Savage 16 300 WSM Ammo selection

[boggintuff]

Hello all I am new here. I did a couple of searches in different areas and didnt produce the answer.

I am looking for input on the best performing bullet for this caliber/rifle. A gunsmith told me that he had the best results from 180 gr boattail balistic tip.

I would appreciate any input, TIA.

[thomae]

No one will be able to really answer your question for a few reasons:
First and foremost, different bullets (and powders, primers, etc...) perform differently in different rifles, different barrels, etc...so what works for me may not work for you even if you have the same model firearm with the same setup.

Secondly, what are you doing with this rifle? It will make a difference. Hunting? Target Shooting? Do you want your bullet to perform well on varmints or bigger, more dangerous game? Is your goal to shoot tiny groups at 100 (or 250, or 500, or whatever) yards, or is your goal to get one shot kills on the far ridge in the next county?

These are just a few examples of questions, the answers to which will assist the other forum members to help you a little more effectively.
If you can provide amplification to your particular situation, and what your goals are, it will help get some useful information to you.

You will get lots of opinions and suggestions, but at the end of the day, you will need to try some of them out using YOUR equipment and see what works.

Welcome to the forum. We're glad to have you.

To help you out as a new member, please make sure you read the following forum rules here:
http://www.savageshooters.com/forumdisplay.php?13-Forum-Rules
as well as a list of frequently asked questions about the forum:
http://www.savageshooters.com/forumdisplay.php?52-Help-and-FAQ-s

Thanks. I think you will like it here. :)

[boggintuff]

I will be shooting Deer, Bear, and Elk sub 300 yards. I have been researching the Nosler Accubond 180gr and the Barnes TTSX 165gr

[thomae]

I don't have a 300 win mag, but both Accubonds and Barnes TTSX (and TSX) bullets have good reputations for killing power. With a little experimentation, you should certainly be able to get some results that are more than accurate enough for ethical hunting at those ranges. I think that others with more specific knowledge of that particular cartridge will chime in, but it sounds like you certainly have a reasonable starting point.

[boggintuff]

Im not really up to experimenting to awful much at $50-55/box

[cheezie]

Buy a box of premium 180gr ammo, shoot half of it at the range sighting in and practicing first-shot hits within 1" of your aimpoint at 200 yds, then keep the other half of the box for hunting for the next several seasons, firing two rounds at the beginning of each season to reconfirm sighting. Or, you could get into reloading, but your ammo would cost you twice as much and you wouldn't have any free time. LOL.

[1S1K]

I've used Federal 180 grain Nosler Accubond ammo in my Model 16 .300WSM ever since I've had it (about 7 years). They printed good on paper and killed every deer I ever pulled the trigger on. I was actually so impressed with them I never tried another brand. BUT, your result may not be the same in your gun. I know that they are expensive now; (My first box cost $29.00 now they are about double that) but, you get what you pay for when you shoot premium ammo vs. cheap stuff.

Jim

[rusty815]

So do you want factory ammunition or reloading help?

for factory ammunition, look for 180gr. bullets since they seem to be loaded for the best performance in a 300WSM, heres some that I feel will perform well:

Federal 180gr. lead free round:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/712855/federal-premium-vital-shok-ammunition-300-winchester-short-magnum-wsm-180-grain-trophy-copper-tipped-boat-tail-lead-free-box-of-20

winchester supreme 180gr. nosler accubond:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/384888/winchester-supreme-ammunition-300-winchester-short-magnum-wsm-180-grain-nosler-accubond-box-of-20

and for a relatively low cost option, federal fusion 180gr. round:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/357645/federal-fusion-ammunition-300-winchester-short-magnum-wsm-180-grain-spitzer-boat-tail-box-of-20

I am familiar with all three and have used them prior to when I started reloading a few years ago, all three work well, I prefer the federal 180gr. lead free round because to me, it has the best performance on game out of the three, but all three can easily take any game you want.

If you reload, I recommend the 175gr. or 200gr. LRX under Reloader 17, the best powder-bullet combination I have found for hunting rounds.

[efm77]

http://www.underwoodammo.com/300wsm.aspx

Might want to give these a try. This guy's quality is really good and the price isn't as bad as other factory loads. I've got the 180gr SST's for my 300WSM and it's shot them good so far. Had to replace the scope though and haven't gotten a chance to get it mounted and sighted in again yet so I haven't got to shoot it as much as I've wanted.

[boggintuff]

Thanks for all of the input...those Federal Trophy Copper one have some good ballistics..and will prolly able to buy local.

[1983Weatherby]

WSM in .300 doesn't like anything over 180grains. It will consistently shoot sub MOA groups all day long with accubond or Barnes TSX loads.

[rusty815]

WSM in .300 doesn't like anything over 180grains. It will consistently shoot sub MOA groups all day long with accubond or Barnes TSX loads.

Thats a myth. The 300WSM performs very well with rounds over 180gr., one of the most used target rounds in the 300WSM is the 208gr. AMAX, which I use. I load nothing under 200gr. in my 300WSM and get very good performance with Reloader 17.

[efm77]

What kind of velocity do you get with those 208 grainers? I like the WSM too but always thought those real heavy bullets got into the powder capacity too much so they couldn't be driven as fast as with a longer cartridge.

[1983Weatherby]

Rusty, I have tried all sorts of powder and bullets at the 220gr point and I can't get groups better than 2". I step down to 180gr and I can cut paper all day long. Maybe it's just my rifle.

[rusty815]

I was getting 2950fps. but it was stressing the brass too much so I reduced it a bit to get 2920fps and isn't too hard on brass. I am still testing the 230 grainers but so far I'm seeing velocities in the 2700fps range, the 230's are a great long range round if you have enough elevation to sling em out far enough.

[rusty815]

Rusty, I have tried all sorts of powder and bullets at the 220gr point and I can't get groups better than 2". I step down to 180gr and I can cut paper all day long. Maybe it's just my rifle.

I get sub-MOA accuracy with the 208gr. AMAX and 200gr. LRX rounds, my best group was .378" I believe with the LRX, but average is around .6 MOA. Jury is still out on the 230's though, I've only gotten two sub-MOA groups with them with two different powders in ladder tests, they didn't seem to like Reloader 19 or 22, I'm hoping I get better results with Reloader 17, the velocity I stated was achieved by a friend of mine who already tested the 230's with Reloader 17, so I know what velocity is possible, I just need to see if the accuracy is there.

[efm77]

Cool. That's better velocity than I thought you'd be able to get with a 208 grain. That's right along with the 300 win mag.

[rusty815]

Yeah, but I believe it was Seirra's manual that stated that the 300WSM is within 50fps for ALL bullet weights, including bullets over 200 grains. There are a few powders that can get you within that range, I like Reloader 17, but Mag Pro and Hybrid 100V work well. Just remember to properly load up, and for the 208gr. AMAX and Berger bullets, to load em as close to the lands as possible.

[efm77]

Good to know. I always thought above 180 gr, that gap would widen.

[rusty815]

Yeah, that was my mindset when I first started loading for my 300WSM, I used 168gr. TSX and was planning on using the 185gr. Berger Hybrid as my target load, but it always ticked me that so many people would say that the 300WSM was no good with anything above 180gr. so I went ahead and started experimenting, and found out that the 300WSM doesn't lose any more velocity than other 30 caliber cartridges when going up in weight, and its velocity curve almost matches the 300WM.