Performance
The Winchester’s factory ammunition for the .300 Winchester Magnum is capable of 3,260 feet per second (990 m/s) with the 150-grain (9.7 g) bullet and 3,000 ft/s (910 m/s) with the 180-grain (12 g) bullet. The maximum point blank range for the 150 gr (9.7 g) bullet is 318 yards (291 m) yards when zeroed at 270 yards (250 m). The maximum point blank range for the 180 gr (12 g) bullet is 300 yards when zeroed at 254 yards (232 m). The ability to zero the .300 Winchester Magnum and shoot without hold over to 300 yards (270 m) makes the cartridge one of the flatter shooting cartridges.
| Cartridge | Criteria | Muzzle | 100-yard (91 m) | 200-yard (180 m) | 300-yard (270 m) | 400-yard (370 m) | 500-yard (460 m) | |
| .308 Winchester (Winchester – SXP308) 150 gr (9.7 g) | Velocity | 2,825 ft/s (861 m/s) | 2,616 ft/s (797 m/s) | 2,417 ft/s (737 m/s) | 2,226 ft/s (678 m/s) | 2,044 ft/s (623 m/s) | 1,871 ft/s (570 m/s) | |
| Energy | 2,658 ft·lbf (3,604 J) | 2,279 ft·lbf (3,090 J) | 1,945 ft·lbf (2,637 J) | 1,650 ft·lbf (2,240 J) | 1,392 ft·lbf (1,887 J) | 1,166 ft·lbf (1,581 J) | ||
| .30-06 Springfield (Remington – PRA3006B) 165 gr (10.7 g) | Velocity | 2,800 ft/s (850 m/s) | 2,597 ft/s (792 m/s) | 2,403 ft/s (732 m/s) | 2,217 ft/s (676 m/s) | 2,039 ft/s (621 m/s) | 1,870 ft/s (570 m/s) | |
| Energy | 2,872 ft·lbf (3,894 J) | 2,470 ft·lbf (3,350 J) | 2,115 ft·lbf (2,868 J) | 1,800 ft·lbf (2,400 J) | 1,523 ft·lbf (2,065 J) | 1,281 ft·lbf (1,737 J) | ||
| .300 Winchester Magnum (Winchester – SXP300WM) 180 gr (12 g) | Velocity | 3,000 ft/s (910 m/s) | 2,819 ft/s (859 m/s) | 2,646 ft/s (807 m/s) | 2,479 ft/s (756 m/s) | 2,318 ft/s (707 m/s) | 2,163 ft/s (659 m/s) | |
| Energy | 3,597 ft·lbf (4,877 J) | 3,176 ft·lbf (4,306 J) | 2,797 ft·lbf (3,792 J) | 2,455 ft·lbf (3,329 J) | 2,147 ft·lbf (2,911 J) | 1,869 ft·lbf (2,534 J) | ||
| .300 Weatherby Magnum (Weatherby – N300180ACB) 180 gr (12 g) | Velocity | 3,250 ft/s (990 m/s) | 3,051 ft/s (930 m/s) | 2,861 ft/s (872 m/s) | 2,678 ft/s (816 m/s) | 2,503 ft/s (763 m/s) | 2,335 ft/s (712 m/s) | |
| Energy | 4,223 ft·lbf (5,726 J) | 3,721 ft·lbf (5,045 J) | 3,271 ft·lbf (4,435 J) | 2,868 ft·lbf (3,888 J) | 2,505 ft·lbf (3,396 J) | 2,179 ft·lbf (2,954 J) | ||
The .30 caliber is the most popular caliber in the United States. So it is not surprising that the widest range of bullets available is in the .30 caliber. The most useful bullet weights for the .300 Winchester Magnum are those weighing between 150–200 grains (9.7–13 g). However, bullets weighing between 110–250 gr (7.1–16 g) are available to the reloader for the .300 Winchester Magnum.
Compared with the 30-06 Springfield the .300 Winchester Magnum provides about 300 ft/s (91 m/s). This translates to about 20% greater energy advantage over the 30-06 Springfield cartridge. Due to the short neck, heavier bullets particularly those weighing greater than 200 grains (13 g) and mono-metal bullets such as the Barnes X bullets will need to be seated more deeply into the cartridge. As the bullet will take up volume which could have be taken by the propellant velocity advantages diminish as the weight of the bullet increases.
The .300 Winchester Magnum is known for its accuracy and has been used for 1,000-yard (910 m) and 1,000-metre (1,100 yd) competitions. While in hunting situations such accuracy is unnecessary, such accuracy does aid in the extending the range of the cartridge. Taken together with its performance it remains one of the most useful and popular cartridges today.
Although cartridges such as the .30-378 Weatherby Magnum, .300 Remington Ultra Magnum and the .300 Weatherby Magnum all exceed performance of the .300 Winchester Magnum none of these cartridges can be chambered in a standard length action. Few .30 caliber (7.62 mm) standard length cartridges can match the performance and versatility of the .300 Winchester Magnum.
The down side to this performance is recoil. The amount of recoil the cartridge generates is a step up from the non-magnum .30 caliber (7.62 mm) cartridges. Its recoil is about 40% greater than that of the .30-06 Springfield, which is known as a 'stout' cartridge. This would put the .300 Winchester Magnum at the upper limit of what most shooters can shoot comfortably for extended shooting sessions. As a rough comparison, the recoil of the .300 Winchester Magnum is roughly comparable to a 12 gauge shotgun shooting 1 oz. slugs. This greater recoil can make the .300 Winchester Magnum, despite its accuracy advantages, a harder cartridge to shoot actually accurately, when compared to non-magnum 30 caliber cartridges such as the .30-06 Springfield or the .308 Winchester. On the other hand, recoil is subjective (some are more sensitive to it than others) and one can get used to it with practice. Also, many rifles available today now have effective recoil attenuating features built in to them, such as muzzle compensators and energy absorbing stocks and butt-pads, that can significantly lessen recoil as it is felt by the shooter.
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