Good 200-212 gr hunting bullet

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So in another thread on the bolt action rifle forum I mentioned that I got a NIB 2012 Winchester Model 70 Super Grade .300wm. I am topping with warne rings/bases and one of my Swarovski Z3's.

I am looking for a hunting bullet. I am putting together a 600 max yard elk/moose load. I have in the past used Sierra game kings, about every Hornady variant hunting bullet, and nosler Accubonds/partitions.

This rifle has a max magazine of 3.39" but really more like 3.37" to function without issue and that is the limiting factor on OAL for probably anything but a round nose bullet. FYI SAAMI in .300WM max OAL is 3.340".

Given my mag limitation, I'm thinking I don't want to use any of the super long .30 cal bullets because there is no way I can avoid a really big jump with them. These include the Berger's, the ELD'x from Hornady, and any of the Accubonds over 200 gr (probably Accubonds over 180).

I am seriously considering the 200 gr Swift A Frame, or the 200 gr Partition. Possibly the 200 gr Sierra game kings. These are shorter bullets allowing more powder in the cartridge, and have shorter tips so I can get closer to the rifling while still in the magazine.
These Lapua Mega bullets are interesting. They have a low BC but a short flat nose and will probably hit like a hammer. ....But probably more of a short range bear/moose bullet given the lower BC where partitions are closer to 0.5, same with the swift and Sierra.

I'm also looking for MOA accuracy at within 3-4% of max pressure.

My dad uses the Barnes LR but they are long bullets too.

Maybe I'm over thinking this a little....Maybe I should just stick with the partitions and be done with it but but hey, over thinking it is all part of the fun.
 
Oryx
Partition
A-Frame
Weldcore


I'm partial to the Partition, because of their superior consistency on target (in all calibers and weights, in my rifles).

But I've had excellent results with .277" and .308" Oryx, as well. (And the Norma Vulcan, but I think it's a 'softer' bullet and haven't seen them in over 10 years.)


One of the Barnes TSX variants could work, too. But I don't like their prices and haven't done enough with them to decide whether they're even worth the added trouble.
 
Oryx
Partition
A-Frame
Weldcore
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Not the Lapua or Woodleigh huh?

I am a fan of the partition. It's old, its tried and true, they are available everywhere, and they are accurate. It is why I try new stuff but always wind up resorting back to them.
 
I haven't messed with the Lapuas.
And the Weldcore is a Woodleigh bullet.

The Weldcore is a fantastic bullet for penetration and terminal performance, but not necessarily known for supreme accuracy.


I didn't explain my experience much, but don't discount the Oryx (or Vulcan, if you see them). They were exceptionally consistent in my testing, and I took seven antelope in four years with them. Every shot was exactly where I wanted it, and terminal performance was perfect. No bullets recovered, and exit wounds were small and tidy (excellent expansion, but no fragmentation).
Yes, they were only antelope. But that's the only experience I have with them on actual game; and they were exceptional on paper (as good as Partitions).

The Oryx is, however, difficult to obtain at times...
 
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I do worry about availability

I would be willing to try Oryx, but I do not want to be in a position where I need bullets and cannot find any in the size and weight I have selected ( Like the 210 nosler Accubond LR). Which is why I keep"running home to mamma" as they say, and continue buying partitions.

It makes me nervous about the Lapua's too.

Here is one of my personal, but likely incorrect, idioms: Essentially, if it is not mass produced, but always available, it is either junk, or very expensive and not worth the marginal improvement.......Or highly specialized.

But, if it is never available, then it wasn't priced high enough, it works great, and I will never buy it because I can't find it anywhere.
 
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I load a 200 gr. Speer Hot Core to almost 2900 FPS in a Ruger #1B and Winchester M70, both rifles with 26" barrels. Dropped a nice cow elk at 530 yards from the Winchester with that load. I'm thinking I can do the same with a 200 gr. Nosler Partition or Accubond so will be trying those in the very near future. I won't give the load as the powder (WMR) has been discontinued for over 10 years. I have more than enough to last me the rest of my days.
Paul B.
 
I can rarely get the ablr's I need, when I need them and I work there! It is funny that we make more bonded bullets than partitions every day but you can never seem to consistently find the ab's or ablr's you want.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
 
So during my usual break-in ritual, I found out that this gun likes 180 gr Accubonds. Keep in mind that the 180 gr Accubonds and 200 gr Accubonds are not the same as the 190 and 210 accubond long range. I also found out during break-in that the gun dislikes hornady spire-points and shoot a smk's decently. ( All pulled bullets from previous loads of mine).

