.30-06 Springfield, History, Cartridge, ball, caliber .30, Model of 1906 (M1906)
The M1903 Springfield rifle, which had been introduced alongside the .30-03 cartridge, was modified to accept the new .30-06 Springfield cartridge. Modifications to the rifle included shortening the barrel at its breech and resizing the chamber, so that the more tapered bullet would not have to jump too far to reach the rifling. Other changes to the rifle included elimination of the troublesome "rod bayonet" of the earlier Springfield rifles.


.30-06 Springfield, History, Cartridge, ball, caliber .30, Model of 1906 (M1906)
The M1906 maximum range was originally overstated. When the M1906 cartridge was developed, the range tests had been done to only 1,800 yards (1,650 m); distances beyond that were estimated, but the estimate for extreme range was wrong by almost 40 percent. The range discrepancy became evident during World War I. Before the widespread employment of light mortars and artillery, long-range machine gun "barrage" or indirect fires were considered important in U.S. infantry tactics. When the U.S. entered World War I, it did not have many machine guns, so it acquired British and French machine guns.


.30-06 Springfield, History, Cartridge, ball, caliber .30, Model of 1906 (M1906)
When those weapons were later replaced with U.S. machine guns firing the M1906 round, the effective range of the barrage was 50 percent less. Firing tests performed around 1918 at Borden Brook Reservoir (Massachusetts), Miami, and Daytona Beach showed the actual maximum range of the M1906 cartridge to be 3,300 to 3,400 yards (3,020 to 3,110 m). Germany, which was using the S Patrone (S ball cartridge) loaded with a similar 153-grain (9.9 g) flat-based bullet in its rifles, had apparently confronted and solved the same problem by developing an aerodynamically more refined bullet for long range machine gun use. The s.S. Patrone was introduced in 1914 and used a 197.5-grain (12.80 g) s.S. – schweres Spitzgeschoß (heavy spitzer) boat-tail bullet which had a maximum range of approximately 4,700 m (5,140 yd).


.30-06 Springfield, History, .30 M1 ball cartridge
For these reasons, in 1926, the ordnance corps, after extensive testing of 7.5×55mm Swiss GP11 projectiles provided by the Swiss, developed the .30 M1 ball cartridge loaded with a new improved military rifle (IMR) 1185 propellant and 174-grain (11.28 g) bullet with a 9° boat-tail and an ogive of 7 calibers nose cone that had a higher ballistic coefficient of roughly 0.494 (G1 BC), that achieved a muzzle velocity of 2,647 ft/s (807 m/s) and muzzle energy of 2,675 ft⋅lbf (3,627 J).


.30-06 Springfield, History, .30 M1 ball cartridge
This bullet further reduced air resistance in flight, resulting in less rapid downrange deceleration, less lateral drift caused by crosswinds, and significantly greater supersonic and maximum effective range from machine guns and rifles alike. Additionally, a gilding metal jacket was developed that all but eliminated the metal fouling that plagued the earlier M1906 cartridge. The loaded round weighed 420 grains (27 g) and its maximum range was approximately 5,500 yd (5,030 m). The maximum average pressure (MAP) was 48,000 psi (330.95 MPa). The average target radius was specified to be not greater than 4.5 in (11 cm) at 500 yd (457 m) and not greater than 5.5 in (14 cm) at 600 yd (549 m) when fired from a Mann accuracy weapon.


.30-06 Springfield, History, Cartridge, caliber .30, ball, M2
Wartime surplus totaled over 2 billion rounds of ammunition. Army regulations called for training use of the oldest ammunition first. As a result, the older .30-06 ammunition was expended for training; stocks of .30 M1 ball ammunition were allowed to slowly grow until all of the older M1906 ammunition had been fired. By 1936, it was discovered that the maximum range of the .30 M1 ball ammunition with its boat-tailed spitzer bullets was beyond the safety limitations of many military firing ranges.


.30-06 Springfield, History, Cartridge, caliber .30, ball, M2
An emergency order was made to manufacture quantities of ammunition that matched the external ballistics of the earlier M1906 cartridge as soon as possible. A new cartridge was developed in 1938 that was essentially a duplicate of the old M1906 round, but loaded with IMR 4895 propellant and a new flat-based bullet that had a gilding metal jacket and a different lead alloy, and weighed 152 grains (9.85 g) instead of 150 grains (9.72 g).


.30-06 Springfield, History, Cartridge, caliber .30, ball, M2
This 1938 pattern cartridge, the cartridge, caliber .30, ball, M2, achieved a muzzle velocity of 2,805 ft/s (855 m/s) and muzzle energy of 2,656 ft⋅lbf (3,601 J). The loaded round weighed 416 grains (27.0 g) and its maximum range was approximately 3,450 yd (3,150 m). The MAP was 50,000 psi (344.74 MPa). The average target radius was specified to be not greater than 6.5 in (16.5 cm) at 500 yd (457 m) and not greater than 7.5 in (19.1 cm) at 600 yd (549 m).


.30-06 Springfield, Firearms
In military service, the .30-06 was used in the bolt-action M1903 Springfield rifle, the bolt-action M1917 Enfield rifle, the semi-automatic M1 Garand rifle, the semi-automatic M1941 Johnson rifle, the Famage Mauser, the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), and numerous machine guns, including the M1917 and M1919 series. It served the United States in both World Wars and in the Korean war, its last major use was during the Vietnam war.


.30-06 Springfield, Firearms
The Belgian army (ABL) bought the FN Model 1949 rifle in .30-06 calibre (both as a sniper version with telescopic sights and as a general service weapon). The Belgium armed forces used the round widely in the Korean war, where the .30-06 calibre FN-49 proved to be a superior weapon in terms of both accuracy and reliability to the American M1 Garand. The .30-06 FN-49 saw widespread use in the various wars in and around the Belgian Congo. The 30-06 FN-49 was also sold to the armies of Luxembourg, Indonesia and Colombia. Another customer was Brazil where it served the navy.


.30-06 Springfield, Firearms
Large volumes of surplus brass made it the basis for dozens of commercial and wildcat cartridges, as well as being extensively used for reloading. In 1908 the Model 1895 Winchester lever-action rifle became the first commercially-produced sporting rifle chambered in .30-06 Springfield. It is still a very common round for hunting and is suitable for large game such as bison, Sambar deer, and bear, when used at close to medium ranges.


.30-06 Springfield, Firearms
In 1903, the Army converted its M1900 Gatling guns in .30 Army to fit the new .30-03 cartridge as the M1903. The later M1903-'06 was an M1903 converted to .30-06. This conversion was principally carried out at the Army's Springfield Armory arsenal repair shops. All models of Gatling guns were declared obsolete by the U.S. Army in 1911, after 45 years of service.


.30-06 Springfield, Firearms
Ballistically, the .30-06 is one of the most versatile cartridges ever designed. With "hot" handloads and a rifle capable of handling them, the .30-06 is capable of performance rivaling many magnum cartridges. However, when loaded more closely to the original government specs, .30-06 remains within the upper limit of felt recoil most shooters consider tolerable over multiple rounds, unlike the magnums, and is not unnecessarily destructive of meat on game such as deer. With appropriate loads, it is suitable for any small or large heavy game found in North America. The .30-06's power and versatility (combined with the availability of surplus firearms chambered for it and demand for commercial ammunition) have kept the round as one of the most popular for hunting in North America.


.30-06 Springfield, Performance
The .30-06 cartridge was designed when shots of 1,000 yards (914.4 m) were expected. In 1906, the original M1906 .30-06 cartridge consisted of a 150 grains (9.7 g), flat-base cupronickel-jacketed-bullet. After World War I, the U.S. military needed better long-range performance machine guns. Based on weapons performance reports from Europe, a streamlined, 173 grains (11.2 g) boattail, gilding-metal bullet was used. The .30-06 cartridge, with the 173 grains (11.2 g) bullet was called cartridge, .30, M1 ball. The .30-06 cartridge was far more powerful than the smaller Japanese 6.5×50mm Arisaka cartridge and comparable to the Japanese 7.7×58mm Arisaka. The new M1 ammunition proved to be significantly more accurate than the M1906 round.


.30-06 Springfield, Performance
In 1938, the unstained, 150 grains (9.7 g), flat-base bullet combined with the .30-06 case became the M2 ball cartridge. The M2 ball specifications required 2,740 feet per second (835.2 m/s) minimum velocity, measured 78 feet (24 m) from the muzzle. M2 ball was the standard-issue ammunition for military rifles and machine guns until it was replaced by the 7.62×51mm NATO round in 1954.


.30-06 Springfield, Performance
For rifle use, M2 ball ammunition proved to be less accurate than the earlier M1 cartridge; even with match rifles, a target group of 5 inches (130 mm) diameter at 200 yards (180 m) using the 150-grain (9.7 g) M2 bullet was considered optimal, and many rifles did not perform nearly as well. The U.S. Marine Corps retained stocks of M1 ammunition for use by snipers and trained marksmen throughout the Solomon Islands campaign in the early years of the war.


.30-06 Springfield, Performance
In an effort to increase accuracy some snipers resorted to use of the heavier .30-06 M2 armor-piercing round, a practice that re-emerged during the Korean War. Others sought out lots of M2 ammunition produced by Denver Ordnance, which had proved to be more accurate than those produced by other wartime ammunition plants when used for sniping at long range. With regards to penetration, the M2 AP round can penetrate at least 0.42 in (10.67 mm) of armor steel at 100 yards (91 m). A test done by Brass Fetchers shows that M2 AP can actually penetrate up to 0.5 in (12.70 mm) of MIL-A-12560 armor steel from a distance of 100 yards (91 m). The round struck the plate at a velocity of 2601 fps, and made a complete penetration.


.30-06 Springfield, Performance
Commercially manufactured rifles chambered in .30-06 are popular for hunting. Current .30-06 factory ammunition varies in bullet weight from 7.1 to 14.3 grams (109.6 to 220.7 gr) in solid bullets, and as low as 3.6 grams (55.6 gr) with the use of a sub-caliber bullet in a sabot. Loads are available with reduced velocity and pressure as well as increased velocity and pressure for stronger firearms. The .30-06 remains one of the most popular sporting cartridges in the world. Many hunting loads have over 3,000 foot-pounds (4,100 J) of energy at the muzzle and use expanding bullets that can deliver rapid energy transfer to targets.


.30-06 Springfield, Performance
The table above shows typical muzzle velocities available in commercial 30-06 loads along with maximum .30-06 muzzle velocities reported by several reloading manuals for common bullet weights. Hodgdon, Nosler, and Barnes report velocities for 24 inches (610 mm) barrels. Hornady and Speer report velocities for 22 inches (560 mm) barrels. The data are all for barrels with a twist rate of 1 turn in 10 inches (250 mm) which is needed to stabilize the heaviest bullets. The higher muzzle velocities reported by Nosler for 165 grains (10.7 g) and heavier bullets use loads employing a slow-burning, double-base powder (Alliant Reloder 22).


.30-06 Springfield, Performance
The newer 7.62×51mm NATO/.308 Winchester cartridge offers similar performance to standard military .30-06 loadings in a smaller cartridge.


