Whether you are a fan of striker-fired guns or not, they are what’s hot, what’s hip, and they are here to stay.

But what has all that popularity gotten us? Well, a lot of black polymer pistols that look really similar.

There is a dizzying amount of striker-fired pistols on the market today, and it can be tough to figure out what sets them apart from the competition and, more importantly, which one might be right for you.

With that in mind, we filmed a video and compiled a list of our favorite striker-fired pistols (in no particular order) and why we think they rock.

Keep reading to see what we recommend!

THE QUICK LIST

Best Striker Fired Handguns

But first…if you aren’t familiar with the differences between striker-fired and hammer-fired pistols, we have you covered with our complete breakdown here!

Now, onto our faves!

1. Sig Sauer P365 X-Macro

The X-Macro is Sig’s latest evolution of their ultra-popular micro-compact P365, and we have to say…it delivers.

Even though it is only 1.1 inches wide and 5.2 inches tall, the X-Macro has a mind-boggling capacity of 17 rounds of 9mm.

No other manufacturer has managed to stuff this many rounds in a gun this size.

Features include an optics-ready slide that lets you keep the rear sight when a red dot is installed, X-Ray night sights, a full 1913 accessory rail, extended beavertail, and an integrated compensator.

Additionally, Sig was able to retain the full frame, slide, and fire control unit compatibility with previous versions of the P365.

Overall, the solid ergonomics, a good trigger, and the compensator make the X-Macro far easier to shoot than you might expect, making it an excellent choice for those wanting to maximize capacity without getting a full-size pistol.

Don’t forget to check out our review of the P365 X-Macro in the video below or read up on the deets in our full review!

2. CZ P-10C

Sometimes guns punch above their weight class, and we definitely feel that way about the CZ P-10C.

It may look like another Glock 19-type clone, but in the end, you are getting more for your money.

For starters, users will find a surprisingly nice striker-fired trigger on the P-10C. Secondly, CZ worked their ergonomic magic to produce a gun that avoids that blocky 2×4 feeling of some other polymer pistols.

Aggressive grip texturing and slide serrations, a deep beavertail, and mild palm swells help this pistol feel like it ”locks in” to your hand.

Metal sights are also a nice upgrade over much of the competition, and optics-ready versions are also available. Metal 15-round magazines are also standard.

The result? A super flat shooting, comfortable pistol with great features that comes in under $500.

Want to know more? Head on over to see our full review of the CZ P-10C!

3. Glock 19

You knew it was coming. We knew it was coming. What list isn’t complete without a Glock 19?

Many designs have come and gone, but the Glock 19 has remained and is widely considered the gold standard of striker-fired pistols.

Why is that? One word — reliability.

With decades of military and law enforcement use under its belt, the Glock 19 is the most time-tested handgun on this list, in addition to being the most popular handgun in the world (with the biggest aftermarket).

Its 15+1 capacity and 4-inch barrel have become the industry standard size for compact pistols.

The trigger isn’t the best and is pretty spongy by today’s standards, and the ergonomics are a bit blocky for our taste. However, these guns still point well, shoot well, and their simplicity and ease of use can’t be understated.

Those who put a premium on reliability, flexibility, and simplicity will be hard-pressed to find a gun that does those better.

Don’t forget to take a peek at our 3,500-round review of the Gen 5 Glock 19!

4. HK VP9

I know it sounds like heresy, but HK’s best gun just might be their cheapest one — the VP9.

Why is that, you say? Well, they finally made a handgun to compete for civilian sales rather than trying to lock down military and agency contracts.

Taking aim at other striker-fired guns on the market, the VP9 set out to do a lot of things better, and it did.

For starters, the VP9 has one of the better striker-fired triggers on the market. It is relatively crisp, with a predictable break and a fairly short reset.

Old models used 15-round magazines, while newer models have a 17-round capacity.

Where this gun truly shines is ergonomics. Not only are the backstraps interchangeable, but the side panels are too. This allows left or right-handed users to adjust the palm swell to fit them perfectly.

Standard VP9s sport an ambidextrous paddle magazine release. It can take some getting used to, but it is quick and intuitive after the switch is made. For those that prefer a traditional button release, HK also produces a VP9-B variant.

Additionally, you get good slide serrations, as well as rear cocking wings that make racking the slide a breeze. It is capped off with a sizeable ambi slide release, making this one of the most lefty-friendly guns out there.

These guns are accurate, comfortable, and still deliver the famed quality and reliability that HK is known for.

Wondering if this is the gun for you? Take a look at the video review below or read up on it in our full review of the VP9!

5. Walther PDP

Last but definitely not least is the Walther PDP, and boy, does it have us in a lather. To be honest, we love these guns, but for a good reason.

Walther’s Performance Duty Trigger has a little bit of take-up to a defined well, then a very clean break right at around 4-4.5 pounds, and a very short reset.

This is one of the best striker-fired triggers on the market, only matched by guns like the Canik Rival (a Walther clone).

All PDPs come with optics-ready slides, but the downside is that you have to submit a request to Walther to have them mail you the adapter plate for your specific red dot.

As usual, Walther implemented excellent ergonomics in the form of good grip texture and chunky Super Terrain slide serrations.

Users with small to medium-sized hands will also appreciate the extended, easy-to-reach ambidextrous slide release.

The PDP is also available in various barrel lengths and also with full-size (18+1 capacity) and compact (15+1 capacity) grip sizes.

Additionally, Walther has recently introduced the PDP-F, which features a reduced grip to trigger reach and an easier to rack slide.

Accuracy and reliability are hallmarks of all Walther duty guns; the PDP has that in spades.

Still not sold? Check out our 10,000-round review video of the PDP below and our written review!

Honorable Mentions

Narrowing it down to just five pistols was challenging; unfortunately, not everything could make the cut. With that in mind, we snuck in two pistols in the video that didn’t quite make our best of but that we still like.

Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Metal

Life is better with a bit of heavy metal, right?

Smith and Wesson took their venerable M&P and glammed it up with an all-metal frame and an improved trigger to create the M&P 2.0 Metal.

With good looks in tow, it also has a jaw-dropping performance to match. These guns are extremely accurate, fast shooting, and soft-recoiling.

They are a bit heavy for duty use for some and are on the slightly spendier side for a striker pistol, but they run.

You can see our video on the M&P 2.0 Metal below or take a look at our full written review!

Grand Power Q1S

The Grand Power Q1S is by far the strangest inclusion on the list, but hey, some of us are strange people.

Much like the Beretta PX4, the Q1S features a rotating barrel design that helps reduce muzzle flip. With a smaller 3.6-inch barrel, the recoil reduction is both noticeable and welcome.

Additionally, the gun has a shockingly good 3.5-4lb trigger that breaks cleanly at 90 degrees.

Consider the fact that you get metal sights, fully ambidextrous controls, and three 12-round magazines for around $400, and you have a real sleeper on your hands.

Final Thoughts

Striker-fired pistols have improved so much in the last 15 years that it is hard to pick just five and keep the list manageable.

If you didn’t see a specific gun here, be sure to check out our other articles, as we might just have what you are looking for.

What’s your favorite striker-fired handgun? Sound off in the comments below. Want to dive into the world of pistols even more? We got you. Check out our recommendations for the Best Beginner & Home Defense Pistols and Best Concealed Carry Guns.

If you’re planning to kill a wolf in the wild, you need to learn how to skin a wolf in the right way. If you’re not familiar with the procedure, here are some tips for the task. First, you’ll need to gut the animal. You should first cut out the bulging belly. This will make the skin and hair slip off. Once the animal has been gutted, you’ll need to make a small slit down its belly. Be careful not to cut into the ear area, as this will prevent it from spoiling.

If you’re planning to kill a wolf in the wild, you need to learn how to skin a wolf in the right way. If you’re not familiar with the procedure, here are some tips for the task. First, you’ll need to gut the animal. You should first cut out the bulging belly. This will make the skin and hair slip off. Once the animal has been gutted, you’ll need to make a small slit down its belly. Be careful not to cut into the ear area, as this will prevent it from spoiling.

After the skin is rolled up, you can freeze it to dry it. You can also hang the animal to dry and thaw. The next step is to prepare the wolf for skinning. After the wolf is completely defrosted, you can put it on a stretcher and hang it until it is dry to the touch. Once the wolf’s hide is completely dry, you can freeze it.

When you’ve finished skinning the wolf, you can hang it up to dry. The wolf’s skin will be much easier to remove if you hang it on a wall. If you’re not comfortable doing this, you can use a Wolf Balloon to keep the animal upright. Then, you can use a knife to cut the hide into small pieces. You should also avoid cutting yourself while skinning.

If you’re not comfortable skinning a wolf, you should purchase a wolf balloon. A wolf balloon makes the process easier and quicker. Just remember not to try this method if you’re squeamish! And if you don’t want to risk the skinning process, a gambrel is your best option. You can also hang the animal on a gambrel.

You can skin a wolf by removing its head. You can do it yourself by following a few steps. The wolf’s skin can be split and dried. After that, you can freeze the hide and sell it at a fur market. You can also take a wolf to a store that sells pelts and use it for your clothing or furniture. You’ll find a wolf’s body and hair in the local area.

Before you start skinning a wolf, be sure it’s dead. In the wild, a wolf may freeze to death. In cold weather, the animal can be frozen in the shed or at the skinning shop. It can take as much as four days to thaw completely. If you’re not careful, the animal could still be frozen before you get to it. In addition, it may be hard to distinguish a wolf from a dog by the color of its coat.

Before you begin skinning a wolf, you should take care of its feet. This helps prevent injury. Then, you’ll need to prepare the wolf’s head and neck for skinning. You’ll need a squeamish person to help you. If you’re not sure how to skin a wolf, it’s better to call a professional. This will be safer for you.

