Found a winning load! 300 win mag 225 eld.

[Calvin45]

i posted this elsewhere but realized the thread title may have looked like I was looking for input and not sharing my findings so I'm sharing them here as well.

I've found a winner for my savage 111 long range hunter in .300 win mag.

Winchester brass. Federal 215M primers. Imr 8133. Hornady 225 eld Match, hex boron nitride treated.

Cartridge overall length 3.56". Does not fit in the magazine. Don't care . Any shorter and my cheap lee seating die was deforming the tips on these lawn darts. The charge is compressed heavily at this length anyway. To help alleviate any seating inconsistencies I seat my bullets part ways then rotate the cartridge before finishing to help even things out if somethings not square (don't know if it actually helps, based on my results it certainly doesn't hurt).

In working up the load I found a node of sorts, in that there was a steady increase in velocity up to 78.5 grains, then only 30 more FPS going up to 80.0 which was very compressed. There were still no pressure signs at 80. I might try a faster burn rate but I'll probably just stay with this, not fixing what clearly is not broken. I settled on 79.0 grains of imr 8133. No drop tube or anything like that. I did not sort brass by weight or anything either, just by headstamp .

79 grains gave an average velocity of 2760 FPS. At first I was disappointed but then i ran the numbers and that's right at 3800 foot pounds, and no pressure signs, which is indeed full .300 win mag performance. I didn't get enough over the chrono to provide meaningful es numbers. 24 inch barrel, 26 but the last two are muzzle brake.

I've taken it out to 400 yards today, it's hitting where it's supposed to.

But I was most encouraged and surprised by the 3 shot group it did at around 80 paces or so which I've attached here. For some this would be nothing special but for me it is. This is the first rifle I've owned and the first loads I've done up that I've gotten one hole groups out of and it's addicting as all get out.

At 150 yards they were touching each other. At 400 they were all within about 3 inches of each other. For me this is great!

 

[dxlbaile]

I have a savage 111 LRH that I just worked up with Win brass fed 215 75.5 grains H-1000 and the 210 vld.. IT is shooting 3" group at 600 , 2900 fps I am really pleased.
Great job on your load work up, and great shooting.. Enjoy the ride.. Only thing about these LRH is the trigger is to stiff.. I am going to swap it out. Well and of course the barrel is a pencil, but they shoot.

 

[Calvin45]

I have a savage 111 LRH that I just worked up with Win brass fed 215 75.5 grains H-1000 and the 210 vld.. IT is shooting 3" group at 600 , 2900 fps I am really pleased.
Great job on your load work up, and great shooting.. Enjoy the ride.. Only thing about these LRH is the trigger is to stiff.. I am going to swap it out. Well and of course the barrel is a pencil, but they shoot.

I'm surprised to hear you're displeased with the trigger and find the barrel pencil-like. To be fair this is the nicest gun I've ever owned hands down, it has the accutrigger but I haven't even messed with adjusting it as I like where it's set to from factory. The barrel on mine is a semi-heavy contour, not at all a bull or varmint barrel but way stouter than a sporter. For me it really is a perfect compromise. It's heavy and solid enough to shoot better/be more shootable than sporters but I can carry it walking for miles and not find it notably heavy. With the scope and bipod the rig is a little over 12 pounds.

Awesome to hear you've got a load going for you too. If I feel the need to try other bullets I've got 208 hornady and 210 nosler ablrs HBN'd and and ready, and want to buy some 215 Berger's as the reports are glowing.

 

[dxlbaile]

Well, in all fairness Calvin I am used to guns that come in around 9lbs scoped for hiking and trigger pull of 1lb or less. I have one of the first LRH models that was made and may be different than what you have. Basically it has sat in the safe for 10 years and I decided to finally make it shoot. IT is just a for fun gun to shoot, and I will definitely shoot my barrel out and put something different on it..

