I am helping a friend reload some rounds for his .300 WSM with 165 and 180 gr. bullets. What is your preference for powder for these bullet weights? The rounds will be used for Idaho Elk (180's) and Texas Whitetails (165's) If you have any recommendations on bullets I'd welcome those as well. Thanks!

If you are not going for max velocities, I have had good luck with Varget and H4895 in 165 grain. Both show very good accuracy in my 300WSM (model 70 stainless synthetic). In 180 grain I still have not found a load I am really happy with, but H4831SC does pretty well. It may be that my rifle just likes 165 grain bullets better.....but I get significantly better accuracy with them.

H414 did not do well with any bullet weight I have tried (110, 150, 165, 168, 180).

My last 8 whitetails were shot with this caliber. The last 2 with Hornady SST 180 gr, the rest with Nosler 165 Ballistic Tips. Both give good quick kills. The Hornady seems to expand more quickly. Both destroy shoulders if you hit bone. Both are plenty accurate ehough for neck shots. I have recovered 2 of the 165BT's from frontal shots through the check. Both ended up in a hindquarter, going through the entire length of the (smaller) deer. Both had less than 55 grains of mass left, one was only the jacket. I am going to be loading down to .308 or 30-06 velocities for deer from now on.......

And before anyone asks, I don't use harder bullets because both deer I have shot in my life with 'hard' bullets (Nosler partition) ran several hundred yards while shot through the heart. I take the quick kill over slight loss of meat and aim for the neck these days.

I have heard good things about Magpro. Try http://www.shortmags.org/shortmags/

For 165's:
RL-19 From 61.7 grains to 72.5 grains
Winchester WLR Primer

For 180's:
RL-19 From 61.3 grains to 70.5 grains
Winchester WLR Primer

Steve,

What kind of velocities are you getting with R19? I was thinking a slower powder might work better, but maybe not because it is not a long magnum case. Why do you like R19? Thanks!

I wouldnt overlook accurates Magpro. It was made just for the short magnums. it also works very well in my 300 ultra.
It is a spherical powder so it meters like water. It is nice , very nice to work with.

This has been good to me, I know it's a fast powder but it shoots very consistant.

http://loadyourown.com/loaddata/detailcaliber.asp?id=2665

I like RL-19 best because it gave the most consistant small groups.

The best load I've worked up for my M70 featherweight, 165 grain Hornady Interbonds consists of Norma brass, F215 primers, 67 gr. H4350, seated 0.03 from the lands. Places three shots well under an inch at 100yrds, holes usually touching each other. Chrono's at about 3150fps. My rifle really likes this bullet. I tried several of the powders listed above and they all grouped under 1.5" at 100 yards. I shot my elk, beutiful 6 point bull, at 450 yards this year with this bullet, hit right behind the shoulder about 10" below the back. He dropped instantly. Bullet was under the skin on the far side, perfect mushroom appearance and maintained 92% of original wt.

Ive had excellent results with RL19 in my 300WSM, with 165, 168, and 180 grain bullets. Jeff

I read somewhere that W-W loaded W760 in their factory loads, and, it's certainly worked well for me, at least with 165's. Using the 165 Hdy. Spire Points, 66 W760, WLR primers and W-W cases, velocities run around 3,080 FPS (24" barrel), and decent (1 - 1.25") groups.

R-WEST

W760 for the 150 grain. RL-19 for the 165-168 and 180. The 150 is the CT-BST..all the rest are of course--Hornady's..

Thanks for the great info everyone. I am surprised I didn't here about IMR7828. Anybody use Retumbo?