Best ammo for 300 win mag?

[P-nut]

Just wandering what you all shoot in your 300 for elk? Currently I am shooting a 180 grain federal barnes I picked up for 20 dollars a box because they were old and the retailer wanted to get rid of them. I am fixing to purchase more ammo to prepare for my first hunt out in Wyoming. I am wanting to stick with the 180 grain bullet. I have read a lot of good things about the Barnes Tipped triple shock 180 grain. What is your guys thoughts and what is your choice of ammo. Thanks.

P-nut

 

[Tim McCoy]

Don't use a 300 WM, but do use a 30-06. It shoots the 180 gr. tipped TSX and non-tipped TSX very well. Both have worked great on large game, cow elk to moose, out to about 400 yards at the velocity we are running. Your 300 will extend the effective range with the X bullets well past 400. If you are considering very LR work, I think there are better choices, LRX, Berger and LR Accubonds among them. In 300 WM, you have a ton of excellent bullet choices for elk, of which the 180 gr. TTSX is one.

 

[troybackman]

Hornady gmx or Barnes ttsx for short to medium ranges. Nosler accubonds for mid to long range.

 

[P-nut]

Thanks for the info.

 

[papabearxx]

I like the Nosler partitian or Accubond. Both have done very well on elk. The accubond is my favorite if I can get them to shoot in a particular rifle.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Hey P-nut...I don't know how much you shoot or how many guns you have, but I would sure recommend looking into reloading. Many advantages besides cheaper ammunition. You can tailor your loads to your rifles preference and be able to shoot better groups. It is also a great hobby. I have been reloading for over 55 years for everything I shoot except rimfire.

Just sayin............

 

[Plainsman]

Hi P-nut,

CC has some sage advice, and I wish I could adhere to it with the tenacity that real accuracy truly deserves. Even with custom rifles "rollin' your own" will provide a level of precision that just can't be had through any other means usually. I unfortunately do not have the time or equipment available to me any more to load my own. I have lucked out and found a few factory loads that shoot exceptionally well in each of my rifles I currently hunt with, and the Barnes TTSX 180 gr. load in .300 Win Mag is one of them. In my primary "special trip" rifle it'll do around an inch (slightly under if I'm extra steady) at 100 yds without a lot of thought. Having dabbled in reloading once upon a time, its hard to argue with some of the premium loads available today. Good luck in your search, I stay excited for an elk hunt all year.

Cheers,
Plainsman

 

[missjordan]

I really like the nosler or berger bullets and also recommend looking into Handloading as well. It's a great way to get more familiar with your rifles

 

[6mm Remington]

Plus a million on the reloading. Besides the greater accuracy potential, it's also very relaxing and satisfying to build up you own stuff and take game with it or shoot wonderful little groups. I really like the Nosler stuff so Partitions, Accubonds, or E-tips are all great. I would stay with the 180 gr. in that rifle and shoot which one shoots the best.

Good luck.

 

[88man]

yes 180 grn accubonds or partitions.

 

[bigmoose]

IMO all the bullets mentioned will do a great job for you. My only concern with the Bergers is that you need a near perfect broadside shot. With that, they are devastating. A hard, quartering shot, and they may not penetrate. I shoot 200 gr. Accubonds in my 300. One of the highest ballistic coefficients out there and I really like them for deer and elk.

As mentioned, reloading can have a great benefit to finding your "perfect load".

Moose

 

[birdhunter]

I shoot hornady 180 gr bullets for my 300wm. I love that gun. I shot my elk 2 days after I got it. Had to send it in for a recall and they sent me a new gun and I haven't got to shoot the new one yet. I think the 180 gr choice will do great for you.

 

[crzy_cntryby]

Agree with everything said so far. If you are not interested in reloading find a buddy who is. Anyone who loads is goofy and can probably be easily talked into working up a load for you. My buddies all know to come to me. Also if factory is your only option it is gonna be expensive. Just buy boxes of everything that sounds good. Whatever shoots best buy quite a few boxes of those. I lucked out, my .300WM liked the cheap stuff hated the pricey stuff.

 

[shootbrownelk]

Agree with everything said so far. If you are not interested in reloading find a buddy who is. Anyone who loads is goofy and can probably be easily talked into working up a load for you. My buddies all know to come to me. Also if factory is your only option it is gonna be expensive. Just buy boxes of everything that sounds good. Whatever shoots best buy quite a few boxes of those. I lucked out, my .300WM liked the cheap stuff hated the pricey stuff.

Make darned sure that that buddy knows what he's doing at the reloading bench. Using someone else's reloads can be dangerous. I knew a guy who used to pack in as much powder as he could in his reloads. Sometimes well over Max most of the time. He's still with us I hear, just goes to show that God protects the ignorant.

 

[crzy_cntryby]

Make darned sure that that buddy knows what he's doing at the reloading bench. Using someone else's reloads can be dangerous. I knew a guy who used to pack in as much powder as he could in his reloads. Sometimes well over Max most of the time. He's still with us I hear, just goes to show that God protects the ignorant.

Very true. I ignorantly forget about those fools. Hotter/ more powder isn't always better. Keep it in specs, just try different combos.

 

[libidilatimmy]

I shoot a 300 WSM, which is similar ballistic wise for all intents and purposes. For elk, I use a 200gr bullet if it's a lead core that inherently will shed some portion of its weight, which they all do, and 180ish gr bullet for the monolithic constructed bullets like the Barnes. The thought process behind this is that I'd like to error on the side of velocity when dealing with the mono constructed bullets to ensure I get ideal expansion and energy transfer since they will retain almost all of their weight on the terminal performance end and give good penetration. Likewise with the 200gr lead cores, I know that I'm going to lose a certain percentage of weight in these as the energy transfer happens, giving me a similar amount of penetration as the mono's en the end run.

For what it's worth, I've been shooting the 175gr LRX for elk the last couple years with great results. Before that, I was shooting the 200gr Accubond which I switched to from the 180gr Accubond because I wasn't getting the penetration I wanted with the 180gr version. All that being said, the 180gr Accubond and Partition have put far more elk meat in my freezer than the other two combined, so find any of these bullets talked about in previous posts that shoot well in your rifle and you'll be good to go.

 

[troybackman]

Exit hole of 80 grain hornady gmx @200 yds with my .243 pistol on a whitetail. Didn't take a step.