{"id":683,"date":"2023-11-03T20:48:35","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T20:48:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/?p=683"},"modified":"2023-11-03T20:48:36","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T20:48:36","slug":"the-joys-of-reloading-300-win-mag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tactical-dailynews.com\/?p=683","title":{"rendered":"The Joys Of Reloading .300 Win. Mag."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Despite its old-school design, there are still plenty of good reasons to keep reloading .300 Win. Mag.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you look at the most recent cartridge designs, the 60-year-old .300 Winchester Magnum is the antithesis of modern trends. It\u2019s belted, has a neck considerably less than one caliber in length, and it functions in a long-action receiver \u2026 yet the engineers moved the shoulder forward to increase case capacity. This last feature certainly allowed more room for powder, but it precluded the use of long, sleek bullets that have proven to give the best downrange results. These new bullets possess ogives so long that they can\u2019t be seated in the .300\u2019s case and still fit in the magazine.<\/p>\n

When loaded with a truly stiff bullet like the 200-grain Swift A-Frame shown here, the .300 Winchester is a powerful cartridge capable of handling the majority of game species hunted today. Photo: Massaro Media Group.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Being a derivative of the Holland & Holland case, the .300 Winchester Magnum headspaces on the belt, and that can pose several issues. First, there will be stretching above the belt as the case is fired; this can be combated, as we\u2019ll see in a minute, and it\u2019s why I use fired brass cases when I\u2019m getting serious about accuracy in any .300 Winchester. Second, the 25-degree shoulder can provide excellent headspacing, so long as you don\u2019t move that shoulder too much during the resizing process.<\/p>\n

Many claim that short neck fails to give proper neck tension, yet I\u2019ve never had an issue in the thousands of rounds I\u2019ve loaded. Unlike some modern designs, many projectiles will extend considerably below the neck\/shoulder junction, and that can have an effect on the space left for the powder column. As the neck of the .300 Winchester measures just 0.264 inch, the idea of neck sizing\u2014in order to keep the shoulder where it gives best concentricity and headspacing\u2014might not be the best solution.<\/p>\n

Instead, I much prefer to measure the amount of shoulder movement by using Redding\u2019s Instant Comparator to give me the difference between the SAAMI specification and the fired case. I can then use one of Redding\u2019s Competition Shellholders, which are graduated in increments 0.002-inch deeper than a normal shellholder, to be able to resize the case diameter and neck fully, while leaving the shoulder in the spot that gives the best headspace and concentricity. Using this method also reduces case stretching significantly, extending case life.<\/p>\n