Tired of reloading and looking at factory ammo.Anyone have any luck with the 300 Win Mag Hornady Superformance GMX 165 gr?
Also the new Remington HTP ammo with Barnes bullets looks interesting but havent seen any reports on it yet
I took one cow with factory ammo in 300 Win. and it was the Superformance GMX 165 gr. The bullet expanded perfect and didn't lose much/any mass. Hard angle shot, went in just in front of the hind quarter and was found in the hide by the front shoulder joint. The bullet went through the stomach which was filled with grass from feeding all night, the diaphragm, took out the off side lunge, broke the shoulder joint and was trapped in the hide. Lots of penetration, good accuracy and manageable recoil. Nosler also makes good factory ammo but its about $10 more a box.
Easy.
Federal Premium 180 grain Partition.
Tried a box of Barnes Vortex 180 TTSX in my 300 Win, and it shot very well. I hand load with the same bullet and wanted to see how the factory ammo preformed in terms of accuracy. Still like my handloads better, but I wouldn't hesitate to take the Barnes factory stuff hunting if I needed ammo. I also tried a box of Hornady Precision Hunter 200 gr ELD-X and my rifle did not like it at all....
Anything with a 180 Partition, AccuBond, or other premium lead/bonded bullet, or a 150 or 165 class mono like the TTSX, GMX, or E-tip would be perfect for elk. Use whatever one shoots the best in your particular rifle.
I would stick with Federal premium ammo, they have the best assortment of big game bullets especially for a 300 win mag.
I've shot a lot of elk size game with the older Barnes 180XBT from the 300WM and only one with the 165X. "To me" I just felt the 180 hit them a bit harder. Not much but a bit. I'm sure the Partition, or other Premium brands do well. Clean your rifle good, then start out with one box of your choice. It may take a couple to several rounds to "foul" the bore. If it doesn't shoot to your standards by 15rds odds are it ain't never! Start over with a clean barrel and different brand...try again. Pay attention to the Lot#. Once you find a brand/weight that suits you, go back to the store and buy 5 or more boxes of the same Lot#. Have a ball!
Easy.
Federal Premium 180 grain Partition.
Eggzackly!
I would try the Barnes 165 or 180 gr TTSX or Federal Premium’s clone. Or just stick with 180 gr Partitions. I’ve never had a mule deer or elk wander off after a hit from a TTSX in 7mm or .300 Mag. Happy Trails
when you buy your ammo for the 300 win.mag. that you decide on buy 2 or 3 box`s of the same ammo with the same lot number.
Anything with a 180 Partition, AccuBond, or other premium lead/bonded bullet, or a 150 or 165 class mono like the TTSX, GMX, or E-tip would be perfect for elk. Use whatever one shoots the best in your particular rifle.
+1
Easy.
Federal Premium 180 grain Partition.
^^ This
Why not? If it is accurate.
Oh, come on, you guys! You are "keeping up with the Joneess" with these big shootzenboomers and premium loads. (and yes, I have and use a .338WM)
Elk, no matter the hype, are not "bullet resistant". (if they are- you are doing something wrong). Usually.
I have taken over 20 moose with rounds ranging from .243 , 12 ga slug, to .338WM- mostly with .30-06 C&C 180s. Much bigger than elk, tho some may debate "toughness". Only a couple with premium loads, whether factory or custom.
The one elk I have taken, at about 150 yards, was DRT with a .260 , 140 gr (gasp) factory Corelokt.
Federal Premiums in whatever have always worked well for me, but so have Corelokt factory rounds. Premiums are overhyped, IMO, and experience.
I have whacked better than 75 caribou, with a variety of loads and calibers, and have yet to see a difference in "dead". I will say that the Hornady SP SST generally leaves considerably bigger holes (in .30-06) under 300 yards than over, and this trait is lessoned with the GMX, so if you don't mind copper fouling, the mono-metal GMX may well be the thing for you, if it is accurate in your rifle.
The factory SP SST and GMX do NOT shoot to same POI in 150 gr,, .30-06 as I had read somewhere - at least not in my rifle, which prints both into about 1" at 300 yards. But the Corelokts do the same, at still a different POI.
When I burn thru my remaining SST,s I'l likely go back to Corelokts... I'm pretty much off the monos altogether, but YMMV.
This ain't rocket science - put any reasonably well constructed bullet from any reasonably powered rifle into a critter's vitals and it will die. They won't know if it is C&C or a 3.00 per round mono.
Here is a link to a 300 Win Mag I have for sale. Check the targets at the bottom of the pictures for accuracy
of my rifle using 180 grain partitions.
https://imgur.com/a/UIiNf
If I didn't have an accurate reload for my 300WM with 168gr. TTSX bullets, the 165gr. GMX Superformance load would be at the top of my list to try.
What's not to like? A 165gr. tipped mono at 3200fps + is an elk killin machine!
Elk Country
I've got a two boxes of Hornady ELDx 200 gr I'd sell ya. PM me an offer if interested.
Easy.
Federal Premium 180 grain Partition.
^^ This
Yep, I'm with you guys..
Finally made it to the range today,will be shooting the Hornady Superformance 165 GMX. Shoots great in my Tikka and Buddys Measa!
Why not? If it is accurate.
