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.300 Win Mag vs .300 PRC: Maker-Page Loads and SAAMI Specs Side by Side

By Cole Harlan, EditorUpdated Nov 5, 2026How we verifyEditorial standards

This page puts .300 Win Mag and .300 PRC side by side using only our own ammo guides, .300 Win Mag ammo (35 loads) and .300 PRC ammo (10 loads), plus the cartridge specs SAAMI publishes in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4, its centerfire rifle standard. The guides copy bullet weights, velocities, energies and test barrels from maker product pages (checked Nov. 4, 2026). We don’t rate or rank cartridges, and we don’t subtract one maker’s velocity from another’s, because their test barrels differ.

How to read this page: every number is copied from a maker page or from SAAMI, and a test barrel length sits next to every velocity (or says the maker lists none). A dash (—) means the maker has no load in our tables for that cartridge. Fire only the cartridge your rifle’s maker says it is chambered for.

SAAMI specs side by side

These are the figures in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4 (approved Feb. 10, 2025), as already recorded in the SAAMI sections of our .300 Win Mag and .300 PRC guides. Pressures are as SAAMI lists them.

Measure	.300 Win Mag	.300 PRC
SAAMI name	300 WINCHESTER MAGNUM [300 WIN MAG]	300 PRECISION RIFLE CARTRIDGE [300 PRC]
Drawing issued / revised	04/21/1980 / 05/31/2022	06/13/2018 / 02/17/2022
Maximum average pressure (transducer)	64,000 psi	65,000 psi
Crusher pressure	54,000 CUP	Not established
Cartridge overall length	3.215 in min to 3.340 in max	3.575 in min to 3.700 in max
Case length	2.620 in (−.020)	2.580 in (−.020)
Bullet diameter	.309 in (−.003)	.3084 in (−.0030)
Bore / groove diameter	.300 in / .308 in	.300 in / .308 in
Twist and grooves	1 in 10.00 in, right-hand (marked optional), 6 grooves	1 in 8.50 in, right-hand (marked optional), 6 grooves
SAAMI reference velocity (15 ft from test barrel)	Not copied in our guide	2,800 fps for 225 gr
SAAMI velocity test barrel	Not copied in our guide (SAAMI says standard rifle test barrels are 24 in)	24.000 in (±.010), 1:8.50 twist, 6 grooves

SAAMI measures pressure two ways for some cartridges, by transducer and by crusher; compare psi with psi and CUP with CUP, not across. SAAMI lists a crusher pressure for .300 Win Mag and none for .300 PRC. The .300 PRC reference velocity is for a 225 gr bullet; our .300 Win Mag guide does not record a SAAMI reference velocity, so there is no pair to compare.

Load ranges by maker and test barrel

Each line groups one maker’s loads that share a test barrel, so a velocity is only ever shown with the barrel it was measured in. Ranges are bullet weight and muzzle velocity as the maker page prints them. Do not read across makers: their barrels and bullets differ. For how barrel length moves velocity, see our barrel length vs velocity data.

Maker	.300 Win Mag loads in our table	.300 PRC loads in our table
Federal	test barrel not listed: 18 loads, 150 to 200 gr, 2,810 to 3,150 fps	test barrel not listed: 2 loads, 210 to 212 gr, 2,850 to 2,860 fps
Remington	test barrel not listed: 7 loads, 150 to 190 gr, 2,850 to 3,290 fps	—
Hornady	24 in test barrel: 9 loads, 150 to 200 gr, 2,860 to 3,275 fps 26 in test barrel: 1 load, 178 gr, 2,960 fps	24 in test barrel: 5 loads, 165 to 225 gr, 2,810 to 3,200 fps
Berger	—	26 in test barrel: 3 loads, 205 to 245 gr, 2,720 to 2,985 fps

Same maker, same line, both cartridges

Where one maker sells the same product line in both cartridges, the loads are listed side by side exactly as the maker pages print them. We match lines by the maker’s own product-line name in our guide tables. Compare only within a row, and check the test barrel in each cell.

Maker line	.300 Win Mag	.300 PRC
Federal ELD-X	200 gr ELD-X, 2,860 fps, 3,632 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P300WELDX1	212 gr ELD-X, 2,860 fps, 3,850 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P300PRCELDX1
Federal Terminal Ascent	200 gr Terminal Ascent, 2,810 fps, 3,506 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P300WTA1 175 gr Terminal Ascent, 3,030 fps, 3,567 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P300WTA2	210 gr Terminal Ascent, 2,850 fps, 3,787 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P300PRCTA3
Hornady American Whitetail Tipped	165 gr SST® American Whitetail® TIPPED, 3,150 fps, 3,635 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 82024	165 gr SST® American Whitetail® TIPPED, 3,200 fps, 3,751 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 82163
Hornady Match	195 gr ELD® Match, 2,930 fps, 3,717 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 82180 178 gr ELD® Match, 2,960 fps, 3,463 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 82043	225 gr ELD® Match, 2,810 fps, 3,945 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 82162
Hornady Outfitter	180 gr. CX® Outfitter®, 2,960 fps, 3,502 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 821974	190 gr. CX® Outfitter®, 3,000 fps, 3,797 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 82164
Hornady Precision Hunter	200 gr ELD-X® Precision Hunter®, 2,860 fps, 3,632 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 82002 178 gr ELD-X® Precision Hunter®, 2,960 fps, 3,463 ft-lb, 26 in test barrel, item 82041	212 gr ELD-X® Precision Hunter®, 2,860 fps, 3,850 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 82166

