300 Win Mag Ladder - 180 BT / RL26

[TackDriver284]

Ran a ladder this morning, 90 degrees out. 300 Win Mag, fireformed Lapua brass, CCI 250 primers, 180 Ballistic Tips, trimmed to case length, full sized bushing and .002" neck tension, 26 inch barrel. Alliant book max is 79.5 to 80.2 grains with Partition, Barnes and Speer. Used 6 - 180 Ballistic Tips I had left over in an old box. Since the velocity and pressure may be very close since Ballistic Tips and the AccuBond have the similar bearing surface and ogive. Cheaper than running Accubonds until I find a load first. Velocities as recorded.

77.2 - 3,182 fps
77.6 - 3,225 fps
78.0 - 3,231 fps
78.4 - 3,250 fps
78.8 - 3,234 fps
79.2 - 3,263 fps
Ran QL to see pressure curve and its 78 gr. at 61k and 78.8 gr. at 64k and 64k is max SAMMI pressure. I like to retest in .3 increments in 3 round groups from 77.2 to 78.8 and see what it shows on paper with Accubonds. I checked my notes and see that the H20 water capacity for Nosler brass is 95.20 grains and for the Lapua brass is 92.29 grains. Nosler brass is more forgiving than Lapua brass with more case fill. Noticed that the barrel time for the BT is 1.189 ms with 78.5 grains and the node is 1.190 with the 26 inch barrel. Node should be close, hopefully. 3200 fps with a 180 AccuBond is like being hit with a cement truck.

 

[JD338]

Mark,
You are on your way. That's going to be a sledgehammer.

JD338

 

[RL338]

Noticed that the barrel time for the BT is 1.189 ms with 78.5 grains and the node is 1.190 with the 26 inch barrel. Node should be close, hopefully. 3200 fps with a 180 AccuBond is like being hit with a cement truck.

I would say you’re onto a great load. I’m a firm believer in BT nodes.

 

[SJB358]

Just me Mark, but I'd have zero fear of using a 180 BT anyplace I'd use the 180 AccuBond. Try them for yourself in jugs if you can, but I'd bet almost nearly identical penetration. You might find a lose core with the Ballistic Tip.

Reason I say this is I loaded for my good friend and still do when he needs them for his 300 Wby. He used to be an Idaho outfitter, and had this rifle and a 375 H&H. He asked me to make him up some ammo. This was around the time I was new around here and everyone always touted the Ballistic Tip as accurate and elk capable. Took a few mailings of test loads, but I ended up somewhere around 85 grains of 7828 and a 180 BT seated at 3.6.

He commenced to kill and still does elk, deer and bear. So far he hasn't snagged a BT from anything, and he piles them up pretty good. He has a Mt Goat in there as well. He doesn't shoot past about 500 yards but once I "learned" he probably needed a tougher bullet and suggested trying an AccuBond in the same way, you'd think I was trying to steal his truck. Needless to say he is still working on 50 rounds I had loaded, 3-4 years ago and has no plans of switching. Between him and a few others their results are impressive.

Your load is cranking Mark and man, if it shoots, I'd stock up and commence to putting stuff on the table. That BT has a thick mid and bottom with very little lead in it, I tend to think of it as a premium cup and core these days. Not saying the AccuBond is a bad bullet, cause it isn't, and is amongst my fav's, but the heavier ended BT's are very tough.

 

[JD338]

Scotty is spot on. Sue used a 180 gr BT out of her 30 Nosler at 3100 fps to smoke a black bear a couple years ago.
Totally wrecked the heart and lungs and left an exit about the size of a golf ball. I have total confidence in this bullet.

JD338

 

[SJB358]

I have been using up some 180 BT's in my H&H. I still have bags of them I got off of Bivwak back in the day.

 

[TackDriver284]

Impressive to hear that Scotty and JD, I have at least one box of 180 Ballistic Tips and 3 boxes of Accubonds of the same lot. I just loaded some Accubonds this morning from 78 to 78.9 grains RL26. I am nervous about using Ballistic Tips on the shoulder bone on those nilgai. My last hunt I bagged two nilgai cows, they are crazy tough animals. A decade ago, I shot a trophy bull head on to the chest with a 250 grain GameKing with a 338 Lapua at about 150 yards and that bullet shook all that dust off its hide and it only buckled a little and took off running about 100 yards over a ravine where it collapsed. The bullet is somewhere in the pelvis area, could not find it when we gutted it and sent it to the processor, no idea on the state of that bullet. I also have shot several nilgai bulls with the 7 STW and 150 Swift Scirroco many eons ago, all pass throughs at the crease behind the shoulder and they always run off. Tracked them down soon after. A few nilgai was hit in the neck and dropped so fast. I have heard many bad experiences with some hunters shooting nilgai and they were lost when they went to day hunts and had to pay for the animal even though they never found it. Even a few hunters had put 4 to 5 holes in a few nilgai from poorly placed shots or wrong bullets for the job was used. On my last cow nilgai hunt, I shot the first one at the crease of the shoulder and exited with the ELD-X 200 grain , I felt it was sufficient to put her down fast but I was wrong, found her after a extensive track job, she was going in a maze in the thickets and I felt I was going to lose it and pay for the animal, lol. Even I was taken back by surprise when I hit the 2nd nilgai square on the shoulder bone and shattered it, and it took off on 3 legs dragging the broken shoulder into heavy brush. Tracking was so hard because barely no blood was found the first 60 or so feet from the hit site due to the elasticity of the hides where the wound closes up. The ELD X only broke one shoulder and shredded the lungs and never touched the opposite shoulder, probably due to coming apart after exiting the shoulder on the inside. That haunted me for a while and I decided to drop the ELD-X and never use it again on big game like nilgai. I won't mind using it on a red stag, not as tough like those nilgai bruisers. On my next nilgai, it won't be at the crease of the shoulder I will be aiming at, it will be right on the shoulder. I aim to drop it at the spot after all the haunting experiences on my last hunt when we could not find one single drop of blood the first 60-80 feet in 3 to 4 foot high grass. . I don't doubt you Scotty or JD that the 180 Ballistic Tip has a thick shank at the base, its a tough bullet but has a tendency to separate from the core if the impact distance is close and I have confidence with the Ballistic Tips to perform on many types of big game, I would love to try it on red stag. I still have that 180 AccuBond that traveled the length of a red stag from the junction of the neck / shoulder all the way to the rear leg, just about an inch or so from exiting. I was dang impressed at the perfect mushroom and penetration. The Ballistic Tip can come a close 2nd in performance if the impact distance is not too close. It's the what ifs if heavy bone is encountered that I am worried about, just those nilgai is soo dang tough, even tougher than bear and elk. I would love for you to come down and try one, you would be surprised by the toughness of those animals, ask me how I know. Harvested about 15 of them all my life, and its by far are the toughest critters I ever shot in my life. My aim is to break both shoulders. Mono bullets will work, but I like the AccuBond.
PS: I'll see if I can drink more milk so I can have plenty water jugs to try some jugs tests with both bullets.