I am glad you found your load. To properly seat the 215 the LRH hunter 300 win I am shooting has too short of a mag box to seat it properly. So, if you don't want a single shot I would stay away from the 215 unless you are willing to sacrifice accuracy.
I shoot the 215 in 2 other 300's that have more length in the box.. I love them.
Good luck and happy hunting/shooting.

 

[Calvin45]

Well, in all fairness Calvin I am used to guns that come in around 9lbs scoped for hiking and trigger pull of 1lb or less. I have one of the first LRH models that was made and may be different than what you have. Basically it has sat in the safe for 10 years and I decided to finally make it shoot. IT is just a for fun gun to shoot, and I will definitely shoot my barrel out and put something different on it..

I am glad you found your load. To properly seat the 215 the LRH hunter 300 win I am shooting has too short of a mag box to seat it properly. So, if you don't want a single shot I would stay away from the 215 unless you are willing to sacrifice accuracy.
I shoot the 215 in 2 other 300's that have more length in the box.. I love them.
Good luck and happy hunting/shooting.

Thanks for the info. I'm fine with a single shot and it's currently how I'm running it with this load so no worries there. Though I had heard the Berger hybrids weren't so sensitive about seating depth and more jump tolerant than the original vld. Has that been your experience?

Regarding hiking with heavy guns, some people around here look at me like I'm a sucker for punishment carrying a rifle like this all day, but i really don't notice the weight at this point in my life, and without a doubt a part of it comes from having a 1 year old and a 2 year old at home- I'm lugging awkward weight around while living my life in my late 20s much more frequently than I was in my early 20s, don't notice anymore haha. Additionally, I never have had especially steady hands, often a slight bit shaky, so I've never been all that good at shooting the lightweights everyone else seems to prefer to full potential. Weight is my friend in a rifle

 

[dxlbaile]

We tried to shoot the 215 in a gun that had a short mag box and it didn't work out.. My brother didn't want to go single shot so we had him use some Nosler instead. If you don't care about single shot then the 215 will work good.. Usually about 0.30 to 0.40 thousands off the lands is the sweet spot.. They are a little more finicky than people put on.. I load for seven 300 win shooters who like them and usually 0.40 jump will do it.. ADG brass is the very best with 215 primer or cci 250 .. Winchester will work but it only lasts two firings for me.. I am pushing that 215 about 3050 out of a 26 inch tube. Good luck with your adventure.

 

[Calvin45]

We tried to shoot the 215 in a gun that had a short mag box and it didn't work out.. My brother didn't want to go single shot so we had him use some Nosler instead. If you don't care about single shot then the 215 will work good.. Usually about 0.30 to 0.40 thousands off the lands is the sweet spot.. They are a little more finicky than people put on.. I load for seven 300 win shooters who like them and usually 0.40 jump will do it.. ADG brass is the very best with 215 primer or cci 250 .. Winchester will work but it only lasts two firings for me.. I am pushing that 215 about 3050 out of a 26 inch tube. Good luck with your adventure.

Holy smokes that's running warm! I've heard about that adg brass, don't know if I can even get it in Canada. But if "normal" brass is only good for two firings with a load isn't that a bit alarming? Not judging or saying don't do it but that'd be a huge red flag for me in my own practices. Ran the numbers, 215 at 3050 is yielding over 4400 foot pounds. That's squarely in RUM territory! Thanks for the 40 thou advice, I'll bear it in mind should I try those. Won't even attempt to make that kind of velocity happen though, I 100 percent believe you that you're doing it without pressure signs and that you're a diligent, safe, and responsible loader (who knows a lot more about it than i do) but nonetheless exceeding published ballistics by that huge of a margin seems like free lunch and I agree with those who say there's no such thing. All the best, thanks for the info. (I do have h1000 in my stash of powders and, all the more on account of your experience, do intend to give it a try with the 200-215 grain weight range)

 

[dxlbaile]

Never said we didn't have some pressure. We got a slight ejector mark on Win brass with 78 grains of H-1000. 78 grains of N-570 however nothing. Work any rifle up with care, decide what you can live with for running hot loads. If you stay below 77 grains usually you don't see much pressure. Every gun is different that's why we do load work..