The first thing you should know about wolves is that they have a lot of senses. They have 200 million smelling cells in their noses and can detect scents up to 100 times better than humans. Moreover, wolves have 42 teeth, and their back teeth are used to crush bones. The front teeth are used for nibbling and pulling, while the tongue is used for cleaning meat. This is an important step in learning how to skin a wolf in the wild.

The wolf’s skin should be clean and dry. It should be completely free of any wounds or cuts. Before you skin a wolf, be sure to prepare its hide for skinning. In the case of a wolf, the skin will be incredibly moist and slippery. It may even be difficult to remove the fur. But that’s all part of the fun! While this process might be a bit messy, it’s a worthwhile experience for the whole family.

The first step in skinning a wolf is to prepare it for skinning. If you’re going to be skinning a wolf in the field, it is best to do it as soon as possible after the kill. If the skin is tanned too dark, it will be too difficult to carry. The last step is to remove the bones. You can use coconut oil or olive oil to tan the hides, or you can use an ice cream solution.

Without a place to go, the most outfitted rig to ever grace the backroads is a bit pointless. It’s simple enough to find trails, backroads, or some other adventurous route, but it isn’t easy to find places to call home for the night. Some parts of the country have a distinct lack of public lands. While other areas are fortunate to have plenty of public lands, those come with a host of regulations.

Some overlanders like to wing it, and there’s nothing wrong with the journey being the destination. However, it only takes a couple of times of driving into the night, searching for a place to catch some shut-eye, before you start pre-planning where you’ll spend the night.

So whether you’re a fly by the seat of your pants type, or an expedition detail planning pro, we have some ideas for places to search for your next home away from home.

Camping on Public Lands

Regardless of other factors, most campsites will fall into either the public or private category. On public lands, you’ll often find options to camp in dispersed sites or in a more formal campground.

Many State and National Forest feature organized campgrounds. These vary widely in size, privacy, and amenities. A few might only be a few flat spots tucked into the woodlands off the main forest road, while others are full campgrounds with bathhouses, electric hookups, and concrete pads. Some might have a reservation system in place, but many are first-come-first-serve and fill up quickly during peak seasons.

It’s also worth noting that State and National Parks often have campgrounds, but in our experience, they’re usually relatively tame and tightly packed. They’re fine in a pinch, but with a bit of research or willingness to explore, you can generally find better options.

For a truly wild camping experience, most overlanders will look for dispersed camping opportunities. Unless otherwise posted, dispersed camping is allowed on the majority of public lands. These “sites” are usually unimproved and offer a nice isolated spot for individuals or small groups. We say “sites” because that’s a bit of a misnomer. Sometimes it’s just a vehicle-sized flat spot just off of the forest road or trail, other times it might be roomy enough for a few rigs. You never know until you get there, and that’s all part of the fun. Some of the best options for finding dispersed camping opportunities are at the end of spur roads on public lands and the central portions of large sections of public lands.

Private Land Camping

Not that long ago, private camping options in the US would have been limited to campgrounds in popular areas. Many of those are geared towards RVs and rarely offer a very adventurous experience. However, it seems we’re finally catching up to the rest of the world, and people that live in or near wilderness areas are offering up a spot for campers in exchange for a small fee. However, instead of a simple face-to-face interaction, the chosen platform for arranging these sites is usually a mobile application or website. We’ll discuss some of our favorite options for finding privately owned camping options in a bit.

Mobile Apps & Online Trip Planning

We’re fortunate to have a number of online resources at our disposal. These are useful during the pre-trip planning, and they can save the day on the fly.

Several mobile applications and websites are dedicated to sharing information on formal and informal routes. They usually include information about the difficulty of the terrain, camping opportunities, resupply points, and more. Many applications also allow you to build routes or tracks, mark waypoints, and save all of that information for your upcoming trip.

Look for a program that offers both mobile and web-based platforms. That way, you can do your pre-trip planning on a larger screen, then download it to your mobile or a dedicated device. It’s also important to have the ability to store maps offline. You don’t want to get to the middle of nowhere, only to find your cell service is gone, and now you don’t know how to get to the campsite.

Our own Trips & Trails series is a great place to look for your next trip idea. We highlight trails all over the country, ranging from short jaunts to multiday trips, that can match every overlanders skill level.

Dedicated Websites

If you’re looking for more information about camping on public lands, Reserve America and Recreation.gov can be valuable resources. Reserve America manages online reservations for most state and local government park campgrounds in the United States. However, while Reserve America can serve as a good database of sites, campsites on Federal land are only reservable through Recreation.gov. Nevertheless, when used together, these websites are an excellent resource.

Another great online resource is the Hipcamp website and accompanying mobile application. Hipcamp features options ranging from glamping in a luxury tent to tiny house rentals and our personal favorite, a spot in the woods with a fire ring. You can filter by the type of site you’re looking for, search as you move the map, or by specific days and a destination. We’ve found some gems using Hipcamp, particularly on holiday weekends, when dispersed sites are in high demand and campgrounds are jam-packed.

There are other options available, and when researching sites for a trip, why not use every tool in the box? With a model similar to Hipcamp, thedyrt.com allows you to browse campsites via a location search or by using their map. Most of the results seem to be park campgrounds and larger private campgrounds. Be warned, while exploring our local area on The Dyrt we found an incorrectly listed campsite that was shown to be half an hour away, when in reality it’s in a different part of the state. Other websites and applications such as iOverlander, Boondocking.com, and the USFS & BLM Campgrounds application are also helpful.

Leave No Trace

Regardless if you’re camping in a huge campground, in a secluded dispersed site on public lands, or a nice spot you found on Hipcamp, you should always practice Leave No Trace ethics. Outside of your own minimal impact practices, it’s always a great idea to leave it better than you found by cleaning up trash when you can. When exploring and camping on public lands, familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations of the area. Wildlife Management Areas, State Forest, National Forest, and other public lands can all have vastly different regulations on anything from required permits to bringing in firewood.

Get Out & Explore

While maps, apps, and other forms of research are great, you can’t beat time on the trail. This holds particularly true if there’s a certain area that you frequently visit. If you’re heading to a new destination, try to tag along with a local, or at the very least gather some insider information. In the age of the internet, you can connect with the locals by searching for hashtags and social media groups.

GON has now been around for almost 30 years, and a unique project started when the magazine first began was collecting, measuring and compiling a massive database of certified scores for Georgia bucks. Using this database, we developed a formula that provides an annual look at which Georgia counties are best at producing big bucks.

For the fifth year in a row, Worth County is the No. 1 county in Georgia for producing high-scoring bucks. It’s really not even close, although second-place Lee County is closing the gap.

Worth County’s big-buck production score of 188 is 28 points higher than the second-best Lee County. For perspective on just how good Worth County has been at throwing out high-scoring bucks the past 10 years, it takes a total score of 102 just to be a Top-10 county. Just the difference between No. 10 and Worth County is 86 points, which is more than the total score for 143 of Georgia’s 159 counties.

In addition to tallying a score for every Georgia county, GON also crunches the numbers to compare this year’s scores with the previous season (see the charts below). It is interesting to see which counties are moving up, and also to see which counties are dropping as bucks killed more than 10 years ago fall out of the formula.

Our formula uses official net scores from bucks taken in the past 10 years, and we also factor in the size of each county. Each county receives a score for its actual production of high-scoring bucks. Scores may drop from year to year because we only look at a 10-year window.

Worth County scores so well simply because in the past 10 years so many high-scoring bucks continue to be killed there. Take a look at GON’s County-by-County rankings (Worth County’s Top-10 list appears on page 94). It takes a Boone & Crockett buck to crack the Top-9 in Worth County.

Worth County has quality dirt—fertile soil along the Flint River corridor, and there is lots of agricultural farmland, with high-protein peanuts commonly in the rotation. The biggest factor for Worth’s dominance is the many large, well-managed plantations in the county. High-density hunting clubs are rare in Worth County. Old age is most important for a buck to grow a high-scoring rack, and combine that with bucks getting great nutrition and high-end genetic potential, and Worth County is prime for big bucks. That same formula is why Lee County is No. 2 and Dougherty County and Macon County rank four and five.

Dougherty County took a big jump, thanks to a Booner killed last season along with several other high-scoring bucks.

The remarkable chapter in Georgia’s big-buck story continues to be Fulton County, home to Atlanta but also the city’s northern suburbs where ribbons of mostly unhunted suburban habitat grow giant bucks that can only be bowhunted. It’s amazing that Fulton, which had no deer just two decades ago, is the No. 3 Georgia county for producing big bucks.

We realize individual bucks are not measured each season, maybe because the hunter doesn’t want publicity, but we are confident the buck-production formula works very well, and that it’s a great representation for big-buck production across the state. Adjacent counties and regions of the state have similar scores, and side-by-side counties typically trend together from year to year.

If you kill a good buck this season, contact GON as soon as possible. Call (800) 438-4663, or e-mail [email protected]. We’ll want to add your buck to this awesome database, and your buck might just be featured in the magazine.

On many occasions, I’ve gotten distracted while fighting a fish, and when I finally had my quarry close enough to land, I quickly reached down and grabbed it by the lip to bring it in the boat. If it’s a largemouth I’m landing, or a big crappie or striper, that’s not a problem. When fishing in some waters, however, the creature that gets grabbed may grab back. And if it’s one of the toothy terrors listed here, it could leave you with wounds that need stitching, or worse.

I, therefore, warn you to think twice before lipping the next fish you bring alongside your boat. In the Western Hemisphere, rivers, lakes and saltwater environs are home to many fish that have maws studded with rows of needle-sharp teeth. If you make a mistake and grab one of these bad boys by the lower jaw, you may find yourself heading to an emergency room.

