.300 WSM vs. .280 Ackley Improved

[NVDesertHunter]

Wonder if anyone can give their impressions on the .300 WSM or .280AI. I have always wanted a .280AI but the more I research the .300 WSM the more I am interested in that caliber.

I reload all of my own ammo and most of the ammo for my job. I am required to shoot over 1000 rifle rounds a year and keep MOA accuracy, so recoil flinching wont be a problem. I will be using non-lead bullets only, so I figure 140-150 grains for the .280AI and 150-180s for the .300WSM.

My main question is, does the .300 WSM recoil similar to the .30/06 or closer to the .300 Win Mag?

Thanks and Happy Hunting,

 

[Washington Hunter]

Recoil of the 300 WSM should be pretty much the same as the 300 Win Mag. Same weight bullet, same velocity = same recoil. Have you ever considered the 270 WSM? It's pretty close to the 280 Ackley and since you're a reloader, obtaining ammo won't be an issue. But the 300 WSM is also a great choice. I think I'd prefer it over the 280 Ackley just because brass is probably a little easier to come by.

 

[belly-deep]

What are you doing with it?

At longer ranges, 7mm bullets have an advantage. But a 180gr 30 cal at 3000 is hard to beat for all around use.

 

[utah400elk]

I had a 270 WSM and could not get what I thought I should out of it. Not a huge increase from my 257 Weatherby. I had it rebarreled and it's now a 300WSM. I had a 280 AI for years when I was younger. If I could start over...

I would get the 257 Weatherby for deer and antelope and a simple 300 WSM for Elk +. The 257 will always be my go-to gun. The WSM just doesn't really make sense. Given the availability of brass for reloading and factory ammo, I wish I had skipped the WSM craze and just gotten the 300 Win.

I was trying for the magical single caliber all around gun...however I really believe having a few rifles works well for me.

Good luck in whatever you get.

 

[wytex]

300wsm has less felt recoil than 300 wm. I load 165 gr bullets in front of 66 gr 4350 and it was devastating on my cow bison. I use the 300wsm on everything with great success. Lots of bullet choices and brass is available. 150-168 gr bullets fly pretty flat out to 350 yds depending on your load data.

 

[sbhooper]

Sounds like a good job to me!

 

[TimeOnTarget]

I've had both. I still own the 280ai and love it. I too, wish i had skipped the WSM craze. I had both the 270wsm and 300wsm. They have both been sent down the road....

 

[mdhunter]

I have a .300 wsm and love it. I shoot other calibers and have an assortment to play with (6.5x.284, .260, .270 wsm). When it's time to hunt I always seem to be reaching for the .300 wsm. That rifle has harvested everything from antelope to shiras moose. I can't comment on the rifles recoil as it does have a muzzle break.

 

[280rem]

It depends on what you plan to do with it. If you're going after big critters at long range then the 300 will have a slight edge but if you're talking deer size game the 280 would be my choice.

 

[brymoore]

I love my 280ai.

 

[Speeddmn]

better yet 280 AI vs 28 nosler, I tried a lot to get my 300 ism to group... from 165's to 210, barnes, nosler, sierra's, burgers.. different powders, primers, etc..... couldn't get it done. Not going back to that caliber, i'd take a 300 WM instead in 30 cal.

 

[MJE2083]

YOu should get a 7mm-08

 

[HiMtnHntr]

YOu should get a 7mm-08

No, the 6.5 Creedmore.....

The 280 AI may be a bit more versatile as far as practical load combos and such. That said, I shoot and reload 300wsm and have had zero trouble getting fine accuracy with multiple bullets/powders. Haven't shot no thousand yards though....

 

[NVDesertHunter]

To answer some of the questions on why I narrowed it down to only those two calibers. The .270WSM or WIN is a great cartridge, but very limited grain weight choices compared to the 7mm's. No complaints on the 7mm-08 either, however my shooting range is out to 500 yards and would like a little more velocity than the 7mm-08 provides at that range.

I would be hunting mule deer, bear, elk and antelope in order of frequency. Almost exclusively out west so shots around 200yds would be the norm with some shots out to 450-500 yards. I would like this to be an expensive semi-custom rifle and one of my last hunting rifle purchases. Hence the reason I am not looking for a barrel burner rifle shooting 150 grain bullets 3300+fps like the 28 Nosler.

Thanks again

 

[aj427ci]

I know you said you reload, but if brass dries up then what? Unless you can get enough brass stock piled up to out last the barrel you might want to consider a more common (buy at Walmart) kind of cartridge. 7 or 300 win mags would be my first choices. Out of the two you are considering, the 280ai makes the most sense to me. Almost 7mag velocities, less powder, more efficient, and less recoil. Plus nosler brass is pretty decent stuff.

 

[NVDesertHunter]

I probably should of mentioned that I own a Winchester Model 70 7mm Rem Mag and a Savage .223. However I bought both used and I am using the excuse of "I want a brand new rifle from the box" as a reason to own another one.

 

[mtmuley]

To answer some of the questions on why I narrowed it down to only those two calibers. The .270WSM or WIN is a great cartridge, but very limited grain weight choices compared to the 7mm's. No complaints on the 7mm-08 either, however my shooting range is out to 500 yards and would like a little more velocity than the 7mm-08 provides at that range.

I would be hunting mule deer, bear, elk and antelope in order of frequency. Almost exclusively out west so shots around 200yds would be the norm with some shots out to 450-500 yards. I would like this to be an expensive semi-custom rifle and one of my last hunting rifle purchases. Hence the reason I am not looking for a barrel burner rifle shooting 150 grain bullets 3300+fps like the 28 Nosler.

Thanks again

.30-06 mtmuley

 

[mtrecon]

I'm currently having a 280AI built and have for many years hunted with a 300wm. I faced the same questions you're asking and also considered a 300wsm and 7mm. Ultimately it was the wide range of loads, bullet weights, reduced recoil and ballistic performance of the AI that intrigued me. Personal preference of exactly how it's built 700 blue printed, Bell Carlson stock, fluted A5 25" 1in8 twist, fluted bolt, timney trigger. I hunt mainly, but do give ample time to the range.

 

[NVDesertHunter]

I'm currently having a 280AI built and have for many years hunted with a 300wm. I faced the same questions you're asking and also considered a 300wsm and 7mm. Ultimately it was the wide range of loads, bullet weights, reduced recoil and ballistic performance of the AI that intrigued me. Personal preference of exactly how it's built 700 blue printed, Bell Carlson stock, fluted A5 25" 1in8 twist, fluted bolt, timney trigger. I hunt mainly, but do give ample time to the range.

That should be a very nice firearm when its all said and done. My choices are narrowed down to the Montana Rifle Company's Extreme X2 or the Kimber Montana. I like the floor plate magazine of the MRC and dislike the blind mag from the Kimber. However the MRC says their barrels are 1-9.5" vs the Kimber's 1-9" twist rate. Since I want this to be an extremely versatile rifle, I would rather have the 1-9" twist to stabilize the 160 grain bullets more effectively.

 

[sbhooper]

I have loaded for a WSM that was a tack driver out to 800, with 200-grain Partitions at 2850ish fps. I, personally, have always shot 7 mags and really like the 7 mm bullets. I think that the AI would be my choice for the game that you mentioned. A 160 Partition out of my rifles shoot 1/2 moa to 550 (the length of the my range) and absolutely does the job on elk. I have not shot any bears with it. I don't see too much that a 160-grain Partition, or Accubond from the AI will not handle.