What are your favorite loads for .250-3000 ?

I like H414 or WW-760 the same in a different wrapper..It works great with most any bullet..However lately Ive been using CFE-223 and its also a great powder...The 250-3000 is easy to load for and not particular about bullets or powder and Ive never seen one that wasnt accurate..I don't quote powder charges, but recommend two grains below book max with the 99 Savage, and I go over max a few grains in a good bolt gun..Ive been shooting the 250 since 1950 when I bought my first 99 EG..I shot my dads 99F for a number of years before that and its still my go to deer rifle, Mule deer or whitetail..I like cup and core bullets, Silvertips, Corelokts, Hornadys, Sierra 90 gr. Gameking, BTHPs...Nosler partition for elk..I stay with 85 to 100 gr. bullets for deer and about everything else...Hodgedon Reloading book ( the magazine issue ) has lots of good data and gives pressure readings also, and won't break the bank..

Other powders you might like are H380, H335, 4895, BAlC2, to name a few..

Most accurate bullet seems to be the 90 gr. HPBT sierra GAmeking, in all my 250s..and does a good job on deer btw..might consider the nosler accubond for deer also, Have not tried it but those bullets sure do shoot great in my other calibers and a great hunting bullet.

An unusual load that I liked very much for our big northern whitetails in the bush is a stiff charge of W760 under the Hornady round nose 117 gr. bullet. At 2700 fps out of a 22" barrel. Compared to the diminutive size of the cartridge, it made it a giant slayer. I shot deer from 10 yds to about 270 yds with that combination. Always good expansion, and full penetration. I never caught a bullet, they all exited. And kills were quick. Only use this load in a a 1-10" twist rifle, the old 1-14" won't stabilize it.

Since the OP hasn’t told us what he might want to use our “favorite load” for or what rifle he wants to use - mine is the Speer 87-grain TNT ahead of 31.0 grains of AA2015. This gives ~3050 fps and aggs in the .6s - and is even safe in an M99 (~42,000 psi). In my XP-100 bolt gun I could load a lot hotter safely but this load shoots so well I leave it alone.

I asked a general question, if you need more specifics perhaps you shouldn't be answering the question.

87's with

RL-17 - 40.5
IMR4064 - 35

Longwalker,
I too like the 117 RN hornady in the 250 although it was and is designed for the 25-35, another favorite of mine, Ive used it on deer, and elk in both the 250 and 25-35, and it works amazinglywell in both calibers, and that defies all thats holy but Ive used on enough of both to be sold on it and its accurate in both...I go back to the early 1950s with both calibers and a teen age cowboy raised on a big ranch and a fammily that hauled mules to colorado, hunted elk and sold the mules at the end of our hunt to colorado outfitters who were waiting to buy them at the Chimney Rock Store...every year for 4 or 5 years...We all use the 25-35, 250 Savage, 300 Savage and 30-30s..They all worked.

quote:

Originally posted by Gunswizard:
I asked a general question, if you need more specifics perhaps you shouldn't be answering the question.

You asked an extremely generic question then go off on a guy even after he lists his load..
Often times you can get some really great information here, some of these guys use different loads for different types of shooting or hunting and have several different types of loads that are more accurate or a better killer for game. Just saying if I was posting that question I'd be appreciative of whoever took the time to reply.

I’ve worked up several loads for the 250-3000 over the years.

31-33 grains of 4064 and a Nosler 120 BT.

That is the Gissard in action 5 mo. ago!

Once a shit head----always a shit head!

Hip

Once again it,s accepted that the savage 99 with a 1x14 twist wont stabilize 100 gr bullets and the Hornady 117 gr RN, both of which are false statement started by experts limited experience or just handing down BS they read.

The real facts are it depends on the gun barrel in question...All my 250s are 1x14 mostly 99s. My oldest take down loves the 117 gr, Hornady RN, as well as the 80 gr GS Customs and 100 gr Remmington factory ammo, but wont shoot the good 100 gr ballistic tips, the other guns are the same but with minor differences. Its a half truth crap shoot, I base mine on at least 70 years with the 99 SAvage and a couple of bolt guns in that caliber and a few others, the 117 Hornady being a round nose heavy short bullet seems to work in all my 250s over the years therefore Ive concluded shape and length of the bullet to be at least a major factor?

All Im saying is do your homework and try them before making such decisions. Some do and some dont. Its a big plus if they shoot heavy bullets with the 1x14 or light bullets in the 1x10 and one owes it to himself to give it a shot!

In both pistols (XP-100 and Encore) and rifles (Ruger M77 and Encore), Re-15 proved to be the best overall for my usage in terms of both velocity and accuracy. I primarily used the 100 grain Nosler BT in the rifles along with the 85 grain Nosler BT, the 87 grain Hornady SP and 100 grain BT in the pistols.

Re-15 was also my go-to for a 14" .257 JDJ, which is basically the ballistic twin of the ol' .250.