Has anybody out there any practical experience with loads using the 165 grain Hornady Interbond in this calibre for long range deer shooting.

I have a .300 on order (Weatherby Vanguard sub- MOA) I opted for the Winchester calibre over the .300 Weatherby due to ready availability of factory loaded ammo here in the U.K, given that the Weatherby ammunition is not always readily available and when it is the price usually doubles that of commercial factory Winchester.

Ammunition loaded with the Interbond 165 grain is readily available from Hornady.

I am interested to know what the long range ability is of this bullet on deer and what would be considered the maximum game weight also.

I know 180 grains may be a more popular weight but in the U.K we do not have game the size of bull Elk or Moose, our largest species of Deer being the Red.

I accept also that scope and shooting ability are key components of long range shooting but I am nonetheless curious as to the range and game capability of the bullet in this particular calibre.

If I do go down the handloading route, any sutiable suggestions?

(I have a start in that I have just be given 200 new W-W brass cases!!)

Thanks

If you consider long range 500 yards the 165 Hornaday will work fine if you consider lonr range farther than 500 yards a higher bc would be a better choice

JWP

Thank-you for your response

I was thinking of 300-yards, 500 yards as an absolute maximum, even then it would be frowned upon here to openly claim to take any deer species at 500 yards, I just like to abilility to be able to do so.

300 yards is a more realistic option

IMO the reason one shoots something of the size of a 300 is to send a greater weight of metal downrange. If you are shooting less than a 200gr bullet, you are wasting the potential of the .300. The need for the greater weight becomes more apparent as distances grow.
The 1000 yard shooters often shoot .300's of one sort or another and they don't use wimpy bullets going really, really fast.

The need for big long ballistically coefficient bullets for long range is understood.
For deer at 300 yds which is what the poster wants to do.....the most accurate 165/180 his gun shoots will be EXCELLENT!

I load this bullet in my 300 for deer. I have shot two deer with it. One at 220 yards the other at 50 yards. Both shot through the lungs. Both worked well. I got complete penetration and a good exit hole. I have also used this bullet to shoot a large bull elk at 33 yards. It worked for me (I didn't hit any large bones) and the elk dropped at the shot, but I'm going to use a little bigger bullet for elk next year.

I load it with 79 grains of R22, Fed 215 primer, and Win brass. This is a max load in my rifle. I get 3200-3330 out of this load in my 300. R22 seems to be somewhat sensitive to temp. That's what seems to causes my velocity variation. Overall It shoots pretty well. I get groups right at 1".

For deer size critters I load my 300 Win Mag using the 165 gr Speer Boat Tails. I use 78 gr of Rel 22 as it is most accurate in my Rifle. These loads chrony out at 3243 fps.

When using 180 gr Swift A Frames, accuracy increased with velocity. At 2900 fps± my groups were 2"+. As I approached 3100 fps, my groups went to slightly less than 1".

It appears every time I load a new bullet I learn something new

another vote for 165s and rl22...

is there actually another powder for the 300win?

jeffe

Thanks for all your replies, I will give the 165 IB's a go

quote:

Originally posted by elkhunter:
I load this bullet in my 300 for deer. I have shot two deer with it. One at 220 yards the other at 50 yards. Both shot through the lungs. Both worked well. I got complete penetration and a good exit hole. I have also used this bullet to shoot a large bull elk at 33 yards. It worked for me (I didn't hit any large bones) and the elk dropped at the shot, but I'm going to use a little bigger bullet for elk next year.

I load it with 79 grains of R22, Fed 215 primer, and Win brass. This is a max load in my rifle. I get 3200-3330 out of this load in my 300. R22 seems to be somewhat sensitive to temp. That's what seems to causes my velocity variation. Overall It shoots pretty well. I get groups right at 1".

What bullet type/weight are you shooting?
Thanks

I shoot 165 or 180 grain Nosler BT's in my .300 Win mag. The 165's worked fine till I started pushing the 300 yard mark. They still killed but I wanted more weight. This year I killed a nice 8 point right at about the 350 yard mark. I know many don't like the Nosler BT's but they fly true and drop the deer I have shot right in their tracks. Before anyone says anything about shooting 300+ for deer I will say I practice on a regular basis at 300 yards and shoot of a rest or bipods when hunting. These are not rest of a fence poke and hope shots.

Several powders will push a 165 grain bullet to 3300 fps and be within SAAMI specs....I have seen a lot of hunters carrying 165 grain bullets in their 300 Weatherbys when I was hunting elk in Montana one year... I only noticed the frequency as my guess was that 180s would be more common and practical...

A 165 grain bullet out of a magnum will still be carrying more punch at 500 yds, than a 30/30 will at 100 yds.. so you won't be undergunned.. although I personally would not probably be shooting at a deer at 500 yds... even tho I think my chances of hitting it are a lot better than most guys who try it... I wouldn't try it, probably because I shoot at those kind of distances a lot.. and am more aware of the error factor.. and want to know where my bullet might be in danger of hitting if I should miss...but that is just me...I don't claim to be responsible for other people's shooting ethics... nor they for mine....

good luck...

cheers
seafire