Beware these bad-to-the-bone beasts that bite!

1. Payara

They don’t call it “Dracula fish” for nothing. This South American favorite has the countenance of a vampire, with two fangs as long as your little fingers erupting from its lower jaw—plus dozens of other sharp teeth. With needle-sharp tips and knifelike edges, these dentures are perfect for impaling the payara’s favorite dinner: live piranhas. And you know any fish that eats piranhas must be one tough customer.

While fishing for payara on the Rio Paragua in Venezuela, we often reeled in piranha baits so full of holes they looked like hamburger meat—the result of payara attacks. The fish’s long lower fangs fit nicely into sheaths in the upper jaw, but the payara’s strike is as swift as a cobra. It can open wide and impale you before you know it happened. The result is guaranteed to be extremely bloody and painful.

2. Alligator Gar

The alligator gar is a toothy, armored-covered leviathan of Southern lakes and rivers. Its size impresses—sometimes more than 8 feet and 300 pounds. Looking into one’s tooth-studded maw is like staring death in the eye.

John Fox guided for Arkansas gator gars in the 1950s. He tells the story of one client so horrified by the hellish stare of a gar that jumped near the boat, he deep-sixed Fox’s rod and reel, with the gar still hooked, and demanded to be taken immediately to shore.

“A guy fishing with us one day let one jump in the boat,” Fox said. “It tore the side of the boat out and broke the man’s leg!” Nineteenth-century news accounts describe many instances of persons being killed or injured by these fish, including people snatched off houseboats.

If you mess with this bad boy, be sure your life insurance is paid up.

3. Bowfin

At first glance, the bowfin looks pretty harmless. Its teeth, which are immovable outgrowths of its jawbones, aren’t readily apparent. But if you examine a bowfin’s mouth up close—if you’re stupid enough—you’ll get the definite impression that, given a chance, it would chew your arm off, and if it were the size of an alligator, people wouldn’t be safe in the water. Nicknames include mudfish, dogfish and grinnel, but more vulgar monikers often are used by frazzled fishermen with broken lines, mauled lures and shattered poles.

Writer Jim Spencer gave a vivid account of one bowfin encounter. “It was possibly the most violent strike I’ll ever see in my life, regardless of the species,” he said. “No white marlin ever slashed a trolled skipjack any harder than when that grinnel hit my fast-moving spinner. The water around the lure erupted like a miniature volcano … I set the hook purely out of fright.”

Don’t land one with a lip-lock. If you do, there’s a good probability you’ll come away minus some digits.

4. Esox

Members of the genus Esox—the pike, pickerels and muskellunge—are deadly predators that will kill and eat darn near anything, including squirrels, ducks, young muskrats and sizeable fish. Their long canine teeth, which ring the wide lower jaw, and the short, sharp teeth on the tongue and roof of the mouth, spell instant death to unwary prey. That same dentition can lay open a person’s foot or hand dangled in the water, as has often happened in places where big muskies and pike thrive.

Suffice it to say that putting any body part too near the jaws of one of these marauders can spell trouble if the fish decides to latch on. Extreme caution is advised.

5. Lingcod

Many saltwater fish are armed with mouths full of sharp teeth, too. Consider the lingcod, whose toothy maw resembles that of a sci-fi monster destined to eat the entire crew of a spaceship. This fish is covered with brownish-red blotches that make it look like it has some kind of skin disorder. Maybe that’s what makes it so ornery. A 40-pounder I hooked off Seward, Alaska slammed me into the gunwale so hard I had bruises for weeks. Pity the person who hooks a really big one, which could top 80 pounds.

You’ll find lingcod year-round in West Coast waters from southern California to the Gulf of Alaska. They’re aggressive and easy to catch on jigs and cutbaits fished around rock piles and reefs. If you’re tough enough to handle one, and it doesn’t snap your line, steer clear of the huge, gaping mouth studded with big teeth. The species’ scientific name, Ophiodon elongatus, means “long snake tooth,” an appropriate appellation.

6. Bluefish

Bluefish are abundant and popular sportfish in many areas, particularly along the Northeast coast. Lots of folks like catching them, but novices may not realize these sleek, powerful marine fish pack a dangerous set of dentures. I’ve seen them bite right through a hook, and saw a fellow angler lose part of a toe to one that dropped thrashing in the bottom of our boat.

Schools of bluefish often “blitz,” pushing baitfish near shore as they feed on them. Swimmers, surfers and others in the water sometimes suffer serious bites if they’re unfortunate enough to get caught in the feeding frenzy. If you handle one carelessly while fishing, there’s a definite risk it could remove some big chunks of flesh from any body part that gets near those chomping jaws.

7. Black Piranha

“They are the most ferocious fish in the world,” Theodore Roosevelt wrote of piranhas. “They will rend and devour alive any wounded man or beast.” Mean doesn’t begin to describe them.

Most of the 17 species in South American waters are beautiful fishes, but not so the black piranha. The biggest of its clan, weighing as much as 13 pounds, this purplish flesh-eater looks like the embodiment of pure evil, with blood-red eyes and a jutting jaw lined with razor-edged teeth. A fearsome 5-pound specimen in Brazil exploded on a big prop bait I cast, sending a spray of water high into the air. When I lifted the fish over the gunwale, it bit cleanly through the 3/0 treble hook impaled in its jaw. They’ve been known to take off fingers and toes with equal ease.

8. Wolf Fish

Brazil’s giant trahira, or wolf fish, looks like something that should be chasing Sigourney Weaver around a spaceship. This little-known fish weighs up to 50 pounds and has chompers that look like they could bite through nails. Think “nuclear walleye” and you’ll have a good picture.

When hooked, this evil-looking primitive does a tarpon-on-steroids impersonation, jumping repeatedly. You’ll need heavy tackle to drag it out of the snag-filled jungle backwaters it typically inhabits, but chances are, even that won’t survive a brutal battle with one of these raging bulls.

Don’t hold a trahira near any body part you want to keep. They’ve been known to rip chunks of flesh from nitwits wading barefoot in shorts.

If you’ve ever been around a hardcore freshwater bass angler, you’re probably well aware that eating bass is a huge taboo. Depending on the person, eating bass can be almost as offensive as insulting their religion.

Religious tendencies aside, you’ve also probably heard that bass are just no good to eat, or even that they’re “wormier” or “muddier” than other edible fish. These ideas keep most people from ever even trying bass, so the question remains: can you eat bass?

There are plenty of myths and taboos around eating bass, but in this article, I’m going to reveal the truth about it.

First things first: can you actually eat freshwater bass?

Both largemouth and smallmouth bass (the two most common black bass in North America) are in the sunfish family, the same family that includes crappie and bluegill. These two fish are some of the most popular food fish in the country, so it stands to reason that bass should be edible too.

It turns out that not only is bass perfectly edible, but it’s just as healthy and safe to eat as any other freshwater fish. Bass don’t contain any more parasites or toxins than any other predatory gamefish, and when properly cooked, pose no risk to human health. For more health stats and information about eating bass, check out this article from Livestrong.

The only potential health risk that comes from eating bass is mercury poisoning. Mercury slowly accumulates in the flesh of any predatory fish, so this isn’t a bass-specific risk, but it’s something to consider when choosing your meals. States put out fish consumption guidelines that will tell you which fish (and how much) are safe to eat. But generally, larger and older fish contain more mercury than smaller ones.

As for whether bass taste good, part of the problem is that both largemouth and smallmouth bass are some of the most adaptable gamefish in North America. They can live anywhere from cold, clean rivers to dirty, algae-covered city ponds.

The eating quality of an individual fish has a lot to do with where it lives, so their varied habitat means their taste and texture can vary a lot. But I can say from personal experience that bass that come from relatively cool, relatively clean water taste just as good as any crappie or perch I’ve ever eaten.

Smallmouth bass and largemouth bass prefer different water conditions, with smallies generally thriving in cooler, less weedy water, and largemouths preferring the opposite. This is a big part of the reason that people generally think smallmouth taste better than largemouth. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but in my experience, largemouth bass do tend to have softer meat and “fishier” flavor than smallmouth.

Whether or not you can eat bass doesn’t seem to matter; it’s no secret that most people just don’t.

You’ll hear people say that they don’t eat bass because they taste muddy, they’re wormy, or that they just prefer other fish. But in reality, many of these folks are just repeating what they’ve heard, and have never actually tried a bass themselves (and long ago, I used to be one of these people).

The real reason people don’t eat bass is because of a decades-long catch-and-release campaign. Bass are an extremely popular sport fish for their aggression and fight, but 100 years ago they weren’t as easy to find as they are today. Overfishing and unenforced laws led these once-abundant fish to the brink of extinction.

Laws were enacted to protect them, but a huge part of the resurgence of freshwater bass is because of a widespread effort to change the culture around bass fishing. Anglers shifted the focus from food to fun, framing the bass as a fish that’s more fun to catch than it is to eat.

The campaign worked, and this idea still prevails in modern bass fishing culture. It’s a great story of conservation success, but the ideas that were popularized then don’t necessarily apply today.

There was a time when bass were more valuable if you released them, because eating them meant contributing to their downfall.

But I’m about to make a bold statement: if you want to catch bigger bass in your local lake, you should eat more bass. Eating more of the fish that you want to catch may seem counterintuitive, but hear me out on this one.

Fish aren’t like people, whose genetics ultimately determine how big they will grow. In the wild, they aren’t limited by genetics like we are; they’re limited by biomass.

Biomass is the total weight of the fish in a body of water. The amount of fish food that’s available in a body of water is what determines biomass, so lakes and rivers all have a unique biomass maximum that limits how much fish they can support.

