8x68S vs 300 Wea Magnum

Recognizing that this is an old thread, but that readers looking for information on this issue currently may still appreciate the info, I would say that the way I would look at it is a little different. I would try to answer the question: "what am I going to hunt?"

If the rifle is to be used in Europe, the 7.62 mm magnum caliber (.300") with bullets as light as 150 gr and as heavy as 200 gr, will do anything you want. Folks are correct when they point out the advantage of larger frontal area, but for European animals, there is no real need for anything really large. If that notion still appeals to the buyer more than anything else, then the 8x68 is not the champion; the 9.3x64 is, or the .338 caliber (in Win or Wby), but these are unnecessarily too much gun for anything that walks in Europe. Which maybe why the 9.3x62 is more popular... The bottom line seems to me that if frontal area is not a very important criteria in the discussion, then why not favor speed and sectional density, hence the .300?

If the rifle is to be used in Africa, I see a second tier question. Do you include Eland on the list? If no, in any case a larger frontal area never hurts, but the .300 Wby has a truly stellar world reputation, which is objectively well deserved. If yes, the .323 / 250 gr slugs are objectively better than the .300 / 200 gr slugs, but I would also make the point that the .338 / 250 gr slugs are even better, not to mention .375 / 300 gr...

Practical considerations... Objectively, there is little to chose, from a ballistic or hunting efficiency perspective, between 8x68 and .300 Wby. BOTH ARE FANTASTIC CARTRIDGES. I will admit that my final decision would likely be a very practical one. Let me illustrate: being of European origin and having been raised in Europe, for years I wanted a 8x68 to complement my 7x64. 8x68 ammo availability (not to mention price!) in the US being what it is, I have a .300 Wby and I love it...

I am not sure what the 8x68 ammo availability is in Spain nowadays, or in various African countries, but I remember that in France, and even in Germany, in the 1970's, it was not very common, and German or Austrian ammo (I remember RWS and Hirtenberger) were ALWAYS A LOT MORE EXPENSIVE than American ammo (I seem to remember seeing a lot of Remington ammo).

Actually, looking back, I would venture to say that the fantastic adoption rate of US calibers over European calibers in post WWII up to 1980's Europe was due in a very, very, very large part to the fact that American rifles and ammo were essentially half the price of German rifles and ammo, and maybe were not of the same high quality, but certainly of a quality high enough for most hunting popular crowds, if not the "elites", and certainly of a quality high enough to do the job and do it well. But I digress...

As to recoil, yes, the .300 Wby recoils a bit more than the .300 Win, but this is still very bearable. As we have all confirmed time and again, no one ever notices recoil or blast (unless someone uses a dang muzzle brake!) when shooting at game, and a decent shoulder recoil pad and earmuff make it fine at the range. I would consider (and I am on record on this blog to regularly advise to consider) recoil if the discussion was between .243 and .300 Wby. BIG difference. But between 8x68 and .300 Wby, nah, not much to discuss...
 
Last edited:
Truth be told, in the end I personally bypassed the .300.

I still love the .300 Wby but, like all "universal" solutions, it can be a bit too much, or a bit not enough. I like less recoil for smaller game, and I like bigger/heavier bullets for larger game.

Since it is just as easy to bring two guns, and it provides a backup in distant places, for African safaris I have evolved toward the concept of a matched pair. My American / European / African plains - non dangerous - game matched pair is a .257 Wby and a .340 Wby. A similar European matched pair could be 6.5x68 and 8x68.

Objectively both .257 Wby and .340 Wby have better ballistics than the 6.5x68 and 8x68, but not enough that one would actually see a difference in the hunting fields, and the 8x68 (.323) happily splits the difference between .300 and .340, but it clearly does not hit as hard (on both ends, I might add) as the .340 does...

The one qualifier here is that the .340 Wby recoil is significantly more than the 8x68, and it is not for everyone. It is absolutely fine for those who are willing to learn and practice, but it is above the capability of a casual shooter. From this perspective alone, a 6.5x68 and 8x68 pair may be better for many.
 
