300 H&H Bullet weight selection?

[trumdal]

Recently my father and I were to a range to shoot. Me with my .308 FN Pbr and he with his 300 H&H. We had fun the likes that we havent seen together in years. Problem is now hes hooked. I have been shooting long range for a few years but mostly for fun not for competition (a side from the "hey bet ya a beer back at town I can hit that rock" bet). I run the FN with 168 gr A-max over 47 Grains Varget producing 2988 fps +/_ 8 fps. I am fairly happy with my load and my rifle spits sub moa groups with it. Question is towards the 300 H&H with the larger case capacity would it not be beneficial for him to send a larger bullet with a better B.C.? I looked into Hornadays line up being that it is what I shoot and found a sexy looking 208 Gr. A-max with a B.C. through the roof. Can someone shed a little light on this subject? Would you guys shoot a lighter bullet faster to keep flight time down, or go larger to buck wind better?

Yours truley: Helping the old man.

 

[liltank]

Well... I like the 208's and I shoot a 300WSM. I am currently shooting at 2903fps shooting sub MOA (.5's) with this bullet. I have some kills at 605, 630, and 650 yards on ground hogs. They weren't explosive (too light skinned I'm guessing for that bullet), but did the job. Those are perfect for long range game. Right now my drops are showing 920yrds max for Elk size game and 1240yrds for Whitetail size game. That is at an elevation of just under 1100ft. That tells me that 1000yrds is very possible for elk at altitude. The construction of the bullet would allow you take game effectively at long range. Other options are the JLK and Berger 210. My current BC with my rifle is .330 G7.

I know some will tell you to push it hard with a lighter bullet. I guess it is all in how far you are wanting to hunt. If it is 800 or less, than a 180 or 190 VLD or SMK type bullet will do the trick. Heck... pushing a good 165 to 175 grain bullet will do the trick. Some here are pushing light mono metal bullets in the 3300 to 3400fps range with 150 to 180 grain bullets with good results. I just haven't turned that way yet. I still like old fashion lead poisoning. But for anything over 800 yards, heavier is the better option.

I know that there are guys on here getting good results using the Bergers and Hornady's in their 300WM's. I know that the 300 H&H has been a staple hammer in the tool belt for years. If you set it up right, I wouldn't hesitate to use the heavier bullets in that caliber. It will be able to push them quite hard. I would pin a velocity of around 2975 or 3000 fps if you have the right barrel and powder combo. You are going to need about 26" barrel to do it though. Make sure you have a 1:10 twist also.

The one conclusion that I have come to with the 208 A-max's load different. The only explanation I have right now is that the bearing surface of the bullet is greater than the Berger's. This has caused pressure issues that with the same loads with Bergers have been non-existent. I have tried like crazy to push them as fast as guys are pushing their Berger's and can't quite make it. I have to load 2 to 3 grains lower than most published loads for that weight bullet. On the up side, they are still a Secant ogive allowing for great ballistics. So slower speeds don't really bother me at this point. I can still hit with authority.

Hope this helps,
Tank