 

[Calvin45]

Never said we didn't have some pressure. We got a slight ejector mark on Win brass with 78 grains of H-1000. 78 grains of N-570 however nothing. Work any rifle up with care, decide what you can live with for running hot loads. If you stay below 77 grains usually you don't see much pressure. Every gun is different that's why we do load work..

Agreed.

This sort of thing is also why I feel pressure signs are useful but not the last word by any stretch. I've observed in my own experiences loads that almost certainly cannot have been overpressure cause primer cratering or leave ejector marks, and I've also seen a 22 inch barrelled 270 spit 140 grain bullets out at well over 3100 with no indication of pressure whatsoever. It sure is weird. I'm personally fond of finding the slowest burn rate that will still give max performance because a) all things being equal a 100 percent load density tends to be more consistent and b) it's nice to know that even if I do something stupid or make a mistake somewhere in the process it's not going to be possible to fit enough powder into the case to cause anything truly catastrophic.

Again, not knocking your accomplishment. That load is certainly believable and extremely impressive to say the least. I had a conversation with a fellow reloader the other day who claimed he was getting a .270 WSM to shoot 140 accubonds over 3600 FPS, with no pressure signs or stiff bolt lift or anything. That's the sort of thing I'd call BS on!

 

[Calvin45]

on the subject of brass...have you any experience with Peterson brass? That stuff I can find in Canada and they make .300 win intermittently available.

 

[dxlbaile]

Nope I have buddies who shoot it and swear it is good. I can't give you any first hand on Peterson. I'm sure there are guys on the forum here who can help you though.

 

[justin1134]

i posted this elsewhere but realized the thread title may have looked like I was looking for input and not sharing my findings so I'm sharing them here as well.

I've found a winner for my savage 111 long range hunter in .300 win mag.

Winchester brass. Federal 215M primers. Imr 8133. Hornady 225 eld Match, hex boron nitride treated.

Cartridge overall length 3.56". Does not fit in the magazine. Don't care . Any shorter and my cheap lee seating die was deforming the tips on these lawn darts. The charge is compressed heavily at this length anyway. To help alleviate any seating inconsistencies I seat my bullets part ways then rotate the cartridge before finishing to help even things out if somethings not square (don't know if it actually helps, based on my results it certainly doesn't hurt).

In working up the load I found a node of sorts, in that there was a steady increase in velocity up to 78.5 grains, then only 30 more FPS going up to 80.0 which was very compressed. There were still no pressure signs at 80. I might try a faster burn rate but I'll probably just stay with this, not fixing what clearly is not broken. I settled on 79.0 grains of imr 8133. No drop tube or anything like that. I did not sort brass by weight or anything either, just by headstamp .

79 grains gave an average velocity of 2760 FPS. At first I was disappointed but then i ran the numbers and that's right at 3800 foot pounds, and no pressure signs, which is indeed full .300 win mag performance. I didn't get enough over the chrono to provide meaningful es numbers. 24 inch barrel, 26 but the last two are muzzle brake.

I've taken it out to 400 yards today, it's hitting where it's supposed to.

But I was most encouraged and surprised by the 3 shot group it did at around 80 paces or so which I've attached here. For some this would be nothing special but for me it is. This is the first rifle I've owned and the first loads I've done up that I've gotten one hole groups out of and it's addicting as all get out.

At 150 yards they were touching each other. At 400 they were all within about 3 inches of each other. For me this is great!

Nice. I was looking g for some info similar to this.

 

[sierracharlie338]

Nice work. Post up a pic of the hammer!

 

[Calvin45]

Nice work. Post up a pic of the hammer!

haha this is from 2019, just got resurrected today! What do you want a picture of, the rifle or the loaded cartridge up close?