Just picked up .300 WSM Kimber Montana that will be my backpacking rifle. I have never loaded for this caliber, so if you folks would share your loading experience, I would appreciate it. I am thinking about something on the order of a 150- to 165-grain bullet for deer and sheep-sized animals, and a 180- to 200-grain bullet for elk and larger, or when I hunt with family and friends in Alaska.

If you reload the WSM cartridges to full power loads (as you should to utilize the design), you will need a reloading press that allows the linkage to cam over i.e. RCBS, Lyman and some others. The case face will become convexed to the point where distance from face to shoulder will increase to the point where your rifle may not allow easy chambering. All the other case dimensions will be good.. My Lee Turret press doesn't even come close to generating enough leverage to push the face back in. My RCBS Jr. has plenty of cahones to do it when full-length resizing.

At least that is what happened with both of my WSMs, 270 & 300. Other than that no problems.
If you don't load it up, you may not have any issue.

That has to be one of the strangest reloading phenomena I've ever heard of. Can you explain how your case heads became bulged outward?

Been loading for the WSM family for 13 years with no issues that are not already covered by standard loading practices

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
That has to be one of the strangest reloading phenomena I've ever heard of. Can you explain how your case heads became bulged outward?

No not really, but it is my opinion that the face area is too thin in relation to the width of the case.
If you will do a search here on this forum, you will find that this same "phenomena", as you call it, has occurred to other WSM shooters.
One reloader here even stated he contacted Redding with tis same issue and they told him what I stated above; have the linkage cam over. This was the only way I could get the cases to chamber easily (without having to bear down on the bolt handle.
When I get to my lap top this weekend, I will dig up these discussions for you.

The funny thing about this is that I have reloaded these cases 4 or 5 times and have yet needed to trim any of them. On my 300 anyway. I will have to verify the 270 WSM on that one. It appears to occur during the resizing as the cases extract quite easily after firing. I have even forced the bolt closed on convexed cases and they too will extract easily after the firing pin falls. (Shrug)

I've loaded my 300WSM for about 10 years on my old three hole Lee turret press without any issues.

Mine likes the 180 grain Nosler Partition with 70 grains of H4831SC (I use a long drop tube because it's a compressed load).

My friend has been hunting with his .300 WSM for 9-10 years now and has shot a bunch of critters with it.
He has used the 150 grain Swift Scirocco II for everything, including European Moose with great results.

I have done much of the reloading for him, but I don't remember the loading data.
There has absolutely not been any problems to reload for it at all.
Totally easy and straight forward.

Good choice of bullet.

I gave my 300WSM to my youngest son, but when I was loading for it I used Win. brass and 66 grains of IMR4350 behind a 165 grain Hornady SST bullet. This load was very accurate and ran 3000 ft/sec over a chronograph. I really liked this cartridge and never had issue loading for it.

I too have been reloading for WSMs for just over ten years - ever since my dad used our 2004 Namibia trip as an excuse to buy a new rifle, a .270 WSM. A few years ago I added a Kimber 8400 to my fleet and have really taken to it since. I've used it for antelope, deer, and oryx. My now favorite load is 150 grain Barnes TTSXs over Reloader 19 (can't remember the charge off the top of my head, but it's near max in the Barnes book). That load performs wonderfully. Last summer I used it on a New Mexico gemsbok with perfect results. That bullet is somewhere way out there in the NM desert, as that oryx didn't even seem to slow it down.

No real reloading tricks for me, just follow the same procedures I've been using for the past 20 some odd years reloading centerfire cartridges.

quote:

Originally posted by Rae59:

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
That has to be one of the strangest reloading phenomena I've ever heard of. Can you explain how your case heads became bulged outward?

No not really, but it is my opinion that the face area is too thin in relation to the width of the case.
If you will do a search here on this forum, you will find that this same "phenomena", as you call it, has occurred to other WSM shooters.
One reloader here even stated he contacted Redding with tis same issue and they told him what I stated above; have the linkage cam over. This was the only way I could get the cases to chamber easily (without having to bear down on the bolt handle.
When I get to my lap top this weekend, I will dig up these discussions for you.

