I started a thread here several weeks back regarding the 300 WSM and my initial findings. My thoughts mainly centered around the rifle's accuracy and velocity. My rifle is a stainless Model 70.
I used it in the fall to take a smallish Muley buck, and have done some initial load development...
Here's the "fly's" I've found:
1). I have "loose" primer pockets after two re-loads... in fact, I had several loose primer pockets after re-sizing once-fired factory brass. Does this point to pressures being too high, or is this a brass problem... I'm not sure. Certainly, this round is loaded at the straining-point by Olin.
2). My rifle feeds without a hitch if the rounds are fed rapidly from the magazine. If they're fed slowly, like you'd do if you had an un-loaded rifle while sneaking through the timber, then wanted to "quietly feed a round into the cahmber, the rounds Hang-up 90 % of the time... this PISSES ME OFF BIG TIME.
IMO, A working-rifle should feed smoothly regardless how fast or slow the rounds are fed into the chamber.
Guess I'm the Accuratereloading.com Guinea Pig!
Comments by WSM owners????
"I told you so's" not allowed... hah!
Brad
Accuracy isn't, IMO, much of an issue with this round... I think it's one of those "inherantly accurate" rounds we always hear about. Heck, mine shoots 180 Barnes XLC's into well under an inch! To me, however, I think a working rifle should feed rounds flawlessly whether fed slow or fast... this isn't a varmint rifle.
Brad
I would bet your pressures are really up there if you have loose pockets after two reloadings. Back off now!! Drop powder 10% and try again with new brass. Do you have tooling to measure case expansion, if not I would invest some money.
quote:
Originally posted by Brad:
Well, I hope to save others a potential problem...I started a thread here several weeks back regarding the 300 WSM and my initial findings. My thoughts mainly centered around the rifle's accuracy and velocity. My rifle is a stainless Model 70.
I used it in the fall to take a smallish Muley buck, and have done some initial load development...
Here's the "fly's" I've found:
1). I have "loose" primer pockets after two re-loads... in fact, I had several loose primer pockets after re-sizing once-fired factory brass. Does this point to pressures being too high, or is this a brass problem... I'm not sure. Certainly, this round is loaded at the straining-point by Olin.
2). My rifle feeds without a hitch if the rounds are fed rapidly from the magazine. If they're fed slowly, like you'd do if you had an un-loaded rifle while sneaking through the timber, then wanted to "quietly feed a round into the cahmber, the rounds Hang-up 90 % of the time... this PISSES ME OFF BIG TIME.
IMO, A working-rifle should feed smoothly regardless how fast or slow the rounds are fed into the chamber.
Guess I'm the Accuratereloading.com Guinea Pig!
Comments by WSM owners????
"I told you so's" not allowed... hah!
Brad
Thanks for the info. Do you think the sharpness and width of the shoulder, coupled with the short length had anything to do with it?
Sounds like your thinking serious about a 30-06. I posted some recent load data in the reloading section. High performance but safe loads in my rifle. 2900 fps with 190 gr bullets. 26" barrel.
MM
Now I guess some hunters would keep an empty chamber while hunting whitetale deer in Kansas, but with the Winchester 3 position safety I don't see one having to do that for fear of it going off during a possible fall in the wild.
I dread the thought of having to be in bear country in Montana and NOT having a round in the chamber already, that gives me the "Willies" just thinking about it, the difference in getting that gun up and firing a round off verses operating the bolt and chambering a round is much slower you know.
I'm going to play with my rifle more. Overall, I think it's a very good, general purpose hunting round. The fit and finish on this stainless 70 is far and away the best of the ten or so I've owned. Also, I agree... I nearly always hunt with a round up the spout when by myself. If hunting with others, I never do. Too, I think there's some issues with the brass. I'm certain my handloads have been entirlely safe as they're right at the factory speeds... they eject fine, with no hang-ups. Micing the expansion ring shows similar pressures to the factroy stuff.
If I want the rifle to feed a bit more smoothly, I'll turn it over to Dave Gentry. He designed a round very similar to the WSM's some years back and had success making them feed... I'm sure he'll have some "trick" to make it feed smoother. I think, as far as I can tell, that the rounds hang-up a bit at the bottom of the chamber when they're fed slowly.
We'll see.
As to accuracy and velocity, like my friends above, I couldn't ask for more!
Brad
BTW, BuddyK9, I think that's a cop-out on USRAC's part... the bit about feeding quickly. Granted, it feeds 100% of the time when used in that manner. Still...
As to the magazine follower spring being something different, it isn't... it's the same one as other 70's.
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Hunt Smart, Hunt Safe
[This message has been edited by 700Nitro (edited 03-31-2002).]
I'm glad your WSM is working out for you. I'm not going to abandon mine, just work with it more... it shoots too well with decent velocity to let go of! Still, if/when the 338 WSM hits the street, mine may go to Pac-Nor for a change!
Brad
[This message has been edited by Brad (edited 03-31-2002).]
Dave, try IMR 4064 with the Barnes 130XLC. I use 66gr, but don't start there.
The brass is another thing altogether - I bought 100 cases, trimmed, f/l sized etc - all the things you do with new brass and then seated WLR primers with an RCBS hand primer. At least 40 of the primers seated so loosely that IF the cases had been fired I would have been backing off the load. After using the cases twice each, I haven't really noticed any great difference in primer seating so I would suggest that the problem is with the primer pockets in the Winchester brass, rather than in your reloads. I haven't loaded to the stage of hard extraction, just to factory velocities with AR2209 which is H4350. Also haven't experienced any leakage around the primers either, so I will just keep on with the sloppy pockets until I get some sign that things aren't working right.
Greg
With 200 new brass from Huntington and primed with WLRM, brass colored primers, about one in five felt loose before firing. After all had been fired once I reprimed with WLRM primers, these ones are a different lot and are silver, all pockets felt good and tight. I'm on my fifth reload with 50 of these brass and all is well. My Browning Composite Stalker feeds perfect fast or slow.
...Peter
Jesse, Yes I replaced the "hot-glue" that USRAC jokingly calls "beddng"... free-floated the barrel and replaced that junk with good epoxy.
I just hung up with our local smith, Dave Gentry, and he thinks I need a small radius at the beginning of the chamber to facilitate chambering... I may just have him do it as opposed to sending it to a "warranty station" for an unknown period of time with questionable results... maybe I'll send USRAC the bill!!!
Dave designed a whole series of "short-fat" rounds some years back based on the 404 Jeff case... at the time they didn't catch-on... guess things have changed!
Brad