Short Action Magnums

[rybe390]

Help me pick a short action magnum, please!

Alright folks, so I'm looking to build a dedicated hunting rifle sooner than later this year so I can get time on it before season starts.

I'm actively looking at short action magnums, as I believe they offer incredible performance in a small package, and give a bump to terminal ballistics. I am a Colorado mountain hunter, going after mule deer and elk, with goat and sheep on the horizon. My shots are 500 yards and in, with potential for 600 if the conditions are right. Anything past that is a no-go.

I'm straight up split on cartridge selection, they all seem like they'd take game well. I am looking at the 6.5 prc, the 7mm rsaum, and the 300 wsm. I'd be sticking with a short action, as I don't want to mess with medium actions for loading length, or stock selection etc. They all seem like they hit the 1500ft lbs at 500 yards easily, with a clear nod to the 7mm and 300wsm for energy.

Considerations for me, in order of importance, are below.
Energy on target/effectiveness on game.
Ammo availability.
Short action performance.
Brass availability(I am absolutely willing to reload).
Supersonic range/extended performance(short action mags could be a fun range toy sometimes)

Looking at my considerations, it seems like the 300wsm is the clear winner. Hammer in terms of energy, factory ammo on the shelf, and handloading is on the table with brass availability. A 30 cal going fast has a tendency to make things dead.

The 7mm saum seems like it'd be hamstrung by a short action, and hard to find anything for.

6.5 prc seems to be last on energy, which is my main criteria.

Holler with your opinions, however wrong or right they may be. Looking for input and guidance!

 

[kthomas]

Get a 7 SAUM and use Defiance's medium length action.

 

[rybe390]

Get a 7 SAUM and use Defiance's medium length action.

Short action. I have stocks, actions, etc for short action. I have no interest in medium length.

 

[wyliecoyote]

I'll second the 7 SAUM. Less recoil and better ballistics than the 300 WSM (another excellent choice). It still works very well out of a short action. You'll be seating 180gr+ bullets deeper into the casings but it's really not that much of a hindrance. If you're patient, you can back order 7 SAUM ADG brass or find other types in the PX here. I like the 7 SAUM so well, I've got two more in the works with the gunsmith, one short action, one long action, both Mausingfields.

 

[Punkur67]

I just ordered a 6.5 SAUM barrel and found Prime ammo in stock online. I am excited to see how it performs

 

[jmw]

only have experience with 6.5 saum
It is awesome

 

[NateAdams13]

Going through this at the moment. Look into the 7 Sherman shorts and other sherman magnums as well. Handloading is a must, but brass is avaliable.

 

[b6graham]

7SS
300SS

 

[Franko]

My pick of the three is the 6.5 PRC. It's got enough energy at 500 yards and the recoil is manageable. The 300 WSM has better terminal performance and better factory ammo support but will be much harder to shoot well in a flyweight mountain rifle. The 7 SAUM splits the difference but is limited by mag length and is basically dead as far as factory ammo availability.

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

I have done a ton of research on the subject and keep coming back to the 7 Sherman Short. Better optimized for running out of a short action than the SAUM. More ass to spot splash than a 6.5PRC. Should be able to push the 195 Bergers with a mild load past 2800fps.\

Oh and you can actually buy brass for it today. Good luck finding saum brass.

 

[Whhood]

Do you care about barrel length, recoil, or rifle weight? Suppressed? Brake? Out to 500 the WSM is the easy winner to me. Factory ammo, load 125s-200s, more energy, easy to load for, only shooting to 500 the bc won’t matter as much, and lastly it may be negligible but it does start with a larger hole. My WSM is under 9 lbs with the suppressor and 8.2 without and the recoil isn’t bad. Recoil is the only category that I see it losing out to 500 yards.

 

[Jigstick]

Defiance Rebel Sheep Port intermediate length
Proof carbon fiber barrel 24in
Manners carbon fiber stock
Jewell trigger
Talley rings
Leupold VX5HD 3-15x44
300WSM

Under 8lbs as it’s sitting. Absolute hammer

 

[chutinlead]

I'll second the 7SS. I'm building one on a:
Terminus Apollo Lite
CarbonSix 20"
MDT HNT26

If you aren't scared of reloading/wildcats(albeit well established), the 7SS gives you great brass, available now, un-gimped 7SAUM performance in a short action. The only thing hard to find is heavy for caliber 6.5 or 7mm bullets. Bullets will be easier to find for the 300WSM, but the brass selection is worse.

