The .300 Winchester Magnum - Load Data

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John Barsness

The .300 Winchester Magnum

W hile there are larger and newer .300 "magnums," the .300 Winchester Magnum still tends to dominate this class of cartridge. There are several reasons why.

The .300 Winchester appeared in 1963, at the tail end of a roughly 20-year period when a bunch of belted magnums appeared. The first were the Weatherby cartridges, starting during late World War II with the .270 Weatherby Magnum; after the mid-1950s most were cartridges introduced by Winchester and Remington to compete with the Weatherbys.

Unlike the .300 Weatherby Magnum, however, the .300 Winchester was designed to the same overall length as the .3006. Thus it could fit in many previously existing actions, including the 98 Mauser and 1903 Springfield. Back then this was a smart move, as military surplus actions were cheap and plentiful. In the Springfield only a rechambering and some work on the bolt face were required to convert a plain .30-06 to an exciting .300 magnum.

These days it's fashionable to criticize the .300 Winchester Magnum for its short neck and "useless" belt, but neither really



affects the performance of the cartridge. It is well-known for accuracy, and aside from long-range hunting, it is frequently used for long-range target shooting and military and police work.

The .300 Winchester, in fact, became the standard .300 magnum around the world within a decade of its introduction, and still maintains that title. The .300 WSM

Sandy Venitt chose a Serengeti .300 Winchester Magnum and 180-grain Nosler AccuBond bullets for his South African safari, where he took this fine gemsbok at 350 yards ? precisely the kind of hunting the .300 Winchester was designed for.

(Winchester Short Magnum) may have been more popular for a few years shortly after its introduction in 2000, but the .300 Winchester still tops the list in places like Alaska, western Canada and Africa.

In handloads, the .300 Winchester is capable of noticeably more velocity than the .300 WSM. It is easy to get 3,100+ fps with a 180-grain bullet in a 24inch barrel, a load that does just about anything wanted of a big .300. Any of today's premium 180-grain bullets will penetrate sufficiently on any non-dangerous game on earth, as well as some dangerous game, and shoot flat enough for any hunting.

Despite this, hunters after a supremely flat trajectory, sometimes useful on smaller big game such as pronghorns or Coues deer, often choose a 150- or even 130-grain bullet, started at 3,400 to 3,500 fps. This does flatten the trajectory, but even the toughest bullets in this weight class destroy massive amounts of meat.

Some hunters choose bullets in the 165-grain class for deer-sized game and 200-grain bullets for larger game. I often do this myself, partly because 165s shoot very flat but don't bloodshoot as much meat as lighter bullets, and 200s penetrate even on really big animals such as Alaskan moose and African eland. But in reality most of us are just as well served by a 180-grain bullet for most purposes, whether antelope or moose.

With the really lightweight bullets, it's hard to beat the 4350s (whether IMR or Hodgdon). These provide the best combination of top velocity and fine accuracy, essential when shooting smaller game at longer distances. Top charges depend on the bul-



let and powder, but generally around 74.0 grains will be in the ballpark.

The 4350s are also very fine with 165- to 168-grain bullets, along with Alliant Reloder 19 and Ramshot Hunter. Any of these will get 3,250 fps or more, with fine accuracy. If you hunt much in cold weather, H-4350 or Hunter provide more stable velocity (and perhaps accuracy).

With 180-grain bullets slightly slower powders normally work best, such as the 4831s (either IMR or Hodgdon), Hunter and Reloder 19 or 22. If there's a "classic" load for the .300 Winchester Magnum, it's around 75.0 grains of H-4831 for 3,000+ fps with a 180-grain bullet. This load normally is very accurate, and while some other powders can beat it slightly for muzzle velocity, the temperature stability of H-4831 (either standard or short cut) means consistent performance in any climate.

With 200-grain bullets the same powders are also useful, but even slower powders such as H1000 and Ramshot Magnum can provide a little more muzzle velocity. My own favorite 200grain load is around 78 to 80 grains of Magnum, for 2,900+ fps and very fine accuracy. Combined with a 200-grain Nosler Partition, this load really thumps larger game, and is particularly comforting to carry in grizzly country, which expands every year in the northern Rockies.

While 220- to 240-grain,

roundnosed bullets can be used

effectively in the .300 Win-

chester, they are really a second-

rate substitute for larger

cartridges, especially the .33s.

Stick to spitzers for the things

the .300 Winchester Magnum

does best.

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