The thing about fish biomass is that all that matters is the total weight of all the fish in the lake combined. A population of ten 5-pound fish has the same biomass as 50 one-pound fish. That doesn’t make much difference to the ecosystem, and both lakes would have “stable” populations of fish. But if a couple of those smaller fish are removed, then the rest of the fish have enough food to grow bigger.

Of course, there are a ton of factors at play. But the idea that you should release every bass you catch because “it’ll be bigger next year” just isn’t true. Removing a small bass and eating it leaves more food around for the rest of them (and more food on your dinner plate, too). And some of those bass might just get big enough to be your next personal best.

I mentioned above that smallmouth tend to be better tasting than largemouth, and that fish from cold, clean lakes or rivers are better in general as well.

Another thing to consider is size. Larger fish are usually mushier and fishier, so selecting small to medium-sized fish is the way to go. When keeping a bass for the dinner table, 12-15 inch fish are perfect. That’s the happy medium between being big enough to be worth eating without being so big that they taste bad.

Eating small fish also makes sense for population management. Studies have shown that in almost all fish species, large, old females actually produce more eggs per pound of body weight than smaller and younger ones. Leaving the old breeders around keeps the most productive fish in the water, and solid genetics will get passed on to the next generation.

Removing more small fish also leaves more food around for the big ones. It may seem insignificant, but minor changes to an ecosystem can have a big impact. So if you want to have the best chance at a new personal best, taking and eating a few small bass now and then only helps your cause.

The story of freshwater bass is a story of a huge conservation success. Black bass were pushed to the brink, and catch-and-release culture helped their populations become healthy and thrive again.

But bass are delicious and safe to eat, and their thriving populations mean there’s just no reason we can’t utilize this awesome natural resource. And in the process, we might just help create the next fish of a lifetime.

Once common in the Rocky Mountain West, trumpeter swans have been a rare sight for more than a century after hunters blasted them from the sky to cash in on their skins and plumage, then in demand for women’s hats and other accessories.

Now the bird, North America’s largest and the world’s heaviest capable of flight, is coming back strong in parts of its historic range, thanks to reintroductions and prohibitions on hunting them. Yet, in Utah, they are falling in growing numbers to hunters gunning for a different species of swan.

It remains legal to shoot trumpeters in Nevada and Utah, at the southern reaches of the species’ range, if the hunter mistakes them for their smaller-bodied cousin, the tundra swan, which can be hard to distinguish from a trumpeter in flight. Utah hunters killed very few trumpeters through the years, probably because few trumpeters migrated that far south from their summer range in Idaho and Montana.

That changed this year.

Swan hunters shot 20 migrating trumpeters this fall, forcing Utah wildlife officials to close the tundra swan hunt early and leaving them wondering how so many trumpeters wound up in Utah, which could bode well for the species’ future.

“There was a higher number of trumpeter swans harvested this year because there were more migrating through Utah than in previous years,” said Blair Stringham, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources’ migratory game bird program coordinator. “We also increased the number of swan permits in Utah from 2,000 to 2,700 this year, which meant more hunters were targeting swans than in past years.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requires Utah and Nevada to close their swan hunts once a certain number of trumpeters are killed, a number that is set very low. In previous years, the trumpeter quota was 10 for Utah, five for Nevada, but the service doubled the quotas this year. Still, Utah hunters had never before hit the lower quotas and the highest number of trumpeters ever taken in a single season was seven.

Shooting a slow-flying, big-bodied bird may seem like a cinch, but swan hunting has a low success rate in Utah, around 40%. Stringham said 1,100 birds were bagged in this year’s hunt.

“It’s easy if you know what you are doing,” said hunter and author Hank Shaw, who bagged a tundra swan in 2013 while hunting in northern Utah’s Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Distinguishing a tundra from a trumpeter swan in flight is not that difficult, he said, as long as you know what to look for — which Utah requires of hunters before issuing them a coveted swan permit.

Weighing as much as 33 pounds, trumpeters are twice as large as tundra swans and produce a sonorous call that gives them their name. Tundra swans’ heads are curved and have a yellow patch on the fleshy part of their black bills near the eyes. Trumpeter heads are blockier and the bills are entirely black.

“You wait for them to get close enough for you to be absolutely sure,” said Shaw, famous for turning his prey into exquisite meals. “I prefer to shoot the juveniles. Immature swans have dark feathers and you can distinguish them at 20 or 30 yards. They are better eating.”

Never listed as endangered

In recent decades, the Rocky Mountain population of trumpeters has rebounded in the wake of aggressive reintroduction programs in Northwestern states. The 20 trumpeters killed by Utah hunters won’t have an impact on a bird that now exceeds its target population of 10,000 adults and subadults, according to Gary Ivie, president-elect of the Trumpeter Swan Society, a nonprofit dedicated to the species recovery.

“The purpose of those quotas is to minimize population-level impacts of harvest to the Rocky Mountain trumpeter swans and ideally to avoid ‘hunter take’ of trumpeter swans as much as feasible,” Ivie wrote in an email. “Even if trumpeter swans were not authorized for take in Utah, some number of trumpeters would be taken by accident, mistakenly by hunters.”

Yellowstone National Park, where hunting has been banned since the 1870s, provided a safe haven for trumpeters back when they were targeted relentlessly, as well as year-round open water due to the region’s thermal features. By 1900, only 70 trumpeters were known to remain in the wild and the only known breeding population nested at Montana’s Red Rocks Lakes, which became a wildlife refuge in 1935 specifically to ensure the species’ survival.

The trumpeter swan was never listed under the Endangered Species Act, although some groups unsuccessfully lobbied for listing the Rocky Mountain population, which would have put an end to Utah swan hunting. While that population has come back from the brink, it has lost much of its migratory behavior.

So the trumpeters shot in Utah are not just any swans; they are travelers that would otherwise return north and convey their knowledge of migration to other swans. If they are not shot, these birds could help restore the species’ migratory patterns and expand its range south.

A small group of trumpeters, numbering about 200 swans, winters in Utah at Cutler Marsh in the Cache Valley, according to Stringham. Trumpeters have been seen on reservoirs on the Wasatch Back and as far south as Gunnison and at Browns Park on the Green River.

Three Westerns states — Montana, Utah and Nevada — allow tundra swan hunting, and Idaho is considering a hunt in its Panhandle counties. Twenty years ago, tundra swan hunting was controversial because of its potential impact on trumpeter recovery, so quotas were set very low and hunters were required to demonstrate an ability to distinguish between the two species. Hunters are also subject to strict reporting requirements to disclose how many days and where they hunted swans. Those who shoot a swan must bring the carcass to wildlife officials for inspection within 72 hours.

“It’s a big investment,” Stringham said. “We want to make sure we are doing the right thing.”

Law may not be helping

Hunting is hardly the most serious threat to trumpeters. Swans sometimes ingest old lead shot, which has been banned in waterfowl hunting for nearly 30 years, embedded in the muddy bottoms of ponds where they feed, leading to fatal poisoning. Between 1999 and 2005, lead poisoning is known to have killed 1,600 wintering trumpeters in Washington and British Columbia, according to the Pacific Flyway Council’s 2008 management plan.

As with most migratory birds, other threats to trumpeters include avian diseases, illegal shooting and collisions with power lines.

Few, if any, trumpeters were killed during hunts in Nevada and Utah a decade ago, and those states’ trumpeter quotas were increased incrementally.

Since 1995, Nevada swan hunters have killed a grand total of 16 trumpeters, according to Aaron Meier, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. Nevada swan hunters reached the trumpeter quota only once, in 2017, when the cap was five birds.

No one expected Utah hunters to take 20 trumpeters in a single season, Stringham said, but earlier this month, a 20th dead trumpeter was recorded by DWR officials, who ended the 63-day hunt two days early, on Dec. 6.

The high number of trumpeters killed in Utah may have been the result of an earlier than usual migration, spurred by a severe cold snap in October, according to Ivie. He and Shaw agreed that Utah’s increase in tundra swan permits may have also been a factor since it put more swan hunters in the field this fall.

But Shaw has another theory: Rules that allow swan hunters to keep trumpeters they kill give unscrupulous hunters an incentive to deliberately target the wrong swan.

“I suspect some are selfish hunters who just wanted to bag a trumpeter,” said Shaw, who lives in Folsom, Calif., and hunts in Utah every year.

Many hunters prize swans as a trophy, making it impossible for the meat to be eaten. That’s a shame, according to Shaw, a former newspaper journalist who writes about the culinary joys of game meat and foraged plants.

While rarely eaten, swan meat is full of delightful surprises.

“You would think it would be goosey, but it’s more ducky, tight grained, very flavorful,” Shaw said. “The fat was delicious. I plucked it all the way to the chin and used the neck as a sausage skin.”

In this article, we’ll look at two rifle cartridges: the .300 Winchester Magnum and .300 Winchester Short Magnum. Although their names are similar, they’re both different, with some interesting performance characteristics. We’ll delve into an extensive data set in this in-depth comparison.

The similarities in their names can confuse those not familiar with these cartridges. You can use both for the same shooting and hunting purposes. However, these two cartridges are not interchangeable. Here, we’ll highlight the differences and the similarities between the .300 Win Mag vs .300 WSM. We are not looking to crown one cartridge as superior to the other. Instead, we want to present an unbiased view of these two cartridges. We’ll do this so that you can have a better basis for deciding which one better suits your shooting needs.

First, we’ll take a look at some ballistics. Afterward, we’ll dive into the performance characteristics of these cartridges. Then, we’ll also try to tie everything back together at the end of the article. Finally, we’ll discuss which purposes are best suited for each of these cartridges.