 

[Punkur67]

 

[huntnh]

Id go 300wsm 7mm bullets have been really hard to come by.

 

[UpSideDown]

I decided a .308 with quality bullets would be my go-to round for 500yds and in. It keeps the barrel short and handy and my 180gr Black Hills loaded Accubonds have been awesome ballistically.

I'm going through the same exercise again getting ready for this years' eastern Oregon Elk season where you can sight animals farther than you can shoot. I'm going with a 300WSM. Norma Bondstrikes, Barnes TTSX's if Ito try solids, Accubond / ABLR's, Sciroccos, lots of great options.

6.5 rounds are constantly lauded as being ballistically superior, but once you look at the selection of bullets most guys would consider to be reasonable against an Elk, most of those awesome 6.5 rounds don't make the list. I would never shoot an Elk with an ELD-x round, which is what usually makes the list as a good BC hunting round. The 135 Bergers have awesome ballistics but you're still looking at a pretty explosive round. A better 6.5 like the Sherman may do what you want, but choosing the appropriate bullet and range requirement drives the beginning of this discussion. Guys kill elk with 6.5's, but guys also lose a lot of Elk with 6.5's which is why it's laughed at so often in the hunting community.

We can't treat hunting like a benchrest experience. The thought of getting an animal to give us a perfect lineup, stand there, let us get into an ideal position, and then getting the bullet there without much atmospheric interference is just not a winning game plan. Especially elk season where the weather usually sucks, you're cold, and the only good shot might be straight into the shoulder, those high-BC 6.5 bullets are not up to the task of breaking that bone. A 185gr+ .30cal bullet is absolutely superior in giving you more tolerance to be a human and ethically kill an animal.

I won't give specific chamber recommendations, but I would look at what bullets you would use and what you can shoot them with. 6.5's met the technical velocity/energy requirements for a couple bullets I would trust but I still felt they were living on the edge and it would be better to either go 300WSM or stick with <500yd shots with my .308.

 

[Farmerhunter]

7saum if a lightweight rifle. 300 wsm if you want factory ammo.

 

[HaydenLane]

I would determine what your pick would be if energy on target wasn’t a consideration at all, and go with that one.

I personally wanted a 7 SAUM, but went 6.5 PRC due to the availability of components. I was able to round up 250 rounds of factory ammo and 200 pieces of ADG brass in a month or so of searching.

 

[Choid]

Honestly, they are uniformly great cartridges minus any weird feeding issues. I hunt with a 300 WSM in MT on an Impact action, and before that used a 6.5 SAUM on the same. I prefer 30 cal on elk, but a lot of people feel otherwise. I'd be more than happy to load for it, but the 200 grain ELD-x factory stuff just hammers from my barrel, and will kill just about anything out there.

 

[Shoots 700's]

7 SAUM or 300 WSM is my vote, leaning towards the 7 SAUM

 

[wpeach1912]

300 wsm for effectiveness on target. .308 is a significant step up in frontal area over 6.5mm rounds. 300 wsm with 180-200s should fit in a short action alright too. If you're wanting to load heavies and shoot farther, you'll need to go 7ss or 300ss for a true short action magnum

 

[Devildog]

I’d vote for 300 wsm, I run 185 Bergers in mine, it’s easy to load for and it’s a hammer. Constantly get hits out to 1400 yards with a 22” barrel.

 

[ubettcha]

If you are going with a 700 based action look at a Baney box from Wyatts. The 3.100 box will get you in a much better position to run 180-195 in a 270-7mm wsm or saum or a 300wsm. I'd go with a wsm over a saum just because in the baney box you can take advantage of the bigger capacity. In a stock sized box you can flip a coin as to which is better. The Shermans are great no doubt. I looked hard at the 7ss for an F-class rig but decided to repurpose that action for a hunting rig in 270wsm

 

[Wannashootit]

There's a reason the .300 WSM is as popular as it is...
Your requirements are as generic as they get, I don't see the reasoning/rationale for a wildcat like the Shermans unless that's what floats yer boat.
If there's a possibility you might ever sell the rifle, all the more reason to go with the WSM.

