Hello

I am tring to figure out a very accurate load for my 300 win. The gun is capable and I am willing but I just cant find a good load. First the gun is new barrel just broke in (by shillen standards) the gun has a 27" ss #6 contour sm barrel, and a 99 montana action. I have loads the are super for hunting. I have shot deer this year at over 450 yds (the rangefinder said it was). I am very happy with it but I want it better.

I have tried 2 powders so far IMR 4350, and H 4831sc. For bullets I used Nosler 160 ballistic tip, CT 168 gr Silvertip, and 180 gr Hornady SST. So far my most accurate load is 73 gr of the 4831sc, with the SST loaded .20 shorter than the magazine. It shoots a little over an inch at 200yd

I am wondering is Crimping would help on the lighter bullets, or other poweders .I dont really play with charges to much. I load by the books, is this my problem. One more thing will a lee factory crimp die, fit in a Rcbs press. Help will be appreciated. thanks

It shoots a little over an inch at 200yd.

I would just stop right there and go huntin..
I don't think you are going to get any better than that in a round like the .300 Win Mag. That is 1/2 minute of angle. I would predict if you shot some targets at 400 yards, groups would be about 3-4 inches.. Now do you really NEED anything better than that?


The kill zone on a mule deer is about 14"
The kill zone on an elk is about 20-24" and so on..
Don't need one hole groups for hunting. Ya just have to be able to shoot well in the field..


Now if.. you are just after groups, then start about 10% under max with powder charge, shoot groups varying charges by .5 of a grain, up to max, then when you get close to a tight group vary .2 of a grain. Experiment with different primers, and vary the seating depth by .005" increments within the obvious limitations.
And, don't forget to PROPERLY clean your bore about every 40 rounds. If.. you need instructions on this check out the BORE CLEANING threads.

Also keep in mind that any drastic change in climate and elevation from where you developed your loads to where you wind up later will most likely change how the loads shoot.. Not so tight of groups and you'll have to change your sight settings..

I load for several 300 win mags and always use RL22 for 180 or 200 gr bullets. My favorite load and bullet is the 200 gr Accubond with 72.5 gr RL22 which is right out of the Nosler manual for max. The load for the 180 gr bullet is right out of the Nosler #5 manual also and uses 75.5 gr RL22 and is listed as the "Most Accurate Powder Tested".

quote:

One more thing will a lee factory crimp die, fit in a Rcbs press

Absolutely and I can recommend it.

If you are looking for pure accuracy, try a few different match bullets. Sierra, Berger, and Hornady come to mind.

But I wouldn't expect too great of improvement. A rifle/load/shooter combination that produces half minute accuracy at two hundred yards is a pretty high standard.

muck

As mentioned above, RL22 is a great place to start.
For the few rifle/barrel combinations that don't do well with RL22, I've found that they usually excel with IMR 7828. These are my two favorite powders for the 300 Win.

Having said that, few bullets work better than the 180 grain p.pt. partition. You will find that some bullets will be stuffed deeply into the case in order to make them function through the magazine, so seating to the lands isn't always possible in a factory unit. How you set your rifle up for overall cartridge length will determine what type of bullets work best for you.

IMR 4831,R22,Vit 560.I had some old Vit560 that was my best powder and lost the accuracy with a new lot.I am getting good accuracy with IMR and developed a round that I will try to use in all my 300 Win Mags.H 4350 was accurate but I abandoned that when I got a stuck bolt and deformed case head with a load that gave no preesure signs before.The old Vit powder gave me my only 3 shot one hole group at 200yds ever with a 300WM.I was really surprised as the group was shot with three rds that I lent to someone and were loaded and unloaded ejected on a icy road over and over again before they got back to me.

quote:

Originally posted by woods: The load for the 180 gr bullet is right out of the Nosler #5 manual also and uses 75.5 gr RL22 and is listed as the "Most Accurate Powder Tested".

Ditto. That's the same load I use behind 180gr TSX. Extremely accurate. RL-22 seems to be the most forgiving powder in my 300win. There's alot of others that have had the same good experience with it.

quote:

Originally posted by buckshot:
......Having said that, few bullets work better than the 180 grain p.pt. partition.......

+1!

180 Accubond 75.5 RL-22 best in mine for velocity I have shot better groups with h-1000 at 100 but the RL-22 is the go to load. I don't think you can beat 1/2" in a hunting rifle. I have shot some .3" groups in mine but not enough to call it a .3 rifle or load. I am going to try and get some 208 gr Amax's to play with this winter. The max load of RL-22 shoots the 200gr Accubond just as accurate in mine 300 win and when i mention these bullets they are all the Nosler 2nds.

Nosler ballistic tip 180 (factory blems) and 75 re 22 gave me the best group ever out of my tikka.....9" at 300 yds for 5 shots. Can't duplicate that group yet another time but it sure shoots well under moa.

Also....in the past I had a Savage that shot almost any bullet really well as long as it was going 2900 fps. Didn't matter if it was a 150 or a 180. You might try playing with powder charges a bit but as noted above.....you are ready to go hunting with that load.

Thanks everyone

The rifle shoots wonderful. I know I might be asking alot of it, but I just want to see a three in one. It is my first custom gun, and I still smile when I go shoot. thanks for the info

Try some 200gr bullets. + 4350.

