Off the shelf, I'd pick a .300 Winchester Magnum. Plenty of gun for any hunting I do, and I can walk in to any of our gun shops around here and choose pretty much any model I want, odds are it's available in .300WM. Lots of ammo out there, too, good load data and it's not a bad shoot in an average 8.5 pound rifle for me. I could shoot one comfortably off of a bench, whereas a faster .300 like the RUM or .30-378 or Warbird might be a little too heavy for me and could adversely affect my shooting.

It seems to be the most well-suited for me with some 200grain partitions out front.

Although I wouldn't pass up a good H&H in a Safari-style rifle.

.300 RUM. I figured in buying my first .30 magnum, I was going to make it a MAGNUM. I have loaded some hot 30-06 loads(safe for my rifle) that can come pretty close to .300 Win mag performance(I said close not equal), but they can't come close to the RUM. MAny will say 200-300 ft. per second is nothing, but isn't that why you buy a magnum in the first place?

Gotta go with Frank on this one... a 180 at 3,000 fps is what a "Magnum" 30 cal is all about. Which brass cylinder launches it to that velocity is essentially irrelevant. My own choice is the 300 WSM because I prefer short actions and lighter rifles.

BA

I have a 7mm Rem Mag and a 375 H&H so my "magnum" bases are well covered by two very versitile cartridges IMHO. I don't own a .30 magnum, heck I don't even own a .30-06 (oh, the heresy ). If I did per chance find that I could not live without a .30 mag, I would choose a .300 Weatherby.

TC1
I agree with you. I was using remmington factory loads, 165 grains I believe(300 RSAUM), the 300 win was a loaner from my PH so I don't know the pedigree of that round. I was shocked to see the magnitude of the damage done. I may switch to handloading. On the other hand the doe pushed itself along the ground for about 10 yards into some bushes where it expired. The blood track looked like it was laid on with a paint brush, easiest tracking I've ever done. Still I have decided to stick with my 7X57 for whitetail sized game.
I am interested in the 300 H&H. I might try to trade a 300 Win in on one if I can find one. I'd love to go back to Africa with a 300 H&H and a 375 H&H.

I must be doing something drastically wrong, because in some twenty-six years of loading belted magnums, I've never had a problem getting belted cases to shoot well if the rifle was fundamentally sound (mechanically) to begin with. I haven't found that belted cases are any harder to achieve fine accuracy with than unbelted cases.



AD

I shoot a .300 Jarrett, launching 200 gr accubonds at 2980 fps. Good cartridge, but overkill for the ranges at which I usually end up shooting elk. I have a Kimber in .300 WSM on the way.

I have never shot a .300 RUM without a muzzlebrake but I can tell you that my recoil is somewhere in the 30-06 - 7mm Rem Mag range.

pre 64 Model 70 .300 H&H 3x9 Leupold 26 barrel

Shame the 308 Norma Magnum is not listed, as it is my candidate for the best all round 30 cal magnum. I have a classic custom FN M98 308 Norma Mag:



I've been doing some load development recently as I have been inactive for some time.

In Australia the most commonly available powder is produced by Australian Defence Industry (ADI). Many of these powders are exported to the US and repackage and sold as Hodgson powder (see http://www.adi-limited.com/handloaders-guide/equivalents.asp ). So US members won't be totally unfamiliar with these powders.

I settled on AR2213SC (equivalent to Hod 4831) for a number of reasons. It seemed to give better shot-to-shot consistency in 308NM, gave equivalent velocity to AR2217 but with some fewer grains (my Scottish ancestry coming to the fore no doubt), at the time I had no AR2217 and finally a local (Oz) shooting writer (Nick Harvey) who had a 308NM listed loads with this powder that seemed replicate Norma factory ballistics (and I liked the numbers, 180 gr @ 3,100 fps).

I started well below the ADI book maximum of 73 grs (see http://www.adi-limited.com/handloaders-guide/rifle.asp ) and worked up to the maximum. Chronographing the 73 gr load I was disappointed to see that the average velocity was barely 3,000 fps but yet encouraged that there did not seem to be signs of excessive pressure. I then decided to work up (past the ADI maximum) to Nick Harvey's load pet load of 75grs in � gr increments, watching carefully for signs of pressure. I shot these a week ago last Friday with the following results:

73.0gr - ave 2,946 fps 2�" 3 shot group @ 100 yds
73.5gr - ave 2,993 fps 3" 3 shot group @ 100 yds
74.0gr - ave 3,024 fps group too big
74.5gr - ave 3,078 fps 1�" 3 shot group @ 100 yds
75.0gr - ave 3,105 fps 1�" 3 shot group @ 100 yds

The last load seemed warm but seemed safe enough in my rifle. I was happy with this as it gave the numbers I was looking for, at this stage I was loading to velocity not accuracy but I happy with the 1�" for a first try and felt that I could do better with practice. I even thought I could probably stoke another � or perhaps 1 gr of AR2213SC in this rifle to get even more velocity. By the performance of these loads, perhaps another 80 odd fps. That'll give around 3,180-3,200 fps (getting near 300 Wby velocities, see http://www.reloadersnest.com/query_bw.asp?CaliberID=65&BulletWeight=180&offset=0 but out of a 24" barrel).

