<600 yards, 300 Win. Mag. lighter/faster, or heavier/slower or does it matter?

[CM]

I shoot a 300 Win Mag and have been shooting 165 grain accubonds with good success over the years. I have a load that shoots sub MOA if the nut behind the gun does his job. I hunt pretty much exclusively mule deer and elk. I have killed a lot of mule deer and several elk with this combination. Although I shoot rocks and steel at longer ranges, I have and will continue to confine myself to a 600 yard limit on game, with no desire to go further. Most of my kills have been in the 300-450 yard range. I print tables or use a ballistic calculator and use density altitude to dial turrets when hunting.


With that being said I have recently started looking at loads and wondering if I should go to a heavier bullet. The 190-210 grain offerings from Nosler and Berger interest me. I have some 190 Accubond Long Ranges, but haven't loaded any up.


Here are some sample ballistic tables for 2 example loads:


165 grain Accubond @ 3250 fps (confirmed with chronograph):



190 grain Accubond LR @3000 fps (this might be a little optimistic):




With a 600 yard game limit which would you shoot or does it even matter? The 165 is a bit flatter, but the 190 delivers a bit more ft-lbs especially at 500 and 600 yards.

 

[hunting1]

Only my opinion, but in the 300WM it shines with 180-220's. It will deliver better energy, buck wind better, drive deeper, etc. I shoot 180's in my 300WSM and 200gr NAB's in my 300WM.

 

[PathFinder]

I think the heavier bullets are the way to go too. The increased energy, momentum, sectional density and retained velocity far outweigh the minimal difference in drop. I shoot 208s and 215s out of mine.

 

[coop2424]

Heavier the better for me like said above.. I am shooting 208 at 2800. Can go probably a tad faster but this is right where I wanted to be..

 

[bhylton]

sectional density is important to remember too. heavier bullets having the advantage there.

 

[wind gypsy]

Run the #s with wind, that's where you should see the difference. I'd run 215 bergers in a 300 wm.

 

[mtnwrunner]

Run the #s with wind, that's where you should see the difference. I'd run 215 bergers in a 300 wm.

I would HIGHLY recommend the above suggestion. One of the very best combinations a hunter could have.

Randy

 

[justin davis]

Like others....Heavier the better is my opinion. Wether that's arrows or bullets

 

[robby denning]

From my very limited experience with range-compensating scopes, I'd offer it also depends on your scope choice. If you're turrets, you have more flexibility, but if you're shooting hash marks like Vortex BDC, I'd go for the bullet that matches my hash marks the closest. So if your 200 yard zero is the main duplex, then 300, 400, 500, 600 should be close on the hash marks. Bugs me when a hash mark is like 358 instead of 400, but really no big deal.

 

[Justin Crossley]

Another vote for the 215 Berger. I'm seeing great results with that bullet in my .300wm. I'm running them just over 3000 fps.

 

[wapitibob]

Broz has dbl digit kills on Elk with 215 Bergers. I'd pick his brain.

 

[fire arrow]

I shoot 190 gr Bergers right now with the intent of working up a load for the 215's after the hunting season is over. A older gentleman told me something one day that made a lot of since. Elevation can be dialed in, but we need to learn how to read the wind, and to use a bullet that gives you the most forgiveness with bullet drift from the wind. You can run the numbers on a ballistic program for the bullet drift with different bullets and see for your self, and then make your decision on the bullet you want to use. But long story short, compare all other bullets to the 215 Burgers.