I plan on buying a light weight rifle and a Kimber 84M is my pick. I already own a 700 SST/SYN in .338wm, so which of the top end WSMs makes the most sense as a do all caliber? the 7mm, 300, or the 323? I am leaning towards the .300wsm as it can obtain an honest 2800fps with 180 grain bullets. Recoil for me is not a factor.

Thanks for any help on this.

Regards,
Art.

I would go with the 300.
A 300 Mag is a great allround caliber for North America.
Especially when you have a 338 Mag for the BIG stuff in the thick.

I would also go with the 300. especially when you already have a 338.

Personally I recon the 7mm WSM would make the perfect combination with your 338wm and gives you a good spread between 284 and 338, plenty of bullets avaliable for it too including some a high BC making it an excellent medium/long range cartridge for big game.

Effectively you would have 7mm Rem mag performance in a slightly lighter package.

Well, I would just say that the 325 aint it. In that Kimber? Gosh.....just pick one. I like just about anything .284 though.

My vote goes to the 7mm WSM as well. I won't argue S.D. this or B.C. that over a .308 pill, but .284's are just damn sexy. Not to mention the bullet weight ranges of .284's and .338's (100-175 & 160-300) just seem to fit well.

I find "best calibre" questions on these forums to sometimes be flashpoints for some rather heated debates so I normally don't reply. However, lately there have nbeen questions on the WSM's that I feel competent to give an opinion. I really like the 7WSM and have had reaaly good results with it at the range. It would be my recommendation. But, I think the short magnum concept to be sound and all the current calibres are good choices.

Art, I like the 300 WSM best. It uses the exact same powders as your 338 WM (my favorite is H4350 for both) but I'll add it gets an honest 2,950 with 180's from a 24" barrel (not 2,800).

If your looking for a cartridge that will compliment your .338, then I would go with the 270 WSM.

If you are looking for the best all-around WSM, I would go with the 300 WSM.

If you are going to reload, try RL 19.

I agree with Peakebrook on all counts.

If you were going to have just one rifle, I would say get the 300wsm. However, if you already have a .338, what's the point of having a .300wsm? Go for the 270wsm and enjoy a flatter shooting round for sheep, goats, deer and so on up to elk. When you go after larger animals, you're going to want the .338 anyway.

When I was considering such questions myself, I ran the numbers and realized that the 140gr Accubond from the 270wsm delivers 90% of the energy of the 180gr Accubond in 300wsm (or WM) at 400 yards. As far as I'm concerned, a 10% difference is meaningless in the field, so in practical terms the three WSMs are redundant for any game up to and including elk. If you want to hunt anything larger than that and you want to have a meaningful increase in thump, you have to move up to at least a .338.

My two cents.

I agree with the 270 WSM recommendations. I have both the 300 and 270 WSM's and find myself using the 270 WSM far more frequently. Very accurate and a pleasure to shoot.

I add another vote for the 270WSM, a very nice compliment cartridge to the 338.

I see a lot of replies for the 7WSM which may very well be the best all around choice, but I also think it'll be the first one of the WSM's to be dropped for low sales. Since the 7WSM case is dimensionally (SP?) different, if brass get's hard to find this could be a problem. I would pick a .270 or .300 for that reason alone.

My pick would be the .300, how could you go wrong with any .308 round?

Terry

Another vote for the .270 WSM, great all around deer round. Combined with the .338 WM, make a great two rifle battery for North America. If your mind is set between your three choices, go with the 7WSM.

The .300 WSM is a caliber which was designed to fill a non-existent niche. It WILL NOT duplicate the .300 WM, despite what the gun mags have been selling us. My .300 WM drives a 180 gr TSX at 3150 fps. Yes, in factory loads it comes close. So let's assume you are pushing a 180 gr factory load at 2950 fps. What will this load do that a .30-06 will not?

Go with the .270 WSM (or 7 WSM if you must). Anything larger that needs killing and you will be better served by using your .338 WM.