Anyway, with no load development, just picking a modest pressure to fireformed brass for the 3 different bullets near their optimal barrel time, the 180 Accubonds shot 1/2 moa. So I called Nosler and got the dimensional difference between the 180 and 200 gr Accubonds. Turns out that dimensionally none of the weight sits forward of the beginning of the bearing surface, rather it is all in the tail and additional bearing surface at the rear. So from tip to bearing surface the length is unchanged.

This has led me to buy 200 gr Accubonds (200 of them) for my elk load, probably with the usual H1000 and Norma Brass due to generous case capacity, and the fact that even if the pockets loosen up after 4 loads, it's a hunting load so it will take decades to wear out 200 pieces of brass (of ever) even after about 50 rounds of load development.

Though I have used partitions in the past, the rep at nosler talked me out of it because he said it was highly unlikely I'll get accubond accuracy from a partition (and I agree) and terminally, the Non-LR Accubonds are more like partitions in that they hold together better at high velocity.

Maybe"nosler guy" will chime in here but if the 200 gr accubond gives 1/2 moa accuracy, and partition-like penitration, it seems like the best elk bullet I can get in my .300 wm seating to mag length. Plus it isn't that long unlike some of the Berger's or hornady ELD-x running nearly 1.7" while the Accubonds (non-LR) are more like 1.4.

So thanks for all the suggestions.
 
Mississippi have you tried rl23. I'm using it with the 190gn lr accubond. Getting 2916 fps with it and is extremely accurate in my 300.Seems to have changed the felt recoil from a punch to more like a shove. It is clean burning and is going to be my elk hunting load.
 
Mississippi have you tried rl23.
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I find alliant powders to be too temperature sensitive. I have tried RL 25, 22, 17, 15, and 12 in different cartridges and every time the velocity difference when it's 30 degrees vs 80 degrees was substantial.... Especially in large volume cases. Moreover, in my competition rifles when the chamber gets hot, cases loaded with what was a moderate RL load would stick due to over pressure.

Once I went to Varget, Benchmark, H4831, H1000 and Retumbo ( extreme powders) I never again had an issue. I suppose I could make a cold weather and warm weather load. But I load for so many rifles already that I would prefer not to need to subdivide loads

I also find some IMR powders stable such as 4064 and 7828
 
Mississippi: you should try RL23 and/or RL26.

Alliant says they are not temperature sensitive.

I haven't tried either in cold weather yet (it seems that we have no cold weather any more), but they do give very good velocities.
 
I worked up my load when it was 30 degrees out. Have 10 rounds from that batch I'm going to run through the chrono this week.
 
Mississippi I chronod my load again yesterday. I developed the load at 30 degrees and got 2917 fps yesterday at 80 degrees I got 2917 fps.
 
Mississippi I chronod my load again yesterday. I developed the load at 30 degrees and got 2917 fps yesterday at 80 degrees I got 2917 fps
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Thanks for the post, and I'm not trying to be argumentative, but the exact same velocity 50 degrees apart is impossible. I have a spreadsheet somewhere showing temperature stability, but even the most temperature stable powders have at least some temp sensitivity. Even the venerable benchmark will gain 2 fps every 10 degrees.

But, what your results could show is that it is temperature stable enough that small errors in your setup like rifle distance to chroney or chroney measurement error is larger than any temperature effect.

But I am glad for Alliant powder users that they have addressed temperature sensitivity issues. However, there really is no reason to switch powder in the .300 wm from H1000 simply because it works so well in that cartridge
 
All rules have exceptions.

I've had the same experience with RL-19 as sako2 cites with RL-23.

From well below freezing to over 100 F, average velocity is 2,789 fps with a 140 gr Partition in .270 Win. (Elsewhere you'll see me quote velocity as 2,790. I usually round up for simplicity.)

...And that's a powder that nearly every "expert" claims is so temperature sensitive that a 30 degree temperature swing should blow primers in hotter loads. :rolleyes:
 
All rules have exceptions.
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Nope...All rules are final, end of story. Especially if I made the rule! :rolleyes:

The temperature sensitivity probably also varies by lot too. I honestly do not have enough experience with Alliant powder to disagree with you.
What I do know though is that Hodgdon's extreme powders are pretty temp stable. So is Imr4064 and 7828.
However, CFE is NOT stable. I tried it in .308 and .223 and the groups wander up and right as the chamber heats up.
Benchmark on the other hand will hit the same poi even if you leave the ammo on the dash of your truck in the summer.

One of my big complaints was with RL 22...Stuck cases in the summer
 
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