NVMIKE

I disagree w/ the comment that the rimmed cases are INHERANTLY more accurate than non-rimmed cases. That comes from some very old biases that frackly have not been born out or proved to be factual. There are plenty of top notch benchrest shooters thathave proved that the belted cases can be just as accurate as the smoothies. The same holds true of the short-fat being more accurate, that is a popular theory at the moment, and may be proved to be true,but not fact. There is one FACT, they aremore efficient in that they use less powder to achieve the same velocities.

bigbulls

Not rimmed cases vs. non rimmed. But rather bottle necked cases that headspace on the shoulder VS. belted cases that headspace on the belt. A belt on a case does nothing to help improve the accuracy of a given cartridge.Yes there are some people that have done good with belted cartridges but by a large margin a bottle neck cartridge will have more potential to be an accurate cartridge.

Vapodog

I think that's the best reply.

Todd1700

Easy, to sell rifles. There are a lot of folks who just have to have whatever "Latest Thing" comes down the line so firearms manufactureres are only too happy to concoct a "Latest Thing" for them every couple of years. Each "Latest Thing" is always accompanied by a ton of marketing hype officially proclaiming it as the greatest advancement since they first put rifling in a gun barrel. And of course most of that marketing hype is basically just pure bull###t The 300wsm offers no ballistic advantage over the 300 wm.As for thetheoretical claims of being more accurate? Even if true, you are talking a very minute fraction here. A difference so small that it is easily brushed aside toabsolute insignificance by the variances in the particular rifle set up. Reduced Recoil? I'm sure fired from the same weight gun there wouldpossibly be a measurable difference but of course the 300 wsm rifle is going to weight less than the standard sized 300 wm rifle. A practical difference that has a far greater impact on felt recoil than the hull shape of a cartridge.

bigbulls

If they didn't come out with new rifles and cartridges then we would all be shooting a 30-06. Gee that would be a whole lot of fun. [&:] [&:] [&:] If we didn't have advances in technology and design then we would all still be living in the stone age chunking spears and eating raw meat.

It does have the same bassistics as the larger 300 but it is like comparing a light weight modern sports car to a older heavier muscle car. The heavier muscle car made of heavy steel will reach 150 mph in a quarter mile but the modern sports car will be able to do the same thing with less power needed under the hood thanks to beter technology, lighter weight materials, etc... etc...

NVMIKE

Bigbulls - Sorry for the diction error[]...I meant belted cases.But of course you knew thatby your response. I still dont agree that the case is at ornear the top of the list of factors in accuracy. One reason the small, short fats are used in the benchrest competitions is that they are highly comfortable to shoot. I can shoot my 6mm all day and still not flinch at the end of it, I cant say the same for my 300win. now does that mean that my 300win is less accurate? No ...it means my sorry a$$ cant handle it as well as the 6mm.

jritswet

I know I am late on this post but to answer the question about why do we need more cartridges. The same reason there is so many kinds of Marlboro cigarettes (for an example). The sales people have figured out that there are enough people who just HAVE TO HAVE the latest and greatest. This means sales, sales, sales. If people wouldn't buy them the companies would quit making us think we need them.

cherokee_outfitters

It boils down to 5 to 6 grains of powder and the plus goes to the 300 win mag. That's for those that reload. And for those that reload know what 5 grains of powder willadd to the velocity. About a difference of 100 to 150fps. Put that in your short mag case and you got problems. I'm not knocking them I just think its something new for them to sell without any advantage in actual ballistics changes. Everyone is looking for the greener grass and they are making tons of money off these ones.

bigbulls

Here's another way to look at it.

How many vehicles do you have? How many do you really need? Are they all the same make, model, color, engine, etc?

How many shotguns do you have? How many do you reaqlly need? Are they all the same make and model?

How many rifles do you own? How many do you really need? Are they all the same make, model, and caliber? Anyone have more than one rifle in the same caliber.... IE - 6mm, 25, 30, etc...?

How many televisions do you have? How many do you really need? Are they all the same make and model?

The fact is that the WSM's offer things that the belted magnums do not just like the belted magnums offer something for the reloader that the WSM's do not. It isn't all about sales although many people try to make it sound that way. Sure the manufacturers are profiting from the WSM's but if they were a bunch of bunk they wouldn't be selling the way that they are.

FastShootingCarts

Intersting thread.

How about a .243 WSSM vs.the .243 Win. Does anybody see an advantage of one over the other?