Paging Dr. Mike...I wanted to compare a real world velocity I just got to what QL has to say..

300WSM · Feb 28, 2025

I used 67.0 grains of H4350 in a 300wsm with a Fed GM215m and the velocity I got was the following..
The bullet was a Hornady ELD-m 168 grain

The Hornady book never gives a velocity to the exact fps but to the 100th...
They listed this load at 3100 in the book with the charge/powder/bullet

That was nice to see.
Nosler's data at least for the 300wsm is pretty accurate as well.

As always, most appreciated for the work you do on here for us.

MOST APPRECIATED!!

salmonchaser · Mar 1, 2025

That is very consistent velocity, extream spread of 13 that could almost be caused by an outlier.

DrMike · Mar 1, 2025

Code:

Cartridge          : .300 WSM (CIP)
Bullet             : .308, 168, Hornady ELD-M 30506
Useable Case Capaci: 72.720 grain H2O = 4.722 cm³
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 2.860 inch = 72.64 mm
Barrel Length      : 20.0 inch = 508.0 mm
Powder             : Hodgdon H4350 *T

Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge,
incremented in steps of 1.0% of nominal charge.
CAUTION: Figures exceed maximum and minimum recommended loads !

Step    Fill. Charge   Vel.  Energy   Pmax   Pmuz  Prop.Burnt B_Time
 %       %    Grains   fps   ft.lbs    psi    psi      %        ms

-10.0   92    60.30   2620    2560   45840  11757     94.3    1.165
-09.0   93    60.97   2648    2617   47292  11902     94.7    1.149
-08.0   94    61.64   2677    2674   48789  12043     95.2    1.131
-07.0   95    62.31   2706    2732   50333  12180     95.6    1.115
-06.0   96    62.98   2735    2790   51926  12315     96.0    1.098
-05.0   97    63.65   2764    2849   53569  12446     96.4    1.083
-04.0   98    64.32   2792    2908   55264  12573     96.8    1.067  ! Near Maximum !
-03.0   99    64.99   2821    2968   57013  12697     97.1    1.051  ! Near Maximum !
-02.0  100    65.66   2850    3029   58818  12816     97.5    1.036  ! Near Maximum !
-01.0  101    66.33   2878    3090   60681  12931     97.8    1.021  ! Near Maximum !
+00.0  102    67.00   2907    3152   62605  13042     98.1    1.007  ! Near Maximum !
+01.0  103    67.67   2936    3215   64591  13149     98.3    0.993  !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+02.0  104    68.34   2964    3278   66642  13251     98.6    0.978  !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+03.0  105    69.01   2993    3341   68762  13349     98.8    0.964  !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+04.0  106    69.68   3021    3405   70951  13442     99.0    0.951  !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+05.0  107    70.35   3050    3469   73214  13529     99.2    0.937  !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!

Results caused by ± 5% powder lot-to-lot burning rate variation using nominal charge
Data for burning rate increased by 5% relative to nominal value:
+Ba    102    67.00   2976    3303   68016  13028     99.5    0.970  !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
Data for burning rate decreased by 5% relative to nominal value:
-Ba    102    67.00   2828    2983   57243  12906     95.7    1.048  ! Near Maximum !

6mm Remington · Mar 1, 2025

I'm surprised but happy 300WSM that you got so exactly close to what the velocity was supposed to be with that load in the specified barrel length. I would also have not been surprised if the result would have been 100 fps or more different from what you were supposed to get. As a sniper on our SWAT team we had 4 Remington Model 700 heavy barrel varminter rifles that had been gone through by a gunsmith and had been worked on by the local gunsmith to help make them more accurate and repeatable such as bedding, and one rifle had the barrel cut and wore a brake. The 5th rifle was a personal rifle which was a Savage heavy barrel rifle in .308 chambering one of our team had purchased and used. The barrel lenths were (1) 22", (3) 24", and (1) 26". We shot the same exact factory load and bullet in the same lot number in these rifles. When we exhausted our supply and a new large batch was ordered of course the rifles had to be checked to make sure that they were precisely sighted in for that lot number before the rifle could be used in a SWAT situation.

As you know chamber dimensions, bore roughness, barrel dimensions, and a host of other things can effect the real world muzzle velocity in "your" particular rifle. One day at training with the team I brought my chronograph out and had each of our snipers shoot rounds over the chronograph just to see what the "real" velocity would be in each rifle with the same lot number using a 168 gr. Sierra BTHP bullet. It's been quite a while since I did this and I might not recall it exactly but this is what I remember. The high velocity and the low velocity in these 5 rifles shooting the same exact load was right around 200 fps from the high to the low velocity between the 5 rifles! The fastest velocity recorded was not the Savage with the 26" barrel, but it was one of the Remington's with the 24" barrel. The slowest velocity was not the Remington with the 22" barrel and the brake on it, but one of the Remington's with the 24" barrel. It was pretty shocking and enlightening at the same time. We should have done this much sooner so that each sniper would know precisely what his muzzle velocity was in his rifle especially if that person might at some point be tasked with taking a shot at 300 yards or more, although most sniper shots are a lot closer in reality. The muzzle velocity would certainly effect those "farther" shots one might have to take in an emergency situation and this data would be of great importance.

Long winded response but you did well and it seems like that load is extremely consistant in your rifle with low differences in the velocity you were getting. Pretty impressive in fact. Did it shoot as well as it did over the chronograph??

David

Blkram · Mar 1, 2025

Further evidence that each rifle has its own characteristics and will perform differently; requiring verification of the rifle/scope/ammunition combination to be able to know exactly how it will perform in the field. No matter the target.

6mm Remington · Sunday at 9:38 AM

Blkram said:
Further evidence that each rifle has its own characteristics and will perform differently; requiring verification of the rifle/scope/ammunition combination to be able to know exactly how it will perform in the field. No matter the target.

Amen