.30-06 Springfield, Recoil
One reason that the .30-06 has remained a popular round for so long is that the cartridge is at the upper limit of power that is tolerable to most shooters. Recoil energy (free recoil) greater than 20 foot-pounds force (27 J) will cause most shooters to develop a serious flinch, and the recoil energy of an 8-pound (3.6 kg) rifle firing a 165-grain (10.7 g) 30-06 bullet at 2,900 feet per second (880 m/s) is 20.1 foot-pounds force (27.3 J). Recoil-shy shooters can opt for lighter bullets, such as a 150-grain (9.7 g) bullet. In the same 8-pound (3.6 kg) rifle, a 150-grain (9.7 g) bullet at 2,910 feet per second (890 m/s) will only generate 17.6 foot-pounds force (23.9 J) of recoil energy. Young shooters can start out with even lighter bullets weighing 110, 125 or 130 grains (7.1, 8.1 or 8.4 g).


.30-06 Springfield, Cartridge dimensions
The .30-06 Springfield cartridge case can hold 68.2 grains (4.42 g) of water and has a volume of 4.42 millilitres (0.270 in3). The exterior shape of the case was designed to promote reliable case feeding and extraction in bolt-action rifles and machine guns alike, under extreme conditions.


.30-06 Springfield, Cartridge dimensions
.30-06 Springfield maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters.


.30-06 Springfield, Cartridge dimensions
Americans defined the shoulder angle at alpha/2 = 17.5 degrees. According to the Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives (C.I.P.) the common rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 254 mm (1 in 10 in), 4 grooves, Ø lands = 7.62 mm (.30 in), Ø grooves = 7.82 mm (.308 in), land width = 4.49 mm (.1768 in) and the primer type is large rifle.


.30-06 Springfield, Cartridge dimensions
According to the official C.I.P. guidelines, the .30-06 Springfield case can handle up to 405 MPa (58,740 psi) piezo pressure. In C.I.P.-regulated countries, every rifle cartridge combination has to be proofed at 125% of this maximum C.I.P. pressure to certify for sale to consumers. The 8×64mm S is the closest European ballistic twin of the .30-06 Springfield.


.30-06 Springfield, Military cartridge types
Note: .30-06 cartridges are produced commercially with many different bullets and to a number of different specifications.


.30-06 Springfield, Military cartridge types, United States
The .30-06 round was replaced by the 7.62×51mm NATO round in 1954. However, it remained in limited use in the army reserves and national guard for some time; Frankford Arsenal only stopped production in 1961 and Lake City Army Ammunition Plant was making .30-06 until the late 1970s, with new production batches in 1993 and 2002.


.30-06 Springfield, Military cartridge types, Commonwealth
The .30-06 (or "caliber .30") cartridge was adopted in 1940 during the beginnings of the Lend-Lease program in anticipation of using American weapons in front-line service. The British used American-made ammunition during the war, which was designated as cartridge S.A, .30 to avoid confusing it with their own .303 British service round. It was used after the war as belted machinegun ammunition by the Royal Armored Corps and was not declared obsolete until October, 1993. The "z" after the numeral indicates that it used a nitrocellulose propellant rather than cordite. Marks of ammunition were originally designated with Roman numerals (i.e., .303 Ball Mark VII), but were replaced with Arabic numerals by 1945 (i.e., .303 Ball MK 7).


.30-06 Springfield, Military cartridge types, French Union
The .30-06 round was adopted in 1949 for use in American war surplus military aid weapons like the M1 Garand and M1919 medium machinegun. Military production was from the 1950s to the mid-1960s, while export production to French Union nations lasted until the late 1980s. Cartridge cases were softer than US specifications to prohibit their being recovered and reloaded by insurgents.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges
.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges are cartridges developed from a 30-06 Springfield "parent cartridge" through narrowing or widening the cartridge neck to fit a smaller or larger bullet in an attempt to improve performance in specific areas. Such wildcat cartridges are not standardized with recognized small arms standardization bodies like the SAAMI and the CIP.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Parent cartridge
The 30-06 Springfield cartridge (pronounced “thirty-ought-six”, "thirty-oh-six") or 7.62×63mm in metric notation, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 (hence “06”) where it was in use until the early 1970s. It remains a very popular sporting round, with ammunition produced by all major manufacturers.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Parent cartridge
It has a 68.2 grains (4.43 ml ) H2O cartridge case capacity. The exterior shape of the case was designed to promote reliable case feeding and extraction under extreme conditions for both bolt-action rifles and machine guns.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Parent cartridge
30-06 Springfield maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters (mm).


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
There have been a large number of .30-06 Springfield-based wildcat cartridges produced, including:


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
22-06 (also 223-06) - necked down to accept a .224 caliber bullet - The 22-06 uses the same caliber bullet as the 223 Remington. This round is frequently used for varmint hunting, offering the shooter a long range, high-velocity, and therefore flat shooting, chambering suitable for that sport. The similar 226 Express, in addition to reducing neck diameter, reduces shoulder diameter to impose a long, slender body taper on the 30-06 case. Extensive experimentation during the mid-20th century indicated no practical benefit from the incremental volume increase of the 63 mm-long 30-06 case over the 57 mm-long 7mm Mauser case for .22 caliber bullets.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
6mm-06 (also 243-06) - necked down to accept a .243 bullet - Once considered significantly overbore, proponents of the 6mm-06 chambering argue the cartridge is more practical following the development and availability of slower burning powders capable of exploiting the larger case capacity. The cartridge has greater capacity than either the 243 Winchester or the 6mm Remington, slightly more capacity than the 240 Weatherby Magnum, and slightly less capacity than 6mm-284 wildcat cartridge.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
The 6mm-06 can drive a 105 grain .243 caliber projectile in excess of 3200 feet per second (fps), giving the 6mm-06 a ballistic advantage over the non-magnum .243 offerings from Winchester and Remington, particularly at longer ranges. Due to the wide availability of inexpensive parent cases, the 6mm-06 is also less expensive than comparable long-range performers like the 240 Weatherby Magnum and the 6mm-284.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
243 Catbird - 270 Winchester necked down to a .243 bullet with the shoulder blown out (angle increased) to 35 degrees - The 270 Winchester is a standardized cartridge of the same design as the 30-06 except the case is 1.2mm longer and necked down to the .270 caliber. Therefore, the 243 Catbird is a 6mm-06 with a 35 degree shoulder and a 1.2mm longer case. The .243 Catbird was developed by Kenny Jarrett of  to achieve 4000 fps with a 68-70 grain bullet. Actual performance tests showed the cartridge achieved 4100 fps with a 70 grain bullet, 3800 fps with an 85 grain bullet, and 3500 fps with a 95 grain projectile. Jarrett describes the chambering as a "barrel burner" with a barrel maintaining accuracy for about 1500 rounds.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
25-06 - necked down to accept a .25 bullet - The 25-06 was a wildcat cartridge for nearly 50 years before Remington Arms "tamed" it in 1969 through standardization and marketed the cartridge commercially as the 25-06 Remington.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
6.5-06 (or 6.5mm/06) - necked down to accept a 6.5 mm bullet - The 6.5-06 offers ballistic performance between the commercialized 25-06 Remington and 270 Winchester with distinct advantages over both in particular long-range applications through a wide selection of bullets with high ballistic coefficients producing better extended range performance. This chambering was standardized as the 6.5-06 A-Square with SAAMI in 1997 by the A-Square Company, a manufacturer of arms and ammunition based in the United States. Over 80 years earlier, a nearly identical cartridge was commercially marketed as the 256 Newton.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
The 256 Newton suffered from a lack of slower burning powders capable of taking advantage of the large case capacity. Munitions manufacturers ceased making the 256 Newton in 1938, 20 years after the firearms company built by Charles Newton, who created the cartridge, went bankrupt. There are small dimensional differences between the .256 Newton and 6.5-06 later standardized by A-Square: the 256 Newton has an increased body taper, the shoulder is moved back, and has a sharper, 23 degree shoulder while the 6.5-06 has a 17.5 degree shoulder like the parent 30-06 case.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
SAAMI lists the 6.5-06 A-Square in the  table dated June 3, 2012, and the 6.5-06 drawing was still available from SAAMI as of March 2018. The 2015 comprehensive American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/SAAMI standard  for centerfire rifle ammunition no longer includes the 6.5-06 A-Square cartridge. A-Square went bankrupt in 2012 and no major manufacturer makes loaded ammunition or brass cases for the 6.5-06 in March 2018.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
7mm-06 - necked down to accept a 7mm bullet - Originated during experimentation with 7mm bullets in inexpensive, surplus 30-06 brass cases. The commercial .280 Remington (or 7mm Express Remington) is very similar, but uses the slightly longer 65 mm 30-03 case with the shoulder headspace extended slightly more than one millimeter (.05 inch) to prevent chambering in 270 Winchester rifles. Early Remington in-house developmental rounds were headstamped R-P 7MM-06 REM but, to avoid confusion with similarly named wildcats, the headstamp was changed to 280 REM.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
8mm-06 - necked up to accept an 8mm bullet - The 8mm-06 allows owners of military surplus 7.92×57mm Mauser rifles to fire 8mm bullets using inexpensive, surplus 30-06 brass cases without rebarreling their rifle, only a rechambering is necessary.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
.338-06 - necked up to accept a .338 bullet - The 338-06 gives shooters the option of using heavier bullets for bigger game while suffering less recoil than other .338 caliber cartridges. The 338-06 chambering was a popular wildcat dating back to the late 1950s. The cartridge was standardized as the 338-06 A-Square with SAAMI in 1998 by the A-Square Company. Weatherby briefly offered some models of rifles chambered in 338-06 A-Square.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
The 338-06 is a practical, flexible, and potent medium bore cartridge offering substantially similar performance to the prototype 338 Winchester Short Magnum later released as the 325 Winchester Short Magnum while producing less stress on the bullet and shooter than a magnum cartridge. SAAMI lists the 338-06 A-Square in the  table dated June 3, 2012, and the 338-06 drawing was still available from SAAMI as of March 2018. The 2015 comprehensive ANSI/SAAMI standard  for centerfire rifle ammunition no longer includes the 338-06 A-Square cartridge. Nosler was still producing 338-06 A-Square ammunition under their "Custom Nosler" label in March 2018.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
35-06 - necked up to accept a .35 bullet - Now standardized and marketed as the 35 Whelen, this cartridge was intended to create a cartridge suitable for bigger and potentially dangerous game, specifically African game, on standard length actions with relatively inexpensive components (i.e. 30-06 brass cases).


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
375-06 - necked up to accept a .375 bullet - Also known as the 375 Whelen, this wildcat was another effort to use standard actions and inexpensive, surplus cases with heavier bullets. The 375 Whelen Improved sharpens the 30-06 shoulder for more reliable headspace.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
400-06 - necked up to accept a 405 Winchester bullet. Better known as the 400 Whelen. Griffin & Howe chambered rifles for this cartridge, but headspace difficulties were reported with the small shoulder.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
Ackley Improved - P.O. Ackley was a notable gunsmith famous for developing wildcat cartridges from parent cartridges like the 30-06 Springfield. For many of the wildcats listed above, and several of standardized commercial chamberings based on the 30-06 cartridge, there are "Ackley Improved" versions with sharper shoulders increasing case capacity. These versions are noted by the letters "AI" after the cartridge name (e.g. 6.5-06 AI, 30-06 AI, etc.). Nosler registered the .280 Ackley Improved with SAAMI and produces loaded ammunition.


