reloading and factory rounds for 300 WSM

hey everyone, ive been researching the best loads for my 300 WSM Savage 16 (all factory except stock), im looking for some input on building up loads with 200 grain rounds, i heard loading it with rl-17 smokeless powder makes it a formidable round, but i dont know what type or round to use, accubond maybe? i want to build 2 different loads, one for target shooting and one for hunting (im in california, so if anyone can give me any tips on lead-free rounds, it would be very helpful).

also, i like to have factory ammunition to keep for when im too lazy to hand load rounds, any ideas what would be great? i have hornady 165 grain rounds around which are great (and lead free), but im looking to get some in 180 grain, havent found any hornady rounds in that weight so any input would be helpful. also the factory ammunition is strictly for hunting, so i need it for long range accuracy (a lot of my animals are taken at 300-600 yards), stopping power and lead free (i know there arent too many options, but ironically im not very well versed in lead free rounds even though i live in california).

I have the exact same rifle with the factory barrel, mine loves the 200 gr Nosler Accubonds, 1/4 MOA for 5 shots at 100 yards

My 300 WSM shoots 150's best. 1:10 twist, try them.

Terry

i always heard that it shot 180's best, but i want something a little heavier so it can travel further, ive always heard that the 300 WSM doesnt perform well with anything 200 grains or beyond, but a friend of mine at the range said he was firing his 200 grain rounds at 2980fps, which is spectacular to me for this type of rifle. ill give the 200 gr nosler accubonds a look, especially with that type of accuracy. i get at the very best .5 MOA with the 165's im shooting now.

oh, and i forgot to ask, what kind of powder are you using bradford, and what kind of speeds are you getting out of that setup?

I am loading 58.3 grains of IMR4350, I also use Winchester magnum primers. If you are using this rifle for hunting then a .5 MOA at 100 yards is spectacular. I do not have use of a chronograph so I can't really tell you what my velocity is. Once I found the right charge to push I played around with the seating depth a little and was able to close up my grouping quite a bit.


Best of luck

i dont really designate a rifle for hunting or target shooting, i use all my rifle for everything (also have an old remington model 721 in 30-06, ruger m77 mk2 in 270 and weatherby vanguard custom in 7mm-08 that i use for everything, but the savage is by far the best shooter out of all of them). i dont shoot targets all that often though, which is why i mostly use hunting rifle modified a bit for target shooting when i do.

anyway, i use winchester magnum primers as well as i have found them very reliable. ive never used IMR4350 powder, what do you like about it?

I am kinda new to reloading and that powder is what was suggested by Nosler in the reloading manual so that is what I went with.

yeah, i just looked it up, youre getting a good 2700fps with that combination, i might have to give that a try. thanks for the suggestion

anyone else want to give me info on what loads they're using for their 300 WSM?