300 WSM compared to the 300wm? 300HH?

I am toying with the acquisition of a hotrod 30 cal. Lots of options but my wants and needs do not require the latest, hottest cartridge. Only that it be short, lite, handy and out perform my old 24" Husqvarna 30-06 (a tall order). I get almost 2800fps (2775-2780) from my factory 30-06 loads with 180g Swift Sciroccos. So, to qualify, I would like to be able to clear 2950-3050fps from a similar cartridge with a 22" bbl. I am looking at the 300 WSM since it is a short action and a short fat efficient cartridge. Would lean toward 165g TTSX as a go to load but others come to mind. I am comparing to the 300wm and the 300HH as classic performance benchmarks.

Do any of you guys have the 300 WSM? and if so, how does it perform? I am not worried about recoil in the least. At the moment I am drooling over a Tikka T3X Superlite which is the plain jane rifle and would replace the stock with a GRS Bifrost to get the ergonomics that I am seeking and would mount my Scythe Ti can. Optics choice is up for grabs between my go-to Arken EP-8 or a Trijicon Credo or a ATN Thor -6 LRF day/nite thermal.

Who makes a great Tikka Pic Rail mount or 30mm/34mm scope rings that mount direct to the receiver?

Uses: Elk, Black Bear, Grey Wolf, Aoudad, etc. Ranges would not exceed 400ish yards. Would like to be able to hold 4" groups at that range with factory ammo. Possible?

JG26Irish_2 said:

Who makes a great Tikka Pic Rail mount or 30mm/34mm scope rings that mount direct to the receiver?

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These are the best for attaching to tikka dove tail.
Ditch the pic rail.

I don't believe there is any practical real world difference between the 300s you listed to 400 yards. In .300 WSM, not unlike my other 300s, I shoot 165 accubonds in some and 180 A-Frames in others. Have several lightweights and a more traditional Reimer Johannsen in .300 WSM and everything dies the same. I do like the .300 WSM, but for some reason my pet .30 is still the .300 Jarrett. As applied, again, I don't believe the animals /steel/paper to 400 yards perceive a difference.

I have a .300wsm that I’ve shot for 10-12 years. It has a lot of really nice benefits like a short action, less powder, lighter guns.

The main drawback is the availability of ammo options compared to the .300win. You can order most anything but if you need to walk in and buy, that is an obstacle most of the time. It also is just a shade slower on the velo than a maxed out .300win vs maxed .300wsm

If I had it to do over again I probably would have done the .300win.

I have a 300 wsm I have shot deer, bears, and everything from a dik dik to eland in Africa. Loaded with Barnes 180grttsx at 3,000 fps. No animal has ever gone any distance after being hit by it. It’s chambered in a Browning x bolt pro mountain, lightweight short and handy.

dchum said:

UM Tikka Rings - Unknown Munitions

Tikka level sold separately HERE These rings attach directly to the Tikka Dovetail on the top of every Tikka T3 and T3X action, no need for a rail (scope base)! Each package comes with: 2 Scope Rings, 9/64″ Driver Bit, Blue Thread Locker, 2 x threaded reoil pins, 2 standard recoil pins. Made...

www.unknownmunitions.com

These are the best for attaching to tikka dove tail.
Ditch the pic rail.

Click to expand...

Thx bro. These rings look good and were not one that I have been aware of. I like the simplicity of fewer attachment points to shake loose.

JG26Irish_2 said:

Thx bro. These rings look good and were not one that I have been aware of. I like the simplicity of fewer attachment points to shake loose.

Click to expand...

Yep they are made small batch and have a lot of testing done in the production.

You will be pleased.

JG26Irish_2 said:

I am toying with the acquisition of a hotrod 30 cal. Lots of options but my wants and needs do not require the latest, hottest cartridge. Only that it be short, lite, handy and out perform my old 24" Husqvarna 30-06 (a tall order). I get almost 2800fps (2775-2780) from my factory 30-06 loads with 180g Swift Sciroccos. So, to qualify, I would like to be able to clear 2950-3050fps from a similar cartridge with a 22" bbl. I am looking at the 300 WSM since it is a short action and a short fat efficient cartridge. Would lean toward 165g TTSX as a go to load but others come to mind. I am comparing to the 300wm and the 300HH as classic performance benchmarks.