.300 Win Mag and .300 WSM Comparison Summary

Test.300 Win Mag.300 WSM Average Recoil (ft.lb)27.625.43 Average Supersonic Flight Limit (Yards)27742799.3 Average Short Range Bullet Drop at 100 yards00 Average Ballistic Coefficient0.4860.483 Average Long Range Bullet Drop at 100 yards1.551.39 Average Supersonic Flight Limit (Yards)12551286 Average Kinetic Energy (fl. lb) at 100 yards3029.83114 Average Sectional Density0.2840.273 Average Bullet Momentum (lb. f/s) at 100 yards71.270.3

A Brief History

.300 Winchester Magnum

The .300 Win Mag takes a 30-cal bullet as does the .300 WSM. Winchester produced this cartridge in 1963. When compared to other popular hunting cartridges, it’s relatively new. Although, it’s older than the .300 WSM. This cartridge is also one of the most famous magnum cartridges worldwide when it comes to factory loads. In addition, it was the first cartridge designed in the magnum category. Similar to the popular 7mm Remington Magnum which was released a year earlier. Nevertheless, the .300 WM seemed to come out at the right time.

You can pack the .300 Win Mag with large amounts of powder giving it a huge advantage in velocity. Additionally, the cartridge can also take a variety of bullet weights. Most weights are within the 150-200 grain range despite the variety of lighter and heavier rounds available.

This round is popular for long-range shooters, including big game hunters and competitive shooters. In addition, snipers in special forces and military circles also use this cartridge. That said, the majority of its use is in the hunting world. Now, it’s all about matching the ammo style with the hunting situation when it comes to effectiveness.

.300 Winchester Short Magnum

Winchester introduced the .300 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) to the public in 2001. It created a huge buzz in the hunting and shooting world. Winchester designed the magnum to provide power and speed while using lighter rifles.

The .300 WSM offered shooters the power of the popular .300 WM while using a lighter short-action rifle. Short magnums, which have a wider powder column, burn more uniformly and cleanly. In theory, this should provide more accuracy, though the significance of this can be argued and is not the subject of debate in this particular article.

The .300 WSM is one of the more popular short magnum cartridges that have come out in the last two decades. You can use it for both big game hunting as well as benchrest target shooting. Its bullet weighs from 125 to 200 grains. Although, most would agree that the 150-180 gr bullets often work the best with the cartridge.

Specs

.300 Win Mag.300 WSM Parent Casing.375 H&H Magnum- Bullet Diameter0.308”0.308” Neck Diameter0.339”0.344” Base Diameter0.532”0.555” Case Length2.62”2.1” Overall Length3.34”2.86” Case Capacity93.8gr80gr Max Pressure (SAAMI)64,000psi65,000psi

Just by looking at the bullet and casing specs of these two cartridges, we can begin drawing some inferences about how these two cartridges will perform. It also gives us something to look back on when we see the numbers and help us make more sense of them.

Both of these cartridges take a 30 cal bullet (.308”) but that’s about where the similarities between these two cartridges end. The WSM has a bit wider neck and wider base than the .300 WM. On the other hand, the .300 WM has a half-inch more in its case length and overall length. The increase in length of the .300 WM over the .300 WSM is greater than the increased wideness of the case of the .300 WSM. The difference in how low the bullet sits in the casing is negligible and results in the .300 Win Mag being able to hold a greater amount of powder through the case capacity does not represent how much powder is loaded into each cartridge. The .300 Win Mag also has a lower max pressure though only slightly.

Keep this information in mind as we start to look at the actual data comparing these two rounds. To make these comparisons, we selected ten rounds for comparison with five for each cartridge. There are obviously more options out there but ten felt like a nice round number that wouldn’t make things too cluttered. We also tried our best in selecting a sample that contained some different styles of bullet and bullet weights. The ten rounds we have graphed for this article are listed below.

Ammunition for Testing

If you already use one of these cartridge types, you might be wondering why we are not using your favorite, and undoubtedly the best, round in this comparison. It’s no sleight, and we have not made the statement that these are the best available rounds available. If it works for you, that should be all that matters.

Since this is a small sample size, we compiled the numbers for 15 extra rounds for each cartridge. This gives us a total of 40 rounds. At the end of several performances and ballistic sections, we created a table that includes the averages for those forty rounds. By doing this, we can present you with more information. We also hope that it can help it with your decisions, or help you learn more about a particular cartridge you like.

The Samples

All the selected rounds are factory loads and are widely available. In addition, factory loads tend to err on the side of caution when loading the casings with powder. We also want to note that all of the data here is computer-generated. We sourced the majority of the data from the manufacturer. For unavailable data, we relied on ballistic calculators from trusted sources. Additionally, we used ballistic calculators and kept as many variables the same between rounds of the same cartridge. We also made sure to clear our variables.

When it comes to this type of data, there is no concern with comparing cartridges, but you should be aware that these numbers can change when being fired from your rifle. Each rifle tends to have its own small differences in its profile, and this means some small differences in the ballistic output. As far as comparing the two cartridges go, computer-generated data has its advantages in that these small differences are negated as well as a lot of environmental factors.

So, with all of that out of the way, let’s jump into our comparisons.

Recoil

Looking at the recoil of the .300 Win Mag vs .300 WSM is important for understanding certain situations that you might favor one over the other. It is probably a bigger factor in selecting between one over the other for younger or inexperienced shooters. It’s still something to think about even if you do have a lot of experience. Recoil can influence shots, especially ones where you might not have much time to prep the shot, and it also influences your ability to make follow up shots.

We are looking at the energy that is generated when firing these rounds. Don’t confuse that with the “kick” that you feel when shooting. While this energy does translate to felt recoil, it is actually quantifiable. Felt recoil takes a lot of other factors into account that are difficult to put numbers with.

Recoil Data

We used a ballistic calculator to generate the recoil energy generated from firing these ten rounds (Graph 1).

Because propellant loads used by the manufacturer are not available, we went conservative with the loads using Nosler load data and kept the charge the same for each round within a cartridge.

We should also note that we used the same gun weight for all ten rounds. In reality, most rifles chambered for the .300 WSM are often a little lighter with them having a short action. And by lighter, it’s usually around half a pound to a pound difference in weight. Lighter rifles often mean a little extra recoil energy that is generated so the numbers might be a little higher for the .300 WSM rounds.

Looking at the graph, the first thing you’ll notice is that all ten rounds generate a significant amount of recoil with over 24ft. lbs of energy. The .300 Win Mag rounds generate over 26ft. lbs of energy with several in the 29-32ft. lb range. Meanwhile, the .300 WSM rounds are not too far off staying in the range of 24 to 26ft. lb range.

In general, anything over 20ft. lb of recoil is enough to impact shot placement, although that is pretty relative to who is handling the rifle. For inexperienced shooters, both of these cartridges are going to be felt when shooting and can easily cause flinching.

Below we have listed the average recoil energy from all forty rounds we have compiled.

Average Recoil (ft.lb)

.300 Win Mag.300 WSM 27.625.43

Once we add the extra rounds into the equation, we still see the general trend for the .300 WM with higher recoil energy than the .300 WSM rounds. The gap between the two is not as wide with the extra rounds. We can only see a little over two ft. lb of difference between the averages.

Both rounds produce a significant amount of recoil energy. In addition, you might see that shrink difference more if the .300 WSM rounds were to be simulated through a slightly lighter rifle.

Ballistics

When comparing two cartridges, the ballistics of each is always an important topic. Knowing how the round performs lets you understand if it will fit the situation at hand. In this section, we will look at velocity, trajectory, and ballistic coefficients of the .300 Win Mag vs 30-06. We do this to acquire the information necessary and draw some conclusions on which cartridge is best used.

Both of these are .30 caliber rounds. It would be easy to assume that a lot of their ballistic performances are similar. Remember that there are some distinct differences between the two cartridges. So it is important to take a close look at as many ballistic categories as we can.

In addition, it is important to note that though we are looking at these categories individually, that is only giving you part of the picture. All of these categories, including those outside of ballistics, go hand in hand and influence each other. We will attempt to bring all of this together when we get to the application section.

Velocity

Velocity is an important property of bullets for several reasons. For one, the faster a bullet is traveling, the less effect wind drift and gravity are going to have on the flight path. This is very important for long-range shots, which these cartridges are often used for. Once a bullet falls to a certain velocity, outside factors can greatly decrease the accuracy.

Velocity is also vital when it comes to stopping power. Most bullets designed for hunting expand on impact to create a more damaging wound. Hunting bullets also give optimal transfer of force to the surrounding tissue. These bullets need a proper amount of speed to get the correct terminal ballistics.

So whether you are hunting or bench rest shooting, velocity is an important characteristic to understand when choosing between two different cartridges. It influences just about every performance spec that is often discussed when looking at different cartridges.

We have compiled the velocity data for all ten rounds from the muzzle out to 500 yards and graphed them here (Graph 2).

Bullet Velocity Data

There are several conclusions we can draw from looking at this data.

First, these rounds have high velocities, both cartridges averaging nearly 3,000fps. At a distance of 500 yards, all rounds are supersonic with velocities above 2,000 ft.s. From the muzzle out to 200 yards, the .300 WMS has a slight advantage with a difference less than 100fps. Lastly, from the 300 to 500 yards, the .300 Win Mag has a slight advantage, but again, it is less than 100fps. At any range, both perform similarly.

The rounds for each cartridge are not grouping together. All of the ten rounds are interspersed in the graph. Upon looking at the muzzle velocities, three rounds outperform the others. Two of them from .300 WSM rounds and one .300 Win Mag round.

Below are the averages for all forty rounds we compiled for this article. Even with the increase in sample size, the general trend remains the same in regards to how close these two cartridges are to bullet velocity. One aspect that changed by adding the extra rounds is that the .300 WSM seems to keep its slight advantage over the .300 WM rounds out past the 200-yard mark.

