I thought I posted this last night but don't see it so here goes again.

In my .300 Win. mag. I can get under one inch groups with 165 grain Nosler Ballistic tips. But I am having no luck with 180's. I have changed powders primers and brass. I can get 3 shot groups under an inch but not consistant. With 165 grainers I can get 6 shots in an inch square. Could my rifle just not like 180 grain bullets as well? The 165 grain groups are with IMR 4350 and the 180's are with H4831SC

With the 4350 I had to load to where i was starting to show signs of over pressure to get the 180's to tighten up. With the 4831 I am loading under max loads as going past 70 grains the groups started opening up. Hodgen shows 73 grains as max.

Any input? BTW I am using benchrest primers for the 180 grain loads as that was one friends recomendation.

Are your primers magnum or standard? I found that magnum primers can blow a group.

I have had a horrible time with 300WM. I have two of them, and neither will shoot as well as think they ought.

Good luck. ku-dude

PS: The Ballistic Tip is very accurate in my 30-06 and 30-338, but I found that it does not hold together well enough for game of the weight you'd use a 180 partition.

[ 10-07-2003, 06:08: Message edited by: Ku-dude ]

Some barrels just don't like certain bullets.My 300ultramags both love 180gr ballistic tips but don't like 165gr ballistic tips or partitions of either weight.I have now taken 5 elk and 2 moose with 180gr ballistic tips out of my 300ultramag with a muzzle velocity of approximately 3400fps.All shots were lung shots with a couple of shoulders hit inadvertantly.All bullets but one exited and that one passed through the chest and shoulder of an elk before stopping under the offside hide.

RL-25 From 64.8 grains to 82.3 grains
Winchester WLR Primer

I had a ruger 300 win mag that shot well with 180 grain ballistic tips. I used cci 250 primers with IMR 7828 max loads and reloader 22 max loads.

I worked at it to get a good hunting load with Barnes 200 gr X.
Speer SP 180 gr's just seemed to fall right into place and they're doing 3100+.

Sounds to me you just have to play with the powder charges, or switch to another. That is why we hand load right.

As far as performance on game, a Ballistic Tip will do well on game, even large game, as long as the velocity is under 2700 fps on impact.
Over that, the resistance of the media it hits, is enough to have the bullet expand violently.
It is not as good as a partition at all, for better all around performance. But if you use it in it's parameters, it can do one heck of a job of downing an animal.

I downed an elk with a 165 grain Ballistic tip in a 30/06 that was leaving the muzzle at 2250 fps. At 175 yrds, it downed a 600 pound cow elk that piled up about 50 yds, from where she took the bullet thru the lungs. It took out both lungs, cut the esophagus and the top half of the liver, and was bulged on the oft side under the hide. A partition would have done no better.

I am not a Mag lover, but I have noticed no finicky ness in any 300 Winchester I have owned.

Looks like I will try regular primers. I have been using magnum and benchrest primers. I know all about how well ballistic tips can work. I have killed more white tails than I can count with them. I use 125's in my .308 and have been using 165's in the .300 Just want to give 180's a try. Thanks for the input so far.

Try 75.5grs. RE22, WLR primer, working up of course, Jay

I have had great success with 80.0 grains of H1000 and 180 Ballistic Tips.

And I am not ashamed to admit it

I have gone down that same path that you are traveling only with a 8mm/06. This mauser shoots 200 gr. partions great but the 180 gr. BT I good not get under 2.5" and I ran the gamet in varibles. I shot low and high vel. loads with no sign of improvement. So for the sake of sanity I crossed that load off. You know there is a saying "when the horse is dead, dismount"....Bob

Before you give up, vary your seating depth. Take a loaded round of the good 165s and insert the bullet lightly in the muzzle and twist it until you get a light ring on it fron the rifle lands. Then do the same with a 180 gr bullet out of the case and try to seat a loaded round so that the scored rings line up. This will place the 180 the same distance fron the lands as the 165s.

Contrary to print, many times a max load is where the accuracy is at and particularly with slow burning powders like 4831....Keep tinkering, there is a combo that will work, but you have to find it....

Well back to the range yesterday. Found that my old brass grouped as well as the new brass so no need to worry about that. Magnum primers and benchrest primers did about the same. Still got to try regular large rifle primers. Loaded a few to max (73 grains) with H4831 and group opened a bit compared to 70 grains but were still good enough for hunting. Will load some more with this load as there were no signs of over pressure.

My Browning A-Bolt with 26" barrel just LOVES (consistent 3/4" groups) 72 grains (MAX load) Accurate 3100 with WLR primers in Winchester brass for the Nosler BT.