Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Light and Fast or Heavy and Slow for an All-Arounder?

The older i get the more i just want to settle on one rifle and one load. This year I want to set up the 300 RSAUM (M77 Mark II, 22 inch barrel) with one load for anything I might possibly be able to hunt and eat in the USA (which would be antelope, hogs, whitetail, mulies, elk, moose, bison). I don't see myself hunting sheep or bears. I haven't done much handloading with this cartridge, but have all the equipment to do so. Factory loads on hand are Nosler 150 BT and Partitions, and Remington 180 CoreLokt Ultras... I was pretty much settled on going with the 200 accubond for everything (looking at the specs, that heavy bullet holds on to velocity like no tomorrow and shoots plenty flat out to 400 yards which is the furthest i would ever attempt to shoot on anything)... but I am wondering if I should go for a Barnes TTSX (130 or 150) and push it as fast as possible??... a 135 at 3400 fps is one flat shooter... playing around with Norma's ballistic program a 200 yard zero would only be down about 16 inches at 400... I have no experience with Barnes. Preferred shot would be take out both shoulders, alternative through the slats broadside. Curious to know what you recommend for one bullet to do it all on the above game for fast and humane kills. i am not worried about eating up to the hole... preferring a fast kill over meat loss. (Last deer we took with a Partition with a 7x57 was stunning the damage it did to the far shoulder), but he was down quick.

That 200 gr load seems like a solid choice. I will be interested to hear what you decide.

If you don't want light and fast, or heavy and slow, how about midweight and sedate?

I'm in your shoes not wanting to deal with a lot of recoil. I "can" deal with it, I just find myself wanting to less and less as I approach 60. While I don't think your 300 SAUM is the answer (unless loaded down), I'd suggest modestly loaded 165/168's would accomplish anything that needs accomplishing in NA.

Me, I just run a 308 with that bullet weight. It works.

Beat me to it.........

Thanks for the replies. I turned 60 in October... My hard kickers are the 300 RSAUM and a 444. I use a shoulder pad for range sessions, but hear you on the recoil. I gave my 7x57 to my son as a gift since he has been getting the deer with it, and put all the scratches on the walnut stock (grin). Midweight and sedate might be the answer with the 300SAUM; but with what bullet. 165/168s you are thinking BTs?

I'm with Brad. 308 with 165 accubond.

I can't bring myself to sell a rifle, too sentimental as each one has a story, and don't have a 308... but when you look at them side by side, the 300 RSAUM is a fat 308.

I'm in......

Hmmm... 56 grains of Varget pushes a 165/168 to 2900+

And thus you have a 308...

I you have to have one. this

if onthen this

Get some well constructed 150's at top speed recoil will be light, accurate, flat shooting ... What is not to like.. I feel bad for those so old a bit of recoil bothers them.. Recoil is mostly in our heads.. I learned that more than 50 years a go.. You aren't shooting 599 rounds at p. dogs or gophers..

I kinda like heavy and fast! To loosely quote Elmer Keith whe asked his thoughts on the perfect rifle round, he said, "somthing that'll throw a campstove at 3000 fps"! I like 300 grainers at somewhere around 2900 to 3000 fps. Makes for a good all around cartridge out to around 800 yrds. or so. memtb

Keep the 300 Saum and get the best pad you can for it. 166/168 whatever. NBT would work, keep it cheap and buy at SPS.

Dogger, I think all the guys agree, nearly any decent 165/168 will work. The Accubond or Partition is usually my first stop these days. Can't always get them shooting, but I'm perfectly happy with the 165/68 Ballistic Tip too. And, my dirty little secret, the 165 Speer Hotcor. The "Poor Man's Partition." Great bullet, and often really accurate. I used a Hornady 165 BTSP this year on a bull elk, but of all those mentioned it's my least favorite. Still, a good bullet. Broke the front leg completely in two on a 6pt bull I shot this year with my 308. I used the Hotcor on a bigger bull last year.

I just had a great hunting season:

Bear @ 325 yds
Antelope at 245 yds
Mule deer at 140 yds
Elk at 338 yds

All with my .30-06, using handloaded 165 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip.

I'm 60 years old. Recoil was quite tolerable. I shot a bunch during practice this summer. Pretty happy with my results and the way the rifle shoots.

Regards, Guy

Personally, for hunting out to 400 yards with a chambering that starts bullets at 3100+fps, I like a mono. I'd be pretty happy with a 130 or 150 TTSX at 3100-3400 fps from the 300 SAUM. Alternatively, I'd also be pretty content with a .308 or 7-08 and 140-165gr C&C bullets...

Dogger

I load for two 300 SAUM rifles. I have shot deer and elk with them. I can tell you 150 TTSX will work very well. I also have loads for 165 tsx at 3100 fps, 168 ETs at 3000 fps, 180 ABs and partitions at 2900 and 190 LRAB at 2800 and 2900 fps. They all work very well. I have never found the need for 200s in the saums but am sure they would work very well.

The wife has also used 180 gr. core-lokts at 2750 fps to kill a bunch of deer in Mn.

No matter the cartridge, I choose moderate to heavy bullet's, depending on cartridge. In my old 308 all I shot were 165 gr bullet's. Liked the accuracy. 180 came in a close second. Then in 30-06 I prefer the 180gr and if for whatever insane reason I had a 300 mag, 200gr would be where I looked.