24hourcampfire.com
24hourcampfire.com
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Hop To
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 270
P
Campfire Member
OP Offline
Campfire Member
P
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 270
I have a buddy that has been wanting to reload for me for a long time. He has dies and powder and primers. So all I have to do is give him bullets and brass. My ? is do I shoot a 180 gr( the rifle has liked any thing 180 I have feed it) or do I try one of the other two? I know if it ant broke don't fix it but would be nice to just see. Any ideas? Thanks Zimmer

Last edited by pdxhunter; 03/29/09.
HR IC

Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,612
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,612
Starting with a 180 gr would make the logical starting point since factory 180's have worked well for you in the past. The 220 gr Partition makes a great bear load but the 180-200 gr spitzers are superior to it for most things. I do love those 220's though smile What brand and type of bullets are you thinking of trying?


Gerry.
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,474
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,474
I went through this recently with the following results in a 300WM Tikka T3 Lite:

168's - Pretty nice groups and very little recoil.
180's - Shot ok, not as good as expected. Recoil noticeable.
200's - Groups under 1/2" on both Partitions and Accubonds with IMR 4350. Recoil fairly well pronounced.

Any good bullet will do the trick. Depends on "how" you want to do the trick (recoil level, distance, game, etc). I will likely end up using the 200 grain Accubond as I have smaller caliber rifles for other stuff and I want this one to be my longer distance/wind buffeting thumper.

Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,970
1
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
1
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,970
+ 1 what remfak said

Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,640
B
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
B
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,640
Have had many 300Win Mag's over the years and most of them shot very well with 180gr. Ballistic tips or accubonds with RL22 powder and 215 primers.
my latest is a Sendero that does not shoot the 180's all that great but shoots incredibly well with Berger210gr.VLD's with H1000. you might have to tinker just a bit to find what your rifle likes best.
B
btw I have had the best luck with my 300WM's shooting Nosler,Sierra and Berger bullet's for some reason Hornady ,Speer and Barnes have never shot well in mine. besides the two powders I mentioned also try VVN165 and IMR7828.

IC B2

Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 507
G
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
G
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 507
Some time ago more that 15 yrs back I read and artlicle with the same concerns you are having about reloading the 300 Win Mag. Regrettabley I only remember: the Author preferred for all his hunting the 220 grain round-nose at moderate velocity. Todays norm seems to be 'smok'n' velocity which does not necessarily equate with dotting-the-i accuracy!

Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 10,915
H
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
H
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 10,915
In years past, I used the 300 Win mag and 200gr Partitions to take 6 elk (if memory serves me right) including my biggest bull. The 200gr would definitely be the bullet I would pick if I were loading for a 300 Win. mag.


Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,497
D
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
D
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,497
I load for 3 different 300 win mags and load 200 grain Noslers and Sierras in all but 1 of my guns.

Joined: May 2005
Posts: 14,104
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 14,104
I have been using 180 Sciroccos in my .300 Wby for elk, but when I acquired a .300 WSM a couple of years ago, I decided to try the 200 grain AccuBonds. At approximately 2,900 fps, they shoot well under an inch at 100 yds in my rifle and worked very well on the one elk that I have taken with them--a very large-bodied 6x6 bull. However, the 180 Sciroccos (at about 3,250 fps) killed two other big bulls just as dead, just as quickly. I imagine that Partitions would have worked just as well...

Last edited by mudhen; 03/31/09. Reason: typo: 3,250, not 3,350

Ben

Some days it takes most of the day for me to do practically nothing...
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 35,900
B
Campfire 'Bwana
Offline
Campfire 'Bwana
B
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 35,900
You said the rifle likes 180's.Save the time,trouble,and component cost.Shoot a cheap 180 for practice,a good 180 for hunting.Load a pile of ammo with the cheap bullet and learn the load well.Other bullet weights are embelishment.

In a 300 mag for big game hunting,if you cannot get it done with a quality 180,you will likely not get it done with anything else.