Oh, come on, you guys! You are "keeping up with the Joneess" with these big shootzenboomers and premium loads. (and yes, I have and use a .338WM)
Elk, no matter the hype, are not "bullet resistant". (if they are- you are doing something wrong). Usually.
I have taken over 20 moose with rounds ranging from .243 , 12 ga slug, to .338WM- mostly with .30-06 C&C 180s. Much bigger than elk, tho some may debate "toughness". Only a couple with premium loads, whether factory or custom.
The one elk I have taken, at about 150 yards, was DRT with a .260 , 140 gr (gasp) factory Corelokt.
Federal Premiums in whatever have always worked well for me, but so have Corelokt factory rounds. Premiums are overhyped, IMO, and experience.
I have whacked better than 75 caribou, with a variety of loads and calibers, and have yet to see a difference in "dead". I will say that the Hornady SP SST generally leaves considerably bigger holes (in .30-06) under 300 yards than over, and this trait is lessoned with the GMX, so if you don't mind copper fouling, the mono-metal GMX may well be the thing for you, if it is accurate in your rifle.
The factory SP SST and GMX do NOT shoot to same POI in 150 gr,, .30-06 as I had read somewhere - at least not in my rifle, which prints both into about 1" at 300 yards. But the Corelokts do the same, at still a different POI.
When I burn thru my remaining SST,s I'l likely go back to Corelokts... I'm pretty much off the monos altogether, but YMMV.
This ain't rocket science - put any reasonably well constructed bullet from any reasonably powered rifle into a critter's vitals and it will die. They won't know if it is C&C or a 3.00 per round mono.
That makes to much sense. Exactly what I do except I use Winchester Power Point 180 grain factory ammunition out of my 30/06. I zero my rifle---2" high @ 100 yards & go hunt. FYI---I had to turn in my "Rifle Looney Card"-----got kicked out of the club because it made to much sense.
Easy.
Federal Premium 180 grain Partition.
The thread ends here.
Pretty much anything that is accurate in your rifle will work most of the time. Son-in-law took his first elk at about 400 yards with Winchester 180g white box ammo.
My preference and recommendation, though, is to use premium bullets that are proven to hold together at high velocity impacts and still expand nicely at longer ranges. Most of my ammo is loaded with North Fork SS, Nosler AccuBond and Barnes TTSX. The AccuBond and TTSX see the most usage these days.
If buying ,300WM factory ammo I'd be happy with Partitions, AccuBond, TTSX, A-Frame, Edge TLR and Trophy Bonded, provided they all shot well. 165g to 210g would suit me fine.
I ran afoul of how the airline wanted the reloads I had put together boxed and I had to give them to my wife before I went through security. So I land in Jackson Hole, rent a car to Pinedale Wyoming and head for the big sporting goods store there right off the main street. The only ammo on the shelf for my 300 Win mag were 150 grain Corelokts! Far cry from my 200 grain Partition reloads but I buy two boxes and as soon as I got on BLM land I set up a target, took 6 shots to get it sighted in 3 inches high at 110 steps. We head up into the mountains and before we even get to camp I see and shoot a nice 6x6, big bodied old elk too. Hit him just behind the shoulder about half way up the body and he is laying on the ground when I get him back in the scope. Range was 150 yards. The bullet was under the hide on the far side expanded almost flat with less than a 1/4 inch of bullet shank left. Well that elk went down as fast as any I have ever seen shot so I can't really snivel, I was pretty lucky as all I had to do the next two weeks was take care of camp and keep the beer stocked.
I ran afoul of how the airline wanted the reloads I had put together boxed and I had to give them to my wife before I went through security. So I land in Jackson Hole, rent a car to Pinedale Wyoming and head for the big sporting goods store there right off the main street. The only ammo on the shelf for my 300 Win mag were 150 grain Corelokts!
This is why I'm switching to a 30-06 with factory ammo, especially for hunts where I have to fly. After a summer of testing ammo, I've learned to chronograph everything as well as checking accuracy. One of the first loads I tested was Federal's 30-06 180-grain Partition because it makes the most sense as a factory 30-06 elk load. It’s accurate enough, but I was surprised to see that it runs 2,550 fps in a couple of my rifles instead of the advertised 2,700 fps. That difference won’t make it harder to kill an elk, but it could definitely make it harder to hit one at longer range if you zeroed in the field and weren’t expecting the lower velocity.
My goal is to identify loads that a) my rifle shoots fairly well, b) run fast, and c) that I can probably find in a big-box store in game country.
Once you know the velocity in your rifle, you can use
https://www.norma.cc/us/Ammunition-Academy/Ballistics/ballistics-program/ or
https://www.federalpremium.com/ballistics_calculator/ to get some idea about your drops.
when you buy your ammo for the 300 win.mag. that you decide on buy 2 or 3 box`s of the same ammo with the same lot number.
Get it by the case.
https://ammoseek.com/ammo/ is your friend. It crawls all of the ammo sites and lists stuff by price. Try to shop in the few months after hunting season when distributors need to clear out inventory. A lot of times you can get breaks on shipping.
Okie John
I have been hunting and shooting elk since the 60"s, any ammo that shoots a 180 Nosler AB or Partition in your rifle, would be my choice. Elk are not bullet proof, but every once in a while, you will run into one that thinks he is.
Most any 180 bullet in a 300WM will work just fine on elk.
For cheapies, Federal Fusions work well and are usually very accurate in everything.