shinbone
Well-Known Member
Hi All,
I've got a Kimber Montana in .300 WSM. I had some accuracy work done on the rifle, and it is a real shooter. I really like Hammer Bullets, and that is pretty much all I load in my rifles. And, I like speed.
The last couple of years I have been shooting 124gn Hammer Hunters in this .300 WSM for deer and antelope. I know this is lighter than what most people would run in a 30 cal magnum, but holy cow it is pretty much a "point and shoot" proposition, and is like flipping the "off" switch when the bullet hits. Consequently, the typical powder recommendations don't apply, here. In my rifle, there is an excellent accuracy node at 3550 fps with IMR 4064. I have finally shot up that batch of ammo, and now is the chance to revisit the load for the rifle.
With IMR 4064, the rifle pressured out at 3760 fps, but I wasn't finding accuracy in that speed region, which is why I dropped down to the 3550fps loading. Velocity data is from a Labradar, which is spot checked with a Magnetospeed at the beginning of each shooting session.
I also tried Vihtavouri N550, which is considerably slower burning than IMR 4064. I never found max pressure, and had to stop at 3825 fps because hunting season was upon me and I ran out of time to further experiment. I did not find an accuracy node in the 3825 fps region with the Viht N550, but I will continue further development.
Since I am always trying to pick up more speed, can anyone recommend a powder to try out in addition to N550?
The rifle and some factory loads I had laying around:
Results with IMR 4064 and 124gn HH:
I've got a Kimber Montana in .300 WSM. I had some accuracy work done on the rifle, and it is a real shooter. I really like Hammer Bullets, and that is pretty much all I load in my rifles. And, I like speed.
The last couple of years I have been shooting 124gn Hammer Hunters in this .300 WSM for deer and antelope. I know this is lighter than what most people would run in a 30 cal magnum, but holy cow it is pretty much a "point and shoot" proposition, and is like flipping the "off" switch when the bullet hits. Consequently, the typical powder recommendations don't apply, here. In my rifle, there is an excellent accuracy node at 3550 fps with IMR 4064. I have finally shot up that batch of ammo, and now is the chance to revisit the load for the rifle.
With IMR 4064, the rifle pressured out at 3760 fps, but I wasn't finding accuracy in that speed region, which is why I dropped down to the 3550fps loading. Velocity data is from a Labradar, which is spot checked with a Magnetospeed at the beginning of each shooting session.
I also tried Vihtavouri N550, which is considerably slower burning than IMR 4064. I never found max pressure, and had to stop at 3825 fps because hunting season was upon me and I ran out of time to further experiment. I did not find an accuracy node in the 3825 fps region with the Viht N550, but I will continue further development.
Since I am always trying to pick up more speed, can anyone recommend a powder to try out in addition to N550?
The rifle and some factory loads I had laying around:
Results with IMR 4064 and 124gn HH:
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