I am interested in your feedback and experience in the use of Federal Premium ammunition in the 300 Weatherby Magnum on African plains game. Thx!

BP,

Federal Premium ammunition has a good track record for most rifles...could you specify what loading you are requesting info on...it is loaded with 3 bullet configurations. The Nosler Partition load is a proven performer and the results have been generally very positive with the Trophy Bonded Tip. Pretty good ammo overall.

Paul

I am interested in the Trophy Bonded Tip and the Trophy Copper. The "Copper" bullet looks similar to the Nosler E-Tip and Barnes TSX. I have read and discussed so many good things about weight retention and performance in these rounds. I will be hunting African Plains game, Elk, and Nilgai antelope with the selected round and am will see which round shoots the best in this new rifle. Then, I will try the selected round on large feral hogs and white-tails to see how it performs. I hope that the Trophy Copper performs well. I like the idea of shooting a "solid" round, especially in Africa. I will shoot the 180 grain bullet. Thanks for your input.

My brother has used the Trophy Bonded in his 300WinMag on about fifteen African animals, from Warthog to Kudu. I would suggest you use the 200gr load, his experience with the 180's was that on close shots he did not get through and through penetration. They were a bit too fast inside of 80 yards and the 200's would have better sectional density for what you are doing.

Thanks for that information about the 200 grain Trophy Bonded Tip. I have always been more comfortable shooting animals at 150-250 yards with my 7mm Magnum for this very reason. Most of my "bad luck" and long trackings on animals occurred with some well-placed shots and poor bullet performance at short yardage. Thanks again. I will see how they shoot on the range.

The monometal bullets like the Barnes products sometimes fail to expand and simply "pencil through" some lighter game much like an FMJ. Just how often this occurs has not been documented, but the monometal failure rate in this respect certainly appears to be higher than the lead core bullets.

Much of your quarry on a plains game hunt will be under 100 Kg, like impala, springbock, blesbock, etc. Even the relatively tough blue wildebeest might not offer enough resistance for some monometals to open properly. Considering this, I would personally feel more confident with either of the other proven bullets. But you pay your money and you take your choice. Chances are that, assuming the bullet you select is accurate in your rifle, the terminal performance with any of them will be fully adequate.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

Even the relatively tough blue wildebeest might not offer enough resistance for some monometals to open properly. Considering this, I would personally feel more confident with either of the other proven bullets.

Just because the blue wildebeest is considered "tough" for their size, that doesn't mean their flesh and bone is "tough". It is still flesh and bone. I've used both the Partitions and Barnes TSX in a 300 WM for both blue and black wildebeest, I would take the Barnes simply based upon the penetration it provides with a blood trail on each side of the animal.

The animals I plan to go after are both species of Wildebeest, Gemsbok, Kudu, and Zebra. I am most concerned about bullet performance with the Zebra, Kudu, and Gemsbok. I will see how the Trophy Bonded Tip performs on the range, then test it on some large boar feral hogs to assess tissue damage and penetration. Thanks to both of you for great input. One thing I am discovering is that there are many options for 300 Win Mag but limited options with the Weatherby. One of the curses of being a "lefty".

I used a mixture of bullets in a variety of calibers for plains game and have absolutely NO COMPLAINTS about the Barnes TSX. From a 180 gr TSX out of a .300 RUM to a 235 gr TSX out of a .375 H & H that the PH swore would not work. One shot kills, DRT. The Barnes gets my vote and it just kills. Plus, Federal Premium is top notch ammo in any caliber I have shot using factory ammo.

quote:

Originally posted by Blood Pumper:
The animals I plan to go after are both species of Wildebeest, Gemsbok, Kudu, and Zebra. I am most concerned about bullet performance with the Zebra, Kudu, and Gemsbok. I will see how the Trophy Bonded Tip performs on the range, then test it on some large boar feral hogs to assess tissue damage and penetration. Thanks to both of you for great input. One thing I am discovering is that there are many options for 300 Win Mag but limited options with the Weatherby. One of the curses of being a "lefty".

Start shooting Blaser's, they are available in all calibers and configurations in RH and LH.

