Caliber .300 Win. Mag. - cartridge for military and hunting rifles. It is very popular at the present time. The name is an abbreviation of .300 Winchester Magnum.
Creature
The American company "Winchester" developed this cartridge for hunting purposes as far back as 1963. The British counterpart of H&H was taken as the basis. This ammunition has already become the fourth creation of a characteristic shape: with a small belt-shaped thickening of the sleeve in the region of the bottom.
In general, the very idea of creating powerful caliber hunting cartridges for aimed shooting was developed thanks to the advent of ammunition for safari in Africa. A special place in the evolutionary chain was taken by the .300 Win caliber. Mag. along with .223 Remington, 3,0-06 Springfield and .308 Winchester.
Market battles
The Western world of the 60-70s can be described as an arms race among medium calibers. At first, the already well-established Magnum cartridges of the Remington company managed to maintain a stable leading position in the market until they were replaced by two magnum class caliber developed by Roy Weatherby: 338-378 Weatherby Magnum and 224 Weatherby Varmintmaster.
The race is continued by the already mentioned Winchester company with a caliber for sale. 300 Winchester Magnum. This is where the very ammunition that has gained worldwide popularity appears.
Five years later, Remington Arms Company will try to surpass it with a .350 Remington Magnum caliber cartridge, due to the commercial activity of which the interest in the "belt cartridges" of the Magnum type has slightly decreased.
But this one again increased with the advent of the A-Square company in the 70s, which introduced the world new bullets and calibers: 500, 416, 495 and 460. The company remained the leader in the international market for three decades. Their ammunition differed in a specific shape: a bullet with a blunt (almost rounded) end and a large mass - 32 grams. Intended for a very large African game. The cartridge for hunting was called the "Triad."
Hunting weapons: smoothbore and more
The famous "three hundredth" has also gained popularity thanks to rifles, produced specifically for him. Such as the “Winchester Shotgun” of the 70th and 700th models. Such a cartridge was used mainly in hunting animals weighing up to 300-500 kg (deer, wild boar, elk or bear).
As for the African safari, it was mainly used on antelopes and large predators like crocodiles and leopards. And also .300 Win caliber. Mag. It has proven itself in the mountains, where mostly shots are fired over long distances.
A 7.62-caliber bullet and a cartridge case of significant volume together comprise the aforementioned “Magnum” ammunition. This combination helps to achieve an initial speed of approximately 1000 m / s. If compared with the classic counterparts of the same caliber, Win. Mag. It has a number of advantages: a large indicator of accuracy of fire and with a direct shot the bullet flies much further.
Any modern weapon for hunting (smoothbore or not) manufactured by such well-known companies as Mauser, Winchester, Remington, Browning (and not only) is suitable for using .300 Win caliber. Mag.
.300 Winchester Magnum for the Navy
Despite the obvious commercial orientation in the production of ammunition, the cartridge gained popularity in army sniper units, internal forces and special services of the United States of America and many other countries.
Initially, the 7 mm caliber from Remington was gradually decommissioned. Around the 80s, the US Navy set out to provide a new caliber of ammunition that could be used both for military operations and for sports. It was necessary to replace irrelevant samples with a more powerful and modern ammunition that meets all the requirements and needs of the customer.
Since the cartridge already had wide distribution at that time (which means it was not difficult to get it), rifles of the required caliber could easily be used for military purposes, the .300 Win caliber was chosen . Mag. (in mm it is equal to 7.62 x 66 according to the European Cartridge Research Association). Also a significant role was played by the factor that the samples were already used in competitions and proved to be good.
In view of the above, at the same time, two military departments of the Navy (special forces of the marine corps and teams participating in shooting competitions) became interested in the new cartridge.
Bullet experiments
In order to save money, rifle cartridges were developed of the same model for both departments. As armaments were chosen rifles "McMillan M83 " and M86, as well as the "Remington 700".
It was decided to make a batch of cartridges. 300 Win. Mag. with sports bullets like HPBT weighing 11 grams and Rp15 gunpowder. The Federal Cartridge Company took on the task . In 1988, the tests showed unsatisfactory results: at large distances the ammunition did not behave very stably.
Then they decided to re-equip some of the supplies with bullets a little heavier - almost 12 grams (185 grains, to be more precise; gran - an outdated term for a mass equal to the average grain of barley). The results were encouraging. But later, when larger-scale tests were carried out, the accuracy indicators did not satisfy the evaluation commission, despite the high initial speed and range of the shot.
Further research
Around the end of the 1980s, specialists from the US Navy came to the conclusion that a small cavity in the bow of the HPBT-type bullet does not lead to an increase in the inlet and changes the ballistic parameters for the better. And already in the early nineties, sporting cartridges of 7.62 with a 10 gram bullet were officially approved for use by snipers in hostilities.
Further development of the cartridge was already based on the adopted sports model, but with a bullet of 12 grams. The types of powder mixtures that have proven themselves most successfully are Re22 and Re19. New experimental rifle cartridges. 300 Win. Mag. successfully passed the tests, and the requirements for them became the basis for a new weapons specification.