Do any of you guys have the 300 WSM? and if so, how does it perform? I am not worried about recoil in the least. At the moment I am drooling over a Tikka T3X Superlite which is the plain jane rifle and would replace the stock with a GRS Bifrost to get the ergonomics that I am seeking and would mount my Scythe Ti can. Optics choice is up for grabs between my go-to Arken EP-8 or a Trijicon Credo or a ATN Thor -6 LRF day/nite thermal.

Who makes a great Tikka Pic Rail mount or 30mm/34mm scope rings that mount direct to the receiver?

Uses: Elk, Black Bear, Grey Wolf, Aoudad, etc. Ranges would not exceed 400ish yards. Would like to be able to hold 4" groups at that range with factory ammo. Possible?

Click to expand...

Whats your 3006 load looking like and barrel length

lil 2 sleepy said:

I have a .300wsm that I’ve shot for 10-12 years. It has a lot of really nice benefits like a short action, less powder, lighter guns.

The main drawback is the availability of ammo options compared to the .300win. You can order most anything but if you need to walk in and buy, that is an obstacle most of the time. It also is just a shade slower on the velo than a maxed out .300win vs maxed .300wsm

If I had it to do over again I probably would have done the .300win.

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I could not have said it better myself. My dad got a 300 WSM shortly after it was released. I have owned three since that time and I no longer own any.

Rifle 1: Early Christensen Arms w/Model 700 action. Acceptable accuracy but no great loads even with hand loading. Feeding issues galore. I would not buy a 300 WSM in a model 700 short action platform (also see below) The short fat case can have a problem making the angle up the feed ramp into the chamber.

Rifle 2: Winchester XPR. Great accuracy for the price. Action was perfect, feeding perfect from a single stack magazine. My brother owns this now as his elk rifle.

Rifle 3: Christensen Arms Ridgeline. Would string shots instead of pattern them. Feeding issues. The feed ramp would first indent the nose of the bullet and then, due to the feeding angle, the sharp edge at the top of the feed ramp actually cut the nose of the bullet at a 45 degree angle until the shoulder of the case helped the round chamber. I discovered this after chambering and ejecting a few rounds.

Rifle 4: Brownjng Xbolt Stainless Stalker. Shot great. Killed two elk with it with hand loaded 180 grain hornady CX. Fed perfectly from the Xbolt magazine that, again, positions the rounds for better feeding. It never fit me well so I sold it.

My friend and hunting partner shot the barrel out of a tikka 300 WSM. He’s not a hand loader, so when he got a new barrel he had the bolt unblocked and the 300 WSM became a 300 Win Mag. He has no regrets about the switch.

As for me, I’m headed in the opposite direction to you. I stepped down from the 300 WSM to a 30-06. I wanted a 30 cal that could keep a 165-180 grain bullet above 2000 FPS and above 1500 ft lbs energy out to my absolute max range on game of 450-500 yards. That’s right in the 30-06 wheelhouse, so no more magnums for me. I got a Sako 90 with 20” barrel, and like you, I use a Scythe Ti. I hand load, but it’s nice knowing I could run down to the store and pick up one of 3 or 4 off the shelf 30-06 factory loads that I’ve proven shoot MOA or better from my rifle. You might have this experience with a 300 win mag. You will not have that experience with a 300 WSM.

Happy to answer any questions you might have. I do really like the round if it is in a rifle platform that feeds it well, and if you are ok with ordering ammo or hand loading. In factory ammo I had good luck with Hornady Outfitter and Norma Bondstrike. Federal blue box and federal premium with Trophy Bonded Tip and Terminal Ascent were OK. Remington Tipped Core Lok and the cheaper Hornady and Winchester stuff was hit or miss.

Here is my $.05 (pennies are going away)

In a Tikka, there is only one option. That’s the 300 WSM, but with some modification. I would use 300 Win Mag magazines and switch to a long action bolt stop. This gives you all the OAL latitude you would need. The action sizes are all the same and the magazine is single file, so you don’t lose anything and gain .4” of space.

Otherwise, the 300 Win Mag wins. It’s loaded to lower factory pressure than the WSM. If loaded to equal pressure, it starts to really walk away with it. The difference between 30-06 and 300 WSM is about the same at that point when comparing the 300 WSM and 300 Win Mag.

The 300 Win Mag has a belt, which is a little annoying. The 300 WSM does not. So that’s a notch in the WSM’s favor. However, WSM brass is more expensive and less available. Loaded factory ammunition is even less available. So logistically, the 300 Win Mag wins again.

