Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting 300 WSM W/165/175 Bergers

Anyone have a load for these or any Berger in a 300 WSM. I've been trying to sell my Tikka T3 300WSM with no luck so figure I'll shoot it. Hoping to find a good load running a Berger between 165 and 175 grains or even as light as 150. Any ideas.

Here`s three Berger loads that I use for my 300 WSM Ruger Frontier compact.

66.5 gr RL17 behind the 175gr "hunting" VLD; WLRM primers; COAL- 2.885"..This particular hunting load, which I`ll later use on hunts, averages MOA and under, with an average velocity of 2983 fps.

67.0 gr RL17 behind the 168 gr "hunting" VLD; WLRM primers; COAL-2.885"...This devastating hog hunting load has grouped from 3/4" to about 1 1/8", with an average velocity of 3042 fps.

69.0 gr RL17 behind the 155 gr "hunting" VLD; WLRM primers; COAL-2.885"...Groupings average just below MOA and cook along at 3234 fps from the muzzle. This particular load which I duplicated off of another site, gave the poster 3380 fps from his 24" barrel.

To better estimate your velocities for the above loads and until you chrony them, you`ll want to add about 20 fps per inch for every additional inch of barrel length that your Tikka will have over my 16.5" barrel length.

H4350, Varget, IMR 4007, N150 have also given very good results with the Bergers.

As a suggestion, do what I did. Call Berger directly and request that they e/mail to you all 300 WSM Berger loading data using the 155s on up to and including the 210s. There are quite a number of loadings in all VLD bullet weights.

Try vv560 with the 168s. I have shot some really small 300 yard groups with that combo. I am running about 74.5 grains with Federal 215 primers.

What velocity are the 215s running at and what is the BC on that bugger. Bet that carries real well way out there.

....................EddyBo may be a little mistaken? Berger does make 210 gr VLDs, but unless I`m missing something, they don`t make 215 gr VLDs. May he be referring to the Fed 215 primer?

Secondly, 74.5 gr of vv560 using a 215 gr bullet, which Berger doesn`t make anyway, is waaaaay over the max for a 300 WSM.

In my V/Vihta 6th Edition Handloading Guide, 68.5 gr of vv560, is the max loading using a 200 gr Lapua Mega, and 66.4 gr of vv560, is the max load using a 200 gr Lapua Naturalis. The listed velocities are 2835 fps and 2749 fps respectively from a 24.5" barrel. My guess is that EddyBo is probably running 74.5 gr VV560 behind the 168 gr Berger instead? Much more feasible.

The right VV powders/Berger VLD combos, given those are what a 300 WSM rifle likes, are extreeeeemely accurate.

The primers are 215s the bullets are 168 vlds....BTW thank you for pointing out that statement was unclear. I edited the original post to make it clear.

Good catch. Not up on my Berger heavy weights. But a 168 would be about right for what I want to do. It would be poetic to fire Finlander powder in a Finlander gun.

vv560 worked very well with smk also. I thought I had some pics of some groups I shot with the bergers, but could not find them. When I went out to the shop hunting something I snapped a pic of one of the best 300 yd groups I have ever shot. I stopped at 3 shots because I had shot one very close but screwed it up with the last two shots. here is a pic of the good group. I have won money with larger groups at 300 yards. This was an accuracy load velocity was way down, but it drilled them. I switched to the bergers because they [bleep] better.


and the one I screwed up. I was only loading 3 cases at a time so I had to stop and reload two cases, conditions changed.



I burn a lot of powder but VV powders are my favorites

Only more so if the shooter is Finnish correct? how about finnish brass? (lapua?)

I would have to let my wife shoot it then. With a last name like Eilola (don't try to say it with more than two beers in ya, eh!) she is without a doubt a Finlander. She makes a hell of a pasty (pronounced pass tee) and no that isn't what strippers put on their nipples. Any how I'm working on the brass. Waiting to find a decent load before I heave ho the coin at Lapua brass. I figure I'll get close with the Winchester stuff and then get real close. I have it turned so I will shoot it for the effort put into it at least.

Check this Finlander out Simo H�yh� just for kicks. Bet he would have been a good hunting buddy.