The 280 Remington is overbore.

The 7 Rem Mag is over bore.
IC B3

Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 479
B
Campfire Member
Offline
Campfire Member
B
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 479
Use whichever good bullet shoots best, with a preference to 180 grains. I've used 200 grains on elk and moose, and 180 grains on elk, and they both tasted pretty good to me (the animals, not the bullets). Seriously, there's no reason not to have complete confidence in a good 180 grain, but if you like other weights go ahead and use them.

Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,705
R
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
R
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,705
I prefer 200 grain partitions with Retumbo powder in mine. Check out Hodgdon web site for recommended loads. I believe the 200 grain Nosler bullets are slightly better ballistically than the 180 grain Nosler bullets. Good all around load at near 3000 fps.

Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 92
U
Campfire Greenhorn
Offline
Campfire Greenhorn
U
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 92
The 200gr accubond with a b.c. of .588, I think you would be hard pressed to find a better bullet. Any other opinions out there?

Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,519
T
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
T
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,519
Originally Posted by BobinNH
You said the rifle likes 180's.Save the time,trouble,and component cost.Shoot a cheap 180 for practice,a good 180 for hunting.Load a pile of ammo with the cheap bullet and learn the load well.Other bullet weights are embelishment.

In a 300 mag for big game hunting,if you cannot get it done with a quality 180,you will likely not get it done with anything else.


I agree.

180's, shoot plenty flat at long range deer, elk, or anything else. Doesn't kick quite as much as 200's or 220's (splitting hairs on recoil, I know, but there is a difference)

Packs plenty of wallop to take anything a 300 WM was intended to take.

If you loaded youself I would say, sure, play around with it........or I may not.

Bill

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,342
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,342
The bottom line is that a good 30 cal bullet is an effective killer. It was an awesome event when the 30-30 hit the market, it was improved when the 06 came along, & ditto for all the mag versions. I think the 308 is often underestimated for its honest effectiveness in the field, let alone a good shot with a 300 mag.
Any of the weights you mentioned will get the job done on just about everything. I would happily hunt a 300 Mag using whichever one the rifle performed best with.
If a quarry needs more killin', move into an AFrame, TSX, etc..


Imagine your grave on a windy winter night. You've been dead for 70 years.
It's been 50 since a visitor last paused at your tombstone.....
Now explain why you're in a pissy mood today.
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 42,485
Campfire 'Bwana
Offline
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 42,485
Originally Posted by BobinNH
You said the rifle likes 180's.Save the time,trouble,and component cost.Shoot a cheap 180 for practice,a good 180 for hunting.Load a pile of ammo with the cheap bullet and learn the load well.Other bullet weights are embelishment.

In a 300 mag for big game hunting,if you cannot get it done with a quality 180,you will likely not get it done with anything else.


Spot on. jorge


A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 3,090
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 3,090
pdxhunter, I have owned at least 4 .300 mags over the years and love the caliber for knock down killing ability and long range accuracy out to 450 yards. I draw the line on that distance for myself on animal.

Most of thoes rifles prefered 180 grain or 190 grain bullets! Yes, they did shoot the 165 ok (1.5 avg. MOA at 100 yds) as I recall. The 200 grains shot better, those being Hornady, Sierra, Nosler's and Speer. I tried the Barnes X bullet but only one rifle would shoot those 180 grainers less than 2-MOA. Remington factory ammo was used in the 180 grn and shot under 1.5 MOA.
Winchester Silver Tips in 220 grain shot around 1.5 MOA in all guns at 100 yds.

Darn near all of them did shoot the 220 grains very well up to around 200 yards....distance I picked to test them. All those rifles shot 220 bullets at least 1.5 or better. These would be my pick if hunting moose in grizz country.

I would start with a bullet weight your most likely to use on the game that you plan on hunting and then either purchase several boxes of various factory brands or pick out the bullets and let your friend load them up for you. This is the only way (trial & error) that you will know exactly what your rifle shoots best ok.