Last edited:
Excellent exhibition Actually my intention was to know how similar or different are the cartridges of the subject. You have stated practical reasons that are indisputable. I own several rifles, I am a sad collector of scrap and I think that hunting in Africa the non-dangerous animals would choose the combination 300 Winchester Magnum-375 H & H Magnum and include the dangerous 300 Winchester Magnum-458 Lott. The same if only he were to hunt antelopes and include eland if he would opt for the 8x68S. The ammunition in Spain for the 8x68S is scarce and expensive ... but it is what is in the market. Finally, thank you very much for your response.
 
.300 Win and .375 H&H is a great pair. It gives you the opportunity to shoot relatively light bullets in the .300 (150 or 165 gr TTSX) that will fly fast and flat for any smaller antelopes, and the .375 H&H has been great for one century on Eland. I would probably also use it on wildebeest, hartebeest, etc. (235 or 270 gr TSX) so that you do not have to get confused with several loads for the .300.

.300 Win and .458 Lott is also a great pair if you have buffalo on the list. In this case, a heavier bullet in the .300 (180 or 200 gr AFrame or TSX) will handle any non-dangerous game as long as you make sure to place it well in the largest antelopes. Note that a lot of folks shoot buffalo with the .375, but I personally prefer a little more. The .416 hit them visibly harder than the .375 and the .458 harder still.

A single 8x68 would do the job fine for all plains game, but as stated above, I personally prefer to take two guns so that I have a backup (Africa is too far and too expensive for me to have a trip ruined by a single rifle/scope mechanical failure), and a lighter load in .300 + a heavier load in .375 will do the job better :)

But to come back to the thread opening question: 8x68 or .300 Wby, to which I would add .300 Win, the practical field response is: same thing! If I already had a .300 Win I would buy neither one. I would rather buy something significantly smaller (lighter, less recoil, etc. for European smaller game) or significantly larger (more stopping power for African game).
 
Last edited:
I'm a little crazy. I am a hunter of small game and shotgun but I love rifles and I have a few: Santa Barbara (300 Win Mag), Voere (8x68S), Remington 700 (338 Win Mag), CZ 550 Mag (375 H & H) and CZ 550 Safari Magnum (458 Lott) and surely with the 300 Win Mag I would be left over. Unless I win the lottery I do not think I can ever go to Safari. As I said I am a madman without remedy.
 
Finally I have the Voere put up for sale to pay for another project. I have a 338 Win Mag I think keeping a 300 Win Mag and an 8x68S is redundant as the 338 Win Mag can cover the performance of the other two quite decently.
 
The 8x68S also has the ability to fire 250 gr bullets which makes it more versatile as a allround medium rifle.

A heavy bullet like this would place the 8x68s right next to the 318WR, actually a little better SD, would it not?
Seems to be Woodleigh is the only 250gr .323 bullet out there. Does anyone have experience going this heavy in this caliber?
 
The 8x68s never really caught on in the U.S. So unless you live in Germany you might want to go with the 300 Win Mag.
 
The 8x68s is almost exactly duplicated by the ballistics of the .325 WSM. These are very effective cartridges over a wide range of distances and game. I personally think that a classic rifle in 8x68s would be an incredibly flexible weapon across a wide range of applications.
 
I'm a little crazy. I am a hunter of small game and shotgun but I love rifles and I have a few: Santa Barbara (300 Win Mag), Voere (8x68S), Remington 700 (338 Win Mag), CZ 550 Mag (375 H & H) and CZ 550 Safari Magnum (458 Lott) and surely with the 300 Win Mag I would be left over. Unless I win the lottery I do not think I can ever go to Safari. As I said I am a madman without remedy.
@oscar1975
Never say never. With a bit of shrewd saving and going without your store bought morning coffee you will be surprised at how quick it all adds up. I was in the same boat, actually a lot of us probably were but we got there and no regrets..
Bob
 