 

[300rem7]

Why not a 270wsm? No, high bc bullet selection is not there, but if you are looking at 500 yards and in. The 270wsm checks all the boxes with less recoil in a light weight platform.

 

[b6graham]

Why not a 270wsm? No, high bc bullet selection is not there, but if you are looking at 500 yards and in. The 270wsm checks all the boxes with less recoil in a light weight platform.

270 Caliber 170 Grain Extreme Outer Limits (EOL) Elite Hunter Rifle Bullet

EOL Elite Hunters were developed through a partnership with Berger and Extreme Outer Limits TV. Elite Hunter Bullets are identical in construction, shape and performance to the Berger Hybrid Target series, except they utilize a thinner J4 Precision Jacket for rapid expansion on game animals.

bergerbullets.com

 

[chutinlead]

Why not a 270wsm? No, high bc bullet selection is not there, but if you are looking at 500 yards and in. The 270wsm checks all the boxes with less recoil in a light weight platform.

If you're willing to go 270WSM, why not 6.8Western? Its perfect for the inbetweeners that think 6.5 is too small and 7mm is too much recoil lol. The perfect goldilocks

 

[UpSideDown]

If you’re dropping yourself down to 500yds max range why do a magnum at all? That’s .308 range.

 

[rybe390]

There's a reason the .300 WSM is as popular as it is...
Your requirements are as generic as they get, I don't see the reasoning/rationale for a wildcat like the Shermans unless that's what floats yer boat.
If there's a possibility you might ever sell the rifle, all the more reason to go with the WSM.

I'm thinking this may be the route to go. If this was a fun rifle I'd be looking elsewhere, but as a hunting gun, I'm finding it hard to dismiss the 300 wsm over the other options for energy, ammo, brass, etc. It all just seems to be right.

 

[rybe390]

Something to maybe add, as I'm leaning towards .300wsm based on replies. Those of you who went .300wsm, why did you do so, over the other choices?

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

Id go 300wsm 7mm bullets have been really hard to come by.

Like 30 cal bullets worth shooting long range haven't?

 

[fdkay]

If you're talking 600 yards as max range, a 7-08 loaded with 162 eldx and RL19 will do the trick nicely. To be different you could go .284 win and pick up another 150 fps or so.
Flatter shooting than the .308 with very good energy on target.
Of course the 7 saum with the 162 is a potent combo in a short action.

 

[SmolPP]

Thanks for starting this thread.
I'm also looking to build a short action magnum rifle and I've been leaning towards the 300 WSM myself due to the availability and variety of bullets on the market.
I really appreciate the input from all of the other members in this thread.

 

[JeffLebowski]

I decided a .308 with quality bullets would be my go-to round for 500yds and in. It keeps the barrel short and handy and my 180gr Black Hills loaded Accubonds have been awesome ballistically.

I'm going through the same exercise again getting ready for this years' eastern Oregon Elk season where you can sight animals farther than you can shoot. I'm going with a 300WSM. Norma Bondstrikes, Barnes TTSX's if Ito try solids, Accubond / ABLR's, Sciroccos, lots of great options.

6.5 rounds are constantly lauded as being ballistically superior, but once you look at the selection of bullets most guys would consider to be reasonable against an Elk, most of those awesome 6.5 rounds don't make the list. I would never shoot an Elk with an ELD-x round, which is what usually makes the list as a good BC hunting round. The 135 Bergers have awesome ballistics but you're still looking at a pretty explosive round. A better 6.5 like the Sherman may do what you want, but choosing the appropriate bullet and range requirement drives the beginning of this discussion. Guys kill elk with 6.5's, but guys also lose a lot of Elk with 6.5's which is why it's laughed at so often in the hunting community.

