I have worked up several loads in the 300 WSM in the new Savage (purchased retail for $389)with 24 inch bbl. I tend to scoff at, and treat with a grain of salt, all of the hoopla associated with new and better cartridges, but in this case, I was stunned at the performance. All work used Rem 9.5 primers and a Chrony Master F-1 at 15 feet.
At the light end, Hornady 110 SPs topped out at 3849 fps with 77 grs of Win 760. Cut back to 75 grs and 3777 fps for varmint accuracy. COL was 2.73.
At the heavy end, Hornady 220 gr RNs went 2744 fps with 65 grs of R22. COL was 2.85.
In the middle, Nosler 180 BTs went 3141 fps with 68 grs of R19. COL was 2.80.
So, the 300 WSM is a full blown 300 Win Mag using 5 to 15% less powder at max velocities. Recoil reduction is real and valuable, and a 24 inch bbl is all you need.
The 220 gr velocities were the most surprising, because of the deep seating required for the short cartridge. Please reduce these loads by 6% and work up carefully.
The Winchester and Savage magazines will accept 3.1 inches for COL, but the throats are set up for 2.8 COL, so take care and don't be aggressive about seating out to magazine length in factory rifles. The current set up is good for the large range of bullet weights offered in .308 caliber.
The case is quite insensitive to load density, and you can load down to .308 Win or 30-06 with good accuracy. Yup, many of the 30-06 duplication loads use less powder than the 30-06 and kick LESS.AA's XMP 5744 achieved match .308 velocities with a 12 fps std deviation for 10 shots...go figure.
The Savage is light and handy, and feeding is flawless. Web site retail is in the mid $400s, but you can get my $389 price from most dealers. Pay a bit more for stainless synthetic, and you have the first mountain gun that qualifies as a mountain cannon that won't make you flinch after 2 boxes at the bench. American technology...we really are the best...
There is talk around about some excellent (not believable)300 WSM groups shot at 1000 yards with 220 gr match fodder, but I have dismissed it to date as the new fangled hoopla. Now I am thinking that these stories have some basis in fact.
Anyone heard these accuracy rumors?
At the light end, Hornady 110 SPs topped out at 3849 fps with 77 grs of Win 760. Cut back to 75 grs and 3777 fps for varmint accuracy. COL was 2.73.
At the heavy end, Hornady 220 gr RNs went 2744 fps with 65 grs of R22. COL was 2.85.
In the middle, Nosler 180 BTs went 3141 fps with 68 grs of R19. COL was 2.80.
So, the 300 WSM is a full blown 300 Win Mag using 5 to 15% less powder at max velocities. Recoil reduction is real and valuable, and a 24 inch bbl is all you need.
The 220 gr velocities were the most surprising, because of the deep seating required for the short cartridge. Please reduce these loads by 6% and work up carefully.
The Winchester and Savage magazines will accept 3.1 inches for COL, but the throats are set up for 2.8 COL, so take care and don't be aggressive about seating out to magazine length in factory rifles. The current set up is good for the large range of bullet weights offered in .308 caliber.
The case is quite insensitive to load density, and you can load down to .308 Win or 30-06 with good accuracy. Yup, many of the 30-06 duplication loads use less powder than the 30-06 and kick LESS.AA's XMP 5744 achieved match .308 velocities with a 12 fps std deviation for 10 shots...go figure.
The Savage is light and handy, and feeding is flawless. Web site retail is in the mid $400s, but you can get my $389 price from most dealers. Pay a bit more for stainless synthetic, and you have the first mountain gun that qualifies as a mountain cannon that won't make you flinch after 2 boxes at the bench. American technology...we really are the best...
There is talk around about some excellent (not believable)300 WSM groups shot at 1000 yards with 220 gr match fodder, but I have dismissed it to date as the new fangled hoopla. Now I am thinking that these stories have some basis in fact.
Anyone heard these accuracy rumors?