.300 Win Mag v .300 WSM v .300 RCM...???

[TooTaxed]

How do these compare? My somewhat dated reloading manuals don't help on this one.

According to the current full page Hornady advertisements in The American Rifleman, the .300 RCM was designed to improve on .300 Win Mag performance, delivering more velocity with 10-15% less powder (probably a different powder?), longer barrel life, less recoil, muzzle blast & flash, in a far more compact cartridge. (Same for the .338 RCM v the .338 Win Mag.) Are there any field tests you can direct me to?

Will the RCMs fit in a short action, or do they require a long action?

How does the .300 WSM compare with the .300 RCM, and the .300 Win Mag?

 

[ashtxsniper]

Will it outperform the 300 Win Mag though. I push 180 grn bullets at 3200 fps where the RCM is only pushing 2900. The 300 Win Mag still outperforms all the others with the exception of the 300 RUM and the 300 Weatherby Mag.

 

[Tarvis]

In regards to the 300 wsm and the 300 winmag, I've read somewhere that the wsm gets very close to the winmag as far as external ballistics go using less powder. Someone has also told me that the wsm outperforms the winmag, so I'm not sure.

 

[El Hombre]

There is an article in the new Rifle magazine comparing the 300 win vs the 300 WSM. The 300 WSM comes very close (@50 fps) to duplicating the 300 Win in most bullet weights. The 300 Win has a slightly larger advantage with bullets over 200gr. Performance wise they are about equal, slight advantage to the 300 Win Mag. The 300 WSM can sometimes have feeding issues with the short stubby case compared to the 300 Win. I think the cost and availability of ammo for the 300 Win Mag would swing the balance in it's favor.
They both sell well. RCBS lists the Win Mag at #10 in top selling dies, the WSM at #13 (I think) so they both are very popular. I have had a 300 Win Mag for years & love it.

 

[TAB]

Most of the "less recoil, same power in a small package" rounds is do to the powder they use... which for the most part you can not get your hands on.

So if your going to just buy factory ammo, no prob, get it, if you want to reload...

 

[H&Hhunter]

There is not a difference in any of the above mentioned rounds. the .300Win will do everything you need in a .30 cal rifle.

The WSM and RCM are nothing more than marketing schemes. They offer NOTHING in true ballistic advantage.

Because it's new people will buy it nothing less nothing more.

 

[berettashotgun]

Get a 7mm Rem mag or 280, forget the 30 cal stuff.....
I have been looking real hard at the short mag stuff, looks like the only short that lives up to the hype is the 270 WSM, but I sure wish for a 6.5 WSM/RSUM.
I realize the 6.5 rem mag is available, just want to wildcat.

 

[USSR]

It's all about case capacity. The .300WSM fills the slot between the .30-06 and the .300WM. While the .300RCM is new and without alot of hands-on experience, I load my LR .30-06 so as to send 190SMK's out at 2900+fps, and feel no need to shoot a magnum.

Don

 

[Bartkowski]

If you load your own, the 300 win mag will out perform the 300 wsm. The RCM probably won't become popular, and you will have problems finding ammo/cases.

So, if you want the 300 win mag performance, get the win mag.

 

[ArmedBear]

the .300 RCM was designed to improve on .300 Win Mag

...which is a bit silly for Hornady to claim, because the .300 Win Mag is hardly the standard for what .30 caliber will do. The .300 Weatherby factory loads beat hot Win Mag handloads. They already "improved on" the .300 Win Mag decades ago.

Of course, without a muzzle brake, the .300 Wby is a downright PITA to shoot even in a relatively heavy rifle, at least in most positions. But if all you want is a really big, bad factory .30 caliber, and you don't care about how expensive the ammo is, how big the action has to be or how much the rifle weighs or costs, you already have a Weatherby.

The point of the new short action rounds is to beat the .308, and they do. It's BS when they say they'll beat what you can do with a .300 Win Mag, because they don't. What they will do is give higher-end performance in a short-action rifle.

HOWEVER.... I haven't looked at the Ruger's spec's, but most short magnum rifles I see seem to have rather long barrels and are a good bit heftier than a similar .308-family rifle. Seems to me that takes away most of the reason I'd ever want a short magnum.

