Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting The 300 Wby Mag for elk- is there anything better?

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For 20+ years I was quite happy using the same rifle and load. Then Speer changed how the Grand Slam bullets were made and I switched to North Fork SS and tried the Barnes XLC. The North Fork worked great and the Barnes were unacceptably inconsistent. Then, as my daughters got out of high school and college (and my pocketbook), I started acquiring more rifles - not because I needed them but because I enjoyed and had the money to do so..

When it came to bullets I stayed with the North Fork, which have yet to disappoint, but also tried the Barnes TSX/MRX/TTSX, Swift Scirocco II and Nosler AccuBond. Because I chose to use 165-168g bullets in my .30-06s, I tried 140g North Fork HP in my 7mm RM, replacing the 160g NF SS I had been using (and will continue to use until my supply is gone).

For my .45-70 I developed 17 different loads, from light recoil plinkers to deer/elk loads to shoulder-busting loads I call Rhino Blasters that would stop anything that walks. For my .30-30 I have 19 different bullet, powder and powder charge combinations worked up. Why? Because it was a lot of fun.

With the ammo and component shortages of the last 8 years I've worked up multiple loads for every one of my rifles, using different bullets and often different powders as well. Because of those shortages and seasonal production of brass and bullets, my .375 Winchester only has 4 loads developed for it - with bullets from Sierra, Hornady and Vollmer and one with the more available.38-55 brass.

When it comes to loads I would use in the field, every rifle I own has at least two. For the more expensive loads there is a cheaper cup-and-core practice load that shoots to approximately the same POI. I've purchased lifetime supplies of brass for most of the cartridges I use and some of the bullets as well. In addition I've stocked up on components so I don't end up in the situation again, as has happened three times now, where I can't shoot one of my firearms due to lack of factory ammo and reloading components.

That said, when it comes to choosing a rife to hunt with, I enjoy taking different rifles as much as I enjoy hunting different areas. When I was interested in a new hunting bullet they would get tested on game before I stocked up. These days I'm pretty content with North Fork SS and HP, Barnes TTSX, Nosler AccuBond and Swift Scirocco II for my bolt guns. While I have a generally preferred load for each rifle, sometimes the rifle and load selected for a particular hunt is based more on what I have in the way of loaded ammo or components on the shelf than any other reason.