.30-06 Springfield wildcat cartridges, Wildcats
Gibbs Cartridges - R.E. "Rocky" Gibbs was a firearms experimenter and gunsmith based in Viola, Idaho in the 1950s. He developed a series of improved cartridges for chamberings derived from the 30-06 Springfield, including the 25 Gibbs, 6.5mm Gibbs, 270 Gibbs, 7mm Gibbs, 30 Gibbs, and 8mm Gibbs by blowing out the case, pushing the shoulder forward, and increasing the angle of the shoulder.


.30-30 Winchester
The .30-30 Winchester, also known as .30 Winchester Center Fire cartridge was first marketed in 1895 for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle. The .30-30 (thirty-thirty), as it is most commonly known, and the .25-35 were offered that year as the USA's first small-bore sporting rifle cartridges designed for smokeless powder. Sixty years after its introduction, in 1955, it was surpassed by the smaller bore .243 Winchester cartridge with more powerful and accurate ballistics yet similar recoil, but the .30-30 Winchester remains in widespread use even today.


.30-30 Winchester, Naming
The .30 Winchester Smokeless first appeared in Winchester's catalog No. 55, dated August 1895. When chambered in the Winchester Model 1894 carbine and rifle, it was also known as .30 Winchester Center Fire or .30 WCF. When the cartridge was chambered in the Marlin Model 1893 rifle, rival gunmaker Marlin used the designation .30-30 or .30-30 Smokeless. The added -30 stands for the standard load of 30 grains (1.9 g) of early smokeless powder and is based on late-19th century American naming conventions for black powder-filled cartridges. Both Marlin and Union Metallic Cartridge Co. also dropped the Winchester appellation, as they did not want to put the name of rival Winchester on their products.


.30-30 Winchester, Naming
The modern designation of .30-30 Winchester was arrived at by using Marlin's variation of the name with the Winchester name appended as originator of the cartridge, but .30 WCF is still seen occasionally. This designation also probably serves to avoid consumer confusion with the different, yet similarly shaped .30-40 Krag, which has been referred to as .30 US and .30 Army.


.30-30 Winchester, Characteristics and use
In Canada and the U.S., the cartridge has also been used on moose, caribou, and pronghorn. Modern opinions in Canada on its suitability for moose are mixed. Paul Robertson, a Canadian hunting firearms columnist, says, "Too many moose have been taken with the [.30-30] to rule it out as good for this purpose, as well." In both Canada and the U.S. it has a long history of use on moose. It is generally agreed that the .30-30 is not a good choice for hunters who wish to shoot animals at longer ranges.


.30-30 Winchester, Characteristics and use
The cartridge, with flat- or round-nosed bullets, does not meet minimum energy standards required for moose hunting in Finland, Norway, or Sweden. Hunting technique and style, as well as law and culture, dictate cartridge choices. Thor Strimbold, a Canadian who has made more than 20 one-shot kills on moose with a .30-30, advises most moose hunters to use more than minimal power if they can handle the recoil. While the .30-30 is legal for hunting moose in Newfoundland, Canada, provincial game authorities do not recommend its use.


.30-30 Winchester, Characteristics and use
One of the primary reasons for the .30-30's popularity amongst deer hunters is its light recoil. Average recoil from a typical 150-grain load at 2,390 feet per second (730 m/s) in a 7.5 lb (3.4 kg) rifle is 10.6 foot-pounds (14.4 J) of felt recoil at the shooter's shoulder, about half that of a comparable rifle chambered for the .30-06 Springfield. However, the .243 Winchester offers more muzzle energy and far greater downfield terminal energy than the .30-30 with similarly light recoil.


.30-30 Winchester, Characteristics and use
Because the majority of rifles chambered in .30-30 are lever-action rifles with tubular magazines, most .30-30 cartridges are loaded with round-nose or flat-nose bullets for safety. This is to prevent a spitzer-point bullet (the shape seen on the 7.62×51mm NATO above) from setting off the primer of the cartridge ahead of it in the magazine during recoil, resulting in potentially catastrophic damage to both firearm and shooter. The Savage Model 99 was introduced in 1899 with a rotary magazine, in part, to avoid that issue. When used in single-shot rifles or handguns, such as the Thompson Center Arms Contender or Encore series, it is common for shooters to hand load the cartridge with spire-point bullets for improved ballistics.


.30-30 Winchester, Characteristics and use
A notable exception to the "no pointed bullets" guideline for bullet selection in rifles with tubular magazines are the new flexible "memory elastomer"-tipped LEVERevolution cartridges as produced by Hornady. The soft tips of these bullets easily deform under compression, preventing detonations while under recoil in the magazine, yet also return to their original pointed shape when that pressure is removed, thus allowing for a more efficient bullet shape than previously available to load safely in such rifles. The more aerodynamic shape results in a flatter bullet trajectory and greater retained velocity downrange, significantly increasing the effective range of rifles chambered for this cartridge.


.30-30 Winchester, Rifles and handguns chambered in .30-30
The .30-30 is by far the most common chambering in lever-action rifles such as the Winchester Model 1894 and the Marlin Model 336. Some earlier Savage Model 99 rifles were chambered for this cartridge, as well,


.30-30 Winchester, Rifles and handguns chambered in .30-30
The rimmed design is well suited for various single-shot actions, so it is commonly found there, as well. Rimmed cartridges are chambered in bolt-action rifles, but .30-30 bolt actions are uncommon today. "At one time Winchester turned out the Model 54 bolt-action repeater in this caliber [.30 WCF], but it was a decided failure, chiefly because the man desiring a bolt action preferred to take one of the better and more powerful cartridges. However, in this particular caliber, the .30 WCF cartridge proved to be decidedly accurate." In addition, rimmed cartridges typically do not feed well with the box magazines normally found on bolt-action rifles. Other examples of bolt-action rifles offered in .30-30 Winchester are the , the Springfield/Savage 840, and the Remington 788.


.30-30 Winchester, Rifles and handguns chambered in .30-30
In the sport of handgun metallic silhouette shooting, the .30-30 has been used. The Thompson Center Arms Contender pistol, with its compact frame and break-action design, is available for the .30-30 cartridge. The .30-30 will produce velocities of nearly 2000 f/s (610 m/s) out of the 10-in (25-cm) Contender barrel, though recoil and muzzle blast are stronger due to the short barrel. The longer barrel results in significant reductions in felt recoil (due to increased weight) and muzzle blast, with higher velocities, especially if factory-loaded rifle ammunition is used. Magnum Research offers their five-shot BFR revolver in .30-30.


.30-30 Winchester, Derivative cartridges
In addition to the most common factory derivations, the .25-35 Winchester, 6.5×52mmR, .32 Winchester Special and the less-well-known .219 Zipper, the .30-30 has also spawned many wildcat cartridges over the years. One example is the 7-30 Waters, made by necking the .30-30 case down to 7 mm (.284 in). The 7-30 Waters eventually moved from a wildcat design to a factory chambering, with rifles being made by Winchester, and barrels made by Thompson/Center for their Contender pistol. Other .30-30-based wildcats are used almost exclusively in the Contender pistol.


.30-30 Winchester, Derivative cartridges
One of the more notable examples is the .30 Herrett, a .30-30 case necked back to reduce case capacity for more efficient loading with fast-burning powders. The .30 Herrett produces higher velocities with less powder than the larger .30-30 case in the short 10- and 14-in (25- and 35-cm) Contender barrels. Other examples are the .357 Herrett, developed to handle heavier bullets and larger game than the .30 Herrett, and the 7mm International Rimmed, a popular metallic silhouette cartridge. Bullberry, a maker of custom Contender barrels, offers proprietary .30-30 wildcats in 6 mm, .25 caliber, and 6.5 mm diameters. In addition, P.O. Ackley used the cartridge as the basis for the .30-30 Ackley Improved.


.30-30 Winchester, Derivative cartridges
Perhaps the oldest derivative cartridge is the wildcat cartridge 35-30, also known as the 35-30-30, 35/30-30, and 35/30. This round was never factory produced. Rather, it was an invention to counteract the corrosion of the early 30-30 barrels from the use of black powder and shot out barrels. Barrels that were no longer serviceable were bored out to 35 caliber and the .30-30 case was re-necked and loaded with a .35 caliber bullet.


.30-378 Weatherby Magnum
The .30-378 Weatherby Magnum is a .30 caliber, belted, bottle-necked rifle cartridge. The cartridge was developed in response to a US Army military contract in 1959. While still unreleased to the public, the cartridge went on to set world records for accuracy including the first ten 10X in 1,000 yards (910 m) benchrest shooting. It is currently the highest velocity .30 caliber factory ammunition available.


.30-378 Weatherby Magnum, Cartridge origin
The .30-378 was originally designed by Roy Weatherby as an anti-personnel/anti-materiel military cartridge for a government contract. The cartridge was created by necking down the .378 Weatherby Magnum to accept a .308 in (7.8 mm) diameter bullet. The United States Army’s Redstone Arsenal requested a rifle cartridge that could develop 6,000 ft/s (1,800 m/s) for the effects of light bullets against armor. The .30-378 Weatherby Magnum was able to attain over 5,000 ft/s (1,500 m/s). Using a slower burning and denser propellant, the .30-378 Weatherby Magnum surpassed the US Army’s requirement of 6,000 ft/s (1,800 m/s).


.30-378 Weatherby Magnum, Cartridge origin
However, the shooting public had to wait until 1996 for Weatherby to release the cartridge. In the meantime, the .30-378 Weatherby Magnum had gone on to set world records in 1,000 yards (910 m) benchrest competitions. Earl Chronister, shooting a .30-378 Weatherby Magnum shot the first ever ten shot 10X with the first nine shot to 3.125 inches and the tenth flyer for an overall group of 4.375 inches. This record stood for over 30 years. Several variations of the .30-378 Weatherby Magnum were created by custom ammunition manufacturers, known as wildcatters. Hammond rifles and H-S Precision were among the several custom gun manufacturers who chambered and built rifles long before Weatherby got around to releasing the rifle to the public.


.30-378 Weatherby Magnum, Cartridge origin
In 1991 Shooting Times editor Layne Simpson met with Ed Weatherby, the son of Weatherby Inc. founder Roy Weatherby, and urged him to release the .30-378 Weatherby to the public as a standard chambering in the Mark V action. In 1995 Layne Simpson built a rifle chambered for the .30-378 Weatherby and developed loading data and passed the data on to Norma Precision to provide a basis for their factory loaded ammunition.


.30-378 Weatherby Magnum, Design and specification
The .30-378 Weatherby Magnum utilizes the .378 Weatherby Magnum as a parent cartridge. The .378 Weatherby case was necked down to accept a .30 caliber (7.62 mm) bullet while preserving the double radii shoulder of the parent case. The resulting case held a greater volume than any previous commercial cartridge.


.30-378 Weatherby Magnum, Design and specification
When the cartridge was created by Roy Weatherby in 1959 there were no commercial propellants that suited the cartridge. Even the standard slow burning powder of the time IMR4350 which was used in the Weatherby line of cartridges was too fast to take advantage of the case capacity of the .30-378 Weatherby cartridge. The result was that performance advantage that was created by the volume of the .30-378 Weatherby was minimal over the competing .300 Weatherby Magnum cartridge, which had been introduced 25 years earlier.