If I want a long, heavy rifle, I can just skip the magnumania and get a .30-06, which can be pushed to what the RCM will do. E.g., 180 grain @ 2900 fps is a relatively common hot load in .30-06, with off-the-shelf powders, and Hornady themselves sells factory .30-06 loaded to that (their "light magnum" series). Oh wait... I already HAVE a hefty 24" .30-06, as does damn near everyone else in Hornady/Ruger's target market.

Maybe Hornady can explain to me just how duplicating their own commercially-available .30-06 hunting load is "improving on the .300 Win Mag's performance".

 

[Seafarer12]

It will be just like all the other new 30 mags out there. They will make all the mags and then fade away. If your looking for a 30 mag go with the 30 win mag. Cheaper ammo, better selection of ammo and rifles, better avalibility. If you don't need that much poer get a 30/06 or a 30/06 improved. Personally I don't need anything more powerful than a 308.

 

[moooose102]

i think the biggest reason you should consider is which one of these will ammunition still be available for in 20 years? with all of the "NEW" calibers coming out, at some point in time, at some point in time, some of them are going to be flops, and go by the wayside. which one will be around in 20 years? i dont know. i would suggest doing a little research on sales records on all 3, which ever has sold the most in the last 2 years, would probably be the one i would pick. good luck! you are going to need it! p.s. one thing to consider is that the 300 win mag already has a large following, so it is pretty likely that ammo will be available for this round for some time to come. even if they stopped selling it tomorrow.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I'll make a bold prediction right here and right now. The .300RCM will be dead and gone within two years. It is possibly the dumbest do nothing new round that's ever been produced.

 

[ArmedBear]

Hornady is smart. They've had success with new cartridges. They know that some will survive and some won't, and it's not much skin off their nose to try a bunch. Some of them will "stick".

It does seem, though, that .30 caliber has been done to death, especially in the US. And as I said, since a lot of the short magnum rifles are as long and heavy as a .30-06, what exactly does the short action give me, especially since the short magnums don't beat what a .30-06 can do?

Now if they can get 180 gr @ 2900 FPS out of an 18" barrel or something, that could get interesting, but since they can't, what do these things offer?

I second H&H's prediction.

 

[TOU]

Years ago before the WSM & RCM my brother and I were deciding on a good all around magnum. The Weatherby .300 sure looked great on paper...but like the others noted above, for what it offered it wasn't worth it to us for the price paid for, punishment, weight, length, cost of rifle...and the HUGE cost of ammo...compared to the 7mm Mag and the .300 WM. He went with the former against my better judgment and I went with the latter. I currently have a .300 WM and his 7mm Mag was sold long ago.

A few more things I like about the .300 WM over the Weatherby's or the new WSM/ RCM/ RUM's is that I can get brass nearly anywhere, (cheaper and easier to get once fired at gun shows) ammo at the mom and pop shop up while up in tim-buck-too as nearly any ammo selling store carries this caliber in multiple offerings and brands. Finally while not cheap either, it is many times tends to be cheaper than any of the rest...especially factory Weatherby ammo! JMHO. Oh yeah...I think it is safe to say that the .300 Win Mag is made in more rifle variations and brands than ANY of the others so the odds are you can pick your flavor rather than being pigeon-holed with the rest. (This maybe especially true if a south paw.)

After playing around with several calibers through the years, I have finally settled on .243's, .270's & .300 Win Mag's for all my non-varmint needs. (On rare occasion, even for Varmints...LOL. ) I doubt that will change in the next 40 years for me as the "new" trick cartridges don't hold it for me.

Now I wish I could say the same when it comes to Varmint calibers as I currently have .22 LR, 22 WMR, 17 HM2, 17 HMR, .22 Hornet, .204 Ruger and am in the process of building a .204 VarTarg....go figure.

 

[Der Verge]

The point of all of this WSM and RCM crap, is that is is all a marketing ploy. None perform any amount better than the others. Not enough to care, anyway. The .300 RCM uses 10-15% less powder because the case is smaller. If you hand load, you will get a few more shots per pound. YAY! you will also have to buy your brass, cause you will never find it, and you will pay through the nose for it.

