I have a brand new un-shot Sako Finnlight .300 wsm.

I am planning a trip next year to Wyoming on a wilderness elk hunt. I am going to be in heavy grizzly country right next to Yellow Stone Park.

Since the .300 wsm is brand new I am considering selling it and purchasing a .338 win mag.

But for this conversation lets assume I'm going with the .300 mag.

My question is what bullet should I use. I'm a Nosler Partition fan and the only bullet I've ever used hunting with shells that I have loaded. I'm thinking of going with a 200 grain Partition. I am also considering the possibly of using a Barnes bullet but I have never used them. The Barnes bullets scare me as I'm afraid that at long range the bullet will go through too slow, not expand, and would wound/kill an animal that I might not find.

The Partition scares me if I had to shoot a grizzly at very close range as the front end of the Partition will expand too quickly and the bullet may tumble and not run a true straight path.

So I'm looking for a bullet that would work well on a grizzly at extremely close range and would perform well on elk at long range (400-500 yards for me).

I've also considered loading some 220 grain bullets and keeping them in one magazine and in my gun at all times until I would shoot at an elk at which time I could switch out a magazine with elk loads. But this is a lot to remember in time of excitement which I think I could handle. But it could also cost me an elk if I can't switch them out fast enough, so I would rather not go this route.

So I'm looking for some real world experience and opinions.

Thanks,
Adams

quote:

I'm a Nosler Partition fan and the only bullet I've ever used hunting with shells that I have loaded. I'm thinking of going with a 200 grain Partition.

The 200gr partition is a great choice it well do all you want. No need to over think the problem.

I think the idea of getting a 338 is the best solution. however if you use the 300WSM either the 200 gr Partition or the Barnes X would do the job. Not sure why you are concerned about the X bullet not opening. If you have that concern use the 180 gr TTSX bullet. That plastic tip starts the expansion even at slower velocities,& they penetrate like crazy.

quote:

Originally posted by adams:
I have a brand new un-shot Sako Finnlight .300 wsm.

I am planning a trip next year to Wyoming on a wilderness elk hunt. I am going to be in heavy grizzly country right next to Yellow Stone Park.

Since the .300 wsm is brand new I am considering selling it and purchasing a .338 win mag.

But for this conversation lets assume I'm going with the .300 mag.

My question is what bullet should I use. I'm a Nosler Partition fan and the only bullet I've ever used hunting with shells that I have loaded. I'm thinking of going with a 200 grain Partition. I am also considering the possibly of using a Barnes bullet but I have never used them. The Barnes bullets scare me as I'm afraid that at long range the bullet will go through too slow, not expand, and would wound/kill an animal that I might not find.

The Partition scares me if I had to shoot a grizzly at very close range as the front end of the Partition will expand too quickly and the bullet may tumble and not run a true straight path.

So I'm looking for a bullet that would work well on a grizzly at extremely close range and would perform well on elk at long range (400-500 yards for me).

I've also considered loading some 220 grain bullets and keeping them in one magazine and in my gun at all times until I would shoot at an elk at which time I could switch out a magazine with elk loads. But this is a lot to remember in time of excitement which I think I could handle. But it could also cost me an elk if I can't switch them out fast enough, so I would rather not go this route.

So I'm looking for some real world experience and opinions.

Thanks,
Adams

I could not get the accuracy out of the 200g Partitions that I got with the 180g TSX or TTSX
Barnes. Either bullet will be fine. Your rifle will tell you what it likes. The Bears will never know the 20g diff.

One rifle, one bullet, one zero, = less mistakes! memtb

First of all the move to .338 is not necessary but one thing I've learned "never pass up a great excuse to buy another gun".

If you use the 300 WSM the move to extra heavy bullets is unnecessary. I've always had a problem getting Partitions to be truly accurate but if your rifle will shoot them well any weight 165,180 would be fine.
The trick with the mono metal bullets is that you can drop down in weight and still get great penetration. 150, 165 is fine a friend of mine has used 180's with excellent results.
The chance of having to defend against a rampaging bear is slim. If you had to do so whatever gun you have in hand and whatever ammo is in it is whats going to work best.
The idea of switching ammo is a monster mistake and will only cause unnecessary doubt and confusion every time you are about to shoot.
Don't over think this you are elk hunting a grizzly bear sighting should be looked upon as a very interesting and rare opportunity for most people not a nightmare behind every tree.
An accurate rifle that you shoot well is more important on elk than caliber and bullet weight.
There is no cartridge that will "bowl an elk over" sometimes elk just need another bullet to convince them they are dead the trick is make a good shot and if they are on their feet keep shooting no matter what rifle or bullet you are shooting them with.
Good luck on your hunt.!