Get the .270 WSM! Why would you want a 300 WSM? I have an 30-06 that can do over 2800fps with 180's, and a 300 Weatherby that can do over 3200fps with 180's

The 300 WSM is the best of the group, you can also do way better then 2800 from a 180 gr bullet. I choose to shoot 168 gr TSZ bullets form mine andd chronograh just over 3100 fps formthe 23 inch barrelled Browning, I would get close to 3000 from the 180.

quote:

Originally posted by Brad:
Art, I like the 300 WSM best. It uses the exact same powders as your 338 WM (my favorite is H4350 for both) but I'll add it gets an honest 2,950 with 180's from a 24" barrel (not 2,800).

2955 average with 65 grains of H4350 in mine...

Magpro gets you close to 3050.

If I had to do it again, I'd probably get a 270WSM since I normally shot WT deer and feral hogs. Since you already have a 338, go smaller.

What's your primary game intent with this rifle?

quote:

so which of the top end WSMs makes the most sense as a do all caliber? the 7mm, 300, or the 323? I am leaning towards the .300wsm as it can obtain an honest 2800fps with 180 grain bullets. Recoil for me is not a factor.

While I might try to make my 270 WSM do it all you say recoil is not a factor.

So get the 300 WSM.

I have a 7mm WSM and it seems as if the cartridge is going to fade out. I need to stock up on it's oddball brass.

I really don't see that the 270 WSM is enough of an improvement over the standard 270 because when it's all said and done it's still a 27 caliber which says "deer sized game." I frankly think the best two cartridge pairing for NA is the standard 270 Win and 338 WM (I used that battery for a number of years, both with 22" bbl's).

I will agree the 300 WSM is a bit redundant for a pairing with the 338. For a one-rifle-NA-rifle the 300 WSM would be hard to beat and would relegate the 338 to back-up status. I like keeping things simple and tend to pick cartridges based one one powder... for me that's H4350. It works great in the 243, 270, 30-06, 300 WSM and 338 WM, etc.

I know some will say the 300 WSM isn't enough over the 30-06. However, I've become fond of the Barnes TSX. The 30-06 has enough velocity with the 168 or 180 to open them nicely at to 400-450 yards. The 300 WSM will open them well out around 500-550 yards or a bit beyond. For me that gives the 300 WSM an advantage here in MT where ranges can get long... at least with the TSX!

The standard 270win and 338 win is a good combo, but you could just get a 300 Weatherby instead

I selected the 270 WSM to get the Kimber 8400 Monanta rifle. I wanted it's features that include a state of the art stock, pillar bedded, SS metal and a weight of only six pounds. Not only that but I have a flat shooting magnum that gets about all there is out of the .277 bullets without excessive recoil. Another benefit is that I have a rimless, non belted, round to handload.

So for me the 270 WSM is optimum for the size game it's suited for at long range and that includes some coyotes that might we far away.

This rifle/cartridge combo has gestalt. Other similar cartridges would be good too.

None of the above, get a 6.5/284.

Seriously, I would say the 7mm if you are a handloader. As long as there is 300 wsm brass available you wont have to worry about components, and it would compliment your 338 better than the 300 IMHO.If you do not handload though your probably better off with the 300.

I personally consider the 270 wsm to be inferior to the 270 win.

quote:

the .300wsm as it can obtain an honest 2800fps with 180 grain bullets.

One can do that with a .30-06....guaranteed.

I'm not a WSM fan but if I was to get one it'd be the 7MM.

I would go with the 7mm over the 270 just because of bullets. If you needed a rifle the 300 would be the choice. Since you have a 338WM I would go with the the 7mm and shoot 140s.

7 mm because of bullet selection.
Oh yeah and because I cant stand .27 caliber. Too many friends and co-workers running their mouths. 270 this and 270 that. Blahdy blahdy friggin blah blah.

Oops, sorry. Forgot 270 wasnt one of your choices. Must have picked it up somewhere along the thread.

Thanks to all for their input so far. I am quite impressed as the responce has been quit a bit more than I hoped for.

To answer the question, my primary use of this rifle would be first and formost for back pack hunts, most likely for elk, but hunts none the less where every pound saved is one less pound to wear me out.

The fact it would be used for elk is why I am leaning toward the .300wsm as there are the greatest no# of premium bullets in .308 and I can get a 180 grain bullet at over 2900fps (I stand corrected thank you) and given the performance of todays premium bullets, a 180 grain .308 bullet going 2900fps should dispatch the largest bull on the mountain post haist, that is if I put it where it belongs, even if that bullet should incounter a major bone mass prior to entering the elk vitals.