300 WSM 300 Win Mag Powders for Elk Deer Accubond

jduck1

Beginner
Jun 28, 2019
11
1
I was lucky this year and drew an Elk tag in Idaho that is the same area where we already had a planned Mule Deer hunt. Deer opens Oct. 10 and Elk Oct 15th. So plan is to hunt deer first 4 days and scout at the same time for Elk. I have an X Bolt 300 WSM and X Bolt 300 Win Mag. They have Leupold CDS scopes on both. Was going to go with just the 300 WSM but now will probably also take the 300 Win Mag just in case. The area we will be hunting is steep open areas. Not much timber/trees and the average shoot for deer over the past 5 years is 250-300 yards with opportunities longer occasionally. The basecamp we day hike from is around 6200 ft. elevation and we quickly climb and hunt in the 7,000-8,500 ft. range. Often there is snow on the ground or at least close to cold enough for snow to fall most of the trip.

So to my loading question? With the above info what 2-3 powders would you suggest I start with to find a good hunting load for both Elk and Deer on the same trip? I will either use 180gr AccuBond, 190gr AccuBond LR, or possibly 180 gr Partition. If you could please include 2-3 powder choices that are temperature/climate stable/sensitive for each bullet type and weight and for both the 300 WSM and 300 Win Mag.
Thanks in advance!
Jeff
 
I've had great results with the .300/180AB combo on caribou and moose in open, mountainous terrain. Powders I like are Hybrid 100V, RL17, and I'm working with IMR4451. To be honest, there are a lot of good powders out there for that combo. I hunt from about -20F to 80F and temp sensitivity has never been an issue with the above powders.
 
Welcome to the Nosler forum!

And I had tremendous success with H4350 in the 300 WSM. Excellent accuracy in varying weather conditions.

BTW, you might be surprised with the accuracy of the good ol' 180 gr Nosler Partition... Even if it does give up some ballistic advantage.

Regards, Guy
 
Thank you for the responses. The Hybrid 100V is in the Nozler load book as one of the most accurate loads so I will give that a shot. My son in law loads with H1000 in his win mag so I will get some from him and try a load work up. Keep the suggestions coming.

Thank you,
Jeff
 
IMR4350 has done fine for many decades in the snow, so I'd suggest considering it for your 180 gr bullets. Good velocity + accuracy in a Browning AB3 300 Win Mag.
 
Welcome to the forum.
For the 300 Win Mag and a 180 gr AB or PT bullet,
75.0 grs of RL 22 gets 3000 fps and well under MOA accuracy in 3 different rifles.

JD338
 
We too used 76gr R22 in the 300 win Mag under the old Barnes 180xbt, back in '98 and 2002. We took it to South Africa a couple times ( as a spare) and once to Namibia. Namibia got down to 20 deg at night, warmed up to 120 deg by noon! Our load did fine. No change of zero ( I took a big gemsbuck at 375+ yds one afternoon) nor stuck bolts. I also loaded H4350 in 300 WSM and the Barnes 168 TSX for a friends hunt in British Columbia. He got his Mtn goat and Dall sheep.
 
H4350, H4831 and IMR4451 would probably be my picks for what you’re looking for. Good luck with the load work.
 
A max load of W760 has been my go too choice for the 300 WSM. I was an early adopter in 2001. My loads are slightly higher than Nosler's book max but that's what I can do in my rifle safely. The key is a full case, as close to 100% fill as you can get.
 
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