.30-378 Weatherby Magnum, Design and specification
However, when launching 30 gr (1.9 g) bullets which are extremely light for caliber as the Redstone Arsenal contract specified, required the use of relatively faster propellants. However, the hunting public and target shooters used 150 gr and heavier bullets, which require slower burning powders due to the extreme overbore nature of the cartridge.


.30-378 Weatherby Magnum, Design and specification
SAAMI recommends a 6 groove barrel with a twist rate of 10 in (250 mm). The recommended bore diameter is .3005 in (7.63 mm) and groove diameter is .3080 in (7.82 mm) with each groove having an arc width of .118 in (3.0 mm).


.30-378 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
The .30-378 Weatherby Magnum is one of the most accurate rifle cartridges. The cartridge held the world record for accuracy at 1,000 yards (910 m) for over thirty years. Given factory ammunition, Weatherby guarantees 1.5 MOA accuracy from their Weatherby Mark V action rifles and sub-MOA (.99 MOA or better) accuracy from their Range Certified line of rifles and Vanguard rifle lines. Careful handloading – checking for bullet jacket concentricity, weighing of brass and bullets, uniformity of case length and overall cartridge length, choice of components, seating of bullet – can all increase the accuracy of the cartridge.


.30-378 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
The .30-378 Weatherby Magnum is a long range cartridge. It is the most powerful - in terms of energy - .30 caliber production cartridge available. It is also the flattest-shooting .30 caliber factory ammunition available. Dependent on the ammunition chosen the cartridge has a maximum point blank range of over 400 yd (370 m). The cartridge retains enough energy for deer-sized game at distances over 1,000 yd (910 m), and has enough retained energy for elk and moose-sized game at a distance of over 700 yd (640 m).


.30-378 Weatherby Magnum, Sporting usage
Like all Weatherby rifle cartridges the .30-378 Weatherby was designed to be a high performance hunting cartridge. When released to the public, it is intended for the hunting of all the big game species of North America, Asia and Africa, save dangerous game. Since this is a small bore caliber, hunting with the .30-378 Weatherby Magnum should be restricted to game less than 2,000 lb (910 kg).


.30-378 Weatherby Magnum, Sporting usage
Soon after the .30-378 Weatherby was designed it was adopted by the benchrest shooting community. It became popular among the 1,000 yards (910 m) shooting communities such as the Original 1,000 yards (910 m) Club of Pennsylvania and went on to shoot world records at that distance.


.30-378 Weatherby Magnum, Sporting usage
The Thompson Long Range shooting school uses the .30-378 Weatherby due to its high accuracy and reliable performance.


.30-40 Krag
The .30-40 Krag (also called .30 U.S., or .30 Army) was a cartridge developed in the early 1890s to provide the U.S. armed forces with a smokeless powder cartridge suited for use with modern small-bore repeating rifles to be selected in the 1892 small arm trials. Since the cartridge it was replacing was the .45-70 Government, the round was considered small-bore at the time. The design selected was ultimately the Krag–Jørgensen, formally adopted as the M1892 Springfield. It was also used in M1893 and later Gatling guns.


.30-40 Krag, History and development
Though the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps had adopted limited numbers of smokeless powder and bolt-action rifles, the .30-40 was the first cartridge adopted by the US Army that was designed from the outset for smokeless powder. After a brief experiment with a 230-grain bullet loading, the .30 Army loading was standardized in 1894 using a 220-grain (14 g) metal-jacketed round-nose bullet with 40 gr (2.6 g)  of nitrocellulose powder. This loading developed a maximum velocity of 2,000 ft/s (610 m/s) in the 30-inch (760 mm) barrel of the Krag rifle, and 1,960 ft/s (600 m/s) in the 22-inch (560 mm) barrel of the Krag carbine.


.30-40 Krag, History and development
The rimmed .30-40 round was also known as .30 Army, or .30 U.S. Although the .30-40 Krag was the first smokeless powder round adopted by the U.S. military, it retained the "caliber-charge" naming system of earlier black powder cartridges, i.e. a .30-caliber bullet propelled by 40 grains (2.6 g) of smokeless powder. The first use of a smokeless powder round by Winchester was a single shot in 30-40, and it was one of only three rounds for which the 1895 Winchester lever action, introduced in 1896, was originally chambered.


.30-40 Krag, History and development
From the outset, the .30-40 cartridge proved popular for hunting, and was chambered in a variety of firearms. In 1899, a Krag in .30-40 caliber was used to shoot the world-record Rocky Mountain elk. The record stood until the latter half of the 20th century.


.30-40 Krag, History and development
In October 1899, after reviewing the experiences of the Spanish–American War, U.S. Army ordnance authorities developed a new loading for the .30 Army used in the Krag rifle, in an attempt to match the ballistics of the 7×57mm Mauser cartridge employed by Spanish forces in that conflict. The new loading increased the muzzle velocity in the rifle version of the Krag to 2,200 ft/s (670 m/s) at 45,000 psi. However, once the new loading was issued, reports of cracked locking lugs on service Krags began to surface. In March 1900 the remaining stocks of this ammunition (some 3.5 million rounds) were returned to the arsenals, broken down, and reloaded back to the original 2,000 ft/s (610 m/s) specification.


.30-40 Krag, History and development
In 1903, after recommendations from the infantry Small Arms Board, the U.S. Army formally adopted a higher-velocity .30-caliber replacement for the .30-40 or .30 Army cartridge. The new cartridge was designated by its year of adoption, the .30-03.


.300 AAC Blackout
The .300 AAC Blackout (designated as the 300 BLK by the SAAMI and 300 AAC Blackout by the C.I.P. ), also known as 7.62×35mm, is an intermediate cartridge developed in the United States by Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC) for use in the M4 carbine. Its purpose is to achieve ballistics similar to the 7.62×39mm cartridge or, even more similarly, the 7.92×33mm Kurz cartridge in an M4 while using standard M4 magazines at their normal capacities. Ammunition in .300 BLK cannot be used in a rifle chambered for 7.62×40mm Wilson Tactical. It is mainly derived from the .300 Whisper concept, but differs in having been submitted to the SAAMI.


.300 AAC Blackout, History
While 5.56×45mm NATO has enjoyed widespread acceptance in military circles, the nature of the missions encountered by some special operations groups often demand a round that provides better performance than that available in the high-energy, standard velocity rounds, and subsonic performance greater than standard 9mm (the ubiquitous pistol and submachine gun) round.


.300 AAC Blackout, History
To meet this demand, AAC developed the 300 AAC Blackout in cooperation with Remington Defense. The new cartridge was intended to negate many of the perceived drawbacks inherent to other large caliber cartridges used in the M4. Colt Firearms and other arms makers had previously chambered AR-pattern rifles and carbines in various .30 caliber rounds but encountered problems. In the case of the 7.62×39mm, its relatively severe case angle caused feeding issues unless specially modified AK-47 magazines were used, and even then results were unsatisfactory. Modified bolts were also needed owing to its larger case head diameter. Rounds such as the 6.8 SPC and 6.5 Grendel had similar parts-interchangeability issues but did allow for the use of the standard M4/M16 30-round magazine, albeit with a reduced capacity.


.300 AAC Blackout, History
Wildcat cartridges such as the .300 Whisper series addressed these issues, but their widespread use in single shot handguns and lack of industry standard cartridge dimension meant that a great number of the popular loads on both the supersonic and subsonic end of the spectrum were less than ideal in the AR pattern weapons. Many of these rounds required an excessively long overall cartridge length that would prohibit feeding in a STANAG magazine while using powder charges that were not compatible with the pressure requirements of the M4 carbine. This was particularly noticeable when using subsonic ammunition in conjunction with a suppressor as short stroking and excessive fouling would occur similar to that which was seen in the earliest variants of the M16 in Vietnam.


.300 AAC Blackout, History
By keeping the M4/M16 in mind as the primary host during load development the designers could work up a host of cartridges that not only satisfied the ballistic requirements set forth, but also ensured mechanical reliability with the fewest changes to the weapon itself—with only a simple barrel change necessary for complete conversion.


.300 AAC Blackout, History
Robert Silvers, director of research and development for AAC said, "We started development in 2009, but most of the work was done in 2010. A military customer wanted a way to be able to shoot .30-cal. bullets from an M4 platform while using normal bolts and magazines, and without losing the full 30-round capacity of standard magazines. They also wanted a source for ammunition made to their specs. We could not have just used .300-221 or .300 Whisper because Remington is a SAAMI company, and will only load ammunition that is a SAAMI-standard cartridge. We had to take the .300-221 wildcat concept, determine the final specs for it, and submit it to SAAMI. We did that, and called it the .300 AAC Blackout (.300 BLK)."


.300 AAC Blackout, History
300 AAC Blackout was approved by SAAMI on January 17, 2011.


.300 AAC Blackout, History
On October 23, 2011, SSG Daniel Horner of the USAMU used 300 AAC Blackout to win his fourth USPSA Multi Gun National Championship.


.300 AAC Blackout, Military use, Netherlands
In July 2015, the Netherlands' Defense Material Organization issued a tender for 195 carbines chambered in 300 BLK on behalf of the Dutch Maritime Special Operations Force (NL-MARSOF). The intention was to purchase ball, subsonic, and lead-free frangible cartridges representing the first formal military adoption of the .300 AAC Blackout. In December 2016 the NL-MARSOF acquired 195 integrally suppressed SIG MCX carbines fitted with a new folding stock developed for use with ballistic visor helmets chambered in .300 AAC Blackout becoming the first publicly known military user of the cartridge.


.300 AAC Blackout, Military use, United Kingdom
On 14 July 2017, the UK Ministry of Defence issued a tender for a five year (plus five years optional) contract to supply .300 Blackout supersonic and subsonic small arms ammunition. Also noted was the fact that the ammunition type had already been in use.


.300 AAC Blackout, Performance
Supersonic ammunition muzzle velocities and muzzle energies by barrel length:


.300 AAC Blackout, Performance
The 300 AAC Blackout was designed to achieve energies similar to the 7.62×39mm Soviet in an AR-15 while using standard AR magazines at their full capacity. The 7.62 Soviet's cartridge taper prevented reliable feeding in AR magazines and created wear on the bolt. From the 14.5 in (370 mm) barrel of the M4 Carbine, the M855 5.56×45mm round has an effective point target range of 500 meters. The bullet has significant drop, drift, and energy loss at that distance.


.300 AAC Blackout, Performance
From a 16 in (410 mm) barrel, a 125 gr (8.1 g) 300 BLK round has a lower velocity and similar bullet drop and drift at shorter distances. However, it has the same amount of energy at 700 meters that the M855 has at 500 meters. In terms of hit probability, the Blackout has an effective range of 460 meters. From a 9 in (230 mm) barrel, the 125 gr BLK round has the same muzzle energy as the M855 from the M4, and 5 percent more energy at 440 meters.


.300 AAC Blackout, Performance
In comparison with 7.62×39mm rounds, 300 BLK rounds with varying loads have a better ballistic coefficient and more energy out of similar length barrels. 300 BLK rounds like the Barnes TAC 110 grain, have "barrier blind" performance, being capable of penetration through several inches of different hard targets. 300 BLK allows a user to have one firearm with the capability of switching between subsonic, supersonic VMAX or barrier penetrating ammunition all with just the change of a magazine.


