Speer 168gn Gold Dot in 300 WSM

[JMRhino]

BLUF:
Does anyone have any direct experience with handloading the Speer 168gn Gold Dot in a 300 WSM? I have had shockingly good results (.3 - .5 moa not uncommon) with them in my 308 Win using both IMR 4064 and RE15 for whitetail hunting.

I spoke with Speer and they don't have a published load for the 300 WSM/Gold Dot combo nor do they recommend it, but they do have several for the 300 Win Mag. I don't see why I can't treat it like a standard "bonded or cup and core," start low, and then work up. Any concerns that I am not considering? Are they tough enough for large bodied, thick boned game such as elk?

I have some .30 Cal, 180gn Norma Bond Strike on backorder, and some NOS 165gn Accubonds which will probably be better, but I have several hundred of the GD on hand. Just thought I would inquire. Thx.

.300 Win Mag Data:

 

[JMRhino]

BLUF:
Does anyone have any direct experience with handloading the Speer 168gn Gold Dot in a 300 WSM? I have had shockingly good results (.3 - .5 moa not uncommon) with them in my 308 Win using both IMR 4064 and RE15 for whitetail hunting.

I spoke with Speer and they don't have a published load for the 300 WSM/Gold Dot combo nor do they recommend it, but they do have several for the 300 Win Mag. I don't see why I can't treat it like a standard "bonded or cup and core," start low, and then work up. Any concerns that I am not considering? Are they tough enough for large bodied, thick boned game such as elk?

I have some .30 Cal, 180gn Norma Bond Strike on backorder, and some NOS 165gn Accubonds which will probably be better, but I have several hundred of the GD on hand. Just thought I would inquire. Thx.

.300 Win Mag Data:
View attachment 28614

Indirect experience and opinions also welcome...

Mant Thanks.

 

[Slimfinn]

I heard that with the old deepcurls (now gold dots i think) you had to be careful because because they could cause unexpected pressure spikes, also why they came with a powdered lube coating.

 

[JMRhino]

I heard that with the old deepcurls (now gold dots i think) you had to be careful because because they could cause unexpected pressure spikes, also why they came with a powdered lube coating.

I think that I have also heard or read that about possible pressure spikes. I assume that 300 WSM pressure will build quicker than a 300 WM due to smaller case volume. I think that I will start with some slow burning RS Hunter, RE22, or RE23 and maybe only go up in .5 increments?

Thanks for the response.

 

[Joe C.]

I really like the 150gr GD’s in my 308 Win. Great deer bullet. They hold together great and are very consistent. Speer did have troubles with pressure spikes to begin with. Then they started coating the GD ‘s with HBN and that salved the problem. That’s why they have the matte finish from the box. Great bullet though. I wouldn’t hesitate working up a load with them. Shoot a ladder so you know what pressures your working at and then move to group testing.

 

[JMRhino]

I really like the 150gr GD’s in my 308 Win. Great deer bullet. They hold together great and are very consistent. Speer did have troubles with pressure spikes to begin with. Then they started coating the GD ‘s with HBN and that salved the problem. That’s why they have the matte finish from the box. Great bullet though. I wouldn’t hesitate working up a load with them. Shoot a ladder so you know what pressures your working at and then move to group testing.

I appreciate the reply. I have observed really good accuracy from the 168s in my Bergara Premier in .308. It's not fast but works great on whitetail.

 

[SJB358]

I’d just start with WSM 165 data and go from there. I doubt you’ll have any surprises. They’re not terribly different than any other 165-168 bullet out there and should have less bearing surface than a 168 Nosler BT.

 

[JMRhino]

I’d just start with WSM 165 data and go from there. I doubt you’ll have any surprises. They’re not terribly different than any other 165-168 bullet out there and should have less bearing surface than a 168 Nosler BT.

I appreciate the reply. I agree but I got cold feet after talking with a Speer Tech. Clearly, they can’t endorse a load outside of their recipes.

Thanks.

 

[sjt18]

BLUF:
Does anyone have any direct experience with handloading the Speer 168gn Gold Dot in a 300 WSM? I have had shockingly good results (.3 - .5 moa not uncommon) with them in my 308 Win using both IMR 4064 and RE15 for whitetail hunting.

I spoke with Speer and they don't have a published load for the 300 WSM/Gold Dot combo nor do they recommend it, but they do have several for the 300 Win Mag. I don't see why I can't treat it like a standard "bonded or cup and core," start low, and then work up. Any concerns that I am not considering? Are they tough enough for large bodied, thick boned game such as elk?

I have some .30 Cal, 180gn Norma Bond Strike on backorder, and some NOS 165gn Accubonds which will probably be better, but I have several hundred of the GD on hand. Just thought I would inquire. Thx.

.300 Win Mag Data:
View attachment 28614

I'm going to try the same thing with GD in 300 WSM. How did yours turn out? What powder did you use?

 

[JMRhino]

I'm going to try the same thing with GD in 300 WSM. How did yours turn out? What powder did you use?

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get time to do it yet. I think that I will start with what powders I have on hand such as RL17, RL19, RL23, one of the 4350s and RS Hunter....

 

[sjt18]

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get time to do it yet. I think that I will start with what powders I have on hand such as RL17, RL19, RL23, one of the 4350s and RS Hunter....

Keep me in mind and let me know if you have success or other good ideas. I have Hunter but planned to start with either Staball 6.5 or N550. Nosler has load data for N550 in that same grain weight range. I have a little Superformance, N165, and H4831SC if the others do not work. N165 has given me my best results for 130 gns out of 270.

I would rather use Staball 6.5. I ran across a great deal on 8 lbs last year. It seems to work good or better for most things I've tried. But Hornady and Hodgdon have very different load ranges for that powder in that grain weight range. Hornady gives a max of 65.4 gns and says it will give 3150 fps. Hodgdon has a max of 67.4 gns for Hornady CX 165's with a projected MV of 3,135 fps.

What were you planning to use for a seating depth or COAL?

Have you noticed RS Hunter being dirty? I seem to always get carbon residue around the neck.

 

[JMRhino]

Keep me in mind and let me know if you have success or other good ideas. I have Hunter but planned to start with either Staball 6.5 or N550. Nosler has load data for N550 in that same grain weight range. I have a little Superformance, N165, and H4831SC if the others do not work. N165 has given me my best results for 130 gns out of 270.

I would rather use Staball 6.5. I ran across a great deal on 8 lbs last year. It seems to work good or better for most things I've tried. But Hornady and Hodgdon have very different load ranges for that powder in that grain weight range. Hornady gives a max of 65.4 gns and says it will give 3150 fps. Hodgdon has a max of 67.4 gns for Hornady CX 165's with a projected MV of 3,135 fps.

What were you planning to use for a seating depth or COAL?

Have you noticed RS Hunter being dirty? I seem to always get carbon residue around the neck.

I will as soon as I can grab some time to go out and test. Hopefully, before it gets too hot...

I haven't determined the COAL yet; however, I am probably limited to my mag length in my Kimber 8400 which happens to be pretty close to jam for the GD ogive. I'll probably start there and work in. That's the methodology I used for my 308 Win using the 168 Speer GDs and it seemed to work pretty well... The COAL below (2.24) is actually BTO not the "COAL."