Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Test report on Kimber MT 300WSM

Been working on a new load for my new Kimber, MT 300 WSM.

I wanted a load that would be good for 500 yard sheep and 50 yard AK/Yukon bull moose, (needs on the opposite ends of the spectrum) so my bullet choice is a TSX or TTSX as it will fly well at great distance and still give the needed penetration for 1800 lb moose up close.

I started with the 168gr. TTSX and H4350. The load I'm about to share works well in my rifle, but there are great variables from lot # to lot #, with powders, primers, bullets and brass, (Never mind how individual rifles are) so this load may not work well in your 300 WSM and you should work up to ANY max load slowly and carefully. This is a max. load in my rifle.

69 grs. of H4350, Fed 215 primer, Winchester 300 WSM brass, and the 168gr. TTSX, yeilded 3115 fps out of my new Kimber Mt. and gives Slightly better than MOA at 150 yards. I prefer 150 yards for accuracy work as it is harder to get MOA @ 150 than it is at the typical 100 yards.

I worked up to the 69gr. powder charge very carefully and it is entirely safe and civil in my rifle. While 70grs. of the same powder, started to show slight signs of pressure I did not like. Although 70grs. gave the same accuracy as 69 grs and yeilded 3160 fps.

I am using Forster size die, set to size the brass shoulder only .003 inch less than fire formed brass. (Virgin brass is .012 smaller than my chamber is at the shoulder and this is too sloppy for me) I'm using a Redding bench rest seater die for the seating because with this bullet profile, the Redding seater is giving me more consistant run-out. I check every loaded round on a run-out gauge.

I have yet to try any other bullets and don't really see the need to, but I will any way. Tomorrow.

I put a fiber optic bore scope down my barrel and the barrel really needs some break in as it has many rough spots. Not as rough as many barrels, but not as smooth as many custom barrels either. I may load up 200 or so cheap Sierras, sight in with them and go out and plink all winter to get some rounds down the barrel and smooth it out some. While the accuracy out of this new barrel is good enough to do sheep at 500 yards, barely, I can't help but think that a couple hundred more rounds down the barrel, with PROPER intermitent cleaning, will really smooth things out and probably help accuracy some.

Profound

Really? I didn't think so.

That is beyond Hot.

Kinda slow though(for that much H4350)?

Everything checking out correctly?

I think that this comment was meant to be gently sarcastic--but only the Shadow knows.

Yea, I got the sarcasm. Why don't we all go around this site, picking out posts with bad grammer, mispelled words or statements that are redundant? Oh, I know why. Some of us are adults and understand that most folks don't come here to make perfect posts and don't have the need to find fault with tiny things.

I carefully checked for too much pressure as I worked up. I thought it was a bit slow too, but this is my first time loading 300 WSM, so I don't have a lot of other reference. The Barnes manual shows 68grs. of H4350 to be a max load with the 168gr. TTSX, @ 3150 fps, out of a 24 inch barrel. By the time I increased the powder charge enough to get my rifle shooting to 3150 fps, I did not like the pressure signs. I have one other Kimber Mt in 300 WSM that I have not fired or even mounted a scope on yet and if this one continues to show accuracy this good, I doubt I'll be in a hurry to try the other rifle.

Have you considered a "barrel smoothing" product such as the Tubbs system to expedite removing the bad spots of your barrel?

Are you a ballistics engineer for a company we may know? It is always good to know who is speaking....or said persons background, if they care to share.

Allen

I develope all the loads for Buffalo Bore Ammunition company--their in-stock items/loads as well as all the private contract ammo they produce.