In total, an agreement was signed with Federal in 1992 for the manufacture of several batches of new ammunition, and a year later a new .300 Win caliber. Mag. was adopted by the special forces of the US Navy. The ammunition model thus derived was labeled Mk 248 Mod 0.
And that is all?
But the tireless "researchers" did not stop there. In the course of improving the model, the range of the bullet was increased from 1100 to 1370 meters. The best resistance to wind gusts and greater stability of the behavior of the powder charge upon ignition were also ensured. As a result, less flame when firing a rifle.
As a result, ammunition with a bullet of 14 grams (220 grains), caliber, was withdrawn. 300 Win. Mag., And the model was called Mk 248 Mod 1 - by analogy with the previous sample.
The sports side of the issue
The development of match cartridges was seriously preoccupied in the early 1960s by President Eisenhower, as arrows from the USSR occupied the leading places in international competitions. Therefore, the task was set to create a detachment of the best shooters. The initiative yielded results very quickly - the US team won about six gold medals.
Time passed, gradually the tasks of the "detachment of the best shooters" changed. It was decided to train military units in sniper shooting. Later there was a direct participation in the development of a combat strategy and individual weapons.
The development of cartridges for such units was initially carried out by Winchester and Remington. Many experimental modifications were made both officially by the companies themselves and by artisanal methods. But in the end, the well-established .300 Win caliber took the initiative . Mag. with sports bullets of mass production.
Bundeswehr
In service with German troops .300 Win caliber. Mag. He entered back in 1997 with British-made G22 rifles.
The Bundeswehr has two types of ammunition of the specified caliber:
- ordinary cartridges with a bullet weighing 13 grams;
- armor-piercing with a bullet weighing 12.8 grams, having a tungsten core.
In the arsenal of the forces of law and order there are cartridges with an all-metal bullet of 10 grams of mass, intended for shooting through glass. Due to its special shape, the projectile does not lose combat properties after passing through glass and is not subject to deformation.
A-Square Triad
It is worthwhile to dwell in more detail on this American company, which became known thanks to the unusual shape of its manufactured cartridges for both the Winchester carbine and the hunting rifle of any other company.
The main ideologist, founder and developer of the ammunition line is US Army Lt. Col. Arthur Elfin. Being a highly qualified military specialist, Arthur decided to transfer his experimental activities to create unique ammunition from the military to hunting.
Attempts to create their own exclusive cartridges for hunting began in the late 1960s. And ten years later, the officer created his own cartridge company.
The line of ammunition was called the "Triad", as they produced three types of such:
- blunt bullet made of solid brass (Monolithic Solid);
- half-baked (Dead-Tough) with a thick brass coating;
- thin shell bullets (Lion Load).
The main goals that the developer pursued were the creation of a heavy hunting munition capable of penetrating the dense muscle tissue of large prey when firing at a distance of 200 to 300 meters.
The Monolithic Solid bullet was created from the calculation of damage to vital organs located under dense muscle tissue, strong bones and thick skin, such as animals like buffalo, rhinoceros or even an elephant. The Winchester rifle, equipped with such bullets, was called the "Carnivore."
The ammunition of the Dead-Tough type provides both high-quality penetration of the skin of the game, and the opening of the bullet already inside. Intended for deer and antelopes.
The name Lion Load speaks for itself - for hunting animals with thin skin - lions, leopards and other predators from the cat family.
The company offered a wide range of products for hunting. As bullets separately from shells, and ready-made assembled ammunition. The latter, in turn, have undergone a number of modifications over the years.
Soon, A-Square began to release its own line of hunting rifles, which were based on a carbine and a Winchester rifle. Of course, everything was produced under the brand cartridge of the manufacturer.
Over time, the range of cartridges has expanded to more than 40 models. The company introduced the latest innovation in 2004 - the “Magnum type” cartridge .400 A-Square DPM.
Due to financial difficulties, in 2011 the company ceased to exist, leaving its indelible mark on history.
Conclusion
In general, it is worth noting that in modern popular culture the word "Magnum" means a pistol of a Smith & Wesson revolver type under a cartridge of 500 caliber or Colt Python caliber 357. Less commonly, Desert Eagle, which received the shortened name "Deagle".
So, in the Russian series “SOBR”, an agent sent to a warehouse for terrorists asks the head of the warehouse: “Is there a Magnum?”, To which it receives an answer: “Magnum is large, uncomfortable, it’s hard to hide under a jacket. No. ”
Of course, this is not about cartridges of the "magnum" type.
It is difficult to determine where this word first came to be used. It is known that the term MAGNUM marked large containers with wine at the end of the 18th century (from Lat. Magnus - great, large). Also in the world of music, the masterpieces of composers were designated by the term magnum opus to emphasize the sublimity and creative grandeur of the composed work.
Only in the 19th century did the term first appear in the world of weapons for large-caliber cartridges. As a result, the .300 Win cartridge appeared. Mag.