The funny thing about this is that I have reloaded these cases 4 or 5 times and have yet needed to trim any of them. On my 300 anyway. I will have to verify the 270 WSM on that one. It appears to occur during the resizing as the cases extract quite easily after firing. I have even forced the bolt closed on convexed cases and they too will extract easily after the firing pin falls. (Shrug)

If it occurs during resizing then the most immediate suspect would be that the decapping rod is set too deep and it is pushing the case head outward. Otherwise, I have no hypothesis to explain how this would happen.

I've been using Reloder 19, Hornady 165 gr Interbonds, WLRM primers and Winchester brass for the last ten years. Not only is it extremely accurate when loaded just under max, but it works amazingly well on deer, hogs and coyotes.

Stonecreek,
The decapping rod was the first suspect as it would have been by any experienced reloader. That was not the issue.
Here are several links to what I was referring to. I noticed you also posted in the second discussion but apparently did not follow......

To the OP, as I said if you load mild loads, you more than likely will not have any issue.
The WSM line are a good accurate design. Good luck to you.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...951007401#5951007401

http://forums.accuratereloadin...951007401#5951007401

http://forums.accuratereloadin...951007401#5951007401

http://forums.accuratereloadin...951007401#5951007401

Been loading for the 300 WSM since Olin first brought it out... have loaded for something like 7 different 300 WSM's including 3 Kimber MT's. Got my first Montana in 2004.

As was said, no issues that standard loading procedures didn't handle.

I never found a reason to run any bullet other than a 180... KISS.

Some rifles preferred standard primers, others magnum primers. Let the rifle tell you what IT likes.

I settled on H4350 as my first choice of powder.

2nd choice is RL17.

A 180 at 2,950 - 3,000 fps is about all a guy needs to know. OTOH, a 165 will kick less in the light Montana.

As I said, I have never been 100% certain what caused the issue but as you can see for yourself, I
and others had it. Once everyone figured out what to do then there were no more problems.
I too found 4350, but of the AA variety, to be the ticket.
3050+ fps.with 180 gr. Sierras. Very accurate too.

quote:

Originally posted by Rae59:
As I said, I have never been 100% certain what caused the issue but as you can see for yourself, I
and others had it. Once everyone figured out what to do then there were no more problems.
I too found 4350, but of the AA variety, to be the ticket.
3050+ fps.with 180 gr. Sierras. Very accurate too.

The only powder I've seen that will give 3,050 with a 180 in a 24" barrel is RL17... then only barely.

If you're running a 24" barrel and achieving 3,050 (180) with 4350 you're pushing things.

I shoot from my Sako 75 factory rifle 167gr scenar and 160gr e-tip by 1050m/s (3450fps) at vihtavuori N550 powder. Its a really best powder what i had try if want maximum velocity.

quote:

Originally posted by Brad

The only powder I've seen that will give 3,050 with a 180 in a 24" barrel is RL17... then only barely.

If you're running a 24" barrel and achieving 3,050 (180) with 4350 you're pushing things.

Would you care to explain how I am pushing things if I have easy bolt lift AND easy case extraction while obtaining the velocity I stated?

Roland

Everyone that I have fooled with has been it's most accurate with 165-168 grain bullets and RE19 powder. The 4350's should be good also.

Typically the 300WSM is easy to load for and easy to build accurate loads for, that short fat case is a big help.

I have never seen the unusual phenomenon mentioned above..........

I load for the 300 and 7mm WSMs on an old Rock Chucker using RCBS dies mostly....


.

quote:

Originally posted by Rae59:

Would you care to explain how I am pushing things if I have easy bolt lift AND easy case extraction while obtaining the velocity I stated?

If the bolt lifts easily on the fired round it should go back into the same gun without effort too.

This screams that you are upsetting the case in your reloading process.
Paul

quote:

Originally posted by PaulS:

quote:

Originally posted by Rae59:

Would you care to explain how I am pushing things if I have easy bolt lift AND easy case extraction while obtaining the velocity I stated?

If the bolt lifts easily on the fired round it should go back into the same gun without effort too.

This screams that you are upsetting the case in your reloading process.
Paul

Poo Poo!

Did you bother to go through all of the links that I posted?
The answer is NO.

This whole matter "SCREAMS" that someone (like maybe SAAMI or the die makers or the firearms manufacturers) just might have modified some dimensions along the way from yester-year.
And just "maybe" there could be some of the older dies OR chamber dimensions floating around?
As I said, I have never been 100% certain as to what was going on but I have a good idea.