 

[SJB358]

You will never beat the need for confidence and the AB gives you that! I don't blame you a bit.

 

[JD338]

I second what Scotty said. It's tough to beat an AB!

JD338

 

[RL338]

I look at shots this way. If you knock out the oil pump you’re not going too far. If you knock off 1 wheel you can motor on for a ways.

 

[SJB358]

Those big joints are tough on all bullets..



That's a 180 PT from a 300 Win from a bull elk. Shattered the onside and was found in the knuckle on the farside.

I still think a 180 BT would've done about the same after seeing them in action.

 

[xphunter]

Good stuff

 

[BossGobbler]

Impressive to hear that Scotty and JD, I have at least one box of 180 Ballistic Tips and 3 boxes of Accubonds of the same lot. I just loaded some Accubonds this morning from 78 to 78.9 grains RL26. I am nervous about using Ballistic Tips on the shoulder bone on those nilgai. My last hunt I bagged two nilgai cows, they are crazy tough animals. A decade ago, I shot a trophy bull head on to the chest with a 250 grain GameKing with a 338 Lapua at about 150 yards and that bullet shook all that dust off its hide and it only buckled a little and took off running about 100 yards over a ravine where it collapsed. The bullet is somewhere in the pelvis area, could not find it when we gutted it and sent it to the processor, no idea on the state of that bullet. I also have shot several nilgai bulls with the 7 STW and 150 Swift Scirroco many eons ago, all pass throughs at the crease behind the shoulder and they always run off. Tracked them down soon after. A few nilgai was hit in the neck and dropped so fast. I have heard many bad experiences with some hunters shooting nilgai and they were lost when they went to day hunts and had to pay for the animal even though they never found it. Even a few hunters had put 4 to 5 holes in a few nilgai from poorly placed shots or wrong bullets for the job was used. On my last cow nilgai hunt, I shot the first one at the crease of the shoulder and exited with the ELD-X 200 grain , I felt it was sufficient to put her down fast but I was wrong, found her after a extensive track job, she was going in a maze in the thickets and I felt I was going to lose it and pay for the animal, lol. Even I was taken back by surprise when I hit the 2nd nilgai square on the shoulder bone and shattered it, and it took off on 3 legs dragging the broken shoulder into heavy brush. Tracking was so hard because barely no blood was found the first 60 or so feet from the hit site due to the elasticity of the hides where the wound closes up. The ELD X only broke one shoulder and shredded the lungs and never touched the opposite shoulder, probably due to coming apart after exiting the shoulder on the inside. That haunted me for a while and I decided to drop the ELD-X and never use it again on big game like nilgai. I won't mind using it on a red stag, not as tough like those nilgai bruisers. On my next nilgai, it won't be at the crease of the shoulder I will be aiming at, it will be right on the shoulder. I aim to drop it at the spot after all the haunting experiences on my last hunt when we could not find one single drop of blood the first 60-80 feet in 3 to 4 foot high grass. . I don't doubt you Scotty or JD that the 180 Ballistic Tip has a thick shank at the base, its a tough bullet but has a tendency to separate from the core if the impact distance is close and I have confidence with the Ballistic Tips to perform on many types of big game, I would love to try it on red stag. I still have that 180 AccuBond that traveled the length of a red stag from the junction of the neck / shoulder all the way to the rear leg, just about an inch or so from exiting. I was dang impressed at the perfect mushroom and penetration. The Ballistic Tip can come a close 2nd in performance if the impact distance is not too close. It's the what ifs if heavy bone is encountered that I am worried about, just those nilgai is soo dang tough, even tougher than bear and elk. I would love for you to come down and try one, you would be surprised by the toughness of those animals, ask me how I know. Harvested about 15 of them all my life, and its by far are the toughest critters I ever shot in my life. My aim is to break both shoulders. Mono bullets will work, but I like the AccuBond.
PS: I'll see if I can drink more milk so I can have plenty water jugs to try some jugs tests with both bullets.

I want to hunt Nilgai in the next couple years. It sounds like you have done it quite a bit. Would be so kind as to recommend a place to hunt?

 

[FOTIS]

My 30-06 loves the 165 BT. Elk do not!