Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Running 165's in a 300 WSM?

Looking over the ballistics of the 165 stuffed into a 300 WSM, it shoots flatter than my 7 mags running a 160 and dang close to 140 capability.

A. What velocities are capable with a 165 and a 24" barrel? Books list up to 3175.

B. 165 Accubonds at 3100+ - they holding together? The 140's at 7 mag vels don't stay together real well at close range.

I load 168gr Barnes TSX for a friends 300WSM, and he gets 3,175fps out of his Browning with excellent accuracy.

I can assure you, a Barnes TSX, or TTSX, will hold together at very close range.

I used 165 Accubonds outta my 300 WSM. Worked great. Held togather extremly well. Shot deer as close as 20 yards out to 300+. Performed just like they should. Found a few perfectly mushroomed under the hide on the longer shots.

Perfect choice, IMO. The 165gr TSX is all I shoot in my Montana .300 WSM.

168gr TTSX at 3100 in my 300WSM.

I've used 180 AB's in my 300 WSM. They're pure crap. I've had 2 completely blow up and the meat destruction in the rest is more than I'll put up with.

I'm loading 64.5grs of Winchester 760 with 165gr Hornady Interbonds,COL is 2.850,velocity is 3125fps and prints nice little groups with my rifle.I have never recovered one yet.Game killed with this bullet are mostly whitetails,but have also taken an elk and nilgia with them.

165 grain in the 300WSM should be a smokin' deadly load if accurate. BTW, I load 180 AB, in my Rem. 700, SPS, 300WSM. This is a very accurate load and has accounted for 15 big game animals in the continental U.S. and South Africa. All dead upon arrival. No blown up meat and no complaints about not being dead enuf! MTG

Hmmmm..maybe I should try a 165 in mine...

Don't have it any more, but that's what I was getting too. Worked awesome.

Dave

Two loads worked well for me...66 H4350-165 NPT;and 72 RL22 with the same bullets.I also ran the above loads with the 165 Sierra,and it was an accurate bullet with both powders.

In my rifles velocities were in the 3125-3140 range.

Never got to try them on game in the WSM, but in the 300 Win Mag the 165 Partition was a bomb on anything we used it on up to elk and the 165 Bitterroot was equally good.I can't recall we ever recovered a Partition from anything we killed with that load.

...............Should you desire to take things a step further beyond 3175, Alliant`s listing of 68 gr RL17 behind a 165 gr Speer shows 3217 fps (24" barrel).

Hodgdon`s listing of 72 gr Superformance behind a 165 gr Nosler Part shows 3273 fps (24" barrel) @ 63,500 psi.

Not in my rifle. Anything over 65gr of RL17 and the 168TTSX is too hot. 64.5 is good for about 3145, but settled on 64gr of RL17 under the 168TTSX for 3100. Good enough. Just started using it. One MD, one bull moose so far.

Oh you mean regular ol 165's? Like good ol Hornady interlocks. Ok, I've tried a few in mine ......:



Work great on deer too...

b: That'll change at 500-600...assuming of course you start the 160's at full potential.

As blasphemous as it sounds, 165's at 3100+, especially the AB, make my 7 WSM unnecessary..............

Am thinking seriously of thinning the herd for simplicity. The 300 WSM covers alot of ground at a recoil level not much different than an 06. In fact, max loads in a 7lb 06 recoil more than my loads in an 8lb 300 WSM (180 at 2950). My M70 EW in 300 WSM balances nice and is a good all around weight and length. I dig that gun.

Prolly keep the 180's for elk - they work wonderfully every time. Many folks like the TSX/TTSX for elk, I still can't imagine a better bullet than the ol' Partition. I've shot alot of game with various Nosler products and find the 1948 version the bestest.

I've haven't shot many 165's of any flavor in the 30 cals. Its always been 150 for smaller critters and 180's for bigger. The 165 always seemed a compromise for some reason. Am starting to think a 165 Partition at 3100+ may be the best answer to everything that walks in NA.

According to my ballistic program, a 165 AB, started at 3150 shoots 2" flatter at 500 yards than a 160 Partition started at 3000 in my 7 WSM. Not that 2" at 500 yards means anything......

Edited to add - just ran the 165 Partition at 3100 against the 160 7mm at 3000, the 165 still shoots flatter at 500 - by 0.4".

b: This 7mm vs 30 discussion may go on forever Here's what I have noticed...

Back when I had both magnum 30's and 7RM,I would load 180's in the 300 Win and Weatherby to about 3100 fps for both,zeroed them the same, and shot them to 600.Same with the 160 7mm.

Those two were basically neck and neck,although the 7mm would show slightly low at 300 yards, the 30-180 was slightly high...by the time I got to 600, the 7mm was shading the 180 30....not by a lot,but you could see it on the targets.From that standpoint what one will do the other will do and both showed about 48" of drop at 600.

Yeah I can dig that if the 165 30 has a 150 fps advantage out of the box,it will shoot flatter....but this ain't apples to apples since a 165 30 is about like a 140 7mm(the 160 7mm being more like a 180 gr 30)....and you will pick up a velocity advantage of the 7mm 140 in the 7RM,pretty easily hitting 3250.the tables will turn.

I think if we are to compare, I'm gonna start them both at the same speed(apples to apples)....

Anyway I've eliminated the need for the discussion by blowing 160's out of the Mashburn at,or a bit below, 3200 fps....this gets me to 600 yards with the dots and reticle of a 6x36 Leupold with no need for anything else......who needs a 300 WSM?

This is the load I shoot with 168 BT's.

...........Yep! That`s enough speed to get `er done using 168s.

Apparently your particular rifle when compared with Alliant`s maximum RL17 listings, cannot accept loads quite as high without going too hot; ie Alliant`s maximum listing of 66 gr RL17 w/180 gr Speers @ 3082 fps and their max listing of 68 gr RL17 w/165 Speer @ 3217 fps.

67.8 gr of RL17 behind a 168 VLD gets me 3040 fps, while 66 gr of RL17 behind a 180 gr Horn IB gets 2917 fps from a 16.5" tubed 300 WSM Ruger Frontier compact. No pressure signs. Another 1/2 to 3/4 gr with either load shows signs of pressure. Those speeds ime, can only come from a combo of a faster bore (in my particular rifle) and RL17..........I`ll take em.

Performance from one rifle to the next due to chambers and bores can be interesting.