Again, with the averages within 100 fps of each other, there’s a lot of overlap in performance between individual factory loads of these two cartridges. Both have potential for long-range shooting applications. For hunters, these rounds remain above supersonic speeds, looking from the velocity data above.

When bullets fall below supersonic speeds, the flight becomes less stable. Furthermore, the bullets become more susceptible to environmental factors. Understanding this allows you to take the necessary steps when calculating shot placement.

Average Supersonic Flight Limit (Yards)

.300 Winchester Magnum.300 Winchester Short Magnum 12551286

Both of these cartridges remain in supersonic flight out past the 1200 yard mark. While the .300 WSM has a slightly longer supersonic flight than the .300 WM, on average, it is only by thirty yards. If you look at the individual rounds (data not shown), you will see that the rounds from each cartridge mix thoroughly. If you want a round that remains supersonic, both the .300 WM and the .300 WSM have many viable options.

Ballistic Coefficient (BC)

The BC is important when you are looking at two cartridges designed to take larger game. It’s also essential for long-range shooting where the wind becomes more prominent. This is mostly the case when looking at the .300 WM and .300 WSM cartridges.

In the simplest of terms, the ballistic coefficient is a number that is derived from an equation taking into account a variety of bullet flight specs. The higher the ballistic coefficient, the less prone to wind resistance and drag the bullet is. In theory, a bullet with a better ballistic coefficient should be more accurate since it should be easier to stay on target after being fired.

If you’re never going to be taking shots out past 200 yards, the differences in the ballistic coefficients we are about to look at are negligible, but if you’re planning on getting any range on your shots, this should be an interesting section for you.

We have compiled each of the ten round’s BC and graphed them here (Graph 3).

In this graph, the rounds from each cartridge have high ballistic coefficients while some have excellent ones. If we look at the averages, the .300 Win Mag rounds have a slightly higher BC at .553 while the .300 WSM has an average of .520. Like any category when dealing with cartridges, we are not going to be shooting the averages. If we look at individual rounds, the .300 WSM has two rounds at .45 and below while the .300 Win Mag only has one that falls below .5. Both cartridges have options with .6+ BCs which are going to be intriguing for the long-range guys.

And this is only five rounds for each cartridge. We are not under the impression that all rounds available are going to fall within this range. Generally, for factory loads, they are going to hover around these numbers. However, if you need a high BC, there are rounds of both cartridges available out there.

To get a little better idea of how the two compare, let’s look at the averages for our larger sample set.

Average Ballistic Coefficient

.300 Winchester Magnum.300 Winchester Short Magnum 0.4860.483

One of the noticeable differences is that the BCs for both cartridges drop significantly compared to the smaller sample set. Still, for average ballistic coefficients, both have pretty respectable numbers. The difference here is nowhere close to say that one cartridge has an advantage over the other. Both have very high BCs and both have rounds on the lower end of the scale.

Trajectory

Trajectory is one of the most discussed ballistic properties when it comes to discussing the performance between different rounds as well as between two different cartridges. When we talk about trajectory, we are only referring to elevation and how much a bullet will drop as it moves downrange. A bullet’s flight path has a characteristic arc with the bullet dropping in elevation over time. A lot goes into a bullet’s trajectory including bullet specs as well as environmental characteristics. The velocity and BC both affect the trajectory of the bullet as does gravity and wind resistance.

Most hunters/marksmen want a flat shooting round. And by flat we mean there is a less pronounced drop in elevation over time. This flatter trajectory makes it easier to adjust for shots over longer ranges and gives you more room for error when trying to quickly judge a targets range.

When getting into trajectory with ten different rounds, all with different powder charges and bullet weights it can get pretty cluttered in the discussion. Because of that, we wanted to step back and take a broad look at two rounds, one from each cartridge, that are very similar. They are the same manufacturer, the same bullet design, the same bullet weight, and very similar BCs.

If we take a look (Graph 4) it’s difficult to tell if there are even two separate lines. Based on this, we can begin to see that the differences between these two cartridges, when just looking at the skeletal design, is not the determining factor for which cartridge is going to show a more pronounced bullet drop. The bullet design and weight, as well as the powder charge, are what will determine each rounds trajectory. And there are some differences in the cartridge specs as well as the types and weights of bullets more often used for each cartridge.

Both of these rounds show close to 45 inches of bullet drop at 500 yards. It is not too bad for factory loads that are more suited for hunting rather than extreme range shooting. Let’s take a look at our ten rounds and see how they compare.

Short Range Trajectory

Most folks won’t think of the .300 WM or WSM for short-range trajectory. However, you are likely to take shots within 300 yards, especially when it comes to hunting. Because of this, we wanted to take a look at the trajectories of these rounds with the rifle zeroed in at 100 yards (Graph 5).

Short Range Trajectory Data

From this set of rounds, there’s no visible pattern regarding rounds from each cartridge grouping together. We also don’t think we would, even if we had twenty rounds from each cartridge. At the 200-yard mark, there is 0.14-inch difference between the two averages. The .300 Win Mag having the slight advantage. The flattest .300 WM mag round has a bullet drop of 2.2″ while the flattest .300 WSM round has a bullet drop of 2.6”.

At the 300-yard mark, we still see the rounds interspersed. However, we do see an increase in the difference between the averages of the two cartridges. The .300 WM has a bullet drop of 9.9 inches while the .300 WSM has an average bullet drop of 11.06″, still, less than two inches. That change in the difference is mostly due to the .300 WM Trophy’s bonded ammo from Federal which only has a bullet drop of 6.6”, which is several inches better than any of the other Win Mag and WSM rounds. It can skew the data a bit but don’t make the mistake of thinking that there are not other .300 WSM rounds out there that can give the same performance.

If we look at the rest of the rounds at the 300-yard mark, there is no difference in trajectory between these two cartridges. There are flatter and steeper rounds for each. Additionally, the steepest is only a little over 12″ at 300 yards. This is more than manageable with today’s rifle optics and a little hard-earned experience.

Again, even with more cartridges in play, we see the same trend pop up between these two cartridges. We have also added in a 400 yard marker for further comparison.

Average Bullet Drop (Inches) at Short Range

Yards.300 Win Mag.300 WSM 50-0.234-0.235 10000 200-2.88-2.9 300-11.12-11.4 400-25.6-24.9

From this standpoint of just looking at computer generated data, there is nothing really to discuss between these two cartridges are short range when looking at trajectory. The averages show the .300 Win Mag has around half an inch less of altitude loss at the 300 yard mark but when you look at all of the individual rounds, their distribution make all of them seem like the same cartridge type.

If you go out to the 400 yard mark, the .300 WSM rounds have an average of 0.7 inches of bullet loss. From this data, either of these cartridges are going to provide options for flat shooting rounds and probably isn’t the category you will need to focus on until you start trying to decide which round you are actually going to cycle through your rifle.

Long Range Trajectory

Most people might be more interested in how these two compare at longer ranges. So, we gathered the long range data and presented it here (Graph 6).

Long Range Trajectory Data

We measure the bullet drop (inches) out to 700 yards with the rifle zeroed in at 200 yards.

Before getting into the specifics, if we just look at the graph, several points of discussion come up. The first is that all ten of these rounds group together very tightly out to 500 yards. At the 600 and 700 yards, we start to see gaps form between the two rounds, but like the short range trajectory data, there doesn’t seem to be any pattern in how the rounds from each cartridge group together. All of the rounds also show less than 110 inches of bullet drop at 100 yards which is pretty impressive for factory loads, with the majority of them designed for hunting purposes.

There is never more than an inch of difference between the averages of the two cartridges at any point over the bullet’s range. If you look individually, there are better performing rounds for both cartridges. The two flattest shooting rounds are a .300 WM and a .300 WSM round while the two steepest rounds are also a .300 WM and .300 WSM round.

And again, you might look at the numbers on the graph and realize you have seen other trajectory data with much flatter trajectories but remember we are only looking at factory loads. Both of these cartridges can be hand loaded to give better performance specs.

In the table below, we have listed the averages of the forty rounds we compiled and their long-range trajectory numbers. We also have a 1,000 yard mark for further comparison.

Average Bullet Drop (Inches) at Long Range

Yards.300 Win Mag.300 WSM 1001.551.39 20000 300-6.8-6.3 500-39.45-38.8 700-102.5-101.9 1000-295.6-285.8

Here again, we do not see any significant difference in bullet drop between these two cartridges at the same yard markers that we looked at above. Interestingly, we do see a little more separation between these two cartridges at the 1,000 yard range. It is still less than 10 inches and when you look at the individual rounds, there are a number of .300 WM mag rounds that show trajectory perform as well or better than the top performing .300 WSM rounds.

Several rounds of the .300 WM have 190+ bullet weights category than the .300 WSM rounds. Those heavy rounds at 1,000+ yards appear to bring the average down a good bit at this range. And that is usually a tradeoff you get with heavier rounds. The physics just don’t allow them to stay flat while still being manageable in other categories.

For hunting purposes, which both of these cartridges are used for, all the ballistic data is important, but if they can’t bring down big and thick hided game, it isn’t going to matter if the bullet gets there. So with that, let’s take a look at the stopping power of these cartridges.

Stopping Power

In this section, we will examine our ten rounds and look at the kinetic energy they carry along a flight path from the muzzle to 500 yards for our .300 Win Mag vs .300 WSM comparison. We will also examine the sectional densities for each round we have selected to represent both cartridges to determine the amount of potential penetration. Both of these cartridges were designed to be able to reach out at far distances and be able to still carry enough kinetic energy and punching power to kill the target on impact and large targets at that.

While both of these cartridges are used at the bench, they are also popular big game hunting cartridges which require a lot of stopping power. This section is probably going to carry more weight for hunters rather than just competition shooters, but it’s never a bad thing to know as much about a cartridge as you can.

