300wsm thoughts please

[Scarface]

Hi all
I have found a recently re-barrelled Winchester 70 in 300 WSM and was wondering what sort of barrel life I would get from it running fairly moderate loads say 2900fps with 155 or 175 loads. I am looking for something to shoot 1000yds ish about four or five times a year just for fun rather than run my 20" 308 with hot loads

[Laurie]

If you're going to run a WSM, forget lighter bullets - you burn a great deal of extra powder (and barrel throat) for the additional achievable velocity. The 185gn Berger 'Juggernaut' and 185-200gn Berger Hybrids are very well suited to this cartridge for L-R targets. (They'll push the 215 and 230gn Bergers to very respectable MVs, but gun handling and recoil / torque become issues even in 22lb F-Class rifles fired rested.)

The powder to use is Viht N165 which is readily available, affordable, will produce respectable results and minimise barrel wear being very cool burning. Viht lists it giving the 185 Scenar just under 3,000 fps from a 24.5-inch barrel with N165 and the 185 Juggernaut load won't be too far away.

http://www.vihtavuori.com/en/reloading- ... 0-wsm.html

I ran the 300 H&H Magnum in the early days of F-Class with the 185 Scenar and same weight Lapua D46 FMJBT at around 3,000 fps from a 30-inch barrel with H4831sc in the good old pre-Berger days of using low BC bullets and got around 1,000 rounds barrel life. (Despite the unfashionably long, much tapered, hardly any shoulders H&H seeming very different from the WSM, they have near identical capacities, are rated at 65,000 psi PMax and hence have identical internal ballistics properties. Despite the views of the cartridge shape fascists, the long thin H&H shoots with remarkable precision too, so they are comparable in several respects.)

You will find the WSM a hard kicker though even loaded modestly. I wouldn't go back to this formula again - a good 6.5 will provide similar external ballistics and be much more pleasant in use which in turn usually means you get better scores all other things being equal.

[StanDeasy]

I'm a big fan of Viht N165. It's single-base, cool burning and easy on barrels.

[Scarface]

Thanks guys
I am thinking of occasional informal use only rather than competitions and Laurie has already given me some ideas for a 185g jug load that is ready to go at the end of the month but I am always open to options and being relatively new to this I welcome all advice and viewpoints.

I am coming to the opinion that I should have gone for a slightly longer barrel in the first place but I had an attack of shiny gun syndrome when my FAC came through and got the CTR.

Ok different tac again, how about a re-barrel? i would prefer to stay with 308 but what kind of cost would I be looking at and who would you guys recommend

[mag41uk]

If you are going to reload anyway the world is your lobster!
Stick with the 308 bolt face and that brings you nicely to 260 Remington.
I looked at 300winmag for long range shooting then found that 260 Remington will do the same with less recoil,cost and barrel wear.
My AE3 is now up to 3600 rounds and still shoots well to 900 yds. I have shot out to 1100 yds with it and it works well.
Just have a look at those 6.5mm bullets all pointy and slippery!
Or look at 6.5 x 47 lapua.

[Laurie]

6.5X47L or 6.5mm Hornady Creedmoor. Hang back a little if it is a choice between this pair as the Lapua USA rep Kevin Thomas has hinted on Accurate Shooter that Lapua will launch its 6.5 Creedmoor brass at next January's SHOT show in Vegas. It may be small primer / flash-hole too as per the 6.5X47L. If this outcome transpires and Lapua brass becomes available next year for the Creedmoor, this will be an even more outstanding choice.

A good 139-142gn .264 bullet at 2,800 fps or thereabouts from a 26-inch barrel, or the 123 Scenar at 2,900 fps plus are both easily 1,000 yard capable and offer outstanding performance at shorter distances allied to modest recoil. Barrel life is 2,000-3,000 rounds depending on loadings, possibly much more if kept to low pressures for your everyday loads.

For a step up in running costs and recoil, the 'straight' 284 Winchester is an outstanding range number. Barrel life is usually around 2,000 rounds with 180s, but can be extended by using Viht N150 and modest MVs / pressures. Components costs rise steeply though going up to this 7mm number and you'd burn over 50gn of powder per bang.