I wonder why at all the 300WinMag was created. The 8x68S is older, rather similar and outperforms the 300WinMag.
The answer to your question is:
Anything German was viewed as extremely bad...the world hated NATZIS and associate all Germans with Natzis...Hitler...the Germans Gunsmith August Schüler of the August Schüler Waffenfabrik, Suhl IN 1930 REALLY was not good at marketing his caliber , the 8x68S as well as the 6.5x68 S at all in Europe since European hunters did not think a lot of American and British rifles and calibers at all...

while the .300 Holland & Holland was the first super magnum design by the Brits...and the Americans followed with the .300 Winchester Magnum...these two countries really were marketing experts for sure so the .300 H&H was made public to buy and sell and manufactured.. American/British hunters went on Safari toting this fast flat shooting caliber and wrote books about it..

while the 8x68S stayed in Germany and European countries ...some of them came to Africa ...Namibia specific where it became an icon for the German hunters. it was used to hunt elephants , lions , buffalo any game animal that walked the sand of Namibia we know today.. this was a caliber that never saw war or used in a war like it`s little brother the 8x57JS ...Today, very few people/hunters knows about the 8x68S today as well.
 
I have both calibers, in two Sauer 90, same barrel and stock lenght, so I have a pretty good way to compare the two.
To me, the 8x68S is a better caliber.
- same velocity with less recoil (and a "straight" kind of recoil, not a jumping one)
- more accurate on everage
- heavier bullet and more frontal area
- beltless design
- gentle shoulder for an easy feeding
- lower pressure
- lot less temperature sensitive
In fact, the 8 is my favourite caliber by far.
The 300 Wby is a great round, but to me,
the 8x68S is simply super.
 
Thanks, I was planning to sell the 8x68S Voere but I'm going to keep it. I'm going to put a Burris Fulfield II in 3-9x40 and use it for hunting.
Great decision , just get rid of the Voere stock, fit a dangerous game rifle stock on the Voere, it will be a dream rifle
 
What type of stock would you specifically recommend? Thank you.
A straight swept back rifle stock..take a look at the designs in photos or videos on the rifles used in Africa safari hunting, especially the old rifles ...the profile will be immediately obvious a straight flat profile . especially the butt stock part ...
 
A straight swept back rifle stock..take a look at the designs in photos or videos on the rifles used in Africa safari hunting, especially the old rifles ...the profile will be immediately obvious a straight flat profile . especially the butt stock part ...
I have a 404 Jeffery from 1930, I will upload a few photos of the stock and rifle..it will give you an idea what you need to fit to the 8x68..
 

Forum statistics

Threads
57,532
Messages
1,233,173
Members
101,268
Latest member
HoustonLuk
 

 

 

Latest profile posts

Grz63 wrote on Doug Hamilton's profile.
Hello Doug,
I am Philippe from France and plan to go hunting Caprivi in 2026, Oct.
I have read on AH you had some time in Vic Falls after hunting. May I ask you with whom you have planned / organized the Chobe NP tour and the different visits. (with my GF we will have 4 days and 3 nights there)
Thank in advance, I will appreciate your response.
Merci
Philippe
Grz63 wrote on Moe324's profile.
Hello Moe324
I am Philippe from France and plan to go hunting Caprivi in 2026, Oct.
I have read on AH you had some time in Vic Falls after hunting. May I ask you with whom you have planned / organized the Chobe NP tour and the different visits. (with my GF we will have 4 days and 3 nights there)
Thank in advance, I will appreciate your response.
Merci
Philippe
rafter3 wrote on Manny R's profile.
Hey there could I have that jewelers email you mentioned in the thread?
VIGILAIRE wrote on wesheltonj's profile.
Hi Walden. Good morning from England, Chris here (The Englishman!) from Croatia. Firstly it was a pleasure to meet you and Michelle - a fellow Sanderson! I have finally joined AH as I enjoy it very much. Glad you enjoyed the hunt and your write up which I read on AR was very good indeed. I am sending on WhatsApp pics from Bojan of some of the animals hunted recently. Take care and best regards. CS.
 
Top