+2 As an all around gun the 300wm is an excellent cartidge. However you stated you have and will use the others for deer sized (-)and this "new addition" will be dedicated for NA big game the likes of elk (+). Insert the 338wm and your GTG on any game animal you wish to hunt in NA without comprimise. The recoil difference between the 300wm and 338wm isn't what most would think, so if your comfortable with a 300wm moving to 338wm isn't a real stretch. Basically if you can handle a 300wm the 338wm should be tolerable, at least from my experience/perspective. Both will be a considerable jump from what you have now, so you'll notice either one and you'll never know the difference jumping to the 338wm instead.

You'll also have nice spacing in your arsenal .277cal, 308 cal and .338cal. The 300wm creates redundancy in the .308 cal slot. I know stretching it comparing a 30/30 with the 300wm but under the usage model it does apply.

BTW, I'dtop it witha 3x9x40 zeiss conquestwith 4" constant ER, excellent optics, etc. Add some good mounts (warne. leupold, etc)andyour all set.

Good luck

My only advise is to make sure that the gun fits you well in the store before you buy it. If it doesnt fit, no recoil pad or better scope is gonna make it better.

I agree in this situation. I wouldnt go for just the 300 Win Mag or 300 wsm. 338 or I would even consider a 300 Ultra Mag. Packsmore punch that the 300Win Mag, shoots flatter, aint a elk or moose it cant take down. 3-9 scope would be my first pick. Get good glass, had a cheap scope on a 338 a few years ago and shot the crosshairs loose with only a few rounds.

Ok, how is that possible.. I mean the only way to make quicker kills is to do more damage, more damage means there will be more meat damage.

Becauseit takes a lot more resistance to get a bigger and heavier bullet to expand.Therefore they punch a cleaner hole in the meat and begin expanding deeper in the bodyrather than expanding in the meat and getting it all blood shot.

That is true, but that does not have anything to do with a 300 WIN MAG. That has to do with the weight and bullet type. I can get the same results out of a .308 without having to put on a recoil pad, using a BOSS or any other recoil reducing efforts.

It does have to do with a 300 mag if you are comparing it with the same bullet typeout of something likea 25-06.

Sureyou can do the same thing with other lighter cartridges if you change to heavier constructed bullets like a Barnesbut if you are comparing a 300 mag with a 180 grain ballistic tip to, say,a 25-06 with a 100 grain ballistic tip the 300 should blood shot meat less.

There are a bunch of other factors to consider but all else being equal, as a general rulea heavier and larger diameter bullet will do less meat damage than a lighter wieght and smaller diameter bullet.

So your saying that a 300 WIN mag will produce faster kills because it does less damage to meat??? That doesn't make sense.. A bullet does not know the difference between meat and internal organs.. True some bullets expand faster and different than others. But my point is it does not have anything to do with the caliber it has to do with weight and construction of the bullet. A .300 WIN Mag with a 180 Grain PSP won't kill any faster than .308 with a 180 Grain PSP. There is only a couple hundredFPSdifference in velocity of these 2 rounds.

[/align][align=right]I must be missing it, but where in his post does it say anything about "quicker kills' He does say that there's no more damage than other calibers, and that we all can agree on.I think you're making a mountain out of a mole hill![/align]

The part where he says "I don't like to chase em after I hit them" is what I am interpreting as "quicker kills" Your right it proabably is a mole hill.. But I just don't see the 300 WIN MAG as some magical round that killed any faster than any other round.