I'm new to reloading, and was just wondering how you go determining which powder you should use in a given situation.

I'm going to be reloading my first batch of .300 Wby Mag soon, and I have the cases/bullets on order, but I have no idea which brand & type of powder & primers to use.

The bullets I'm getting are all 150 grain. (CT Ballistic Silver Tip Hunting and Hornady SST)

Also, any pet loads out there for this caliber?

Thanks,
Jason

I try to keep it simple.

I first choose the bullet I want. For hunting I start with heavy-for-caliber first. Sometimes I'll later find the rifle won't stabilize the heavy ones so I'll have to lighten up. (I don't know why they rifle barrels for light bullets in cartridges that are not typically long range/target cartridges) For instance I bet you will find your .300WM will shoot the 180-200gr better than the 220gr. Go figure as the 220 is a better long range performer and differences in point-blank ranges between the weights are moot on big game animals.

Then I go to a couple of manuals and if it's a hunting load I'm after, just pick the two powders for that weight bullet that appear to give the highest velocity with the lowest pressure. This is not 100% reliable as an indicator of efficiency because of differing barrel lengths and chamber dimensions. But it's a thumbnail method.

If one of those is a ball (spherical) powder so much the better. I'm trying to ease all my pet loads over to ball powders as they measure well and usually are denser so I can stuff those long heavy hunting bullets down into the case. The tradeoff is you may want to go to magnum primers with large amounts of ball powder as it tends to be harder to ignite. That doesn't necessarily reduce accuracy, though.

Then I start at the lowest listed load, and work up in one-half grain increments to the book max. That's two rounds each of the progressively greater charges. If any signs of excess pressure develop I stop and consider the last loads without signs the maximum for that rifle/pistol.

Things to remember-

1) keep only one powder and one box of bullets on the work surface.

2) if using electronic scales, paste a post-it next to the readout with the correct charge written on it. I don't understand why they don't include a small digital window or counter with them.

3) If loading more than one charge weight at a sitting, load the lesser one first. Then if you have a brain fart while charging the following loads, the chances are greater you will undercharge, and not overcharge them.

4) always, ALWAYS, visually compare volumes of powder inside the cases before seating the bullets.

5) Military brass, tight chambers, unknowingly seating into the lands, solid copper bullets, high ambient temperatures (including sitting in a hot chamber) and magnum primers can elevate pressures significantly.

6) Always triple check the bullet weight you are using and weigh a couple from the box each time before you use them.

Sorry to sound preachy but you said you were new to this. Have fun!

[ 08-07-2002, 14:13: Message edited by: steve y ]

Steve,
Thanks for the great pointers. What are some of the signs of excessive pressure I should look for when trying different loads?

A quick reply.

First, buy at least a couple of good reloading manuals and read them. They are generally filled with good information. You may want to be careful on your choice as a proprietary manual will be heavy on their product. Speer's a good manual as they tend to have a wide selection of powder types and the bullet weights translate to other vendors pretty well.

If you really want to get serious then buy a reloading manual/book targeted towards benchrest shooting. Even if the calibers they target aren't close to a 300 Weatherby you will learn a BUNCH of information that will apply nonetheless. Call Sinclair and they'll get you started with some good manuals. I think they have a website: http://www.sinclairintl.com/.

For a 300 Weatherby, buy the damned slowest powder available. This is generally the extruded "stick" type powders. These would include 4831, 4831SC, H1000, R25, just to name a few of those I typically use in my 308 Norma. I would give you loads from it but your case has much more capacity so they don't really apply in my opinion. Also, I don't like R22 simply because they've had some recent problems with certain lots. Another option from an extremely slow burning ball powder would be H870. It's also very cheap. Some folks really like it, some don't. Most will tell you it's dirty, some don't like that while others don't think it matters much.

If you know your twist rate you can choose your bullet weights accordingly. We'd need to know more to help you there. I might add that this is not as big a problem with 30 caliber as it is with .224 or .243, at least in my experience.

Lastly, I would point out that you may have some headaches all your own if that's a true 300 Weatherby chamber with the venturi shoulder. You'll want to pay particular attention to that if it's true. I've never had anything along those lines but I can think of several concerns I would have.

One more lastly, if using those slow powders don't go too low on your starting load as reduced loads of slow burning powders can be explosive...secondary explosive problem.

I hope this doesn't scare you in any way, just be respectful of the power at hand.

Later,

Reed

AZOne -

Ask lots of questions, since you're just starting out. Most of the guys here will be glad to help out.