.300 AAC Blackout, Performance
It is able to replace the H&K MP5 for close quarters, and with just a magazine change, bring the fight to longer distances, outperforming the M4 carbine. The .30 caliber cartridge has an 89.1 percent increase in frontal bullet area over the 5.56×45mm, and so leaves a larger wound cavity in soft targets. It also penetrates deeper and initially yaws faster. 300 BLK rounds are effective out of barrels as short as 4.5 in (110 mm). Weapons chambered for the round can be as light, compact, and quiet when suppressed as submachine guns like the 9×19mm MP5, 5.7x28mm FN P90, and 4.6×30mm MP7 while having more energy and accuracy at longer range.


.300 AAC Blackout, Performance
Compared to the 6.8×43mm Special Purpose Cartridge, another round made to have increased stopping power over the 5.56 NATO, the 300 Blackout has different capabilities. The 300 BLK was designed with a specific shorter-range focus to have equal or more energy than the 7.62 Soviet and work reliably with suppressors. The earlier 6.8 SPC was simply designed to have more energy at all ranges than the 5.56×45mm. It has a relatively small projectile with a high velocity that maintains performance at range.


.300 AAC Blackout, Performance
At 200 yd (183 m), the 300 BLK drops 2 in (51 mm) lower than the 6.8 SPC, while it drops 30 in (760 mm) lower at 500 yd (457 m). The 115 gr (7.5 g) 6.8-round has a higher muzzle energy of 1,694 ft⋅lb (2,297 J) due to its greater velocity, while the 125 gr (8.1 g) 300 BLK round has a muzzle energy of 1,360 ft⋅lb (1,840 J). Both rounds were made to be used in an easily converted AR-15.


.300 AAC Blackout, Performance
The 6.8 SPC has a more difficult conversion because it was designed around the obsolete .30 Remington cartridge, requiring a different bolt and decreasing standard magazine capacity. The 300 BLK was made specifically for ease of conversion, so the standard bolt will work and a magazine can be used to its full capacity, so the only change needed is the barrel & gas system.


.300 AAC Blackout, Potential hazards
The very advantage of the 300 BLK (its similarity to the popular .223/5.56 caliber) can also be a safety issue if ammunition of the two calibers is mixed. Because of similar chamber dimensions between the two calibers, SAAMI has listed the combination of using a 300 BLK round in a .223 chamber as unsafe. Since the bullet of the 300 BLK is larger than the bore of the .223 caliber, chambering and firing causes excessive pressure to build up since the bullet has nowhere to go, which can cause the rifle to explode resulting in risk of injury or death.


.300 AAC Blackout, Potential hazards
Since the mix up can easily be done, some suggest owners of firearms in both calibers carefully separate firearm and ammunition of the two types by, for instance, clearly marking the firearms and magazines, and visually inspect every round while loading magazines. Whether a 300 BLK cartridge actually is able to chamber in a .223 barrel depends on bullet length and shape, bullet seating depth, crimping, and the volume of powder charge. Ideally, cartridges would use one of the longer projectiles, a case-filling powder charge, and have the projectile crimped into place.


.300 H&H Magnum
The .300 H&H Magnum cartridge was introduced by the British company Holland & Holland as the Super-Thirty in June, 1925. The case was belted like the .375 H&H Magnum, and is based on the same case, as also is the .244 H&H Magnum. The belt is for headspace as the cases' shoulders have a narrow slope rather than an actual shoulder. More modern magnums continue this practice, but headspacing on the belt is not necessary with their more sharply angled shoulders. The cartridge was used by American shooter Ben Comfort to win the 1000-yard Wimbledon Cup Match at Camp Perry in 1935, and it was used again to win the international 1,000 yard competition in 1937. Winchester chambered the Model 70 in .300 Holland & Holland Magnum in 1937.


.300 H&H Magnum
The cartridge offered superior ballistics to the .30-06 for long range, and the .300 H&H is almost as versatile with all bullet weights and types, especially if well-developed handloads are used. It excels with the heaviest .30-calibre bullets in the 180–220-grain range. SAAMI has set the pressure limit for this cartridge at 54,000 P.S.I. Its case length calls for a full-length magnum action, and surplus military actions chambered for the .308 Norma Magnum or the .300 Winchester Magnum offered a lower cost alternative for similar ballistics in the 1960s. The long .300 H&H case was designed for loading cordite, and those two modern magnum cartridges offered similar powder volume in a shorter case better adapted to ballistic uniformity with United States Improved Military Rifle (IMR) smokeless powder.


.300 H&H Magnum
It has never been as popular as the .30-06; but the mystique of well-crafted rifles chambered for the .300 H&H keeps the cartridge in use despite its repeatedly reported demise. The .300 H&H is a fine African plains game cartridge, and suitable for all but the most dangerous big game and pachyderms.


.300 H&H Magnum, Design & Specifications
The CIP treats the .300 H&H Magnum and the .30 Super Belted Rimless H&H as separate entities and provides separate entries for the cartridges. There are minute but significant variations with regard to dimensions between the two cartridges. While both cartridges are regulated by the CIP only the .300 H&H Magnum's chamber is regulated by the CIP. The CIP does not provide chamber dimensions for the .30 Super. Although cartridges are generally considered interchangeable, chambers conforming to the strict minimum chamber of the .30 Super may not be able to chamber the .300 H&H Magnum.


.300 H&H Magnum, Design & Specifications
Both cartridges are based on .375 H&H Magnum cartridge design which provides an increase in capacity over many other cartridges. They feature tapering bodies and very shallow shoulders which prevent them from headspacing reliably on their shoulders. The belt plays a useful role in these cartridges in that it provides a demarcation point for reliable headspacing of the cartridge.


.300 H&H Magnum, Design & Specifications
Significantly the shoulder vertex calculated by the CIP for both cartridges is given as 91.69 mm (3.610 in) for both cartridges. As the CIP uses the shoulder vertex length as an index to provide correct headspacing for the cartridge, this indicates that the cartridges are dimensionally interchangeable. However, as the .30 Super is rated for a lower pressure, the .300 H&H Magnum cartridge should not be fired in a .30 Super. However, the .30 Super can be discharged in a .300 H&H Magnum rifle.


.300 H&H Magnum, Design & Specifications
As most significant difference between the cartridges was that the .30 Super was loaded to a far lower pressure than the .300 H&H Magnum. The .30 Super drove a 180 gr (12 g) bullet at 2,750 ft/s (840 m/s) while the .300 H&H Magnum was loaded with the same bullet at 2,920 ft/s (890 m/s).


.300 Lapua Magnum
The .300 Lapua Magnum (7.62×70mm) is a specialized rimless bottlenecked centerfire cartridge developed for long-range rifles. The commercially successful .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge has functioned as the parent case for the .300 Lapua Magnum, which is essentially a necked-down version of the .338 Lapua Magnum. The .338 cartridge case was used for this since it has the capability to operate with high chamber pressures which, combined with smaller and hence lighter bullets result in very high muzzle velocities.


.300 Lapua Magnum, History
The Finnish ammunition manufacturer Lapua got the .300 Lapua Magnum C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives) certified, so it became an officially registered and sanctioned member of the Finnish 70 mm "family" of super magnum rifle cartridges. The .300 Lapua Magnum is not commercially available anymore today and currently (2007) exists only as a C.I.P. datasheet. It is however still used by a few shooters who produce the cases from .338 Lapua Magnum brass by reshaping the shoulder and neck, and handloading it with .30 caliber bullets.


.300 Lapua Magnum, Cartridge dimensions
The .300 Lapua Magnum has 7.34 ml (113 grains H2O) cartridge case capacity. The exterior shape of the Lapua Magnum case was designed to promote reliable case feeding and extraction in bolt action rifles, semi-automatic and automatic firearms alike, under extreme conditions.


.300 Lapua Magnum, Cartridge dimensions
.300 Lapua Magnum maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters (mm).


.300 Lapua Magnum, Cartridge dimensions
Americans would define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 ≈ 25 degrees. The common rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 240 mm (1 in 9.45 in), 4 grooves, Ø lands = 7.62 mm, Ø grooves = 7.82 mm, land width = 4.47 mm and the primer type is large rifle magnum.


.300 Lapua Magnum, Cartridge dimensions
According to the official C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives) rulings the .300 Lapua Magnum can handle up to 440.00 MPa (63,817 psi) Pmax piezo pressure. This now prevails over the C.I.P. decisions and tables edition 2007, that rated the .300 Lapua Magnum at 470.00 MPa (68,168 psi) Pmax piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be proofed at 125% of this maximum C.I.P. pressure to certify for sale to consumers. This means that .300 Lapua Magnum chambered arms in C.I.P. regulated countries are currently (2013) proof tested at 550.00 MPa (79,771 psi) PE piezo pressure.


.300 Lapua Magnum, Cartridge dimensions
The .300 Lapua Magnum has a very high maximum allowed chamber pressure level and indicates that the cases of the .300 and .338 Lapua Magnum are built extremely sturdy. The large boltface combined with the high 440 MPa maximum pressure makes that the .300 Lapua Magnum should only be chambered in rifles that are capable of handling such large and fierce cartridges and thus high bolt thrust safely. Chambering such powerful super magnum cartridges in rifles intended for normal magnum rifle cartridges and using Pmax loads can cause serious or fatal injury to the shooter and bystanders. A bolt-action rifle that theoretically could safely be chambered for the 94.5 mm long .300 Lapua Magnum is the Sako TRG-42. This rifle was specially designed for .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges and can handle cartridges up to 95 mm overall length.


.300 Lapua Magnum, Additional information
The .300 Lapua Magnum’s main appeal is long-range shooting. Due to the large case capacity in relation to the 7.62 mm (.308 inch) caliber bore size the .300 Lapua Magnum is very harsh on barrels. The overbore .300 Lapua Magnum typically wears out a rifle barrel in 1000 to 1500 rounds. A lot of thorough barrel cleaning (after every 5 to 10 shots) and carefully avoiding long strings of shots can help to minimize barrel wear. This makes this cartridge impractical for most competition and professional long-range shooters, like military snipers, who tend to fire many rounds in practice to acquire and maintain expert long-range marksmanship.


.300 Lapua Magnum, Additional information
The Lapua/VihtaVuori international reloading guide 2008 reveals that at 690 mm (27.165 in) barrel length the .300 Lapua Magnum loaded with heavy .30 caliber bullets yields less muzzle energy compared to its .338 Lapua Magnum parent cartridge.


.300 Lapua Magnum, Additional information
The American .30-378 Weatherby Magnum cartridge introduced in 1996 and the American .300 Remington Ultra Magnum (.300 RUM) cartridge introduced in 1999 are probably the closest currently (2007) commercially available ballistic twins of the .300 Lapua Magnum. The .30-378 Weatherby Magnum is however a belted cartridge and the .300 Remington Ultra Magnum is a rebated rim cartridge.


.300 Norma Magnum
The .300 Norma Magnum, also known as .300 NM or "300 Norma" for short, is a centerfire magnum rifle cartridge developed by Swedish ammunition manufacturer Norma Precision. The .300 Norma Magnum uses a .338 Norma Magnum case necked down to the .30 caliber, named to differentiate it from the older .308 Norma Magnum designed in 1960, and has begun to gain popularity in the long-range shooting community.