Bushwackr,
I also shoot a 300 win mag ( Sendero ) and have decided to replace the shot out barrel. I am undecided between Shilen's "Sendero contour barrel" and their #6 contour sm barrel ( I have 2 other rifles with their # 6 contour in different caliburs ). The # 6 contour is quite heavy to tote up and down the mountains. What was the deciding factor in your choosing the #6 contour? Shilen has told me that both barrels should produce the same accuracy. Did you have a muzzle break installed?

I have very good luck with my 200g AccuBond with H1000, at about 2980fps 77.5g in my gun. Found this more forgiving than the RE22 as far as temp differences and lot to lot consistency.

quote:

Originally posted by Skidly:
I have very good luck with my 200g AccuBond with H1000, at about 2980fps 77.5g in my gun. Found this more forgiving than the RE22 as far as temp differences and lot to lot consistency.

I second the use of H1000.. it does a good job in the 300 Winchester...

I once tested various powders side by side on two new 300 Win mags.One with a Brand new Krieger barrel.I fire three shot groups at 200yds.I think the powders were R22,H4350,H1000,Vit560.The most accurate powder was Vit 560.I did not try IMR 4831.All loads were around the same velocity.

If my hunting rifle groups a little over an inch at 200 yds with a bullet and velocity I like the only thing I would do would be to use that load and Practice. The rifle is already far more accurate than the normal hunter could hope to use in a hunting situation.

quote:

Originally posted by bushwackr:
Hello

I am tring to figure out a very accurate load for my 300 win. The gun is capable and I am willing but I just cant find a good load. First the gun is new barrel just broke in (by shillen standards) the gun has a 27" ss #6 contour sm barrel, and a 99 montana action. I have loads the are super for hunting. I have shot deer this year at over 450 yds (the rangefinder said it was). I am very happy with it but I want it better.

I have tried 2 powders so far IMR 4350, and H 4831sc. For bullets I used Nosler 160 ballistic tip, CT 168 gr Silvertip, and 180 gr Hornady SST. So far my most accurate load is 73 gr of the 4831sc, with the SST loaded .20 shorter than the magazine. It shoots a little over an inch at 200yd

I am wondering is Crimping would help on the lighter bullets, or other poweders .I dont really play with charges to much. I load by the books, is this my problem. One more thing will a lee factory crimp die, fit in a Rcbs press. Help will be appreciated. thanks

Shilen has no standards for barrel breakin
thus its not possible to break it in to their standards.
http://www.shilen.com/faq.html#question10

It is very doubtful that crimping any bullet will improve its accuracy. Crimping is done to secure a bullet for rough handling but to the best of my knowledge never used to enhance accuracy.

My favorite accuracy load for the .300 Win Mag is 71.0 gr. of IMR4350 - 180 gr. Sierra BTSP - Federal Gold Metal 215M primer in a fireformed case.

if you really want better,start match preping your brass, like a die-hard bench-rest shooter does.and as said above shoot match grade bullets,by pass the lite ones and start at 175 too 178 grainers and go up. yes its more work but thats what it takes too shave off that 1/2 inch from your groups. you have your rifle put together with great parts, i think they can step up easy and do more.....
regards

ok first a reply to

seismicshooter
I decided by reading info in numerous forums and reading many benchrest articles. It seemed like a common barrel, with that was a good performer.
I was iffy at first as to the weight of the gun, but I went with what I wanted right away I didnt second guess myself. The rifle weighs in scoped at a tick over 14lbs. I dont have any mountians to climb on my hunts just long open shots. I would never change it, its a amazing firearm. IMHO
I didnt go with a break because it is to loud to shoot with one. That prob was an uneducated decision, But ......

next to skb2706

When I recieved the rifle from the gunsmith there was a paper with a reccommended barrel break in procedure. Im not saying ur wrong and im right, i'm just saying it come with the rifle when I picked it up. I honestly dont know who supplied it. I know one thing it was a LONG process. Shoot one, run brass brush 10 cycles saturated with bore cleaner, dry patch. That for first five. then again after every five for 50 rounds. It was a fun way to spend a day off.

If a 300 win. won't shoot well with 76 grs of RL-22, then that is indeed unusual and you may have a bad barrel, a dirty bore or both. I use WW and Fed 210 primers.

Bushwackr,
Thanks for your reply concerning the Shilen barrel.In answer to your question as to an accurate load with the 300, the following is what I have found with my 300 Sendero. I started out using H-4831, them R-22 and finally settled on H-1000 as the H-1000 gave the best accuracy and velocity with seemingly the less pressure. My rifle has a sweet spot between 3030 and 3060 fps; anywhere within this range groups really good with 180 grain bullets. With 200 grain bullets the velocity runs between 2860 and 2940 fps. For 180 grain I load 80.5 of H-1000, for 200 grains around 79 grains of H-1000. For practice I load the Hornady 178 Amax's and Nosler Accubond 180 and 200 for hunting. Also the 180 Swift Scirocco's are very accurate. But note with their secant ogive, the Amax's and SS's are harder to find the sweet seating depth. The Tangent Accubonds are much more tollerant of bullet jump. I use just two brands of primers, Remington 9.5M ( prefered ) and F215M. The milder 9.5M primers have produced the smallest groups in just about all my 300's. I can send you some scanned images of several groups I have fired if interested. Of course all this will go out the window when I get my new Shilen barrel installed.