The 300 H&H suffers all the way around. Unavailable brass/ammo, belt, needs a magnum action, and performs no better than the WSM. If you’re going strictly on novelty and nostalgia (which is completely valid), that’s fine. The thing looks like a ballistic missile and feeds like a dream. Mine was a 700 that was rebarreled and I used it until the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze.

Here is why I don’t do Tikkas in LA magnums (keep in mind, this is factory ammo, not my handloads):

Consider the Winchester M70 Extreme Weather. It comes with a 3” box.

I've got both the wsm and the win mag. Honestly I can't tell a dimes worth of difference between the two, other than the greater recoil on my win mag. It's a Ruger M77 and the wsm is a model 70. My wife shoots the wsm with no problem. One time is all she would shoot the Ruger. All I've killed is deer and hogs with them at variable ranges. I couldn't tell any difference from the reaction of the animals. I cant tell the difference in the mags or a 30-06 to tell the truth.

gregrn43 said:

I've got both the wsm and the win mag. Honestly I can't tell a dimes worth of difference between the two, other than the greater recoil on my win mag. It's a Ruger M77 and the wsm is a model 70. My wife shoots the wsm with no problem. One time is all she would shoot the Ruger. All I've killed is deer and hogs with them at variable ranges. I couldn't tell any difference from the reaction of the animals. I cant tell the difference in the mags or a 30-06 to tell the truth.

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For some reason, I always thought Rugers resulted in more felt recoil vs other options. All of mine wear aftermarket stocks now.

The benefits of the magnums come with heavier bullets (190gr +) or if you want to go light and fast (150gr). But with 165 to 180gr, there really isn’t too much gain.

I took my Husqvarna 30-06, opened the bolt face and chambered in 308 Norma Mag. Shoots 180gr Oryx factory ammo sub moa. No different than my Nosler partition hand loads.

Boyd Brooks said:

I took my Husqvarna 30-06, opened the bolt face and chambered in 308 Norma Mag. Shoots 180gr Oryx factory ammo sub moa. No different than my Nosler partition hand loads.

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Winchester screwed the pooch by not releasing the 300 Win Mag as a 2.5” case with the 264/338/458.

I have an older Tikka in .300wm and stuck with that over wsm because it’s possibly easier to source. I didn’t chase the newer cartridges.

I have DNT. Gamereaper mounts (Cast alloy) 4 screw on the rings. I have used Opti Lock produced by Ssko and these are heavier being stainless.

I looked into these once https://www.murphyprecision.com/tikka-t3x-picatinny-style-scope-base/

A pic rail will give you options on various rings and mount options if you start swapping optics and night vision or thermals.

I think it’s the Tikka Vale and Roughtech come with a D18 medium profile barrel if that’s of use. Pending the barrel channel on the. GRS stock. It might match better.

There are definitely case overall length limitations in Tikka magazines but overall the Tikka’s give good results.

There might be a bottom metal upgrade to use an AICS magazine.

There are plenty of of aftermarket upgrades for Tikkas if you want to make it unique.

Gomer said:

For some reason, I always thought Rugers resulted in more felt recoil vs other options. All of mine wear aftermarket stocks now.

The benefits of the magnums come with heavier bullets (190gr +) or if you want to go light and fast (150gr). But with 165 to 180gr, there really isn’t too much gain.

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I shoot 180gr out of both of mine. What I hunt I've really had the need of a heavier bullet.

For rings, I use Leupold Backcountry ringmounts on my Tikkas. Almost like beefier talley lightweights.

i would go with the 300 win mag. more ammo available, brass too and if you want to shoot heavier or longer bullets, more performance.

I like my 300wsm. It’s an older Montana. Cut to 19”, runs with 5” suppressor full time. Shoots CEB Maximus 180gr at 3050fps for my long range round…My favorite all around bullet is 124gr Hammer Hunters at 3500fps. Point and shoot that one out to 300 yards before having to think about ranging. Used it for a season as a dedicated thermal rig. I drilled out the stock for Spartan adapters for bipod and shooting sticks. It’s forgiving to reload for, accurate and has been a reliable rifle.

I have a model 70 300WM, can load same bullets +100-200fps faster but takes a little more powder of course. Accuracy is good but more felt recoil. I kinda baby this rifle while the 300wsm rolls around the back of the truck and bounces on the 4x4 more often.