.300 Winchester Short Magnum

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.300 Winchester Short Magnum
300cal.jpg
From left to right: .300 Winchester Magnum, .300 WSM, .308 Winchester, .223 Remington
Type Rifle
Place of origin USA
Production history
Designer Winchester
Manufacturer Winchester
Produced 2001
Specifications
Bullet diameter .308 in (7.8 mm)
Neck diameter .344 in (8.7 mm)
Shoulder diameter .538 in (13.7 mm)
Base diameter .555 in (14.1 mm)
Rim diameter .535 in (13.6 mm)
Case length 2.100 in (53.3 mm)
Overall length 2.860 in (72.6 mm)
Rifling twist 1-10"
Primer type Large rifle magnum
Ballistic performance
Bullet weight/type Velocity Energy
150 gr (10 g) SP 3,313 ft/s (1,010 m/s) 3,657 ft·lbf (4,958 J)
165 gr (11 g) HP 3,223 ft/s (982 m/s) 3,807 ft·lbf (5,162 J)
180 gr (12 g) HP 3,095 ft/s (943 m/s) 3,830 ft·lbf (5,190 J)
200 gr (13 g) SP 2,822 ft/s (860 m/s) 3,538 ft·lbf (4,797 J)
Test barrel length: 24"
Source(s): Reloading data at Accurate Powder

.300 Winchester Short Magnum (also known as .300 WSM) is a .30 caliber rebated rim bottlenecked centerfire short magnum cartridge that was introduced in 2001 by Winchester.[1] The cartridge overall length is 72.64 mm, cartridge case is 53.34 mm in length and the bullet diameter is .308 in (7.62 mm), which is common to all U.S. .30 caliber cartridges. The principle at work in the short magnum cartridge is the advantage of fitting larger volumes of powder in closer proximity to the primer's flash hole, resulting in more uniform, consistent ignition. In field use, this round mirrors the performance of its older counterpart, the .300 Winchester Magnum, which is based on a modified .375 Holland & Holland belted magnum casing.

The advantage to this round is ballistics that are nearly identical to the .300 Winchester Magnum, but in a lighter rifle with a shorter action. A disadvantage of cartridge case designs with relatively large case head diameters lies in relatively high bolt thrust levels exerted on the locking mechanism of the employed fire arm. Also in small ring actions the larger chamber diameter removes more steel from the barrel tenon making it weaker in a radial direction .

Use

The .300 WSM is adaquate for hunting moose, black bear, brown bear, elk, mule deer, and white-tailed deer in forests and plains where long range, flat shots are necessary. The .300 WSM is also used in benchrest shooting.

The .300 WSM has a standard bullet diameter of .308 or 7.62mm and takes advantage of the numerous bullet options available in that caliber.

Warnings

Do not use .300 WSM, .270 WSM, 7mm WSM or other short magnum ammunition in rifles chambered for .300 Winchester Magnum or similar rounds. Short magnum ammunition may fit in rifles chambered for standard magnum ammunition but doing so can lead to serious injury and/or death and should not be attempted by anyone.

The .300 WSM is a Delta L problem cartridge, meaning it can present unexpected chambering and/or feeding problems. The Delta L problem article explains this problem in more detail.

Muzzle velocity

  • 10.69 g (165 gr) Full Metal Jacket(FMJ): 982 m/s (3,223 ft/s)
  • 11.66 g (180 gr) Full Metal Jacket(FMJ): 943 m/s (3,095 ft/s)

Comparison

.300 WSM performance comparisons [2]
Cartridge Bullet Weight (g) Muzzle velocity (m/s) Muzzle energy (J)
.300 WSM 12.96 860.15 4794.28
.300 RSAUM 12.96 850.39 4686.10
.300 Win Mag 12.96 868.68 4889.84
.300 Wby Mag 12.96 932.69 5637.02
.300 RUM 12.96 961.34 5988.65
.30-06 Springfield 12.96 783.03 3973.12

See also

References

  1. The .300 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum) by Chuck Hawks (subscriptions req)
  2. http://www.accuratepowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/accurate_load_data_3.5.pdf

External links