300 WM bullets and powder

WeiserBucks

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  • Feb 13, 2017
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    Weiser , Idaho
    I have a 26" 300 WM on the way . Any reason not to go straight to the 215 hybrids ? Is there a preferred powder? I have H4831 , H1000 and Retumbo on hand .

    Will be used for informal long range steel past 1200 and hunting at long-ish range, probably less than 1000 99% of the time .
     
    Probably best to know what your barrel twist rate before providing an answer. For example my 1:11 twist Sako trg42 will shoot 210gn very well (sub 1/2moa) but due to stability factors 230gn are not the best option.
     
    Working with a friend on his 26" custom 300. He's using 208 eld's and h1000 and getting a tick over 2900. Formidable combo. Was just looking at prices for bullets. The eld's are $15/per box cheaper than the 215 hybrids. Thats pretty significant.

    edited: .354 g7 for the berger, .348 for the eld. Id cross my fingers and hope the eld shoots.
     
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    I know the A-max had a great track record on game , I assume the ELD would be similar. The 225 ELD-M with it's .777 BC has cought my eye but im not sure I'd get it moving fast enough to see a benefit over a lighter bullet .
     
    I am about to start reloading for my .300wm as well. Similar specs..26" barrel, 1:10 twist. My plan is to go with H1000 powder, GM215M primers, and Berger 200gr hybrid targets. Keep in mind that Berger has the optimal twist rate for the 215's as 1:9 or faster. Not that they won't work in a 1:10. Just something to think about.
     
    Where I shoot and hunt is over 5000' elevation, I can get away with a little less twist and maintain stability vs lower elevation. All my current rifles are at least 1" slower twist than recommended and shoot great at all ranges.
     
    I just finished my load development on my remington 700 police. I am currently using Berger 210 VLDs with H4831sc. The best group I've shot so far has been .4 something moa. I started with 220 smks and decided to make the change so I could run a magazine.
     
    Lets get this discussion going again. It’s apparent from this discussion and dozens of other that H1000 is a very reputable powder for 300wm. As we all know the stuff is near impossible to find. I haven’t been able to get any understanding of why in my research. What are guys running that are out of h1000 or what is a comparable powder that provides similar features.

    I’ll be shooting a savage stealth BA in 300wm and currently looking to run 190 Berger VLDs
     
    Reloder 26 also works well with heavy bullets, I have used it with 225 ELDMs. As for why it’s hard to find, look at the recent thread on Hodgdon powders and look at the photos of 100 lbs. stilling on people shelves.

    Mike
     
    I had a tough time finding something mine liked but finally found that magical blend:

    H1000
    Hornady Brass
    208gr ELD-M
    73.6gn
    26" Bartlein / 1-10" twist
     
    I had a tough time finding something mine liked but finally found that magical blend:

    H1000
    Hornady Brass
    208gr ELD-M
    73.6gn
    26" Bartlein / 1-10" twist
    What are your thoughts on the hornady 300 wm brass? I'm looking for components to start loading for a rifle I just got. Heard some not good things about winchester quality, but have found some places stocking the hornady cases.
     
    I’ve used Hornady brass until just recently, I found some Norma brass. The Hornady was okay but seems a step down from the Norma. I did have to de-burr the primer flash hole on all of them, but not one on the Norma brass. The Norma is also much more uniform in weight.

    Mike
     
    I’ve used Hornady brass until just recently, I found some Norma brass. The Hornady was okay but seems a step down from the Norma. I did have to de-burr the primer flash hole on all of them, but not one on the Norma brass. The Norma is also much more uniform in weight.

    Mike
    Thanks. I read where some guys were getting bags of winchester brass with split necks and wrinkled shoulders. I have some ADG brass on order, but would like some cheaper brass just to build some plinking ammo.
     
    My Hornady brass needed to be prepped before use, but seemed to shoot okay; the Norma is just more uniform out of the bag. I think it shoots better, but that’s hard to quantify. My brother bought some Hornady brass in 300 H&H that had quite a few split necks so I guess it does happen.

    Mike
     
    What are your thoughts on the hornady 300 wm brass? I'm looking for components to start loading for a rifle I just got. Heard some not good things about winchester quality, but have found some places stocking the hornady cases.

    I’ve had no issues with the Hornady brass; virgin brass I just neck size and shoot it. Once it’s been fired I’ll clean it (tumble wit SS media), anneal it, bump the shoulder, trim it and turn the necks. I don‘t weigh my brass so can’t comment on that but I’m on my 5th reload and so far so good.
     
    What are your thoughts on the hornady 300 wm brass? I'm looking for components to start loading for a rifle I just got. Heard some not good things about winchester quality, but have found some places stocking the hornady cases.

    Skip Winchester brass altogether!!!! I had 25% cull rate on my LAST bags of 300 WM brass that I purchased. I have heard that if you like to run on the warm side, that Hornady Brass may not hold up, but I don't have personal experience with this. After my problems with the Winchester brass, I contacted ADG and the consistency on the brass I purchased was OUTSTANDING. I think I had 3 grain variation total in the 100 cases that I weighed. I haven't tried the 215'Bergers as the 210' VLDs I started with have shot very well out of a 10 twist Broughton. I started with H1000, about 76 grains /215 or CCI 250 as I recall, and accuracy was excellent. However I have switched to RL 26 because I gained 50-75fps with it. I just emptied an 8lb jug of it... guess I better get some on back order.