Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Preferred .300 WM Elk Load?

For you .300 WM ( well, any 300 Mag is OK) elk shooters, which load do you "prefer" to use. I mean, what in your experience has given you personally that "warm fuzzy" feel when you get ready to take that shot? Cows, Bulls, all. I have only killed one cow with a "300 H&H equivalent", 30-06 Hornady LM 180 going 2910. It worked but I felt it was a bit fragile. I later went to the Barnes 180 XBT ( 20 yrs ago, come on, ha) over either R22 or H4831, no elk but many head of Plains Game, up close and out to 375 or a bit. I loaded the 200AB/Retumbo in a 300 RUM I gave my SIL, he killed a big cow a tad over 440yds. I am taking a 300WM/150 TTSX (along with my .270W/129LRX as backup) on an upcoming Fall cow elk hunt. But I see many more 300WMs than RUMS or Wbys. What do you guys like and why? :Stay healthy you Old Phartz too!

200Gn TSX @ 2950fps. I swapped from the 200gn Nosler Part. to the 200TSX. Same OAL, same powder charge, accuracy was significantly better w/the Barnes and that's all the "research" I performed. I've killed 10 elk (mix of bulls and cows), 1 moose, and a bunch of deer with that combo. It's been very repeatable for both accuracy and lethality. Shots on elk have been ~125yds to just under 500yds.

I and my son in law use the Barnes 165 factory load out of my 300 WSM Kimber Montana. It's taken 17 elk, mainly bulls, so far.
With him using that rifle I'm now using an ULA in 300 WIN with the Barnes 165 factory load. I've taken one 6x6 at 450 yards.

The 165 Barnes are very accurate in both rifles and we are getting exits on broadside shots. Problem with elk as you don't always get that picture perfect chest shot so you need penetration and a tough bullet.

180g North Fork SS (no longer available but I have a good stash)
180g Barnes MRX, TTSX

Have only taken mulies with it but have used Barnes 175g LRX on elk hunts as well. .

CH, have you killed elk with the 175 LRX? I bought 3 boxes of the damn things and am hoping to get them to shoot in some of my 300's. They seem to be about the best option for the 300 magnums IMHO...

Looking pretty nice in the blue box.

Between my 2 sons and I we have used a 300 Win and 2 300 Wbys for all our elk the past 15yrs. With the exception of 2 being taken with 180gr TTSXs and one with 180gr TB tipped, all the rest have been with 168 TTSXs, which became our favorite many years ago. From 25yds to almost 500yds, they get the job done with no problems. Pushed to about 3300fps in the Wbys and 3200 in the Win mag they leave nothing to be desired. We experimented with the 180gr TB tipped in one rifle this past season and it performed very well on a big 6x6. Still prefer the Barnes but couldn't knock the TB.

I've loaded that 168 TSX for a friends 300 WSM and he has killed elk, Red Deer, Mountain Sheep/Goat and Mule Deer with them. I just bought another 300WM ( this time a Bergara B14) and it may not like these 150TTSX (that shot so well out of the CA Mesa I sold to buy the 84L Classic .270 I couldn't live without! But then I found I couldn't live w/o a 300WM either! Arrgh!) so I ordered some of those 175 LRX to try too. If I had not already had the 150TTSX, I probably would have started out with the 168 TTSX. I am after decent speed and good accuracy, doesn't have to be a case melter load for me, ha. I like have a backup rifle all set up and ready if my primary ( the one I choose "that" day) scope goes wonky, trigger freezes,etc. But for me, .270/mono is MY minimum on elk that "I" feel comfortable about...warm fuzzy, ha. Keep them coming guys!

I’ve experimented with the 175 LRX and didn’t get the accuracy I’ve always had with 168s. We’ve had 1 rifle that shot better with 180s but it’s gone and the replacement prefers 168s. Have tried the 200 LRX in a 300 RUM and while not bad they wouldn’t shoot with the 168s.

You can't go wrong with 180-200 gr partitions backed by max loads of RL-22 or IMR-4350. I've used 200 grain partitions in both a 300 WM and 300 RUM and never caught a bullet. I've caught one 200gr Accubond from my 300 WM as well as one 165gr GMX. Both went through about 3-4 feet of elk before stopping in the hide.