Regarding pressure signs, Steve's got some great data at
http://stevespages.com/diagnosingproblems.html
You can also check out a recent thread here http://www.serveroptions.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=005390 and, if all the flames don't getcha , there is some good info there.

Good luck,

R-WEST

BUY A RELOADING MANUAL REPEAT!!!!
BUY A REAOADING MANUAL

Be very careful of internet load data that does not come from a powder or bullet manufacturer.
Hodgdon has a fairly easy on line manual but the extra information in the published books by Hodgdon,Nosler,Sierra,Swift,Barnes,Accurate is useful stuff beyond charge weights. Be careful and have fun.

I can't really offer advice on powders since I use several different makers at any given time, it just depends upon the load. For primers I have a decided preference for federal. I've found that the federal 210 and 215 primers will cover anything I've yet to load. I've had hangfires and misfires with CCI and Remington primers so I no longer use them.

For the .300 Weatherby, I've found that IMR 7828 gives the highest velocity, and Hodgdon 4831 seems to be most accurate, although top velocities with it will be lower by about 100 feet per second than the top velocities available with IMR 7828. (I haven't tried Norma MRP or any of the VitaVuhori powders in it.)

In general, I've found that the best thing to do is to go to several reloading manuals and find the powder(s) that is/are listed as giving the top velocities with a given bullet weight. But this doesn't always work. I have one rifle (6mm Rem.) that performs well only with a faster burning powder (IMR 4064) than what is given as yielding top velocities (IMR 4350) in loading manuals.

Several loading manuals -- Nosler, Lyman, and perhaps others -- give information about what powder and/or load they found to be most accurate for a given caliber and bullet in their tests. Saeed's reloading pages also give the results of his tests, both in terms of velocity and accuracy. The information in such manuals and reports is usually good advice, and will certainly give you a good powder to begin with for your tests. But, unfortunately, each rifle is unique to itself, so what one shooter or tester found to be best may not turn out to be so for your particular rifle.

[ 08-08-2002, 17:38: Message edited by: LE270 ]

AzOneCam: One thing to remember is that if you change any component, you must start your workup all over again. What I try to do is pick the heaviest bullet I ever plan on using in that rifle and work up to maximum with one particular powder. This gives me a good starting point for lower weight bullets.

A couple of years ago, I ran out of H870 powder just before deer season; I had been using the same keg for several years. I bought a one pound can, and I was going to load a few in a weight that I knew was safe. I couldn't even get the starting weight in the case. That's probably the most drastic change I've heard of in components, but that was simply a change in Lot number of powder.

AZ - Speer, Lyman and RCBS all have good informative manuals about reloading. No sense really in getting several as they both pretty much say the same thing, although their loading data will vary. But you'll gradually get more books as you go. I don't want you to think this is like a college course. It isn't. Get one good manual. Read all the "How To's." Use common sense and take your time. Develop a procedure that works for you.

One thing that I think has not been mentioned about developing loads is the simple fact that your rifle is going to have a LOT of say about what you use and don't. Every gun is different and every gun has its preferences in powders and bullets. So don't get a 50 lb keg of powder or bulk pack of bullets till you know what your rifle likes.

If you got questions, ASK. There are plenty of fellows here with the know how to help.

Have fun.

I have found I rely on Sierra manuals a lot. But some of the advice above is good, buy all of the manuals you can. I have Hodgdon, Sierra, Hornady, Accurate and Nosler. For powder selection, I generally go to the Sierra manual first and see what they show as their preferred powders for accuracy and for hunting. I then try to start with these. If these match what is shown as the most accurate in the Nosler manual, then that powder is definitely first to try. Always start with a low load and work up. Since I reload a lot, I buy primers in bulk and I generally start with Winchester just because they have always given me good performance. I will also try Federals as I have a couple thousand of them around as well.

Good luck.

Jason,
you will find that IMR-7828 is the best powder in the 300 wby and 200 gr. Noslers are the best bullet for anything you want to hunt...but a lot of good advise has been given and do get a good reloading book..

Remember the flutter factor, thats what you get with a 150 gr. bullet from a 300 Wby...try throughing a feather, then a rock..the rock is better....light fast bullets slow down quick and the explode on game and make a real mess...

Ray -you need a new comparison between light and heavy bullets as the feather vs rock one makes little sense.I could argue the other way by saying which would you rather get hit with -a high speed golf ball or a slow speed basketball.I don't think many would choose the faster but lighter golf ball.I am sure you will agree that neither comparison is really applicable to bullets.