There is a lot of debate out there as to how we can accurately estimate the stopping power of a round. Some argue that kinetic energy is the most important, some argue for momentum, and some argue that neither give you useful information. We are in the party that all of this points of comparison play a role in stopping power. While we will look at each separate from the others, they should all be taken into account when determining which cartridge would be more advantageous in a certain situation.

Now, there are more factors that go into a bullets ability to drop animals cleanly, such as the bullet design and its ability to cause serious wounds based on how the bullet expands when it reaches the target. We can’t quantify this in our .300 Win Mag vs .300 WSM comparison. Because of that, we will strictly focus on energy that the bullet carries and will be transferred to the target and the potential amount of penetration you will get on the target.

Kinetic Energy

All bullets, once fired, carry kinetic energy that is generated by the force of the gunpowder being ignited and the weight of the bullet which is basic physics you learned in school. On impact, this kinetic energy is transferred to the target where it causes damage to surrounding tissue and organs.

As a general rule, you want at a minimum of 1,000 ft.lb force when trying to take down larger game, and probably more in the 1,500+ range when talking about bear, elk, and moose which these cartridges are often used for. We do think that the amount of energy a bullet is carrying is important to know and understand when using these rounds for hunting purposes, but we also know that those guidelines are arbitrary. Shot placement is equally if not more important than the amount of energy that the bullet is carrying.

This sub-category is going to cater more towards those looking for a hunting cartridge, but if you’re going to buy a rifle chambered for one of these cartridges, then there is no harm in understanding as much as you can about each.

And given that we are dealing with two cartridges that are known for their incredible knockdown power, this is an important section if your choice is coming down to these two cartridges.

We compiled the energy data from the manufacturers of these ten rounds and graphed them below (Graph 7).

Kinetic Energy Data

As we have seen with most of the other categories, there is a lot of similarity between these two cartridges. Though, we do see a little bit more of a distinction between the averages of the two cartridges.

Looking only at the averages, the .300 WM hold around a 50-100ft.lb advantage over the .300 WSM from the muzzle out to 500 yards. And while there are better performing rounds than others, there are options in both the .300 Win Mag and .300 WSM that will give you incredible bullet energy through 500 yards.

From the muzzle, all of these rounds show bullet energy levels greater than 3,400ft.lb with two of the Win Mag rounds showing greater than 3,700ft.lb of energy. With these two cartridges, we are more interested in the energy once we get out to the 100-300 yard range and beyond.

At these ranges, all ten rounds still carry more than 3,000ft.lb of kinetic energy, and all of them maintain this energy fairly well as they move to 200 yards where they all still have well over 2,500ft.lb of energy. From the muzzle out to 200 yards, all of the rounds group pretty tightly together but we do see the two .300 Win Mag rounds show slightly higher energy than the other eight rounds. From 300 to 500 yards, the difference shrinks between those two rounds and the other eight.

At 300 yards, all these rounds still have well above 2,000 ft. lbs. Several rounds, including both .300 Win Mag and .300 WSM, still, carrying more than 2,500ft. lb.

At 400 and 500 yards, we start to see the rounds begin to separate from each other. All of them still carry a tremendous amount of energy at these extreme ranges when it comes to hunting though with all of the rounds bringing more than 1,500ft.lb with two rounds still carrying over 2,000ft.lb, one .300 Win Mag and one .300 WSM.

Average Kinetic Energy (ft.lb)

Yards.300 Win Mag.300 WSM 03479.53580 1003029.83114 20026282673.4 3002299.62336.7 4001988.31989.7 5001741.31736.7

While the differences between the two cartridges are the same amount, the slight advantage in kinetic energy has flipped from the .300 WM to the .300 WSM rounds at the muzzle and 100 yards. And this is one of the reasons why we wanted to include the numbers for a larger data set in the event that something like this would happen.

Again, there is not really a significant difference and the rounds from each cartridge are interspersed pretty evenly if we were to graph them. And with the formula for kinetic energy and what we know of the velocity between these rounds from the muzzle to 100 yards, we would expect there to be a slight increase in KE for the .300 WSM rounds at these markers.

Penetration (Sectional Density)

When hunting larger game, you often need your round to be able to penetrate through thick skin and tissue to reach vital organs. One way to determine the amount of penetration two cartridges will have is to compare the sectional density (SD) of the bullets used.

The SD is derived from a calculation using the bullet’s diameter and weight. A bullet with a higher sectional density should have greater penetration than a bullet with a lower SD. The sectional density alone does not indicate penetration. The velocity as well as the design of the bullet factor in as well. Higher velocities increase penetration as does highly bonded bullets that will not fragment on impact.

Deeper penetration is not always an indicator of a better cartridge. In addition, it all depends on what you’re shooting at. We’ll discuss this more once we get to the applications of these cartridges.

We are not stating here that penetration depends solely on the sectional density of the bullet. Penetration is a factor for stopping power. The sectional density is only a piece of the larger picture when it comes to penetration.

We calculated the sectional density numbers for the ten rounds and listed them in graph form below (Graph 8).

From these numbers, we don’t see huge differences between the two cartridge types. Both cartridges have several rounds in the .25 to .3 range. Although, the .300 Win Mag has a slightly higher sectional density on average. While both cartridges use .308” bullets, the .300 Win Mag usually is loaded with heavier bullets than the .300 WSM.

In the table below, you will find the sectional density data from the larger data set.

Average Sectional Density

.300 Winchester Magnum.300 Winchester Short Magnum 0.2840.273

From this data, the .300 Win Mag still has a slightly higher sectional density than the .300 WSM rounds. Like most sections we have looked at, there is a lot of overlap in the rounds of both cartridges. In this case, with both of them having the same diameter, it’s just a case of which has heavier bullets.

Again, sectional density is only a part of a much larger equation that goes into stopping power. The momentum of the bullet is another indicator of penetration. It goes hand in hand with the sectional density and is the topic of the next section.

Penetration (Momentum)

Momentum simply describes the ability of an object in motion to stay in motion. The more momentum a bullet has, the more it is going to take to stop the bullet. For hunting large game, you want more momentum to push through thicker hide and bones, which are denser and provide more resistance. For home defense, you don’t need the same amount of momentum. Of course, bullet design, sectional density, and expansion also influence a round’s penetration.

Sectional density plays a role in momentum as more momentum is conserved when the projectile, a bullet in our case, is striking a smaller area. With a smaller area providing resistance, more momentum is conserved, and the projectile can drive further into the target.

We have calculated the bullet momentum by using the bullet’s mass and velocity for each round and graphed them below (Graph 9).

Again, like most of the other categories, there is a lot of overlap between the two cartridge types, at least with the rounds we have selected. Both of these cartridges have rounds that leave the muzzle in the 70-80lb/f.s range with the .300 Win Mag rounds having a slight advantage when looking at the averages. The .300 Win Mag rounds have an average of 80.0lb/f.s while the .300 Win Mag has an average of 77.12lb/f.s. The difference between the two averages remains just about constant as the rounds move downrange to the 500-yard mark where the averages for the WM and WSM are 58.2lb/f.s and 22.3lb/f.s respectively.

And again, while the averages give a slight advantage to the .300 Win Mag, there are several .300 WSM rounds that provide just as much or more bullet momentum than several of the .300 Win Mag rounds.

In the table below, we have listed the average bullet momentum numbers over a 500-yard range for the forty compiled rounds.

Average Bullet Momentum (lb.f/s)

Yards.300 Win Mag.300 WSM 075.875.4 10071.270.3 20064.964.9 30061.660.9 40057.256.2 50053.752.7

When we look at the full data set, we see that the .300 Win Mag rounds still have a slight advantage over the .300 WSM, though the difference between the averages has tightened. Is this difference significant in the relation of cartridge to cartridge comparison? Most likely not, but like every other category has gone, there is some variation between individual round. Not just .300 WM to .300 WSM round, but between rounds of the same cartridge type.

Accuracy

Anytime you bring up two cartridge types, the argument for accuracy eventually rears its ugly and opinionated head.

There is no doubt, that accuracy is incredibly important. What’s the point of using a round if it can’t be put on target? The issue that we think never gets discussed is that the cartridge itself is only part of the equation when it comes to accuracy. Perhaps more important is how well the ammo cycles through your weapon, which it is the case that some ammo seems to work better with certain rifles than others. And you can never minimize the impact the person holding the rifle has on accuracy.

While measuring MOA is a great way of comparing rounds for each person individually, it’s difficult for us to compare cartridges that way for several reasons. The first is that those numbers can change from day to day based on the environmental factors and even the person doing the shooting. And as we mentioned earlier, the rifle being used might give different results than what you are using.

And we are not discounting that method of determining accuracy. We just don’t think it’s the best method for looking at two cartridges with a broad view and being able to present you with data that remains consistent.

We can look back at some of the other ballistic characteristics we have already examined. That performance can give us some indication of how difficult it might be to place the bullet in the vitals or the bullseye. And of course, this is not taking into account the rifle or the user.

Accuracy and Velocity

We didn’t see any huge difference in velocity from the averages of the cartridges out of the muzzle. Velocity, when paired with the correct barrel twist can make the bullet more stable. So your rifle is going to be a major factor in the velocity of these rounds being a pro or con. Still, a lot of people like high velocity and feel that their rounds perform better with a little extra speed. While the averages were slightly in favor for the .300 Win Mag (around 50 more fps), there were individual rounds, for both the .300 WM and .300 WSM that outperformed the other rounds in muzzle velocity.