The 168gr Barnes TTSX In a .300 Weatherby is my huckleberry. RL26 is my current load but Accurate Mag Pro was usedvfor many years. Both powders produced sub moa groups and the TTSX performed flawlessly

Mine is 77.4 gr of RL26, Fed 215M, 200 gr Nosler Accubond in Nosler brass. I get just over 2950 fps in my custom Model 70 with 24” barrel. I seat the bullet to maximum for the magazine, which is pretty deep. That load is straight from Alliant’s website.

Jim, did you get rid of the Mesa?

No elk with the 175LRX. Yet - will be suing the combo again this year. Have found them to be as accurate as the 180s in my rifle and they fly noticeably flatter at longer ranges. Like the MRX and TTSX, we have not recovered one. The mulie buck I shot with one was a few under 300 and it was on the ground before I recovered from the recoil.

Nice looking box of ammo - color coordinated!

Scotty- yes I did. I liked the rifle, but it was still a tad heavy for what I wanted, but I was OK. then, I found a pristine Kimber 84L Classic with really nice wood and I was messing around with another Mesa ( 6.5 Creedmoor for the grand daughter). so I sold the 300 Mesa, bought the Kimber, had it sent off and Cryo treated, trigger set where I wanted and put the Vortex 1.5x8 on it. 7 libs! And pretty enough/light enough to be a good heirloom for the Grand Daughter later. Meanwhile, I wasn't thrilled about having the 6.5 Creedmoor as an elk back up rifle ( to the .270) plus, I never got it to shooting like I thought it should, and then I had the strangest pain...I still wanted a heavy hitter, and for the way I hunt/where I hunt, I like the flatter shooters. I couldn't make myself do it with the little 338 RCM, which I sold too. It was light enough, but I don't shoot the shortys that well anymore. I needed another 300WM! So sold the Creedmoor! Just happened to stop by Sheels going home, and they were having a sale. I looked at a Bergara B14 Hunter ( I've always liked them, how they feel in my hands) and a Tikka T3X Lite SS also in 300. I just preferred the B14. Got it home, put the 3x9 FFII on .it, the trigger came preset to 2 1/2 pds, nice. I cleaned it up, torqued it to 55 inch pds. I like it. Its lighter than the Mesa a bit. I don't have to make it an "all arounder" like I started out this summer with the one 300 Mesa. I even got a new Alpine Gun Slicker to protect the pretty Kimber's wood if it storms on me, ha. I "think" I'm all set now with my "North America" 2 Gun Battery. .270W and 300WM. Bob Hagel is smiling somewhere!

( FYI everyone, yes, I'm a Rifle Looney, but I made a decision decades ago, as a busy Minister, to "limit myself" to 2-3 and if I want something different ( I usually do!) I sell/trade to do it. If its too nice to sell/trade, I give it away and start over. Layaway is my friend too, ha)

Can’t argue a bit with those two. Two of my favorites as well. My little brother runs the same pair.

My gun had a couple loads it liked!

Win WLRM
71.0gr. IMR-4350
180gr. Accubond
3050fps
Killed a couple cow elk with this load!

The load I used before I sold it to a guy that wanted it more than I did was:

Fed 215
76.0gr. RL-22
168gr. Barnes TTSX
3175fps and VERY accurate!
Only killed one cow with this load at a lasered 360yds and she never knew what hit her!

Elk Country

20 yrs ago I used 76gr R22 with the Barnes 180 XBT, right at 3100! I'm sure I had the pressure "up a bit" on that one, ha.

I have used 180 grain Nosler partitions in 300 Win Mag, and 200 grain Nosler Partitions in 308 Norma and 300H&H, and 220 grain Partitions in 300 Weatherby.
No problems with any of them. All 1 shot kills and all with exits. I no longer own most of those rifles, but I still have my Mauser in 300H&H and I use the 200 grain bullets in it with perfect results. It's the onluy 300 mag I kept. No complaints with any of them however.

Yeah, ive killed elk with the 200gr partition as well. Never saw a need to change that winning combo. My only complaint was the damn 300wm recoil when running these pills at 2900 fps. I actually much prefer my old 06 pushing the same bullet at 2650-2700fps. Its much easier on the shoulder and that bullet still out penetrates just about anything around, even at lower 30-06 velocities.