I am using Federal High Energy 300 win mag 200gr Nosler Partition factory ammo this year.
My wife confiscated my reloading bench to use for a computer table short term. So I am trying this factory ammo. First time in 10 years for factory ammo. I was very pleasantly surprised by this Federal ammunition.

Anyway I ran this through my chronograph.
The box says velocity is 2990fps.
I ran it through my chronograph and it was actually 3120 for 3 shot average.
That is from a 26" barrel.
Shoots great groups also.
Actual range figures:
plus 3 1/2" at 100 yards
0 at 300 yards
-10 at 400 yards

Anybody else seeing this kind of velocity/performance from this ammunition?
This is better than I was doing with my reloads.

Many people are finding lower actual velocities than listed on the boxes of both the light and heavy magnums and high energies.The fact that you have a 26" barrel will surely help.They also seem to be very fussy as to which guns that they are accurate in.

What Stubblejumper says is true. Not all rifles digest Heavy Magnum/High-Energy ammunition without showing signs of indigestion. Velocities can indeed be significantly lower than expected, and accuracy can be unacceptable. Chronograph readings can be wildly erratic in terms of extreme spread and standard deviation as well.

The good news is, if your rifle shoots High-Energy ammunition well (and it sounds like yours does!), and it meets or exceeds Federal's listed velocities, then you're home free with another great ammunition option at your disposal.

I used Federal's High-Energy 180 gr. Trophy Bonded load for a couple of years in two different .300 Win. Mag. rifles; one with a 24" Hart barrel, and the other with a 26" Kreiger. Despite the difference in barrel length, both rifles spit those 180 gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claws out at 3160 fps., with superb accuracy and consistent chronograph readings.

I shot quite a few animals with this ammunition, but I'll always remember an especially fine British Columbia moose that I shot at just over 200 yard with it. That 180 TB broke the left shoulder, wrecked the lungs, and kept on going. It was a pretty devastating performance, and sold me on the quality of the ammo and the bullet.

The only suggestion I'll make is that you buy up as much ammo of that particular lot number as you can. Factory ammo can be anything but consistent between lots, so when you find a good batch you should stock up on it while the stocking's good. The next batch may very well disappoint you...

AD

[ 09-23-2003, 04:36: Message edited by: allen day ]

The 250-grain Federal HE clocked at 2770 fps out of my .338WM (24" barrel), which is pretty close to the advertised 2800 fps. The ambient temperature was 55 degrees F.

Both the 225-grain TBBC and the 250-grainer HE were accurate. Where I hunt it does not get hot in September, but those of you who may hunt in hot weather may want keep that ammo in the shade...just in case. I could be wrong, of course, but the ammo is already pretty fast, and I imagine that it could get even faster when under the sun.

[ 09-23-2003, 06:53: Message edited by: Ray, Alaska ]