165 or 180 in the .300WSM?

[ducksoup]

Looking for advice on which bullet weight to use in my model 70, .300WSM. 165grain Partitions or the 180 grain, either in the Partition or the AccuBound? This will be used primarily for Blacktail and Mule deer only with the possible exception of a Caribou hunt in Canada. Long range shots are the norm with 400 yards possible. Is one weight inherently more accurate than the other? Ballistics tables don't show a whole lot of difference, especially when you get out to that 300 to 400 yard range. Anyone have any personal experiance with these two weights in this calibre?

 

[todbartell]

I'd go 165 gr.

 

[Anonymous]

As far as accuracy it's really dependent on your rifle's tastes. Each rifle can like a particular load combo differently than the next rifle. So I'd say find which bullet or load combo works best in your rifle. With your range/game parameters I'd say you’re heading in the right track. I personally like the 180gr AccuBond in the 300 WSM.

 

[moreloader]

Due to the velocity difference I would go with a 165 grain B.T. Caribou are considered very weak animals and most of the writers say that a .270 is more than enough. Therefore your 300WSM will be plenty with the 165. With long shots you will want a flat shooter that bucks the wind.

In this coming spring you can switch your load over to the AccuBond 165.

My gun likes 69.5g of 760 behind a 165 g BT, However I do not recommend it as it is an overload by Nosler's manual.

Always start at recomended start loads

 

[moreloader]

If you don't already have one buy a Lyman 48th manual. This manual gives actual bullet tested and pressures for each load. They have information on the sciroco which should be very close to the AccuBond. Best I can tell from cross sections and reading material I have seen, just crossing from BT to AB with the same load could cause a pressure spike.

I would start by cross referencing the Nosler data with the Lyman Scirrocco data. By the way Lyman shows a lot of nosler loads for partitions and BT. It has been one of the best manuals I own. NO offense to Nosler I wouldn't be without any of my manuals, especially NOSLER #5.