I have killed over 50 head of plains game with Federal Premium loads with Sierra GameKings and Trophy Bonded Bear Claws. 90% of them have been with the TBBC's in a 308Win and 338WinMag. In every case, I saw expansion and in only about five have we recovered the bullets.

I am not sure you can fault the Partition, Accubond, A-frame or TBBC's for reliable expansion and penetration. I have never had suitable accuracy with the Barns expanding bullets, so I have stuck with the others.

I have used the Barns 400gr Banded Solid on Cape Buffalo and they shoot sub MOA in my R93 416RemMag with outstanding penetration.

I like to use the heavy for caliber bullets, but every cartridge has a best weight.

For example, the 30's seem to work best with the following weights:

30/30 150-170gr
300 Savage 150gr
308 Win 165gr
30/06 180gr
fast 30's 180-200gr

The Weatherby will really shine with the 200gr loads and it has for decades. For specialized hunts, like long range small animals, you can shoot really flat with a fast 30 and 150gr bullets, or for close in bears, go with 220gr round nose bullets, but as Whelen wrote years ago, the weights listed above, in a properly constructed spitzer bullet will handle 95% of your needs, even in Africa.

In 1992 we shot 20+ snimsl with Fed. 180 Nosler Part. No animals lost. Eland, Zebra, Roan, cats, waterbuck both greater and lesser Kudu, oryx, etc. Shot all buff and a hippo with 416's.
300 Wby 180 Nosler Partitions out a Sako did super!

Like Harry, all three of us on a 2007 plains game hunt in Namibia were shooting Nosler Partitions -- 180's in a .300 Win and a .30-06, and 225's in a .338. The .30/180s killed equally as well as the .338, taking 27 head of game including kudu, mountain zebra, red hartebeest, black wildebeest, gemsbok, and several lesser species.

My son always uses his Sako .30-06 with 180 Partitions for Rocky Mountain elk, and has never found it to be lacking. Having hunted both elk and African species, I can attest that a mature Rocky Mountain bull elk is fully as large and as tough as any plains game species. Whatever will do for elk will do equally for the African plains.

Shoot a jackal at 50 yards with 300 weatherby with 180 grain TSX and I will bet you it will be unmountable. I have used them on all size game and never seen penci through. Just shot a leopard with 300 TSX from 375 RUM and it blew massive hole. Shoot the trophy bonded tips and dont think about it.

I have some Fed.Premium 300 Wby. that was given to me. It was loaded with Sierra SPBT bullets. I have found it to be too frangible at the produced velocities, even on medium sized game like auodad. Thus, for plains game, I have pulled the bullets and replaced them with 180 gr. Win. Fail Safes and Barnes TSX bullets. Both worked exceptionally well on red hartebeest, oryx, kudu, black and blue wildebeest.

The Fed. Premium ammo shoots more accurately on paper than the Weatherby factory stuff made by Norma in my Colt Sauer rifle.

Geoff

I shot my first box of Federal 180gr Trophy Bonded Tips today and I couldn't get them to group. Will try the Partition Nosler and see if this rifle likes them better.

quote:

Originally posted by gerryb:
Shoot a jackal at 50 yards with 300 weatherby with 180 grain TSX and I will bet you it will be unmountable. I have used them on all size game and never seen penci through. Just shot a leopard with 300 TSX from 375 RUM and it blew massive hole. Shoot the trophy bonded tips and dont think about it.

My experience with the 180 gr TSX is just the opposite out of a 300 WM. I shot this duiker at roughly 30 yards. The side showing is the exit side!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Blood Pumper:
I shot my first box of Federal 180gr Trophy Bonded Tips today and I couldn't get them to group. Will try the Partition Nosler and see if this rifle likes them better.

Hitting what you shoot at trumps what you shoot it with. Regardless of which bullet is perceived or believed to give the best terminal performance, the terminal performance is irrelevant if you miss the animal or hit it in the wrong place. I would much prefer to use plain old Remchester cup-and-core bullets that are accurate than four dollar-per-shot MegaPeneXpander's that aren't.