Help with 300 win mag & Nosler Accubonds

[excaliber]

Newbie here,
Great site!!! I've been reading quite a bit lately on reloading here. I need some help with my new 300 Win Mag.
I have a Rem 700BDL 300 Win Mag 26" barrel with a Leupold 4.5x14x40 CDS on it and am wanting to reload for it. I want to hunt with Nosler Accubonds (180 gr)since a few people I know really like them.

I broke the gun in with cheap Federal Speer SP rounds(2960 fps) and the gun shot them well with really tight groups and bullets almost in the same holes at 100 yards and the close to the same at 200 yards off the lead sled so I know the gun shoots straight. All was well or so I thought until.........

I broke out the Double Tap Accubonds loaded at 3050fps and they were all over the place. They wouldn't group at all.
I don't have a chrono yet so the listed speeds are off the box.

I've heard some 300's don't like the Accubonds. I was planning to start with the Accubonds and Win Brass, some H4831sc, IMR4831 or some RL22 with Fed 215 mag primers. Now I'm second guessing the Accubonds.

I'm not sure what powder Federal and Doubletap loads but I hope to find something the gun likes.

I'm just looking for some ideas on what the gun didn't like?

Was the load Too fast?
I'm thinking with the 26" barrel it was faster than listed speed and that could be the problem.

Any ideas?

 

[highridge1]

My go to load in several 300 win's has been a 180 gr accubond with RL25, fed 215 primer, running 3100 fps with a 26 inch barrel. Be careful with lead sleds they are very hard on scopes and rifles. I would not use one

 

[tim_w]

The Speers with the SP and flat base tend to be forgiving and shoot well in many guns. They are also a fairly good hunting round all things considered. The issue of course is when you want to stretch things out or want a heavier construction.

It is true some chambers seem to do better than others with AB much more so with the ELR versions. Most tend to do well with the standard AB with a little bit of load dev. Bullets such as Barnes TSX lines tend to run a bit smaller in diameter that can casue issues in some barrels I have seen.

With that said I would not take the performance from a factory loaded round like that of the double tap ammo you tried, especially, if it was not one of those universally known accurate loads (Fed 168 match for a .308) as anything definitive in terms of how well that bullet works for you if you will be handloading it. I have seen a fair number of guns that did not like the factory loads. The Win load IIRC it was there CT version of the AB for them in win mag comes to mind as one I recall not shooting worth a darn 3"+ groups but we had some Fed with the same load and then went just a hair under 1". When we worked up loads we had then going 0.75 moa @ 300. (The gun on average was a 1 moa shooter to 300-400 with typical handloads)

In my experience the speer hot cor really do not have any issues with long jumps and get very good accuracy across the board but these longer sleek BT bullets usually are a different story. A change is COAL can make all the dif. with many.

My personal pref in the .300 win mag for the accubond is the 200 gr. over a 180 gr especially from a 26" barrel. I have found it to be more forgiving in accuracy and in a number of ways superior. FYI I tend to gravitate toward the slightly heavier bullets for a cartridge; nothing extreme but heavier. What can I say I like heavy pills and slower powders; enjoy longer throat life, LR perf, sd. Again only one mans opinion here right or wrong as it may be.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I have had good luck with H1000 with other good choices being RL22/25 H4831, IMR7828SSC, and retumbo for the heavier bullets is worth trying if you have some.

Of course Bergers go without saying I would hope is understood if you have been reading thing forum for any amount of time LOL. 200s, 210 vld hunting, or 215 VLD Hybrid are wicked pills especially downrange.

The 208 Amax can make a darn good heavy hitting hunting load as well with a good BC to boot.

 

[excaliber]

Thanks for the info guys. I don't use any weight in the lead sled as I just use it to keep the crosshairs on target and rule out human error.
The recoil of the 300 Win Mag pushed the lead sled back 8"or more every shot with my shoulder up against it so I hope there was enough give to not hurt the stock or scope.

I have no Rifle powder at all as I've been looking locally for well over a year and a half. Same goes for my pistol powder. I'm on the hunt again today.

I have seen all the posts about the Berger bullets and accuracy. I may try some once I get my components.