Tip: Don't go hunting thinking you might have to shoot a grizzly. That's a one-in-several-thousand possibility. Thinking in those terms makes it much more likely that you will shoot a grizzly if you happen to encounter one, whether such shooting is necessary or not. Shooting a grizzly unnecessarily is a great way to spoil a hunt and possibly end your hunting career permanently.

Your perception of the difference in an elk and a grizzly belies your unfounded fears. A bull elk may weigh 800 lbs and is a tough critter. A typical inland grizzly in the Rocky Mountains may weigh 300 lbs. A sow with cubs (the category most likely to be dangerous to humans) will probably weigh less. Your perception that you need a bigger bullet and greater penetration for a smaller animal simply doesn't match with reality.

Load your rifle with a 180 grain bullet that shoots well in it. Kill your elk and keep your itchy trigger finger in your pocket when it comes to bears.

I have killed a lot of Plains Game with the 300 Win Mag and the old Barnes 180 XBT bullet. The 180 Tipped TSX has to be even better, though I never had any issue witht he XBT. I killed game as small as Springbuck /big as spile elk Gemsbuk, both near ( 50yds) and far ( 375yds) zebra in between and Kudu/Blue Wildebeast around 75yds. You can take a very hard angling shot on elk with that Barnes! If you like the rifle, use the 300 with shouts of joy! Ha A 338 may not be as accurate or as easy to shoot, its a gamble. Now, I also used the 338WM, 340W, 35 Whelen AI and 375 H&H. I like them all but in no way was I under gunned with the 300! I used Barnes and the old Winchester Failsafes in all 4 hunts. Have a ball friend & Merry Christmas!

I would not worry about shooting a bear. Find a good load for your 300 and kill an elk. Any 165 and up premium bullet will work fine. I used a 168 E-Tip last year,2016. Bears showed as we were packing it out.

My bet is if you bypass the 300 and go with the 338 and 225 grain bullets, you would not look back.
I'm a strong advocate of the 225 gr. Northfork SP.

I'd use a 180 gr Bitterroot; but since they are no longer made and those that have them aren't likely to sell them you could go with a copy. Jack Carter copied them in making his BearClaw and NorthFork copied the BearClaw; So get some NorthForks and you'll be set for either a big elk or an upset Griz.

I don't know about brand new, I was shooting the 300 WSM 15 years ago. (My mistake, you were saying the gun was new, not the cartridge)

I used the 180 grain Partition for everything when I was hunting with it. It even went to Namibia with me in 2008.

Normally, I like heavy for caliber bullets when reloading for my hunting rifles but, my 300WM really likes 180 gr. NP protected points. They are hard hitting and accurate in my rifle. Where I hunt elk in CO, brown bears are not around. I've never hunted brown bear but don't know that I would have a problem hunting elk where they might happen to show up.

I don't see any good reason not to stick with a 180 grain Nosler Partition especially in a WSM. They certainly will cover any situation you might find yourself. I use them a lot in my .300 Wby and it spits them out 250-300fps faster than any WSM can.

On the extremely remote chance you had to use one on a grizzly a 180 NP is going to do just fine - as long as you put it where it needs to go.

200 grain partition or x-bullet and your ready for anything !!

quote:

The idea of switching ammo is a monster mistake and will only cause unnecessary doubt and confusion every time you are about to shoot.

The ballistics between a 300 mag and a 338 mag are not that great.

Many of us here own a lot of rifles and a lot of different calibers.

Going form one or another at normal hunting ranges well have no effect.

The 300 mag with a 180 going 3000 and 338 225 going 2800.


Both sighted in dead on at 200 The difference in drop is about 1 inch at 300, 3 inches at 400 and 6 inches at 500.

Nothing to worry about even if one would forget on a elk size target.

If one is using a range finder and a ballistic plex reticle measure the range pick the proper dot squeeze the trigger kill your elk.

A lot of great premium bullets out there. I would contact Hammer Bullets out of Montana and look at their Sledge hammer line. I tested them extensively on plains game in South Africa this year with great results. Give them a call and they will be glad to work with you on choices and load data, ask for Steve.

I have killed a lot of elk with a 180 grain Nosler Partition bullet. It works quite well at distances of 50 yards to 400 yards.

