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.300 WSM?

17335 Views 19 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  Jeff_850
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I know that this might be a waste of time, but can anyone tell me how long is the 300 WSM case? and if possible how long is the cartrige itself?
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According to the Hodgdon Powder Co. reloading web site, the "Trim to" length is 2.090 inches and the COL is 2.860.

Obviously "trim to" length is not the max cartridge length, but its better than no information at all.

If we use the .308 as a guide, Trim to is 2.005, and the max case length is 2.015. This would make the .300 WSM max length somewhere in the vicinity of 2.100 inches, but you certainly would want to check yourself.
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i gots another quetion, does the 6.5 norma really have a caselenght of 284mm?
John Doe said:
i gots another quetion, does the 6.5 norma really have a caselenght of 284mm?
No, I don't know the specs on it, but I do know that it is it does fit into a short action so I couldn't see it being any longer than a .308 But I have always wondered that myself also.
They are very close in overall length.

According to the Hodgon 6th Edition Reloading manual:

6.5x284 Norma - Max case length 2.170 inches, trim to length 2.160".
Max COL- 2.80

.308 - Max case length 2.015 inches, trim to 2.005". MAX COL -2.81"

.284 Winchester Max length 2.170, trim to 2.160", COL 2.80.
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well as im only a kid i wanna no whats the difference between .300 WSM and 300 Win Mag?
.300 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum) is shorter but has about the same ballistics
how is the felt recoil of the .300 WSM as compared to a .308? And what is the effective range, windrift, & bullet drop specs? Just curious. I'm trying to decide what caliber to build the next project gun.
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so it would be like having the 300 wsm based on a 308 case and a 300 win mag based on a 30-06 case?
i dont know much about the wind drift and other ballistics of the .300 WSM but i shot one before and the recoil is the same as my .300 WM
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To answer several of the proposed questions:

No, the 6.5x284 case length is not 284mm. It is named as such due to the fact that its parent case is the .284 Winchester, with the measurement of ".284" coming from the bullet diameter in inches. The Norma is labelled as such as a throwback to its parent case. By the way, a case length of 284mm would be 4.5 times the length of a .30-06 case, or about 2.8 times the length of the .50 caliber BMG shell. Imagine shooting something like that. Velocities of a 6.5mm bullet leaving that case would probably be in the 25,000 fps range, although there is a high chance that the bullet would vaporize the instant it left the barrel.

Second, the .300 WSM case is not based on the .308 case. If you put a .30 caliber .300 WSM bullet in a .308 case, you have what you started with- a .308. Same size bullets. The WSM case is a bit longer and CONSIDERABLY wider to allow for the extra powder charge to maintain the .300 WM ballistics. The reason that the ballistics are maintained is that the WSM case is also a bit wider than the .300 WM case, and utilizes a more efficient powder and powder burn column. Despite its short size, the .300 WSM still packs a bit of recoil, feeling only slightly lighter than a full-size .300 WM, due to the fact that it is usually chambered in lighter guns.

The .300 WM case is in no way based on the .30-06 case. To begin with, the .30-06 predates the .300 Winchester Magnum by several decades. The .300 WM case is slightly longer and much wider, with a proportion ratio similar to the aforementioned .308/.300WSM comparison.

Recoil of the .300WSM is a bit more than twice that of a standard .308. Ballsitics and ability to hold course through wind and other variables is drastically improved over the .308, as is retained muzzle energy and velocity at long range. It is a far more powerful cartridge than both the .308 and .30-06, and roughly equivalent to the highly regarded .300 Winchester magnum.

The only things the .300WSM/.308's and the .300WM/.30-06's have are relative heights and action length.

Sorry if I was redundant, but hopefully this cleared up any confusion or questions.
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how does the .300 Winchester Short Magnum compare to the .300 Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum?
I do not have any experience with the SAUM but I hear that they are pretty close ballistically, with the WSM getting the edge due to the fact that its case has a slightly larger capacity. But differences in power and velocity are pretty negligible.
just wondering why Remington couldnt simply chamber thier 700s in .300 WSM instead of makin thier own special cartridge that is about the same
all i know of who uses .300 RSAUM is Armalite AR-10T Ultra and DPMS Panther Long Range in .300 SAUM
i like their Ultra Mag idea but seem to be the only one.. have shot them and i can see why a lot of peopel woudlnt want to shoot them.... dont see any point in their SAUM idea as Winchester has something out there that is comperable (possibly better)
The reason Rem had to make their own short mag is because the WSM line literally exploded onto the scene, and was seen as the most important cartridge design since Roy Weatherby started building his rifles back during WWII. So Rem decided to try to make their own version to sway loyal Rem fans from digressing to a brand that offered such a hot little cartridge as the .300 WSM. Gotta love capitalism...


I agree with your thoughts on the Ultra mag idea. They are a VERY good line of accurate, powerful, extremely fast, flat-shooting cartridges, it is a mystery why they didn't tear up the sales charts. Americans love speed, and the UM line certainly has it! But then we became entranced with the notion that "shorter is better" and forgot about these long cartridges, thinking they were outdated. But they are very good in their own right.
Kick a bit though, don't they...
well also in addition to shorter is better, have you ever fired a .300 SAUM???
it kicks quite a bit... my friend's 700 Sendero SF is only like 10 lbs w/ a scope
4221 ft-lbs of muzzle energy from a 180 grain bullet at 3200 fps i think
many people have the .300 Winchester magnum that is 200 fps slower and think that that kicks
i can see why a hunter in this case would not want to get another gun in .300 RUM which isnt going to make a moose or elk more dead, dead is dead already... and wants to have thier shoulder heh
Both admittedly very formidable contenders for hunting...whatever you point it at, for that matter!
well more guns are chambered for .300 Win mag than .300 Rem Ultra Mag although i do like the 700 Police enough to get one (in .308 though) hopefully in about 2 months, and the 700 Sendero SF
but still i dont have any use for anything more than a .308 which is both cheaper and less recoil, and more practical for deer hunting or target shooting
id use my .223 but i cant legally use that on deer
Yeah because the WM has been around for so much longer, and the RUM is so new. But I think you could get your Sendero in .300 RUM, or any of the other RUM and SAUM caliners. But you are right, except for some very high-risk military situations, nothing over .308 is truly needed. And for hunting it would be just plain overkill, especially on deer.
the first gun i shot was a Rem 700 Sendero SF in .300 Rem Ultra (my friends gun)
it was a kicker heh aspecially being a new shooter at that time
now it still would kick if i shot it
i just got an AR-15 upper and im going to get the lower soon... already have a Bushmaster M4 Carbine, getting Varminter upper receiver
after that im gonna get a .308 and ill be good to go for any game on the continenent.. wouldnt be my first choice for grizzlies but tahst about it... none here
i didnt need a .300 Win Mag, WSM, RUM, RSAUM etc
so why would i need it? heh
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