Last edited by NRA; 04/01/09.

Thank Our Veterans!
GOD Bless Them All

UNIONS BUILDING AMERICA, SALUTE ALL THE UNION TRADESMAN

Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 270
P
Campfire Member
OP Offline
Campfire Member
P
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 270
Thanks guys. Great info. You guys said what I was thinking. Stick with it it ant broke. I ll stick with 180's. They have done the job on the last 3 elk that have came my way.

Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 35,900
B
Campfire 'Bwana
Offline
Campfire 'Bwana
B
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 35,900
Bob: I've used the 165,180, and 200 as well.All are very good and it's tough to find a bad weight.These days i stick to one bullet per rifle, or try to....but that's the beauty of a 300;lotsa weights work well.




The 280 Remington is overbore.

The 7 Rem Mag is over bore.
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 631
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 631
pdxhunter,

You gotten good advise, a 180 gr in a 300 mag case is never a bad choice. That said I have had very good luck with 200 grain and 220 grain Nosler Partitions in any 300 mag case.

My very best accuracy (using hunting not match bullets) have come from 300 mags (300 win mag or 30-338) using the old 200 grain Semi-spitzer partitions (not made any more), and the newer 220 gr Nosler Partition semi RN. I don't know why but the 1-10 twist, and around 2700 to 2800 FPS works like magic.

Now what can you do with 220 grain bullets in a 300 mag. that you cannot do with a 180?? Not much, but consider the following:

I once shot a deer running at about 75 yds, with a 30-338 and 200 grain Semi-Sptz Nosler Partition. I shot and the deer dropped. On walking over I realized I shot through a 3" sapling and nailed the deer on the other side. Would a 180 have worked as well, yeah maybe. And Barnes X's were not yet invented.

I went to Africa a few years back, and used a Win Mod 70 SS in 300 win mag as my light rifle. I had two loads worked up: Nosler 220 Partitions, and Barnes 220 gr solids, both over H1000. They made a nice and deadly combo. Granted that was a limited and once in a lifetime application.

As far a recoil goes, I find 200-220 grains bullets in a 300 mag to be very mild shooting. By now you must be thinking this guy is crazy, 220 from a 300 mag will recoil more than a 180 gr going 300 FPS or more faster? WEll yes and no. Most people forget that recoil comes in two components: Pure recoil that is felt on your shoulder, and then there is recoil velocity, which is the speed it comes back. So a 180 grainer at 3100 FPS slaps your shoulder, where as a 220 grainer at 2750 pushes it. I am more sensitive to recoil velocity than pure recoil myself, and many other shooters are the same.

Another example is a 375 H&H Mag. People that have never shot one always remark after their first firing, "well that was not bad, the recoil was more a shove than a slap". Well a 300 grain bullet out of a 375 H&H moving at around 2550 FPS does indeed shove and not slap. That is the combination of high FP of Recoil and low recoil velocity.

Now if you are planning on using your 300 mag at long ranges, 300 yds plus, by all means develop and use 180 to 200 grain bullets. On the other hand, if your hunting somewhere that the trees and cover are thick, and shots planned are well less than 300 yds, and your quarry weighs more than 500 lbs. Then try the 220 grainers. I think you will astonished at how well they perform in those situations.

Best of luck,

Bob






Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Moderated by  RickBin 

Link Copied to Clipboard
YB23

Who's Online Now
730 members (10gaugemag, 16penny, 160user, 12344mag, 21, 12308300, 74 invisible), 2,727 guests, and 1,357 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums81
Topics1,187,623
Posts18,398,611
Members73,817
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023


 







Fish & Game Departments | Solunar Tables | Mission Statement | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA
Hunting | Fishing | Camping | Backpacking | Reloading | Campfire Forums | Gear Shop
Copyright © 2000-2024 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.3.33 Page Time: 0.314s Queries: 15 (0.005s) Memory: 0.8968 MB (Peak: 1.0524 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-28 15:16:28 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS