How fast can a 300 win mag push a 230 Berger

[toddc]

LL! Very sad but true. I was at my LGS a couple of weeks ago and I overheard a similar conservation by a couple of guys perusing the rifle rack ... I didn't mean to but I started coughing uncontrollably because ...

My favorite is when I have to go to an Academy for something. Then the guy behind the counter begins regaling me with tales of his buddies 6.8 SPC "SNIPER RIFLE" that he kills moose with at 1500 or the ever popular 1000 yd prairie dog 17 HMR.

 

[FEENIX]

It's not s stock rifle but check out #9 and 12 of Best load .300 win mag W/Berger 230 gr. Tactical?

 

[Alaska2006]

I can get 2850 - 2870 with Berger 230 in front of H-1000 that is at 5,250 elevation and 65 degree days but that is on the hi end out of a 26" Brux pipe and measure over the lab radar. Case life (Norma) is a bit short lived. No hard bolt lift but it does shine the head of the brass a bit.
I load them down a bit into the 2750 range, that give a little safety factor and the head shine goes away, no real improvement on brass life tho.

 

[Litehiker]

Yep, H1000 is about the best powder for .300 Win mag running 230 gr. bullets.

Eric B.

 

[Deleted member 46119]

I have lots and lots of 30 caliber magnum chambered rifles. I don't have any 230grain Bergers (AFAIK) and I've been out of H1000 for quite some time.

however

I am very skeptical of over 3k fps for 230s in a 300WM or a 300Weatherby or 300Wby Improved (any version), barely with a 300 RUM and difficult even with a 30-378Weatherby or 30-338LapuaMagnum.

It's just too small a hole to develop a pressure release model that gets the projectile going before internal pressures exceed safe limits.

Funny thing about internal ballistics. Take a 230grain 338 bullet in almost any of those chamberings and 3k is easy. 338-300WM 2330grain 28" barrel, easy peasy. From there up of course no issue.

 

[toddc]

I have lots and lots of 30 caliber magnum chambered rifles. I don't have any 230grain Bergers (AFAIK) and I've been out of H1000 for quite some time.

however

I am very skeptical of over 3k fps for 230s in a 300WM or a 300Weatherby or 300Wby Improved (any version), barely with a 300 RUM and difficult even with a 30-378Weatherby or 30-338LapuaMagnum.

It's just too small a hole to develop a pressure release model that gets the projectile going before internal pressures exceed safe limits.

Funny thing about internal ballistics. Take a 230grain 338 bullet in almost any of those chamberings and 3k is easy. 338-300WM 2330grain 28" barrel, easy peasy. From there up of course no issue.

My 300 Ultras with 26-28 barrels wouldn't push a 220 to 3k SAFELY. Ran 2975 with brass dead after 3-4 firings. Nosler and Rem brass.

 

[Deleted member 46119]

My 300 Ultras with 26-28 barrels wouldn't push a 220 to 3k SAFELY. Ran 2975 with brass dead after 3-4 firings. Nosler and Rem brass.

Try the 230 to see if you can make it. I did not yet.

 

[Litehiker]

Faster is seldom as accurate as finding the "sweet spot" muzzle velocity.

 

[TX Badger]

If you take the guy up on his offer to shoot at his range and he pulls out that gun/ammo combo, stand way back for a few rounds. ;-/

 

[Wachsmann]

My 300 Ultras with 26-28 barrels wouldn't push a 220 to 3k SAFELY. Ran 2975 with brass dead after 3-4 firings. Nosler and Rem brass.

That was the same thing for me with the RL33. I was a little above the 3K mark and after 3/4 firing I noticed I was getting really bad stretching and primer pockets were loose. I somewhat full length resize. I bump the shoulder back with my die and how much ever it sizes the case. Anyways I quit trying to get a load worked out because I went through about 30 cases and never got below .8 inch group at 100yrds. I went to the 220 ELD-X, mag length for seating, and tried RL26. First load up at mag length 1 inch group at 200 yards. ***...did that really happen. I had six rounds and I shot 5. Took the last one home to measure again and reset my die up. Tested again same results. Used during hunting season for a 760yrd shot on a buck. Not real long but my longest so far to date. Buck dropped in it tracks. The RL33 never had a any bolt lift signs with the charge weights but there was small ejection marks and primers were flatting. I don't currently remember the highest charge weight but there was a lot of data getting thrown up a while back on the site. I think I was some where around 94 to 95 maybe 96 grains. 96 sounds like a lot though. I was also single feeding. If I remember correctly what ever my highest load with retumbo was on the 230's is where a lot of people was starting with RL33. Anyways RL26 has proven to be much better than RL33 and there might be a whole different slew of reason why it works better but I'm no powder expert by any means. Just looking at my chrono speed, my ES and SD and what the gun is printing on the paper is what I'm liking.

 

[lee31]

If you take the guy up on his offer to shoot at his range and he pulls out that gun/ammo combo, stand way back for a few rounds. ;-/

Yeah I was thinking that too.

 

[TXAoudadKlr]

I could believe upper 2800's if throated specific for that bullet and a fast 30" in barrel but a side from that sounds over pressured or he's just full of it

 

[pwrdbycotn]

Who really cares what his chrono says? My chrono reads slow, others read fast. All the chrono does is give me a good starting point to enter numbers into a ballistic calculator before I verify at distance. When you go shoot at his range and he shoots his 300 win mag at 1400 yards with a 230 berger, try to observe or flat-out ask him how many minutes he has to come up to reach 1400 yards. THAT will give you a true idea of how fast the bullet is traveling.

Shooting 210 berger hunting vld's out of my 26" 300 ultra, it will take 44.1 minutes up to get to 1400, at 350ft asl. Now, I haven't shot it that far, but I know my drops are correct to 1000, so I'm pretty sure that number is going to be darn close at 1400.

I'm willing to bet it will take his 300 win mag a WHOLE BUNCH more than 44.1 to get to 1400, if he's truly shooting a 230. I say this guy is better at shooting his mouth than his gun!

 

[4xforfun]

I don't own a 300 Win, but have loaded for a few. I have a stable FULL of 300 WBY BBLs and guns. And i am in 90% agreement with what I have read on this thread.

BUT......I do have one 30" Spencer 300 WBY BBL that never quite made the cut as a 1000 yard BR tube. So, I started messing around with it for LR hunting and banging steel. My chrono was FUBAR when I did my testing, but since min ES wasn't my main goal I load tested anyway. Long story short I had run the 210 VLD up to 90 grains of Retumbo before I found any PSI signs. Now, the OAL of the loaded rounds in this tube was over 4.0 inches in a BAT "M" 1.55. I backed off to 88 GR retumbo as that is where it shot best. I was guessing 3000 fps and made out a drop chart. Not even close. Finally got a new chrono. tested my top 3 loads....

88 gr--- 3223 and 3219 and error
89 gr--- 3272 and 3248 and error. Slight ejector marks
90 gr--- 3286 ,3276, and 3272. ejector marks and slightly stiff bolt lift.

lightbulb The chrono was my "pressure sign"??



Drop chart made from the I6 program and my shoorter app conferm the velocity was correct and drops were correct out to 1500 yards. Primer pockets were holding up. I had already shot that brass twice and shot it three more times.

Later I switched to the 230 and took it up to 88 gr retumbo. Ended up at 86 @ 3175 FPS confermed with my magnito speed 3 and my older CED with the IR screens.

I finally lost my nerve and smartened up. lightbulb I threw the brass away and started fresh.

I guess my point is that it MAY be possible to get stupid fast velocity in select tubes, but, it is NOT SAFE. Had I done my load development on that tube with a chrono, I would have taken it up to the 90 gr. MAX, but my end load would have been WAY south of 88 GR!!!