.300 Norma Magnum
The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has selected .300 Norma Magnum as their new Advanced Sniper Rifle Cartridge (2016). According to the official C.I.P. (English: Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives) rulings the .300 Norma Magnum can handle up to 440.00 MPa (63,817 psi) Pmax piezo pressure.


.300 Pegasus
.300 Pegasus is an American rifle cartridge which was developed in 1994. It was a completely new case design with no parent case, but has approximately the same breechface diameter (14.73 mm; 0.580 in) as the .378 Weatherby Magnum, but without the magnum belt. Due to this, the .300 Pegasus has a larger case capacity than the .30-378 Weatherby Magnum.


.300 Pegasus
The cartidge has an impressively high velocity which makes it quite flat shooting, but estimated barrel life time is short, with some estimates at around only 500 rounds. The cartridge is usually only recommended for very experienced reloaders.


.300 Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum
.300 Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum (also known as 300 RSAUM, 300 RSUM or 300 Rem SAUM) is a .30 caliber short magnum cartridge that is a shortened version of the Remington 300 Ultra Mag, both of which derive from the .404 Jeffery case. The Remington Short Ultra Mag was put on the market shortly after Winchester released its 300 WSM round in 2001, resulting in the Winchester product getting the marketing advantage that has eclipsed the Remington offering.


.300 Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum, Performance
The 300 RSAUM's ballistics are similar to 300 Win Mag and 300 WSM. The difference in ballistics between the WSM and RSAUM are insignificant in all practical applications. Differences in muzzle velocity and muzzle energy are related to barrel length rather than case dimension.


.300 Remington Ultra Magnum
The .300 Remington Ultra Magnum, also known as the .300 Ultra Mag, 7.62×72mm or .300 RUM is a 7.62 mm (.308 inch) rifle cartridge introduced by Remington Arms in 1999. The .300 Remington Ultra Magnum is one of the largest commercially available .30 caliber magnums currently being produced. It is a beltless, rebated rim cartridge, capable of handling all large North American game, as well as long-range shooting. Among commercially produced .30-caliber rifle chamberings, the .300 Remington Ultra Magnum is second only to the .30-378 Weatherby Magnum in cartridge-case capacity.


.300 Remington Ultra Magnum, Origin & History
In the early 1980s Aubrey White and Noburo Uno of North American Shooting Systems (NASS) based in British Columbia Canada began experimenting with the full length .404 Jeffery by reducing the taper and necking it down to various calibers such as 7 mm, .308, 311, 338, 9.3 mm and .375. These cartridges were known variously as the Canadian Magnum or the Imperial Magnums. Rifles were built on Remington Model 700 Long Actions and used McMillan stocks. Cartridges were fire formed from .404 Jeffery cases with the rim turned down, taper reduced and featured sharp shoulders.


.300 Remington Ultra Magnum, Origin & History
Both Remington and Dakota Arms purchased the formed brass designed by Noburo Uno for use in their own experimentation and cartridge development. In 1999 Remington released the first of a series of cartridges virtually identical to the Canadian Magnum cartridges which featured a slightly wider body, increased taper, and shallower shoulders and named it the .300 Remington Ultra Magnum. Dakota too released their own version of the cartridge but chose not to turn down the rim and shortened the case to work in a standard length action. Remington would go on to design their own shortened versions of the Ultra Magnum cartridge which they were to call the Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum or RSAUM for short.


.300 Remington Ultra Magnum, Design & Specification
The .300 Remington Ultra Magnum is a member of the Remington Ultra Magnum cartridge family based on the .404 Jeffery via the Canadian Magnum cartridges. As these cartridges feature wider bodies than the belted magnums based on the .375 H&H case, these cartridges have greater case capacities than their corresponding full length belted Magnum cartridges such as the 7 mm Shooting Times Westerner, the .300 Weatherby Magnum, .340 Weatherby Magnum and the .375 Ackley Improved.


.300 Remington Ultra Magnum, Design & Specification
The .300 RUM features a rebated rim much like the .300 Canadian Magnum so as to allow the cartridge to function in the Remington M700 action without having to increase the bolt and bolt face diameter of the action. Unlike the belted Magnum cases based on the .375 H&H Magnum cartridge, the .300 RUM does not have a belt. All things being equal, a beltless cartridge would feed more reliably and more smoothly than a belted cartridge.


.300 Remington Ultra Magnum, Design & Specification
Furthermore, as this is a beltless cartridge headspacing is designed to take place on the shoulder, which is considered beneficial by some as it is thought to promote accuracy and prolong case life of the cartridge. As modern belted magnums such as 7mm Remington Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum actually headspace on the shoulder despite retaining the belt found on their parent cartridge, belted or unbelted is basically irrelevant in discussions of modern cartridges, and particularly so in discussions of unbelted cartridges.


.300 Remington Ultra Magnum, Design & Specification
SAAMI recommends that the barrel have a 6 groove contour with a twist rate of one revolution in 10 in (250 mm). The barrel is to have a groove width of .115 in (2.9 mm). Bore is given as .300 in (7.6 mm) and a groove is .308 in (7.8 mm). Maximum case overflow capacity is 122.5 gr. of water (7.30 cm3). SAAMI recommended Maximum Average Pressure is set at 65,000 psi (4,500 bar).


.300 Remington Ultra Magnum, Design & Specification
Remington's ultra magnum cases were made wider than the .404 Jeffery case by .006 in (0.15 mm). The brass was made thicker so as to withstand the higher pressure of the new cartridge as the Jeffery cartridge had a maximum average pressure rating of 3,650 bar (52,900 psi).


.300 Remington Ultra Magnum, Performance
Remington ammunition for the .300 RUM is available in three Power Levels. Power Level I duplicates the .30-06 Springfield, Power Level II that of the .300 Winchester Magnum and Power Level III is the full power load. Remington offers the full power (Power Level III) .300 Remington Ultra Magnum ammunition in 150 gr (9.7 g) at 3,450 ft/s (1,050 m/s), the 180 gr (12 g) at 3,250 ft/s (990 m/s) and the 200 gr (13 g) at 3,032 ft/s (924 m/s). These are among the highest velocities attained by a .30 caliber production rifle cartridge.


.300 Remington Ultra Magnum, Performance
The .300 RUM is an excellent long range cartridge with the ability to deliver a useful level of energy downrange especially with the power level III ammunition. Due to its high velocity it exhibits less bullet drop than most other .30 caliber (7.62 mm) cartridges.


.300 Remington Ultra Magnum, Performance
Compared to other production .30 caliber (7.62 mm) cartridges, only the .30-378 Weatherby Magnum surpasses the .300 Remington Ultra Magnum. Factory loaded .30-378 Weatherby Magnum ammunition has a 150–200 ft/s (46–61 m/s) velocity advantage over the .300 RUM cartridge with any given bullet weight. However, the .30-378 Weatherby Magnum is considered the most overbore production sporting cartridge available and is not considered as efficient as the .300 RUM cartridge. In part due to its excessive freebore lengths the claimed velocities by Weatherby is a resultant factor of this freebore length.


.300 Remington Ultra Magnum, Performance
If chambered to allow bullets to seat to the lands of the rifling the large Weatherby cartridges would exhibit overpressure signs immediately. All things equal the .300 RUM and .30-378 Weatherby if chambered with the same throat and freebore would be comparable. Known freebore lengths of older Weatherby rifles have been in excess of 1 inch. The .30-378 is one of the most extreme cases of overbore and has among the highest throat erosion levels of any rifles.


.300 Remington Ultra Magnum, Sporting Usage
The .300 Remington Ultra Magnum cartridge was conceived as a long range hunting cartridge and in this it eceedes most other cartridges. It is able to launch heavy bullets with high sectional densities at high velocities there by retaining energy to take game cleanly at longer ranges than less powerful cartridges such as the .30-06 Springfield and even the .300 Winchester Magnum.


.300 Rook
The .300 Rook, also known as the .295 Rook (by Holland & Holland only), is an obsolete centerfire rifle cartridge.


.300 Rook, Overview
The .300 Rook is a rimmed cartridge originally designed for use in rook rifles for hunting small game and target shooting.


.300 Rook, Overview
It was loaded with a 80 gr (5.2 g) solid lead bullet driven by 10 gr (0.65 g) of black powder at a standard muzzle velocity of 1,100 ft/s (340 m/s). A variant, the short lived .300 Rook target, was loaded with a heavier 110 gr (7.1 g) bullet as it was felt the original loading was too light for distance target shooting, as wind had an effect on the trajectory as well as bullet drop over longer distances.


.300 Rook, History
The origins of the .300 Rook are uncertain although it was introduced before 1874, it became one of the most popular British rook cartridges, also being chambered in several revolvers. In later years its popularity was eroded by the .255 Jeffery Rook and to Holland & Holland's .297/250 Rook.


.300 Rook, History
The .300 Rook cartridge case was lengthened to create the .300 Sherwood, which in turn superseded the .300 Rook target variant. As with other rook rifle cartridges, the .300 Rook was superseded by the .22 Long Rifle.


.300 Ruger Compact Magnum
The .300 Ruger Compact Magnum or .300 RCM is a rimless, short-length rifle cartridge designed for the hunting of Medium-to-Large-sized North American game. It is designed to closely duplicate the performance of the historic .300 Winchester Magnum cartridge, yet to be chambered in a short length action rifle. The cartridge was designed by Hornady and Sturm Ruger in partnership and released commercially in 2008 and chambered in various Ruger rifles.


.300 Ruger Compact Magnum, Design & Specifications
The .300 Ruger Compact Magnum uses a unique case designed by Hornady and Ruger based on the powerful .375 Ruger cartridge. The case is of a rimless design having the base and rim diameter of .532 in (13.5 mm) which is the same diameter of the belt on belted magnum cases based on the .300 H&H Magnum and .375 H&H Magnum. This allows the cartridge to have a greater case capacity than a belted magnum case given cases of equal length.


.300 Ruger Compact Magnum, Design & Specifications
As Ruger intended the cartridge to be chambered in short length bolt-action rifles the case length was shortened to 2.10 in (53 mm) which is similar to the .308 Winchester case. Unlike Winchester Short Magnum cartridges, the Ruger Compact Magnums share the same diameter from case head to body. This allowed Ruger to chamber the cartridge without extensively redesigning their M77 rifle to adopt them to the new Ruger cartridge.


.300 Ruger Compact Magnum, Design & Specifications
While the .300 H&H Magnum is longer than the .300 Ruger Compact Magnum, the latter cartridge has a greater case capacity than the former. This is due to the .300 H&H Magnum having a long tapered body while the .300 Ruger Compact Magnum follows modern cartridge designs in that it has very little taper and a sharper shoulder. The dimensioned drawing is of the parent case .375 Ruger.


.300 Ruger Compact Magnum, Performance
Hornady manufactures ammunition for the .300 Ruger Compact Magnum cartridge. The Hornady Superformance Ammunition drives a Hornady 180 gr (12 g) Interbond or SST bullet at 3,040 ft/s (930 m/s) and the 150 gr (9.7 g) SST bullets at 3,310 ft/s (1,010 m/s). The.300 Ruger Compact Magnum's greater case capacity, and the "short fat" cartridge efficiency lead to increases in the neighborhood of 150 fps over the H&H cartridge and is essentially the same performance as the .300 Winchester Magnum or .300 WSM.


