180 AB load for a 300 win mag

[irocbarry]

hi yall, I’m a newbie here so i have a few questions :lol:

I’ve been shooting me 300 mag. for 4 years with 180 core-lockts hitting approx. 1 inch groups

well anyways, I’ve had some bad experiences with the capabilities of them
so I’ve decided to start reloading some better rounds

I’ve decided to go with the 180 AB's with R22 since most fo the guides ive read have listed it as the best powder

so the question is what’s the best way to work up a load for it

i figured id start at 72 grains then go like 73, 73.5, 74, 74.5, 75, 75.5

and so on till i get an accurate load in the 3000-3100 fps range

then play with the seating depth and what not till its as accurate as i can get it

anything I’m missing here

I’m a newbie to reloading also so any insider hints would be great

Oh ya my gun is a ruger mk77 stainless/synthetic, at the gunsmith getting a full trigger job down to about 3 pounds

guess i should say im using R-P once fired brass and CCI large rifle primers

 

[FOTIS]

You are definately on the right track! RL 22 rocks in most 300 Mags.
The only thing I would definately change is the primer. The CCi 200 is the coldest primer out there. Try the Win mags or Fed 215 series! :wink:

 

[irocbarry]

ya, from what ive read on here i figured the primer might need to be changed, but thats what i had yesterday when i primed 50 brass to do test loads in

 

[FOTIS]

Yup ! I learned the hard way. I was getting 3100 fps with max load in my 25-06 and 100 gr Ballistic tips. I switched to the Win 120 and got 3275 fps.

 

[irocbarry]

damn thats alot of varience from just the primer

i need to get a chronagraph before i go shoot these

would just the basic Chrony F-1 be acceptable for checking out this load and various other unting type loads ill end up making for other people

 

[GB300wm]

I just loaded 75.0 grs of rl22 with these bullets and I'm getting from 1/2" best to 3/4" worst 4 shot groups. I've been reloading for quite a long time and rl22 always worked best in my 300wm. Imr 4831 is also a viable option, but I've always found rl22 to shoot smaller groups. I do not have any chronograph data on my load, but 75.0 is warm in my rifle. You also need to go with the fed 215 or fed 215gmm primers for best results as mentioned before.Good luck and good hunting.

 

[irocbarry]

thanks yall

as long as my gun gets dont at the shop on fri it looks like im gonna be spending all day at the range on saturday trying out the loads i have so far

how long should i wait before shots to let the barrel cool, itll be in the mid 70-80's when i go

besides primers having strange marks (craters, backing out, etc) and hard ejection what are good signs to look for for excessive pressure

im new to reloading so ive got lots of dumb questions :roll:

 

[JD338]

For your 300 WIn Mag, RL22 is the powder of choice foro 180 gr loads.
The sweet spot will be 75.0-75.5 grs with a Federal GM215M primer.
Load your bullet COL to fit the magazine.

Let us know how she shoots. :wink:

JD338

 

[JDMAG]

The F-1 or the Alpha Chroney are both great for what you want. I have an Alpha,I also recomend purchaseing a good adjustable camera bipod.
There are no dumb questions except the ones you don't ask, it's the best way to learn. this is a good forum to learn from.

 

[FOTIS]

damn thats alot of varience from just the primer

i need to get a chronagraph before i go shoot these

Absolutely! :wink:

 

[Desert Fox]

I found Reloader 22 to be very inconsistent powder on my rifle. H1000 and IMR 7828 is a much better powder for the 300 IMHO.

Here's my recipes but approach them with caution:

180 grain Hornady BTSP
82 grain H1000
Federal Gold Medal Brass
Federal 215M primer
Average Velocity 3045 on 26 inch barrel

180 grain Barnes TSX
75 grain IMR7828
Winchester Brass
Federal 215M primer
Average Velocity 3070 on 26 inch barrel

 

[irocbarry]

i have a bunch of h4831 so i might load that up if i dont like what i see from the rl22

i dont like not having my gun

 

[FOTIS]

H4831 is my other standby in the 300 Winnie.
76 gr with just about any 180 gr has proven very accurate in any 300 mag or 308 Norma mag.

 

[irocbarry]

thats good to hear that the 4831 will work great to
ive heard its better for temp variences and stuff, so i might load it up anyways

looks like ill be dropping some money at sportsmans wharehouse today or tomarrow
i need a chrony ($80)
a good rest (they have one of the H shapped sand bags for 60)
and possibly a spotting scope, but i might get that out of cabelas, they have a winchester brand 12-50 for like $100, i figure thats a decent value

and when i go in there i might be tempted to get a stevens 223, ive wanted one for a while now :roll:

 

[FOTIS]

Once you get in that chrony stuff you will lose your mind and wonder how you got by thus far. Eye opener for sure.

I jus worked up a load last Friday for my Buddie's 300 WIN Model 70 Winchester.
76 gr H4841
Fed Brass
FED 215
180 gr Hornady BT's (his choice)
20 rounds averaged 3065 fps and .65 at 100 yards. It works!

 

[JDMAG]

Sportsmans is where I got My Chroney,And Pop's right, you won' :shock: t know how you got along without one.

 

[Guy Miner]

Agree about the chronograph. Excellent tool for any handloader. Takes a lot of the guesswork out of loading.

Instead of "Gee, I think this load is probably doing about 3000 fps." You'll be saying stuff like:

"My best load averages 3014 fps with a SD of 6 and an extreme spread of 14. It shoots 1/2 MOA to 600 yards."

Or something equally erudite! :wink:

Seriously - using a chronograph has caused me to sit up and take notice more than once when velocity was considerably faster or slower than I estimated. Also helps identify why a particular load might be accurate at 100 yards, but not cut it for long-range precision shooting.

Regards, Guy

 

[FOTIS]

Agrred! Case in point:

My buddy Matt had a Win 70 Ranger 30-06. He was handloading Hornadies 165 gr Boat tails with a close to max load with IMR 4831. Ok, get this the load would shoot day after day in the .3's....no kidding!!! This was his looooong range antelope load here in Wyoming which he never used on game before.

One day I gave him my chrono and he chronographed the load. Guess what? Avaerage 5 shot string..................... 2450 fps! So much for the books 2800+ fps!

He about fell over from the bench!

New load was worked up the next week! :shock:

 

[kiddekop]

I've been using IMR 4831 for over 20 years with adequate accuracy since I'm not shooting in a match I'm just aiming at an elk or deer I see no need for sub minute of angle groups,just my opinion.Some of my groups of 5 or 6 shots are about 5/8 inch up to 2.5+ inches but it's fine for the kill zone in my 300wm or 06 sakos.M1 garands were designed to hit a 18 inch circle to incapacitate a human it's a bit larger with a muley,elk or bison.

 

[irocbarry]

finally got my gun back from the shop, so i went to load some rounds, and bad things happened

i checked the bullet to lands clearence and then checked the magazine length

its like ~.3" difference, if not more, 3 full turns on the seating adjuster in the die

for the AB to fit the magazine its seated halfway or more into the case

the overall length is like .1" longer then a factory core-lockt

even the 73 grains of RL-22 was compressing a little bit, max load is 75.5

is this gonna be to deep