300 Win Mag powder recommendation

[Myerslake2005]

I'm new to reloading even though I've had the equipment for over 14 years (stored away) and am looking got recommendations on powder that will give me velocity but also accuracy.  I want to work up a load for an Elk hunt I am going on using 165gr Hornady BTSP in my 300 win mag and a 30-06 as a back up gun.  Any recommendations?

Thanks

[ricciardelli]

For the .300:
RL-22 From 66.9 grains to 79.5 grains
 Winchester WLR Primer

For the '06:
IMR-4350 From 47.5 grains to 59.0 grains
 Winchester WLR Primer

[SAWgunner]

I'm new to reloading even though I've had the equipment for over 14 years (stored away) and am looking got recommendations on powder that will give me velocity but also accuracy.  I want to work up a load for an Elk hunt I am going on using 165gr Hornady BTSP in my 300 win mag and a 30-06 as a back up gun.  Any recommendations?

Thanks

I would go a little heavier on the bullet for Elk, and probably go with a premium bullet unless the Hornady SPs work so good that you can't pass them up.  I have had alot of luck with Barnes TS's and Winchester CT Fail-Safes.  Try 180 grain fail safes...and you can go lighter with the Barnes.

[beemanbeme]

200 grain bullet and IMR4350.  Same for the 30-06.  Work your 300 up to @ 2900-3000fps and the 06 to @ 2600+fps and you're ready to go.  `
That 2" in flatter trajectory you'll get with the 165 ain't worth it.  At 300 yards, the heavier bullet is out running the lighter one and they are carrying a heavier pay load.

[Dusty Miller]

Do you actually think you'll have to take a 300 yard shot?  Will you be hunting out in the open or in a wooded area?  That has an effect on how you load and what you load.

[Coyote Hunter]

I'm new to reloading even though I've had the equipment for over 14 years (stored away) and am looking got recommendations on powder that will give me velocity but also accuracy.  I want to work up a load for an Elk hunt I am going on using 165gr Hornady BTSP in my 300 win mag and a 30-06 as a back up gun.  Any recommendations?

Thanks

My first suggestion would be to lose the Hornady BTSP’s.  I shot my first elk with a 7mm Rem Mag and a Hornady 162g BTSP.  The bullet only passed through one rib but lost over 50% of its original weight.  Never hunted with them again, and never will.  At .300 Win Mag speeds there many bullet choices that are much better.

At a minimum, a Grand Slam is a better bullet than the Hornady BTSP.  Even better are the InterBond, AccuBond, Scirocco and Partition bullets.  My choice for the .300 Win Mag is a TSX and North Fork, although an A-Frame of Trophy Bonded would do as well.  

As to powders, H4350 has worked best for me.

[ricciardelli]

Here we go with the old "you need a bigger bullet" and "you need to use those $2 each bullets" line of advice.

My last two elk were taken with:
6MM Remington using an 85 grain sierra bullet;
.25-06 Remington using a 120 grain Sierra bullet.

You don't need a super magnum, and you don't need exotic and erotic bullets.

What you do need is to know your limitations as a shooter.

[Danny Boy]

180 and 200gr Partitions have been serving me well. Non-premium bullets open up too fast for the 300WM speed.

My recommendation to you is along the same line as others use heavier premium bullets.

[SAWgunner]

Here we go with the old "you need a bigger bullet" and "you need to use those $2 each bullets" line of advice.

My last two elk were taken with:
6MM Remington using an 85 grain sierra bullet;
.25-06 Remington using a 120 grain Sierra bullet.

You don't need a super magnum, and you don't need exotic and erotic bullets.

What you do need is to know your limitations as a shooter.