We can't treat hunting like a benchrest experience. The thought of getting an animal to give us a perfect lineup, stand there, let us get into an ideal position, and then getting the bullet there without much atmospheric interference is just not a winning game plan. Especially elk season where the weather usually sucks, you're cold, and the only good shot might be straight into the shoulder, those high-BC 6.5 bullets are not up to the task of breaking that bone. A 185gr+ .30cal bullet is absolutely superior in giving you more tolerance to be a human and ethically kill an animal.

I won't give specific chamber recommendations, but I would look at what bullets you would use and what you can shoot them with. 6.5's met the technical velocity/energy requirements for a couple bullets I would trust but I still felt they were living on the edge and it would be better to either go 300WSM or stick with <500yd shots with my .308.

Spot. Fucking. On.

 

[Dobbs02si]

I've been thoroughly impressed with my hand spun 7/300wsm and 180gr hybrids. Shoots like a laser and bucks the wind rather well. I would love to say the 7saum but requiring factory ammo seals the deal with the 300wsm. I'm not big on 30 cals but the ammo availablity is unquestioned.

 

[Smitty192]

Good information on here. I'll add a question for those with exsperience with the 300 WSM: What is the velocity benefit for going to LA over SA with the 300 WSM? What is the OAL used in a LA?

 

[SonoranPrecision]

Good information on here. I'll add a question for those with exsperience with the 300 WSM: What is the velocity benefit for going to LA over SA with the 300 WSM? What is the OAL used in a LA?

If you go with a long action, you need to make sure your gunsmith uses a throat appropriate for a long action. The saami throat on 300wsm is basically zero. So your oal will be very dependent on how much throat you have.

As far as velocity goes, I’m running 208 eldms right at 2700 fps out of a 20” barrel on a short action.

 

[BJames]

I shoot both 300 wsm and 7 saum. SA all the way, no need to get complicated if loaded with the correct powders. SA rifles are slightly lighter and handier too. My 300 wsm is a hunter, shoots everything well, the 200 eldx’s hit animals hard. Current hunting load is 176 A-tips at 3100 with RL26, haven’t shot anything alive with them yet, though friends have.

My next hunter, planning for 8 lbs all up, will be in 7 saum. I’ve fallen in love with this round. Flatter trajectory, enough energy to get the job done and then some, inherently accurate, less recoil. Great brass option if you're patient and pounce on it. The kicker is no factory ammo available.

If factory ammo options are a requirement, 300 wsm is really hard to beat. Though at the ranges you're talking about, any of your listed calibers will work.

 

[mkollman74]

I just chose 6.5SST myself...

 

[Surdez1994]

I just chose 6.5SST myself...

Want a custom 7 sst to go with it??

 

[NewsShooter]

7 saum in a tikka action, 180's about 3.2 oal. Don't have to worry about stuffing them in the case. Still working on a load, first good node was just over 2800 with 60 grains of 4831sc. Thinking there should be another one around 2900 fps.

 

[mkollman74]

Want a custom 7 sst to go with it??

LOL. I’m gonna be hard pressed to find time for my 6.5.. plus I’m a lefty.

 

[Surdez1994]

LOL. I’m gonna be hard pressed to find time for my 6.5.. plus I’m a lefty.

Lol me too!
Good problem to have too many rifles to work on! Thought I would ask. Have a good one!

 

[Sniperwannabee]

7 SAUM or 300 WSM is my vote, leaning towards the 7 SAUM

Bingo

 

[BillyGoatMachine]

I cant believe nobody has mentioned the 7WSM..... Its been one of the most underrated cartridges for decades and Hornady makes factory ammo using the ELDX. A 162 grain bullet @3000fps factory ammo..... I've crono'ed them. So, my advice is either 7wsm or 300wsm, both will suit you just fine. I also have a 7saum and only continue to shoot it because I have loads of brass, but when I'm going hunting I take my 7wsm. It has about 100-150fps over the saum.

 

[DJL2]

Before I gave up on the project, I was going to do a 7 SAUM or similar in a Tikka. Decided I didn't need a short mag to do anything I actually did and didn't want to mess with reloading yet another cartridge on top of that. Looking at the options, the 7 mm was the pretty clear winner. The best combination of internal, external, and terminal ballistics given the case size, I think. The only real question is 7 SS, 7 S Max, 7 WSM, 7 SAUM, .284, .284 Shehane, etc. You're not limited on options.