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:

...The chance of having to defend against a rampaging bear is slim. If you had to do so whatever gun you have in hand and whatever ammo is in it is whats going to work best.
The idea of switching ammo is a monster mistake and will only cause unnecessary doubt and confusion every time you are about to shoot.
Don't over think this you are elk hunting a grizzly bear sighting should be looked upon as a very interesting and rare opportunity for most people not a nightmare behind every tree.
An accurate rifle that you shoot well is more important on elk than caliber and bullet weight...

Good advice!

I've lived and hunted in grizzly country for the past 40+ years. The only negative grizzly encounter that I've had was a bear that came into our camp one night and I ran home off with a rock that I threw and hit him.

For 20 or more years my favorite elk, moose (and grizzly) rifle was my .30 Gibbs shooting 180 grain Nosler Partitions at 2990 fps. For 10 or more years I hunted Bighorn sheep in the backcountry next to Yellowstone Park carrying just my .257 Ackley. A few years ago I "upgraded" my elk rifle to a .300 Weatherby shooting 168 grain Barnes TSX and TTSX bullets, and this year I installed a new Leopold VX III with a CDS dial made for my 180 grain TTSX load.

I am probably someone who over prepares for safety. In the winter time, I carry a set of boots and warm clothes, including gloves, hats, etc. in case I am stranded somewhere. When ice is iffy in my ice shack you will find a throw-able and a long rope (not for me). I wear an ice suit with flotation (why wouldn't I?). I'm on blood thinners and keep bandages in my vehicle, I still use a chain saw, but am a little more cautious when doing so.

I figure my chances of being attacked by a bear are less than being struck by lightning. So not too worried about it. I play a lot of golf and when lightning is seen on the course, I don't stand in the fairway with my club in the air. Same way with a bear that gets to close, get your a$$ in a safer place. But if you can't and a bear charges I still might be bear food.

Preparing for a bear attack is pretty difficult (impossible) to do. Because if it going to happen it's going to happen fast and from pretty close range (probably from under 20 yards by the time one realizes what is happening). Bears are fast/quick animals. I may not even have a gun in my hand. If I do have a gun in my hand I may not have time to pull the trigger. And if I get to pull the trigger I am going to be blindly pointing a riffle at a big creature that only has head and shoulders coming at me. Will need some luck on my side.

I don't think an accurate load is going to make much difference at 20 yards. At this point I think bullet and energy are most important. So most likely won't chose my .308 over my .300 wsm.

I'm used to carrying different cartridges in different pockets at the same time as I hunt with multiple guns in a given day. I'm not worried about screwing them up. My only concern switching magazines ,which takes a few seconds, and in those few seconds I lose a shot opportunity at an elk (but this is not likely).

I do a lot of shooting. Been doing so for 45 years. Have been hand loading for over 20 years. I also do a lot of shotgun shooting. Tooting my own horn here, I've been blessed with good hand-eye coordination. When hunting I'm pretty confident in my gun, my hand loads, and myself.

I appreciate all the input. I have a Sako 75 Deluxe in .300 wsm which shoots any bullet I load sub MOA with a little work. I'm hoping my new Sako Finnlight in .300 wsm will do the same. So I think I will start with the 200 grain Partition. If that doesn't work I will proceed to step 2, finding another bullet. IMHO the .300 mags are made to shoot 200 grain bullets. I see no advantages shooting a smaller grain bullet other than recoil. I'm use to shooting magnums and have practiced a lot with them so recoil is not a big deal to me. Maybe in another 10 years I'll change my mind.

Again thanks for advice.

Adams

I have shot a .300 Winnie since 1973 and have taken many Bull Elk with 180 grain Nosler Partitions or Northforks. Eight buddies in my Elk hunting group us the same bullets with 76 grains of RE-22 and Fed 210M primers. The load cronies at plus or minus 3100 fps depending on the rifle. This bunch has accounted for a hundred plus Elk with that combo. I have taken a huge Brown Bear and several Caribou with a 200 grain Nosler Partition flat point at 2900 fps. This the way we use the .300 Winnie for what it is worth. Good Shooting.

I like the idea of the 338 for elk, but that isn’t based on any massive experience on my part. I just really like the 338 bore.

Conversely, my favorite deer rifle hands down is my Custom Model 70 Classic in 300 WSM. It weighs about 7.5 lbs scoped and is very accurate. It shoots 168 grain TTSXs at 3000 fps and my longest shot was 435 yds on a small blacktail buck. Clean hit, one-shot kill. I also took a 170ish lb blacktail buck at 60 yds with that load. Shot him in the chest. Jellied his lungs. Meat packers found the bullet in a ham. It had expanded to 5/8” and weighed 167 grains. Highly experienced elk hunters tell me that load would work very well on elk, though I think I would try 180 TTSXs if I were to elk hunt with this rifle.

quote:

My only concern switching magazines ,which takes a few seconds, and in those few seconds I lose a shot opportunity at an elk (but this is not likely).