.300 Savage
The .300 Savage cartridge is a rimless, .30 caliber rifle cartridge developed by Savage Arms in 1920. It was designed to replace the less powerful .303 Savage in their popular Savage Model 99 hammerless lever-action rifle. Despite having a short case and a rather stumpy neck, the cartridge is capable of propelling a 150-grain (9.7 g) bullet at over 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) with an effective range of over 300 yd (270 m).


.300 Savage, Performance
Pressure level for the .300 Savage is set by SAAMI at 46,000 CUP.


.300 Sherwood
The .300 Sherwood, also known as the .300 Extra Long and the .300 Westley, is an obsolete centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Westley Richards.


.300 Sherwood, Design
The .300 Sherwood is a straight, rimmed cartridge that fires a 140 gr (9.1 g) bullet, driven by 8.5 gr (0.55 g) of cordite, at a listed speed of 1,400 ft/s (430 m/s). The bullet calibre is .300 in (7.6 mm) as opposed to the more common .308 in (7.8 mm).


.300 Sherwood, Design
The cartridge was available in both solid lead and the then revolutionary LT-capped bullets were available.


.300 Sherwood, History
The .300 Sherwood was introduced by Westley Richards in 1901 in response to W.W. Greener's .310 Cadet cartridge. The cartridge was created by lengthening the much milder .300 Rook.


.300 Sherwood, History
As expected, the first rifles chambered for it were made by Westley Richards both in a miniature Martini actioned single-shot rifle and the "Sherwood" target rifle, a modified takedown Martini actioned rifle with an easily removable barrel and a detachable lock mechanism held in place by a thumb screw.


.300 Sherwood, History
Later other manufacturers produced rifles in the caliber including BSA, Vickers and Francotte, whilst high end double rifles were produced by Holland & Holland and Westley Richards. As recently as 2002, Westley Richards produced a double rifle in the .300 Sherwood.


.300 Sherwood, History
The .300 Sherwood was a notably accurate target round, but arrived at the point when miniature rifle shooting was moving towards the .22 Long Rifle, shorter ranges and more indoor competition.


.300 Sherwood, Use
Whilst a noted target round, the .300 Sherwood was also used for hunting, it was considered more suited for small deer than for small game.


.300 Sherwood, Use
Henry Sharp, in his 1906 book Modern Sporting Gunnery,  quotes hunters in British Columbia who used the .300 Sherwood to kill bears, bighorn sheep, and one verified caribou at 220 yd (200 m).


.300 Weatherby Magnum
The .300 Weatherby Magnum is a .30 caliber rifle cartridge created by Roy Weatherby in 1944 and produced by Weatherby. It has become the most popular of all the Weatherby cartridges.


.300 Weatherby Magnum, Background
Roy Weatherby already had experience with other custom cartridges such as his own .270 Weatherby Magnum when he created the .300 Weatherby. Like most of his other magnum cartridges, this is based on a blown-out .300 H&H Magnum case, using the signature Weatherby double-radius shoulder. The Weatherby was first introduced in 1944, and the .300 Winchester Magnum was introduced in 1963.


.300 Weatherby Magnum, Background
In recent years, Remington, Winchester and Ruger have produced rifles in this caliber, and most major ammunition manufacturers now supply factory loads.


.300 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
Historically, Weatherby claimed that this is the most powerful .30 caliber magnum rifle commercially available, but the recently introduced .300 Remington Ultra Magnum, the .300 Norma Magnum and Weatherby's own .30-378 Weatherby Magnum are now more powerful. Of course there are quite a few very large .30 caliber wildcat cartridges.


.300 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
When comparing the .300 RUM and the .300 Weatherby Magnum, however, there is a difference in factory loadings. Performance data is often listed on the side of the ammunition box for those who wish to do an in-store comparison. On average, Weatherby factory ammo is loaded to higher chamber pressures than Remington or Winchester magnum rounds. The Remington round can be handloaded to equal pressures, and as a consequence, surpass the .300 Weatherby in power.


.300 Weatherby Magnum, Performance
The .300 Weatherby is commonly used by big-game hunters all over the world.


.300 Whisper
The .300 Whisper, a CIP standard, is one of many cartridges designed to shoot heavier bullets (200–250 grains) at subsonic velocities.


.300 Whisper
.300 Whisper is also known as .300 Fireball or .300-221. The 300 AAC Blackout is the most successful 30 caliber cartridge with these design parameters and been widely accepted whereas the .300 Whisper has fallen into disuse.


.300 Whisper, Design
The .300 Whisper was originally based on the .221 Fireball case necked up to .30 caliber. However, reloaders have found the .223 Remington or 5.56×45mm NATO works well when shortened and resized to .30 caliber. Firing in the .300 Whisper chamber results in a slightly sharper shoulder. Magnum pistol powders such as H110 work well for supersonic loads. Sierra 240 grain (16 g) jacketed bullets work well if the barrel has a 1:8 twist. Barrels with a 1:10 twist will stabilize 220 grain (14 g) bullets at subsonic speeds. 125 grain (8 g) bullets will reach 2,400 ft/s (730 m/s).


.300 Whisper, Trademark
"Whisper" is a registered trademark of SSK Industries. In order to sidestep this branding (and/or any licensing fees required to use the "Whisper" name legally), other manufacturers tend to use different names for the same cartridge, such as ".300 warrior carbine", ".300 Fireball" or ".300-221", both based on the .221 Fireball parent case. The .300 AAC Blackout has succeeded as a commercial cartridge while the Whisper never achieved wide acceptance.


.300 Winchester Magnum
The .300 Winchester Magnum (also known as .300 Win Mag or 300WM) (7.62×67mmB, 7.62x66BR) is a belted, bottlenecked magnum rifle cartridge that was introduced by Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1963. The .300 Winchester Magnum is a magnum cartridge designed to fit in a standard rifle action. It is based on the .375 H&H Magnum, which has been blown out, shortened, and necked down to accept a .30 caliber (7.62 mm) bullet.


.300 Winchester Magnum
The .300 Winchester is extremely versatile and has been adopted by a wide range of users including hunters, target shooters,  military units, and law enforcement departments. Hunters found the cartridge to be an effective all-around choice with bullet options ranging from the flatter shooting 165 grain to the harder hitting 200+ grain selections available from the factory. The .300 Win Mag remains the most popular .30 caliber magnum with American hunters, despite being surpassed in performance by the more powerful .300 and .30-378 Weatherby Magnums and the newer .300 Remington Ultra Magnum.


.300 Winchester Magnum
It is a popular selection for hunting moose, elk, and bighorn sheep as it can deliver better long range performance with better bullet weight than most other .30 caliber cartridges. Military and law enforcement departments adopted the cartridge for long range sniping and marksmanship. As a testament to its accuracy, since its introduction it has gone on to win several 1,000-yard (910 m) competitions.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Cartridge history
Prior to the design of the .300 Winchester Magnum there were several cartridges that provided what could be best described as a magnum level of energy. The heritage of .30 caliber (7.62 mm) magnums can be traced back to the .30 Newton in 1913 and to the .300 H&H Magnum in 1925. The .300 H&H Magnum was too long for the Mauser and Springfield standard length rifle actions and required specialized rifles with a Magnum size action.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Cartridge history
Beginning with the .270 Weatherby Magnum in 1943, Roy Weatherby  introduced a line of cartridges that while based on the Magnum H&H case were shortened to fit a standard length (2.5 in [63.50 mm]) action. The Weatherby cartridges involved blowing out (reducing the taper) of the Magnum H&H cases, bottlenecking them to the required caliber and shortening them to fit the standard rifle actions of the era. The .300 Weatherby Magnum was introduced in 1944.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Cartridge history
The Weatherby's standard length magnum case was soon noticed. In 1958 Winchester introduced three cartridges – the .264 Winchester Magnum, .338 Winchester Magnum and the .458 Winchester Magnum, all based on the shortened and blown out .375 H&H Magnum case. The popular .30 caliber's omission from that lineup was not missed. Wildcatters soon produced the .30-338 Winchester and Norma Projektilfabrik, who were by now manufacturing ammunition for Weatherby, took the standard length basic Weatherby brass and necked it down to .30 caliber (7.62 mm) and called it the .308 Norma Magnum.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Cartridge history
The .300 Winchester Magnum was introduced in 1963 by Winchester for use in the Model 70 rifle. The introduction of the .300 Winchester Magnum was not unforeseen; rather, its introduction was anticlimactic. Winchester developed the .300 Winchester Magnum by taking the .338 Winchester Magnum, which was introduced in 1958, and moved the shoulder forward by 4.0 millimetres (0.156 in) and lengthening it by 3.0 millimetres (0.120 in). This caused the cartridge to have a neck shorter than the diameter of the bullet. There has been some speculation that if the cartridge was released earlier, the dimensions of the cartridge would have matched the .30-338 Winchester wildcat cartridge. Since its introduction the cartridge has remained extremely popular.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Cartridge history
The .300 Winchester Magnum's high availability in popular rifles such as Winchester's Model 70 and Remington Model 700 made the cartridge a popular choice among the shooting public. Although the .300 H&H Magnum, .30-338 Winchester Magnum and the .308 Norma Magnum had a head start on the .300 Winchester Magnum these cartridges soon faded into obsolescence. Only the .300 Winchester Magnum was to survive as a readily available cartridge. Other cartridges, while available, are more expensive.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Design and specifications
The .300 Winchester uses the same case head design of the .375 H&H Magnum, its parent cartridge. The taper of the cartridge was reduced to provide the cartridge with more volume so as to increase its potential powder capacity. The lengthening of the case and the move of the shoulder forward over the .338 Winchester Magnum allowed for the reaming of the .308 Norma Magnum or .30-338 Winchester chamber to dimensions of the .300 Winchester Magnum. The down side was a neck which was shorter than the caliber of the bullet it fired, which meant that the bullet had to be seated more deeply in the case.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Cartridge dimensions
The ammunition standards organizations SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute) and C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives) have provided specifications for the .300 Winchester Magnum cartridge. Almost no divergence between C.I.P. and SAAMI dimensional values exist for this cartridge. The case volume will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer to such a degree  the reloading software suite QuickLOAD provides five differing cartridge case capacities, that for reloading purposes significantly differ between manufacturers. The SAAMI specification .300 Winchester Magnum case capacity is  91.5 grains of H2O (5.93 ml). For four ammunition manufacturers the cartridge case capacities are provided as:Remington 88.0 grains of H2O (5.70 ml)Federal 92.0 grains of H2O (5.96 ml)Winchester 93.8 grains of H2O (6.08 ml)Norma 95.5 grains of H2O (6.19 ml)


.300 Winchester Magnum, Cartridge dimensions
.300 Winchester Magnum SAAMI cartridge dimensions. All sizes in inches (in) and millimeters (mm). The projectile diameter should be 0.309 in (7.85 mm)