When we look at the trajectory, we still did not see a lot of difference between these two cartridges. In fact, when we look at the averages of these rounds we see that there was less was never more than an inch difference in bullet drop in the short or long range trajectory data. With that, in this set of ten rounds, the flattest round was a .300 Win Mag round, but we also saw a .300 Win Mag round that was the steepest in bullet drop. Both of these cartridges showed pretty impressive trajectories for factory loads with an average of 6.64″, 19.2″, and 100.9″ at the 300, 400, and 700-yard mark.

Other Factors Affecting Accuracy

Besides trajectory, the bullets ability to resist drag and wind resistance is also a factor in helping accuracy. We looked at the ballistic coefficients for all of these rounds and saw that the .300 Win Mag had a slight increase in their average BCs over the .300 WSM. With that, there were several .300 WSM rounds with BCs from .5 to over .6. So, we don’t think one cartridge has an advantage over the other. .300 Win Mag rounds are often a bit heavier than the more popular .300 WSM rounds. This is mainly due to feeding issues with the shorter actions of .300 WSM chambered rifles. If there is no issue with the rifle, there are several 190+ grain weight WSM cartridges out there that give higher BC’s than the 185grain and lighter rounds.

Finally, we did see some differences in the recoil energy that is generated between these two cartridges. Both produce enough recoil to influence a shot, especially when you have been shooting for several hours where fatigue can set in and especially if a less experienced marksmen is holding the rifle.

There was a trend for more recoil energy with the .300 Win Mag rounds, and we also have to take into account the difference in rifle weights between these two cartridges. Rifles chambered for the .300 WSM are lighter than rifles chambered for the .300 Win Mag and this reduction in weight often means a bit meaner kick. It’s still relative though, and might not make much of a difference to a lot of you reading this. So while both cartridges have a good amount of recoil, it’s still not something that is going to make you miss a lot of shots once you have put some time in with handling the rifle and the round.

Barrel Length

And one final issue that we want to bring up is the barrel length. We mentioned that the .300 WSM is often used in shorter, lighter rifles. Some of this reduced weight often comes from using a shorter barrel, and there are a lot of arguments out there for longer barrels increasing the accuracy of the round. Now, it’s not directly correlated such as an extra inch of barrel gives you a certain amount of tighter groupings, but the physics behind a longer barrel and the impact it has on a bullet’s velocity and stability when leaving the barrel implies that accuracy would be positively affected. It’s nothing we can look at with these ten rounds under our criteria, but it’s something we thought you would like to take into consideration and research a little more on your own.

Price & Availability

The ongoing ammo shortage is affecting the .300 as well. While you can find both the .300 Win Mag and the .300 WSM can in major retail stores, there are usually more options for the .300 Win Mag. It is an older round with a much larger following. In addition, the WSM and the manufacturers know this. It’s not that you can’t get what you want of the .300 WSM, but you might have to shop around more for it.

As far as price goes, it depends on the individual round. If you were to take the price of every round for each cartridge and average it, the .300 Win Mag might be a couple dollars more expensive. However, most folks are more concerned with the performance of the round. If it gives you the performance, a few extra dollars per box is not going to be an issue. Both of these cartridges are a bit more expensive than other centerfire cartridges. However, they also bring a lot more to the table regarding stopping power and ballistics.

AmmunitionPrice (20 Rounds) .300 Win Mag Federal Vital-Shok Trophy Bonded 180gr$50 300 Win Mag Federal MatchKing BTHP Gold Medal 190gr$50 .300 Win Mag Nosler Trophy Grade AccuBond Long Range 190gr$55.20 .300 Win Mag Barnes Precision Match OTM 220gr$43.80 .300 Win Mag Hornady Superformance SST 180gr$42.47 .300 WSM Winchester Expedition Big Game 180gr$35.82 .300 WSM Federal Vital-Shok Trophy Bonded Tip 165gr$57.99 .300 WSM Federal Edge TLR 200gr$44 .300 WSM Hornady ELD-X Precision Hunter 200gr$57.99 .300 WSM Barnes VOR-TX TTSX Boat Tail 165gr$46

Applications

Just from looking at these factory rounds, there is no difference in velocity when looking at the averages. The .300 Win Mag rounds do have around an extra 40-50fps at each range marker. How much this extra velocity aids in accuracy isn’t something we can adequately determine in this article. Some people like a little extra velocity out of the muzzle, especially long-range shooters, and there are .300 WM and .300 WSM rounds that give you that.

These high-velocity rounds also means a little extra kick. For most people, this recoil is manageable especially given the extra stopping power and trajectory you get from it. Both hunters and target shooters use these two cartridges for long range shots. For factory loads, both of these cartridges bring pretty impressive trajectories. They are not as flat shooting as hand loads, but for those looking to get into one of these cartridges and then move on to handloading, they are going to do well on the range. Both also have round options with very high ballistic coefficients which is always beneficial when you start dealing with higher wind speeds and 500+ yard shots

These characteristics are also advantageous to hunting large game where shots greater than 300 yards are common. Both of these cartridges carry well over 2,000ft.lb of energy at 300 yards with several from both cartridges carrying over 2,500ft.lb. If we take it out to the 400-yard mark, we are still talking about an average right at the 2,000ft.lb mark which exceeds the general limit you need for big North American game. While bullet energy isn’t everything you need for stopping power, it is still an important part, and these numbers should make you feel more comfortable when taking a shot.

Big Game Hunting

When it comes to hunting big game, there is one advantage for the .300 Win Mag, and that is the bullet size. These heavier bullets provide more penetration and stopping power that is always appreciated when taking down large game. And as we mentioned before, there are .300 WSM rounds that use the 200-grain bullets, but we have come across a lot of problems that people have when feeding these large bullets through short action rifles.

If your particular rifle can handle them, then it’s not an issue at all. While we saw slight increases in the averages for SD and bullet momentum for the .300 WM, the .300 WSM were not far off at all and there are rounds that provide high performance in both categories. As far as being able to get deep penetration, both of these cartridges are well suited for the job, based on the data presented here.

Best Rounds

Top Hunting Round

The .300 Win Mag Nosler Trophy Grade, AccuBond Long Range 190gr round, stands out to us from a hunting perspective. For large and even dangerous game this is an excellent round. The Accubond bullet design gives you deep penetration on large game with controlled expansion to provide a lot of damage. Even at 500 yards this round still carries 2,016ft.lbs of energy, so range and stopping power is not an issue even for larger game. It has an incredibly flat trajectory out to 300 yards and is even manageable at the 400-yard range when the adrenaline is pumping with a ballistic coefficient of 0.64. For a large game hunting round, this one has all the characteristics you look for.

For big game hunting, the Hornady 200gr Precision Hunter is a great choice. Outside of the bullet design, which is going to provide controlled expansion to deliver penetration as well as deliver the huge amount of kinetic energy this bullet carries, it also carries a ton of momentum. With all of these factors, you are going to get the needed penetration for large and tough game. On top of that, this round has an incredibly flat trajectory at 300 and even 500 yards and a BC of .597 which will make things a bit easier when dealing with less than ideal wind conditions in the field.

Looking for the best budget hunting rifles, check out our guide.

Top Range Round

For the .300 Win Mag, the Hornady Superformance SST 180gr stands out to us as an excellent round to bring to the range. This round offers a decent ballistic coefficient though not as high as some of the others, but it is also one of the least expensive .300 WM we have examined. Even so, it offers the highest velocities and the flattest trajectory than any other round with less than 100 inches of bullet drop at 700 yards which is very impressive for a factory load.

If you are on the range, we like the .300 WSM Barnes VOR-TX TTSX 165gr round. It holds off on the recoil energy just slightly compared to the other rounds but still provides one of the flattest trajectories compared to the other .300 WSM rounds that we have discussed and used in our average tables. This round is also top of the list when it comes to muzzle velocity. It doesn’t have the highest BC compared to the other rounds, but it is still fairly high, and users seem to be very happy with its performance at long ranges.

Conclusion

After looking at the data for this sample of rounds from the .300 Win Mag and .300 WSM, we have seen that there is not much difference when looking at the cartridges. You get changes in performance from the individual rounds, but it’s tough for us to say which cartridge gives you more of a certain ballistic or other performance component.

The biggest difference between these two cartridges is not the ballistics, but in the rifle platforms they can be used. It’s always good to look into the similarities and differences of two cartridges, but at times, your decision really should be made based on other factors. That just happens to be the case when looking at the .300 Win Mag vs .300 WSM.

What it all comes down to between these cartridges from a ballistic/performance standpoint is personal preference, in our opinion. For long range shooting or chasing a bull moose, both of these cartridges, when shot with confidence and skill, are going to put meat in the freezer.

Ammunition List

AmmunitionPrice (20 Rounds) .300 Win Mag Federal Vital-Shok Trophy Bonded 180gr$50 300 Win Mag Federal MatchKing BTHP Gold Medal 190gr$50 .300 Win Mag Nosler Trophy Grade AccuBond Long Range 190gr$55.20 .300 Win Mag Barnes Precision Match OTM 220gr$43.80 .300 Win Mag Hornady Superformance SST 180gr$42.47 .300 WSM Winchester Expedition Big Game 180gr$35.82 .300 WSM Federal Vital-Shok Trophy Bonded Tip 165gr$57.99 .300 WSM Federal Edge TLR 200gr$44 .300 WSM Hornady ELD-X Precision Hunter 200gr$57.99 .300 WSM Barnes VOR-TX TTSX Boat Tail 165gr$46

More .300 articles:

• .300 Winchester Magnum: A Brief Guide
• .300 Win Mag vs .308 Win – Cartridge Comparison
• .300 Win Mag vs .30-06 Sprg – Cartridge Comparison
• .300 Blackout vs .308 Win – Cartridge Comparison
• Best Concealed Carry Insurance
• Beginner Firearm Safety, From Safe Storage to Safe Shooting

Updated July 2021: Prices and availability