Sorry if this has been covered before:

Anyone have experience working with the WSM case necked to 338 or 375?

Tim

I think we will be seeing a factory 338 WSM within the next year. There has been speculation that it will differ from the 338-300WSM reamers that are out. Personally I would wait for the factory before I would choose a 338WSM.

Tarbe,

Jim Busha of Heavy Express has developed two lines of cartridges based on the .348 Win necked and teh rim turned off. Winchester knocked off his .300 and named it the .300 WSM. If you visit his web site you can see his other cartridges, among them .338 and .375 versions:

http://www.heavyexpress.com

jim dodd

Jim, actaully Olin didn't "knock-off" the HE line... it's been around since the 1950's as the "Gradle" line of wildcats. A local smith here (Ralph Payne) has been doing the same thing on the 348 Win case since the 1960's... difference is he puts a Weatherby "radius" style shoulder on them. Another local smith (Dave Gentry) developed a SA line on the 404 Jeff case in the 1980's... there's nothing new under the sun.

Brad

Tarbe,

I have a 338-300 WSM done on a re-barreled Rem 700 SF Sendaro. Was a 7mm Mag. Screwed on a 27" Pac-Nor Super Match SS Fluted Hunter Bench profile barrel

Very nice little cartridge. easy to create brass.

Redding makes the dies.

Haven't chronoed what I shoot, but I would expect ~ 3100fps from the following:

Win Brass
180gr Bal Tip
67.8grs H4831SC
Fed 215 Primer

Prints 1/2" - 3/4" consistently.

Will shoot H380, H414, W760, H4831SC to the same point of impact.

In addition to the SA MAgs mentioned above, the "Jamison" SAM Mags look almost identical to the WSMs - the difference being the Jamisons are a few mills longer.

Regards,

Mark

[ 05-26-2002, 16:45: Message edited by: PAWildcatter ]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I've been thinking my next timber gun should be an 8 lb 22" bbl 375 WSM. Not that it would perform in any way noticably different from my 22" bbl H&H...but I've had this H&H for 10 years and the WSM case seems so efficient and...

Tim

Tarbe, I like the WSM line. They're a tad more difficult to get to feed smoothly becuse of their "fat-short-sharp" status. But, once that is overcome, they're very neat and efficient. I have a 300 WSM that I really like (stainless M70, 22" bbl. 180's @ 2,940 ish).

I too am waiting for a 375 WSM or 358 WSM to come out... I'll re-barrel to a 20" carbine.

Ralph Payne's son (I mentioned his line of wildcats above) uses a .375 on their proprietary case for elk... he uses a 24" barrel, I believe, and matches 375 H&H velocities. Theirs is a very "neat" little line-up which possibly feed a touch smoother (?) because of the "venturi" shulder.

A friend at USRAC is pushing Olin for the release of the 338 WSM, and has told me he's also pushing for a 375 WSM. The 375 version is his personal favorite. Apparently Olin is concentrating on the smaller stuff... 257, 6.5's, etc, before they turn their attention to the medium bores. From a sales and marketing standpooint that's probably wise. Still, it leaves us medium bore afficianado's out waiting in the cold!

In the meantime, I'll stay with a 22" bbl'd stainless M70 in 338 Win Mag... the 338 WSM won't hit its velocities and the 338 Win Mag works well in a 22" barrel, so I really can't find any "need" for the 338 WSM as the action is only 2.5 oz's lighter and 5/8" shorter while delivering less performance.

Sorry for the looong post... must be feeling particularly long-winded this morning!

Best Regards,

Brad Amundson

Brad,

I said Winchester knocked off Jim Busha's Heavy Express line because his designs are currently advertised and promoted in at least one national gun magazine. He has a web site as well.

I know about the Gradle designs and some of the other work done on the .348 Winchester case -- one 6mm got good play in Unintended Consequences too. I had heard of the Payne but didn't recall the PMVF type shoulder.

I didn't say the Heavy Express cases were original, but Winchester has put out press releases that assert the .300 WSM is a new design not based on another case.

Since I have borrowed a .450 HESAM from Jim B. for some bullet testing, I guess I look more kindly on his work. He didn't originate the case design, but I think he has done more to spread the design.

And of course the data on his web site is useful for the guys who wonder what the .XYZ WSM would do -- they have only to look at his site and see.

jim dodd

I'm surprised Brad didn't mention the 338WSM which I chambered and shot quite a bit last September. The 225g bullets shot well around 2800 fps, actually the low 2800's. Mine took a very nice elk bull which scored 368. I'm awaiting the factory chambering which is in a state of flux because of the difficulties Olin had with the conflicts in the 270 and 7mm WSM's. I have a new barrel awaiting for chambering to it as quickly as the dimensions have been established by SAAMI.

In fact, the WSM line was developed after Rick Jamison's negotiations fell apart for chambering and producing his Jamison line of cartridges, developed well after the HE and other lines mentioned above. They were shortened and necked down versions of the 404 Jeffrey. Ballistically they are identical to the WSM line. I have two rifles chambered to them in 338. What Olin did was expand the body at the web to near the same dimension as the 348 Winchester and .011" wider than the 404, and rebated the rim off the 404 dimension by .010", which gave them a "totally new case." This avoided copyright infringement with the Jamison line. My guess is the 338WSM will be introduced around the first of next year. It's been worked on by Olin who, because of the problems of conflicts in the 270/7mm, decided to shorten the body from the 300WSM dimension. After losing too much velocity they shelved the project waiting for their other conflict to resolve. As the 7mmWSM's will be produced in July, I'd expect work and completion of the 338 shortly thereafter.

Bob, as you know (and share) my concern is that Olin will move the shoulder back on the 338 WSM to make the 225's ogive work in relation to the lands on the Browning A-bolt... Obviously if they do that it'll sort of limit the usefulness of the 338 WSM over the grand old 338 WIn Mag... in which case I'd be more interested in a WSM medium bore that will work in a 20" barrel. Obviously if they use the "original" 338 WSM dimensions (for which your rifle is built) it would give up nothing in relation to the standard 338 WIn Mag... in which case I'd be interested... again!

Brad