Anyone using the 178 Amax in a 300WM?

[jakesparents]

Is anybody using the 178 Amax in a 300 WM? I am pursuing a good load for my Savage 112 BVSS. So far 75.0 of R-22 is the best I have found, but I'm still getting flyers. It'll usually shoot 3 out of 5 touching but the other two will open it up to about an inch at 100. Anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks!
Andy

 

[liltank]

Is anybody using the 178 Amax in a 300 WM? I am pursuing a good load for my Savage 112 BVSS. So far 75.0 of R-22 is the best I have found, but I'm still getting flyers. It'll usually shoot 3 out of 5 touching but the other two will open it up to about an inch at 100. Anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks!
Andy

I found you have to play with OAL to get rid of the flyer. Try seating some at .080" and .100" away from the lands and see what happens. I know this eliminated my fliers with my 208 A-max's out of my 300 WSM.

Tank

 

[jakesparents]

Hey, I will give that a shot! That would make sense, it seems that the 110 gr. bullets fly better in this rifle, they are a long way from the lands. The 178's are about .015 from the lands. I'll push em in more and see what happens.

Thanks!
Andy

PS: That's a great verse that you attached on your posts!

 

[liltank]

Thanks, that verse means a lot to me. Let us know how it goes.

Tank

 

[SBriggs]

Hey Andy
I just switched over to 178's in my 300 win and am having great results with them after completing a ladder test! I have my OAL about ten thou of the lands and they stay togethere really well on paper! Had them about 3-5 of the lands and was getting the same results your are. My Remmy really like the jump from 10 thou.

Mine will shoot 1/2 moa at 200 yards all day! Shot my best group of 7-1/2" at a thousand with them other day!! As long as I can do my part.
Have you done a ladder test yet??

 

[jakesparents]

I have been loading 5 shot groups going up in half grain increments. 75.0 was the best, 75.5 opened up. (R-22) The BR primers did seem to help some over the 215's. I do think I need to give it more jump. I think I will try that next. I was loading them at 3.510, which is right on the lands, that was worse. I have them at 3.490 right now. I am going to try a little farther and see what happens. One guy said his liked it .080-.100 from the lands, that was a Savage like mine. I think he was shooting 180 SMK's though.
I am hoping to get out the next couple days and try the next load. i am out of R-22 and am trying to decide if I should get another pound, or try 4350 or H1000. I also have some 7828, but I have noticed that it recoils substantially more for some reason, but gets the same velocity. I have some Retumbo, but I don't see any loads for the 180 gr range for that. Must be too slow.

Thanks!
Andy

 

[liltank]

One guy said his liked it .080-.100 from the lands, that was a Savage like mine. I think he was shooting 180 SMK's though.

Hey Andy,
That guy was me! I use 208 A-max's. They seem to shoot well. I have used 200SMK's but they are really pricey so I am back to the A-max's. I wouldn't go any slower than the powders you are using now. Mine seems to like the H4350 at 61.5 grains. I have used RL17 with good velocity results, but that powder is coming hard to find. I was just looking at loads with RL22 last night thinking it might be a nice change. Right now though it ain't broke, so I'm not trying to fix it. Take care and waiting to see how the deeper seating depth works for ya.

Tank

 

[SBriggs]

Hey Andy
I'm using H4831 in mine at 71.5grs!! From the research I did that seemed to be the one powder that was recommended the most or used the most up here in the great white north!!
Getting very consitent velocities with it!
I also did a ladder test with IMR4350 but switch over to hodgoson for the supposed temp stablity that the IMR does not have!!

SB

 

[jakesparents]

I am really anxious to see how they do too. I can't seem to get any good weather though. We seem to be in the rut where it's dripping hot and dead calm all day while I am at work, then when I get home the thunderstorms roll through, then it's dark. Sometimes I think about shooting a few groups before work, but with a 300 touching off at 6am, I don't think it would go over well with the neighbors. Even though they are all 1/2 mile or more away. I get a lot of comments already, like "what kind of cannon are you shooting?" Of course I tell them it's just my little groundhog gun!
Anyway, I'll be sure to post as soon as I can get them shot. I am leaning really hard toward getting a pound of H1000 next, but I sure wish I had a bit more R-22. This 300 sure is a powder guzzler after being so used to the .223!

Andy

 

[rinodods]

Any idea what kind of speed you were getting out of that 75gr of RL-22. I'm shooting a savage 111 I built into a 300wm and put in a bvss stock. I have been shooting the 178 amax over 71gr of RL-22. I'm getting about 2980FPS. Used it over the weekend for some pdog shooting. Wasn't sure that amax would open up on a pdog but boy was I wrong. Massive carnage! Even got a triple kill. lol

 

[jakesparents]

I am getting about 3075 out of the 26" barrel. I am using BR primers. The 215's might be a tad faster, but it did not seem to like them. According to Hornady, the 175 Amax is a very light construction to fragment almost like a Vmax. The 208 Amax is a heavier construction and won't open up as much. They said quite a few people are using the 178 on deer at longish ranges. He said inside 300 yrds it might blow up on the skin and get very little penetration, but beyond that they perform really well.
Do you have a Savage barrel on that? What OAL are you at? How does it group?

Thanks!
Andy

 

[rinodods]

It has a 26" Shilen select match barrel fitted with a Vais brake. Groups look pretty good. Last time out on paper it was under 0.5" but that was in 20mph gusty winds with a target that rocked about 6" front to back. I think it will do better. I meant to put it on paper again during the pdog shoot but couldn't pull myself away from launching at the pdogs. I've just started seating the 178's like 0.002 off the lands and had what looks like a good load. I figured your load would be moving a little faster with the extra 4grs. Might be worth backing it off a bit and seeing what you get. Might be wasting a few grains for very little to no benefit. I haven't shot it much over 300yrds but was still hitting pdogs. Next time I'm out I plan on setting up to get some shots at least out to 500 and see how I do. I'm connecting with my 260rem out that far so we'll see if I can match it with the 300wm.

 

[jakesparents]

I will be curious how that shilen barrel does. I am hoping for at least .5 consistently out of this one. A little less would be wonderful. I have a .223 that handles anything inside 400 yards very easily and out 500 generally with no problem, but it's running low on engery at that point and the wind drift is pretty tricky. So my goal for the 300 is 400 yards and beyond, or windy days. We don't have prarie dogs here unfortunatley (ohio), but we do have groundhogs. They tend to be a bit larger target. I also seem to shoot plenty of coons, which are a good size target as well. They come out and forage in the evenings. Without good fur prices they are out of control and into everything. So, my goal is at least .5 on paper, and to be able to take it out in varying conditions and consistently be dead on zero. I just want to get it to where I can pull it out of the case and vaporize a rodent and not have to spend lots of time punching paper in the future. That .223 has been very much that way since I found a good load for it.

Andy

 

[NW Hunter]

Hey Rinodods, How do you like the Vais Brake?