If you are buying a hunting rifle, stick with the main stream cartriges. Remember, IF a store sells ammo, there is a 99% chance that they will have

.22lr, .308, .30-06, .300Win, 7mm Rem mag, and 12ga. This is important because when you travel many miles, and forget your ammo, if you have a rifle for one of the listed above, you go to the corner store, and get a box. If you have, say, .270 Wby, you get to travel to the nearest Gander or Cabelas. What if those stores are 60+ miles away? It sucks, trust me.

Now, If you are building a target/toy/plinker. Who cares. Have fun.....

 

[mzimmers]

I realize that this thread is a bit old, but I thought I'd share a data point with the .300 RCM. (I'll be writing an article about the hunt, but you guys get the sneak preview.)

I got this hog on Tuesday in Paso Robles. He was about #320 and the shot was taken at 200 yards with the new Hornady GMX bullet (150 grains). He moved about two feet, and was DRT.

I was *highly* skeptical about Ruger shoehorning another cartridge into the .308 caliber, but...I am now a firm believer in the gun, the cartridge and the Hornady bullet.

Cheers...

 

[Kentucky Windage]

Who did you hunt with in Paso? I know most of the guides up there... have for more than 20 years. Will be going myself again on the 19th. Just back from an Island Bear hunt on Vancouver Island where I whacked a huge black bear (squared just under 7 feet) with the .338 RCM, 225 grain SST, 180 yards, double lung, through and through, lights out. Count me as a true believer in the .338 RCM version.

 

[Uncle Mike]

How many different ways can you launch a certain weight bullet at a certain velocity?

A 180gr. bullet at 2900fps(hypothetically) is just that... no matter if it popped out of a .300 Win.Mag., WSM, Remington SAUM or the RCM.

 

[jbech123]

I was *highly* skeptical about Ruger shoehorning another cartridge into the .308 caliber, but...I am now a firm believer in the gun, the cartridge and the Hornady bullet.

Damn nice hog you got there. As far the rcm, I just don't see how it did anything at all to that hog that a WSM wouldn't have done, or probably even a standard .308 win for that matter.

 

[UnTainted]

I don't remember where I read it, but in competition shooting, they used to use 30'06 all the time, but after the release of the .308 they found that the case was giving more inherent accuracy than the 30'06 because of powder-burning efficiency and other stuff that I'll never pretend to understand. Now, few use the '06 and most have gone to the .308.

I wonder if the same might be true of the 300WSM over the 300WM? Anybody know?

These days, any small shop that I find 300WM in, i see 300WSM sitting next to it. I rarely see any other short-mag type sitting there, but probably 9 times out of 10 I see the WSM with the WM.

 

[jbech123]

.308 they found that the case was giving more inherent accuracy than the 30'06

For really serious target guys, there is likely some truth there, but for most folks, the person is by far the limiting factor compared to anything regarding inherent accuracy loss that the '06 gives up.

I wonder if the same might be true of the 300WSM over the 300WM?

Well the WSM is not marketed as a target round, and certainly in the field the difference would not be discernable.
I actually can see why the WSM exists, although for me the advantages of a few ounces and an inch or so shorter action don't amount to much. But I can at least see the logic. It is the SAUM and the RCM that seem utterly redundant, certainly they don't bring anything to the table over the WSM.
I agree with above poster that predicts RCM dead in 2 years(or less).

 

[ArmedBear]

I wonder if the same might be true of the 300WSM over the 300WM?

Were that true, you'd find long-range competitive shooters switching over to the .300 WSM en masse.

Has anyone noticed such a phenomenon?

 

[Uncle Mike]

The short,fat powder column is supposed to ignite more evenly in the short mags. Resulting in more uniform pressure, hence better accuracy.

Can anyone other than paper punchers contest to this?

Can you honestly say that the information super computer HAL came up with in some lab under controlled conditions reflects the merit of the short mags while in the tree stand?

We often hear from customers that the reason I'm buying that short mag is that the bolt throw is shorter than a long action.

I ask you, can you tell the difference in the 1/2" shorter action of the short mag. versus a regular length action as you jack the next round in so fast it would shame a auto loader after busting that buck... I doubt it!

All said... I think the short mags have their merit, but like I said, You launch X-Amount of weight at X-Amount of velocity it doesn't matter what launched it. The end result will be the same.
Only the luancher is different.

 

[UnTainted]

Good points.