So?  Here we go again with the, "You can kill a bull elephant with a .22 lr."  You know, you can kill and elk with just about anything with the right set of circumstances, but why would you do it?  He has a .300 Win. Mag....no need to go buy a Vamint/Whitetail/Antelope rifle and reload them with 85 grain Sierras.  I just don't understand the mentality of limiting yourself just for the sake of doing so.  If you put both shots in the same place, teh .300 with a premium bullet is going to kill the bull more quickly and humanely than a 6mm.  There is a reason that 6mm or .24 caliber is the minimum to hunt deer with in most states.

[Coyote Hunter]

Here we go with the old "you need a bigger bullet" and "you need to use those $2 each bullets" line of advice.

My last two elk were taken with:
6MM Remington using an 85 grain sierra bullet;
.25-06 Remington using a 120 grain Sierra bullet.

You don't need a super magnum, and you don't need exotic and erotic bullets.

What you do need is to know your limitations as a shooter.

Yes, a shooter needs to know their limitations - and that of their chosen cartridge.

While it is possible to take an elk with a .22 rimfire, that doesn’t make such a cartridge a good choice for that purpose.  In my 20+ years of elk hunting I have seen more elk wounded by a .243/6mm than any other caliber, so no, I don’t recommend them either.  IMHO the bullets are simply too light for elk - even when using Partition or TSX bullets.  (AccuBond, InterBond, A-Frame, Trophy Bonded and North Fork are unavailable in .243/6mm.)  One problem with a .243 is that, while it has plenty of reach, energy levels fall off fairly quickly.  The Sierra 85g SPT, when launched at 3250fps, doesn’t even make it to the 100 yard line before energy falls below 1500fpe, and the HPBT is even worse.  A .30-30 with a 170g bullet handloaded to 2250fps does better, gives a bigger hole and will usually penetrate further.

A .25-06, while considerably better than a .243/6mm, is still a minimal choice IMHO.  At least it can deliver 1500fpe out to ranges beyond which most elk are shot - a Sierra 120g HPBT leaving the barrel at 3000fps will just make it to the 250 yard line with that much energy.

By contrast, a .270 Win launching a 150g Partition at 3000fps delivers 1500fpe out top 480 yards.  Not a magnum, not a $2 bullet, but a very effective combination and a far superior choice when compared to the .243 or .25-06 – especially for those for whom elk hunting is a rare and maybe once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

2$ bullets?  What are you shooting, factory ammo?  A quick check shows the following costs for .308 165-168g bullets:

$0.27 InterBond
$0.34 AccuBond
$0.42 Partition
$0.56 TSX
$0.74 Scirocco and A-Frame
$0.84 North Fork
$1.06 Trophy Bonded

In the .300 Win Mag the 168g TSX costs me $14.90 per loaded box of 20 and the North Forks run $20.50 for the same quantity. Cheap factory ammo usually costs more. The plain truth is that the money I could save by loading and shooting standard “cup and core” bullets at big game might allow me, after 4 or 5 years, to buy a cheap glass of wine with my dinner.  Or, after a lifetime of hunting, I might be able to retire 10 seconds earlier.

Is there a difference in performance between small-diameter light bullets and fatter, heavier ones?  Yes.  Is there a performance difference between premium bullets and standard “cup and core” bullets?  Yes.  Are small caliber, light, standard bullets the best choice for elk?  No.

[huntswithdogs]

Myers,

Hogdon, at one time, sold sample packs that came with 3 different small containers of powder. Check with your local reloading supplier and see if they can supply this. I or my rifle has always had a preference for the 4831 powders,whether it's H4831 or IMR4831. The Reloader22 is in the same class.

Funny how this thread started asking for POWDER recommendations and it went off as a peeing contest about bullets....



HWD

[huntswithdogs]

Myers,

Hogdon, at one time, sold sample packs that came with 3 different small containers of powder. They offer these in their EXTREME powders. Check with your local reloading supplier and see if they can supply this. I or my rifle has always had a preference for the 4831 powders,whether it's H4831 or IMR4831. The Reloader22 is in the same class.

Funny how this thread started asking for POWDER recommendations and it went off as a peeing contest about bullets....



HWD