.300 Winchester Magnum, Cartridge dimensions
SAAMI recommends a bore diameter of 7.6 millimetres (0.300 in) and a groove diameter of 7.8 millimetres (0.308 in). SAAMI recommended a six-groove barrel with each groove being 2.8 millimetres (0.110 in) wide. Recommended twist ratio is 1:10 (254 mm). C.I.P. defines the common rifling twist rate for this cartridge as 254 mm (1 in 10 in), 6 grooves, Ø lands = 7.62 mm (0.300 in), Ø grooves = 7.82 mm (0.308 in), land width = 2.79 mm (0.110 in), and the primer type is large rifle magnum.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Cartridge dimensions
The SAAMI Maximum Average Pressure (MAP) for this cartridge is 441.3 MPa (64,000 psi) piezo pressure (54,000 CUP). According to the official C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives) rulings the .300 Winchester Magnum can handle up to 430.00 MPa (62,366 psi) Pmax piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be proofed at 125% of this maximum C.I.P. pressure to certify for sale to consumers. This means that .300 Winchester Magnum chambered arms in C.I.P. regulated countries are currently (2013) proof tested at 537.50 MPa (77,958 psi) PE piezo pressure.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Performance
The Winchester's factory ammunition for the .300 Winchester Magnum is capable of 990 m/s (3,260 ft/s) with the 150-grain (9.7 g) bullet and  910 m/s (3,000 ft/s) with the 12-gram (180 gr) bullet, however old Western "Power Point" soft point can reach past 1,000 metres per second (3,400 ft/s) with 9.7 g (150 gr) projectiles. The maximum point blank range for the 9.7 g (150 gr) bullet is 291 metres (318 yd) yards when zeroed at 250 metres (270 yd). The maximum point blank range for the 12 g (180 gr) bullet is 300 yards when zeroed at 232 metres (254 yd). The ability to zero the .300 Winchester Magnum and shoot without hold over to 270 metres (300 yd) makes the cartridge one of the flatter shooting cartridges.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Performance
The most useful bullet weights for the .300 Winchester Magnum are those weighing between 150–200 grains (9.7–13.0 g). However, bullets weighing between 7.1–16.2 g (110–250 gr) are available to the reloader for the .300 Winchester Magnum.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Performance
Compared with the 30-06 Springfield the .300 Winchester Magnum provides a roughly 400 ft/s (120 m/s) increase in velocity. This translates to about 20% greater energy advantage over the 30-06 Springfield cartridge. Due to the short neck, heavier bullets particularly those weighing greater than 13 grams (200 gr) and mono-metal bullets such as the Barnes X bullets will need to be seated more deeply into the cartridge. As the bullet will take up volume which could have been taken by the propellant velocity advantages diminish as the weight of the bullet increases.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Performance
The .300 Winchester Magnum is known for its accuracy and has been used for 910-metre (1,000 yd) and 1,000-metre (1,100 yd) competitions. While in hunting situations such accuracy is unnecessary, such accuracy does aid in the extending the range of the cartridge. Taken together with its performance it remains one of the most useful and popular cartridges today.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Performance
Although cartridges such as the .30-378 Weatherby Magnum, .300 Remington Ultra Magnum and the .300 Weatherby Magnum all exceed performance of the .300 Winchester Magnum none of these cartridges can be chambered in a standard length action. Few .30 caliber (7.62 mm) standard length cartridges can match the performance and versatility of the .300 Winchester Magnum.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Performance
The down side to this performance is recoil. The amount of recoil the cartridge generates is a step up from the non-magnum .30 caliber (7.62 mm) cartridges. Its recoil is about 30% greater than that of the .30-06 Springfield, which is known as a 'stout' cartridge. With the average load for the .300 Winchester Magnum, the recoil energy is roughly 30 ft lbs. This would put the .300 Winchester Magnum at the upper limit of what most shooters can shoot comfortably for extended shooting sessions.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Performance
As a rough comparison, the recoil of the .300 Winchester Magnum is roughly comparable to a 12 gauge shotgun shooting 1 oz. slugs. This greater recoil can make the .300 Winchester Magnum, despite its inherent accuracy advantages, a harder cartridge to shoot accurately, when compared to non-magnum .30 caliber cartridges such as the .30-06 Springfield or the .308 Winchester. On the other hand, recoil is subjective (some are more sensitive to it than others) and one can get used to it with practice. Also, many rifles available today now have effective recoil attenuating features built into them, such as muzzle compensators and energy absorbing stocks and butt-pads, that can significantly lessen recoil as it is felt by the shooter.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Sporting applications and usage
The .300 Winchester Magnum is powerful enough to hunt any North American game animal. It is particularly useful when hunting the members of the ungulate family such as elk and moose and is a popular cartridge among hunters for these class 3 game species. Elk can weigh as much as 450 kilograms (1,000 lb) and moose 640 kilograms (1,400 lb). Bullet weights of 10.7–13.0 grams (165–200 gr) are the preferred choices for these game species. Controlled expansion bullets such as the Nosler Partition or Barnes X are preferred rather than more lightly constructed bullets for these larger species of ungulate. Bullets weighing 9.7–10.7 g (150–165 gr) are adequate for smaller deer such as the mule deer and white-tailed deer.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Sporting applications and usage
With its velocity, low bullet drop and high energy retention, the .300 Winchester Magnum is useful for hunting sheep even at extended range.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Sporting applications and usage
The .300 Winchester Magnum cartridge is very effective on dangerous class 3 game such as bear. Both black bears and grizzly bears are hunted using the cartridge. Many consider the .300 Winchester Magnum to be on the lighter side of what is required for the largest bears, but hunters have had success with the cartridge against these large bruins.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Sporting applications and usage
The .300 Winchester Magnum is well-suited for 95% of the world's game. Due to its ability to shoot flat and carry its energy efficiently, the cartridge is one of the more favored rounds for African plains game. With bullets of good sectional density and ballistic coefficients the cartridge possesses the long range performance necessary to take large game species at extended ranges. The .300 Winchester Magnum can be used to hunt everything from the dik-dik to the giant eland. It is an excellent cartridge choice for all plains game under 680 kilograms (1,500 lb).


.300 Winchester Magnum, Sporting applications and usage
The .300 Win Mag sees use in long-range benchrest shooting competitions and has been adopted by law enforcement marksmen and by a few specific branches of the U.S. Military for use by snipers. Maximum effective range is generally accepted to be 1,210 yards (1,110 m) with ammunition incorporating low-drag projectiles. Sub 1 minute-of-angle (MOA) accuracy out to 1,000 yards (910 m) is not unusual in precision-built rifles firing match-grade ammunition.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Sporting applications and usage
Recoil from the .300 Win Mag is noticeably higher than the well-known and popular .30-06 Springfield. Subsequently, Remington has made low-recoil rounds called "Managed-Recoil" available for the .300 Win Mag, which recoil less while providing performance similar to the .30-06 Springfield.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Military and law enforcement applications
The U.S. government purchased MK 248 MOD 1 .300 Winchester Magnum match-grade ammunition in 2009 for use in adapted M24 Sniper Weapon Systems and other .300 Winchester Magnum sniper rifles like the U.S. Navy Mk.13s. This ammunition was developed as a .300 Winchester Magnum Match Product Improvement (PIP) and uses the 220 gr (14.26 g) Sierra MatchKing Hollow Point Boat Tail (HPBT) very-low-drag bullet fired at a nominal muzzle velocity of 2,850 ft/s plus or minus 50 ft/s (869 m/s ± 15.2 m/s).


.300 Winchester Magnum, Military and law enforcement applications
According to the U.S. Navy this ammunition should increase the maximum effective range of .300 Winchester Magnum sniper rifle systems to 1,500 yards (1,370 m), decrease wind deflection on bullets in flight and use Hodgdon H1000, a reduced muzzle flash propellant that remains temperature stable across an operational temperature range of −25 °F to +165 °F (−32 °C to 74 °C). The 3.55 in (90.2 mm) long MK 248 MOD 1 or alike ammunition is not offered commercially, since it exceeds SAAMI standards for overall length and maximum chamber pressure. However, the handloader can take advantage of modern advances in powder technology and actually exceed the velocity of the MK 248 MOD 1 cartridge while still loading to maximum SAAMI cartridge overall length, and maintaining safe pressure.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Military and law enforcement applications
According to JBM Ballistics, using the 0.310 G7 ballistic coefficient provided by Bryan Litz, and a Weapon Employment Zone (WEZ) analysis of the XM2010 rifle with various .300 Winchester Magnum ammunition types by Bryan Litz, the MK 248 MOD 1 .300 Winchester Magnum cartridge, when fired at its nominal muzzle velocity of 869 m/s (2,850 ft/s), should have 1,286 to 1,289 m (1,406 to 1,410 yd) supersonic range under International Standard Atmosphere conditions at sea level (air density ρ = 1.225 kg/m3).


.300 Winchester Magnum, Military and law enforcement applications
In January 2014, the U.S. Department of Defense annual testing report found that the older A191 or MK 248 Mod 0 .300 Winchester Magnum service round loaded with aerodynamically less efficient 190 gr (12.32 g) Sierra MatchKing Hollow Point Boat Tail (HPBT) bullets (0.270 G7 ballistic coefficient provided by Bryan Litz) fired from the XM2010 demonstrated adequate performance and lethality. Live fire tests were conducted in March 2013 against ballistics gelatin, light material barriers, and other targets to determine the projectile's ability to perforate targets. This was the first time the Pentagon's Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) tested the round, which can hit targets out to 1,200 m (1,312 yd).</ref>


.300 Winchester Magnum, Military and law enforcement applications
Several companies, among them HS precision, Kimber and Remington manufacture rifles chambered for the .300 Winchester Magnum specifically targeted at law enforcement agencies. The Chattanooga Police Department and Minot Police Department S.W.A.T units and the L.A. County Sheriffs Department's Special Enforcement Bureau which have adopted the .300 Winchester Magnum in some capacity. Due to the power and performance of the .300 Winchester Magnum cartridge the cartridge is more likely to be employed by specialist units within a police department rather than as a general service weapon issued to law enforcement agents.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Criticism
The .300 Winchester Magnum was designed with a neck which is shorter than the diameter of its bullet. If Winchester had released the cartridge prior to 1960, the cartridge would have been similar to the .30-338 Winchester wildcat cartridge. However, by the time Winchester got around to designing their own .300, the .308 Norma Magnum and the .30-338 were already on the scene.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Criticism
To help differentiate it from the other .300 magnums, and to allow for the chambers of the standard length .300 magnums to be rebored to the .300 Winchester Magnum chamber dimensions, Winchester moved the shoulder forward and lengthened the cartridge slightly. This created the much criticized short neck of the .300 Winchester Magnum.


.300 Winchester Magnum, Criticism
The short neck was thought to hinder accuracy because it would prevent the alignment of cartridge to the bore, but this is rarely an issue either today or when the cartridge was designed. The fact that the cartridge has gone to win many 1,000-yard (910 m) matches suggests that such a concern is unfounded.


.300 Winchester Short Magnum
300 Winchester Short Magnum (also known as 300 WSM) is a .30 caliber rebated rim bottlenecked centerfire short magnum cartridge that was introduced in 2001 by Winchester.


.300 Winchester Short Magnum, Specifications
The overall cartridge length is 72.6 mm. The cartridge case length is 53.34 mm. The bullet diameter is .308 in (7.82 mm), which is common to all U.S. .30 caliber cartridges. The principle at work in the short magnum cartridge is the fitting of larger volumes of powder in closer proximity to the primer's flash hole, resulting in more-uniform ignition. .300