Yesterday, I had another range session. Rather than upping the load, at this stage I decided do some more work with the 75gr load. This produced a 3 shot group of just under 1" @ 100 yards and confirmed the velocity for the previous week by getting an ave of 3,103 fps. The bullets used throughout were Hornady 180gr SP BT with a BC 0.452 stock no 3072.

This is a real shooter and the load is a flat shooting, long range hard hitter. With a 300 yard zero it is 9" low @ 400 yds, 25" low @ 500 yards and on deer size animal a hold dead on out to 350 yds will secure the trophy. I think I'll stay with the 75gr load as another 100 fps (if that is achievable) will still be 23" low @ 500 yards and yield less than an additional 150flbs at that range.

I intend to do a lot more practice with this load/rifle and feel confident that, as I get used to it, smaller groups a quite achievable. I like all my hunting rifles to be tack drivers.

I know we all have our favourite big game rifles (for Elgin Gates it was his 300 Wby custom and he used it all over the world, in many cases where it was definitely too much gun for the animal but he still brought his trophy home) but I think this, now lamentably fairly obscure and almost wildcat, calibre has to be one the greatest general big game cartridges ever developed. And in my custom rifle even with full loads like these it is still a sweet thing to shoot.

Magnum

My .300 Win mag is a 31 year old Model 70 Winchester post 64 that has never seen a gunsmith and will put 180 grain North Forks or Nosler Partitions in one hole at 3100 fps when I do my part. It has taken many Deer East and West, many Elk, a 91/2 ft. Brown Bear, 14 Caribou and is still ticking. I now shoot many other rifles larger and smaller but this old standby will always have a home in my safe. Good shooting.

Bob



Would agree a bench gun in 6 X 47 Vs 6mm PPC is a difference in thous or hundreths. It would also be interesting see 100 222s lined up against 100 PPCs.



My own personal experience on bench guns with Short Vs Long has was the 6mm/06 Vs the 6mm/284 and with 1 in 12 twists. I found the 6mm/06 was slighly better. But of course that could have been related to the reamer, poweder suitability etc.



We have two match grade barrel makers in Australia and one of them feels at 100 yards the 222 will beat either the 22 or 6mm PPC.



The point being the differences are extremely small.



As to feeding, I have no doubt that your SAUM feeds fine. However, a longer and smaller diameter cartridge must feed better if all else is equal...quite simply the angle it leaves the magazine is not as great...and of course that is why centre line feed vertical stack will always be smoother than staggered magazine in equal quality rifles.



I find it difficuolt to believe the smaller case of the SAUM and WSM will equal the velocity of the 300 Win. There is a poster on AR called Bob338 and he is Bob T on HA who did extensive testing on the 338 Win and 338 WSSM and as I remember the 338 Win was slightly quicker and the extra speed was in line with the slighly bigger case.



As to the shorter action I am not so sure that is better. Imagine for a moment an action only 2 inches long or an action an inch long. Might be some problems. I suspect the normal short action is adequate.



Mike

Shadow, your's was a very good response, the kind we need more of around here.

AD

Actually mine is a plain old 30/06 load with H 4831 SC.

Equals the old 300 H & H any day.

For reduced loads, I love the 300 WSM and then the 300 Win Mag. The WSM responds better to Blue Dot reduced loads than does the 300 Win Mag.

But the 300 H & H does have history and with a 220 grain round nose in her, just looks classic.!

cheers
seafire

Whats a magnum? How about the 30 Gibbs? Does that qualify? Pretty much the same thing as a SAUM in a different package without the moniker. Either one of those two would suit me.

my buddy won a 300 RUM last spring at a banquet, he is like me just not a magnum sort of guy, does anyone know what the recoil is like on the 300RUM, how would it compare to a 30-06, it sure looks like a round that burns off a half pound a powder per shot

For thirty one years, one 300 WBY is all I needed for a 30cal. magnum. Others need not apply .

Hog Killer