3/4 full as usual but is presented as overflowing and being filled by the Mississippi River of knowledge. Not a fan.

That's good to know about Chuck Hawks...where do you research from?

 

[Stid2677]

Glad I bought and used my 325wsm before I read Chuck's article, I can tell you he is WRONG on what he says about recoil, the recoil of a 338WM is way worst and the recoil on the several 325WSMs I have used is very manageable, I'm able to stay in the scope.

I have just a bit of experience with mine.

http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com...Winchester-Model-70-Extreme-Weather-SS-325WSM

 

[Shrek]

I find that all the short magnums have relatively mild precieved recoil. I read one theory on this that says that the primer fire reaches the bottom of the bullet and starts it moving instead of a powder dam at the neck that has to burn through then more sharply starts the bullet. All I know for sure is that I can get down on the bench behind my 7mm wsm with a max charge of retumbo behind a 168gr berger classic and shoot all day if I could afford it without any ill effects. I can not do the same with a similar 7mm rem mag.
Answering the question of where to find reliable information I look to accurateshooter.com , Longrangehunting online , and a few other places. If you spend the time to figure out who knows what then you can get access to some phenomenally talented people. Like any online community there are going to be a lot of Chuck Hawks wannabes but it's not too hard to weed through them. Chuck Hawks knows a little about a lot. Some of his stuff is spot on and some stuff like him talking about the 325 wsm being vicious and such is him talking out his a**. There is nothing like trying to learn to shoot long range to give you insight it what is fluff and what is solid intel. I always want to know the why behind what works. Once you start learning the whys then you start to see the big picture. I'm no expert on long range shooting and know just enough to recognize my limits. I try to relate my experiences without too much personal prejudice.

 

[Shrek]

MJ , what powder and barrel lenght are you running ? Which action ?

 

[KMD]

6.5 mm saum.

yep...

 

[elkeaterco]

Who hand loads the 300 WSM? And what loads work the best , fps, bullets, ect... I'm curious if the 210VLD shoots well out of the case. I know it'll be a longer round but it looks like a top performer for long range.