What the sources say when you choose

These are points taken from the figures above, each with the page it rests on. They are not recommendations or scores.

If pressure rating is your question: SAAMI lists a maximum average pressure of 64,000 psi by transducer for .300 Win Mag and 65,000 psi for .300 PRC. It lists 54,000 CUP by crusher for .300 Win Mag and establishes no crusher pressure for .300 PRC. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.
If bullet weight is your question: the .300 Win Mag loads in our table run from 150 gr (Federal Power-Shok Rifle 300WGS) to 200 gr (Federal ELD-X P300WELDX1). The .300 PRC loads run from 165 gr (Hornady American Whitetail Tipped 82163) to 245 gr (Berger Elite Hunter 55020). Sources: those maker pages.
If you want to see the printed velocities: the slowest and fastest .300 Win Mag muzzle velocities in our table are 2,810 fps, test barrel not listed (Federal Terminal Ascent P300WTA1) and 3,290 fps, test barrel not listed (Remington Core-Lokt 29495). For .300 PRC they are 2,720 fps, 26 in test barrel (Berger Elite Hunter 55020) and 3,200 fps, 24 in test barrel (Hornady American Whitetail Tipped 82163). These come from different barrels and bullets, so we show them side by side without a difference. Sources: those maker pages.
If you are comparing against a box or a chronograph: SAAMI’s rifle test barrel is 24 in for both cartridges. Many maker pages list a different barrel or none, as the tables above show. A shorter barrel than the one a maker lists will likely give lower velocities than the box; see our barrel length vs velocity data. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4 and the maker pages linked above.
If chamber fit is your question: SAAMI publishes a separate cartridge drawing for each. It lists case length 2.620 in (−.020) and cartridge overall length 3.215 in min to 3.340 in max for .300 Win Mag, and case length 2.580 in (−.020) and cartridge overall length 3.575 in min to 3.700 in max for .300 PRC. Bullet diameters are .309 in (−.003) and .3084 in (−.0030). Check the cartridge named in your rifle’s manual or marked on its barrel. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

Not yet verified

Winchester and SIG Sauer loads are not in either guide’s table (see the “Not yet verified” section of each guide). Remington and Nosler have no .300 PRC load in our table.
A dash in the range table means the maker has no load in that guide’s table, not that the maker sells none.
Our .300 Win Mag guide does not record a SAAMI reference velocity, so none is shown for it.
The two guides are built differently (the .300 Win Mag guide includes range and training loads, the .300 PRC guide includes Berger target loads), so the load counts are not like-for-like and say nothing about popularity.
Prices, recoil, accuracy and hands-on results are not in our data, so this page says nothing about them.

See the full tables in our .300 Win Mag ammo and .300 PRC ammo, the barrel length vs velocity data, .308 Win vs .300 Win Mag, 7mm PRC vs .300 PRC, 6.5 PRC vs .300 PRC, 7mm Rem Mag vs 7mm PRC, the new ammo of 2026, all ammo releases and .338 Lapua vs .300 Win Mag, all comparisons. See also .300 RUM vs .300 PRC.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SAAMI maximum pressure for .300 Win Mag and .300 PRC?

SAAMI lists 64,000 psi (transducer) and 54,000 CUP (crusher) for .300 Win Mag, and 65,000 psi (transducer) with no crusher pressure for .300 PRC, in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

Do .300 Win Mag and .300 PRC use the same bullet diameter?

SAAMI lists .309 in (−.003) for .300 Win Mag and .3084 in (−.0030) for .300 PRC in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4. Bore and groove are .300 in and .308 in for both.

Which is better, .300 Win Mag or .300 PRC?

We don't rate or rank cartridges. This page copies maker-page figures and SAAMI specs side by side, and it does not cover price, recoil or hands-on results.

Where do these numbers come from?

From our own ammo guides (.300 Win Mag ammo and .300 PRC ammo), which copy maker product pages, and from ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

SAAMI specs side by side

Load ranges by maker and test barrel

Same maker, same line, both cartridges

What the sources say when you choose

Not yet verified

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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