300 Weatherby question

S

StevenF

New member
I've had this Weatherby Vangaurd rifle now for a few years and initially I worked up my load using 165 grain Remington sp bullets over 84 grains of H4831sc. It wasn't a fantastic shooter but accurate enough to hunt deer with. The other downside is that I found out that these bullets are not strong enough for the speeds involved. I'd like to work up something that would be better suited for all North American big game. Not that I'm going on any hunts any time soon but since I'm almost out of these bullets I may as well start fresh.

So I'm now pondering if I should look for a better constructed 165 grain bullet, maybe in a boattail design or go with a 180 grain bullet. According to the Weatherby site the barrel should have a 10 twist. Anybody have any ideas which way I should go? Just looking for something that will shoot close to moa and stay together. I know it's alot of gun for a deer but I wanted a flat shooter. Thanks
 
If you want to go from deer to any North American big game, you may want to look at the Swift A-Frame, in whichever weight your rifle likes best.

Mike
 
In the past I did alot of work with a 300 Win Mag and had very good results with the 200gr Siera Gameking. I built the rig for long range shooting and it was poison on deer. Sold it to an elk hunter that offerred more than I could turn down.

AWS
 
That load of 84 grains of H4831SC is way over Max load for the 300 Win Magnum or even a 300 Wheatherby Mag. You didn't exactly say for what cartridge. The latest Hodgdon data calls for a max load of 80.2 grains of H4831 with the 165 grain bullets in the 300 Wheatherby and 75.5 griain for the 300 Win Mag. Check it out!

I used a lot of Nosler 165 partitions on deer and Cariboo and the 200 grainers for Moose and Brown Bear in Alaska back in the early 70s. I think there are alot more choices now. My custom model 70 300 Winchester Mag did 3 shots all touching at 100 yards.
 
SodakJim, It's a 300 Weatherby. You are probably right. My Lyman book 47th edition shows a max load of 85.0 grains and I have a 97 Hodgdon handbook that shows about the same thing. I think in 98 or 99 Hodgdon reduced a whole truck load of their max loads. I don't know why they did it. I had loads for my 45-70 and 30-06 that were both worked up prior to the change using Varget and I left them the same after they reduced their max loads and they both still shoot exactly the same to this day with no pressure signs. I really think that it was an effort to reduce liability. Having said that I also wouldn't recommend anyone using my loads without working up from a safe starting load. This load is safe in MY gun. It's just not as accurate as I would like for long range shooting.

I was kinda looking at either the Partition or Noslers new Accubond. The accubond is getting a little bit of a mixed review on here so I may try the partitions. Thanks for the input.
 
I'm running a max load of 83 gr of 4831sc through my 300 Wby ULW. Bullet are Barnes 180 gr TSX. These are performing very well for me on Antelope ,deer & Elk. The TSX's retain there weight very well. This combo gives groups of 5/8" - 3/4" @ 100 yards.
 
I have shot a half dozen whitetails with 180 gr. ballistic tips in my 300 Wby. I have never had an exit wound, and never lost a deer. The bullets have all just vaporized. Two years ago I tried 165 gr. partitions. I didn't like them because my rifle was mashing the tips pretty bad in the magazine, so I went back to the BT's. This year I developed loads with 180 grain Accubonds. Last week it had a single shot kill on a quartering away 5X5. All were loaded with 7828.

My rifle really likes the 180 gr. BT's, but I haven't liked the extreme amount of damage with no exit wound that they cause. I have been lucky to take only broadside and head-on shots thus far. I think that a shot into one of the shoulders would cost a bunch of meat.
 
Thanks for the info Wables. I was kinda wondering how the ballistic tips would perform. I really want to get a pass through if I can without paying 40 to 50 dollars a box for bullets. I wonder if anyone has any experience with the Hornady Interlock bullets or the Sierra Gamekings at magnum velocities. I do think I have settled on going from the 165 grain bullet to the 180. Now just gotta choose which one.
 
try accubonds for penetration, I only had one that didn't exit and it hit a limb before it got to the buck, made a tennis ball sized entry on the top forward edje of the left ham, penatrated to the lungs and was in the off side shoulder.
The rest were solid pass thru's at ranges from 475-585 yrd.
RR
 
You kinda lost me here.......I have only heard of polymer tipped bullets getting distorted and out of shape in magazines never a spire or soft point. I have a 300 Wby along with a handful of other magnum calibers and I wouldnt dare putting any polymer tip bullet excpet a Hornady A max in any of them......and I wont shoot those unless its all thats available. In my opinion you need a Soft point to a deep penetration bullet for this round. I swear if they made V-maxs for a 300 WSM I think some people would use them and it makes NO sense to me. What is so great about a polymer tip bullet???? Soft points seems to kill so much better.
 
Wables....You have a man's gun and a sissy's bullet......If I could drop one of those Milwaukee Best light cans on you like in the commericals I would.
 
Last edited:
If you want a bullet for elk and bear I would use at least a 180 gr bullet. I have had good luck in both my 300 Wby and 300 Win with 180 gr Barnes-X and 180 gr Speer Grand Slam bullets. I was using IMR 4831, IMR 4350, and H4831.
 
Not sure if it helps but my Weatherby Vanguard in 300WBY loves 180gr Hornady SST's with 86.8Gr of RL25. My particular gun refuses to shoot anything lighter less then MOA.

I use my 300WBY for everything from White Tail up to ELK. But here in AZ I have plenty of open ranges to really put the caliber to use by reaching out and touching game.
 
Loco, How was the performance? Do you get consistent exit wounds? I'm looking pretty hard at those Horndy 180gr SST's and the speer grand slam bullet. Might just have to break down and try them both. Thanks for all the input guys it's been a tremendous help.
 
I shoot the SST's out of my 308 and really like them since the have the interlock ring......Which is very different than the thin-covered Nosler BT. The SST has almost the same penetrating characteristics as the A-max with the boat tail.
 
Hi Steve
I have a 300 weatherby that puts a 180 grain Nosler Ballistic tip 5 shots in a dime at 100. I dont load the max just the middle of the road. A friend recommended the load to me as he had used it for 10 years or more. As he put it "I have never had one walk away. He hunts whitetails in VA.
 
I have a 7mm Remington Mag that would never do under 1.5" at 100 yds with anything that I reloaded for it. This was very frustrating to me. Then I decided to try some Barnes Triple Shock X Bullets. The rest is history. I will Never load another bullet out of any of my big game rifles. Not only did my 3 shot group size drop for 1.5" to 3/4" (or less) at 100 yds. They also shot much faster. If the choice was mine 1 would load some 180 Grn. TSX Bullets. The 300 just seems to be made for the 180s and you can't go wrong with the Barnes bullets. Good Shootin
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top