My 300 Win Mag seems to shoot best at well under max loads. For example I can get the 220 Sierra Matchking going 2900 fps safely but accuracy is best at 2815 with H1000. Also I can get the Nosler 200 Partition going 3000 fps safely but accuracy is best at 2850. The Swift 180 Scirocco is shooting best with 75 grains of RL22 but I can safely load 77 grains. I wonder if this is normal? I had generally heard and experienced with other rifles that my most accurate loads tended to come at the max powder charges. I also wonder if switching to a different powder would enable me possibly to get equally good accuracy at a higher velocity. I have heard that there are accuracy nodes that come at different velocities. Perhaps I have not been able to find the next faster node with the powders I am trying. I know that it will not make much difference to the animal whether it is hit with a bullet going 2600 or 2800 fps on impact but a higher muzzle velocity would flatten trajectory and reduce wind drift a bit. Additionally it goes against the grain to have a downloaded 300 Win Mag. Would be nice to have it loaded to its potential. Any thoughts? Thanks, Rufous.

rufous....let me suggest a computer program called "QuikLoad" as it really can help you duplicate a "node" by utilizing it's function to determine identical barrel times....if you plug in the components you are using to get good accuracy it will give you the time the bullet spends in the barrel. You can then specify that barrel time and it will give you other combinations of components that will provide the same barrel time...will also show pressure and velcoity....all estimates of course but generally very, very close. I believe their website will allow you to test the program before you buy and I think the test section is for .30 caliber. I don't know the web-site but I think it is sold by NECO...you might try a web search or perhaps someone on the board knows the site location.

By the way, the levels where you are getting your best accuracy seem pretty good to me as I think pushing a 200gr Nosler to 3000fps in a .300 WinMag is really pushing the envelope for performance.

DB Bill, I would think that if the barrel time were the same then the velocity would also be the same. Is this not the case? How could the bullet be going faster and yet have the same barrel time as a slower bullet? Rufous.

It has to do with the acceleration rate. Picture the old story about drag racing coupes. They could only get about 80-90MPH top end. But they got to that speed VERY fast. Up against a car with a higher top end they would usually win by just a bit at the finish. Even though the other car was going much faster at the finish, it would not have been going faster for as long. In that analogy, with the finish line being the muzzle, both would have had nearly identical "MV"s but the "loser" would have had a much higher MV.