You are much more likely to miss a shot opportunity while fiddling with various ammo than you are of even seeing a Grizzly.
That time would be much better spent getting a rest and shooting your elk.
In a rushed situation like elk on the move and trying to find a steady shooting rest and getting your breathing under control the last thing you want is to be sorting ammo.
If a Bear gives you the bums rush then shoot him with your elk loads.
If Bear self defense shootings were that common you would read about it all the time, it rarely happens.

quote:

If a Bear gives you the bums rush then shoot him with your elk loads.

+1

165gr TSX, for a WSM, 180 gr for a winmag --

if you blow the petals off, it turns into a solid

Some of you might find this a bit funny.

I have practically every caliber from 17 to 700.

I have hunted in Africa with 270, 7mm, 300, 338, 375 and 416 calibers.

The only caliber I have no wish to hunt with again is the 338!!??

To me, it does not offer anything the 300 does not.

And if I wanted anything bigger, the 375 is a better choice.

I like the lighter 150/168 ttsx for speed and flat trajectory at the distances I shoot game at.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Some of you might find this a bit funny.

I have practically every caliber from 17 to 700.

I have hunted in Africa with 270, 7mm, 300, 338, 375 and 416 calibers.

The only caliber I have no wish to hunt with again is the 338!!??

To me, it does not offer anything the 300 does not.

And if I wanted anything bigger, the 375 is a better choice.

Funny... No! Just “very” interesting! memtb

quote:

I like the lighter 150/168 ttsx for speed and flat trajectory at the distances I shoot game at.

In my Tikka .300 WM I shoot Barnes 180 gn TTSX at 3100 fps. Trajectory is pretty flat out to 400 yds and much the same as the load I also have with Barnes 165 TTSX at 3250 fps. Beyond 300 yds the 180 gn gives better accuracy.... Dunno why, it's just the way it is. I just love this combination of rifle and bullet. I have so much confidence in it that it's a pure joy to use.
Actually, I should add I replaced the original Tikka barrel ( didn't group well ) with a NZ made True Flite barrel making the rifle a great shooter.

Aren't we really over-thinking this? My 300 shoots 200gr Grand Slams very well and I am a develop one good load per rifle and use it on everything. these learned arguments about this one or that one will give you 100fps more velocity or 1" +/- trajectory at extended ranges do nothing for me as I avoid shooting BG at extended ranges.
I've shot elk with a .338 and couldn't tell that it killed them any deader than a .300.
I think having different ammo in different pockets is a sour idea. If a bear is serious and close, and I'm standing there with shit running down my legs, I don't think I'd be wondering what pocket has which ammo, and should I try to swap ammo or just shoot what was in the gun.
That said, I have never seen a grizzly bear while hunting mulies and elk in CO and WY.

Yes over-thinking. Get a 30-06 and 150 grain cup and core bullets and you're good.

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman1:
Yes over-thinking. Get a 30-06 and 150 grain cup and core bullets and you're good.

What is the point of that?

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Some of you might find this a bit funny.

I have practically every caliber from 17 to 700.

I have hunted in Africa with 270, 7mm, 300, 338, 375 and 416 calibers.

The only caliber I have no wish to hunt with again is the 338!!??

To me, it does not offer anything the 300 does not.

And if I wanted anything bigger, the 375 is a better choice.

Pretty much the reasons in inverse for why we chose the 338WM many a year ago. Bigger than the 300s and stretches out the 375s when hunting with one rifle. Now I use a 338 for my US deer rifle. But this is a .300 thread, pardon the intrusion

there are many good bullets out there to try out, from CEB Maximus and Lazers, to more cost-efficient Barnes, GSC, Nosler, Northfork, AFrame, etc. etc. Find one accurate in your rifle and go hunting.

INTJ--My point is if you need bigger than 30-06 you need a larger bore, not a faster .30 cal. Shot placement is the trump. Well placed 30-06 round, you'll need a sharp knife next.

All Ive use for years in any 300 is the 200 gr. Nosler partition and the 200 gr. Accubond..Hard to say which one I like best since they both work real well, but I have used the NAB on my last 4 to 6 elk and Im liking it maybe better than my old friend the partition, hard choice and school may be out on my finale determination..