.300 WSM Bullet Choice for Elk

[trizzie]

I'm in the process of building an elk load for my .300 WSM Tikka T3.
I have 180gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips (green) and 180 gr. Hornady SST's. Accuracy is paramount for me, and the Ballistic Tips and SST's are both very accurate, but I'm worried about how the plastic tips will fare on a large, thick skinned animal.I can probably afford to add one more bullet into the mix. I'm thinking 180 gr. Nosler Partitions or Accubonds...any insight from guys who have field tested either of those bullets on bull elk? I'm hunting pinon/juniper in New Mexico...so it could be a long range situation, or I could jump a bull at 20 yards

[SeanD]

yes partitions. I have used the 180 gr in the 300 win mag on a bull with great results. I saw a cow shot with the ballistic tips and it was dead on its feet - perfect lung shot, the bullet fragmented. I would never use one on an elk. Partitions or Barnes X for me.

[baltz526]

165gr accubond, 180gr accubond or 180gr partition. from the guys using the 300wsm the 165gr accubond seems to be most accurate in general rl22

[Dan360]

I also like the Swift A-Frame. Kinda like a super bonded partition. I shoot them out of my 30-06 with good results. I use the 165 gr. StickFish got me turned onto them and after working up some loads, I can get them to shoot a lot better than the 180 gr Partition load that I was using. I could barely keep the Partition under 2.5 MOA at 300 yards, which was strange to me because they shot 1 inch groups at 100. That is plenty good for elk, but I wanted something better. With the 165 A-Frame, I shoot 5 inch groups at 300. That's good enough for Govt Work.

The 180 gr Nosler Accubond would be a decent choice. They are plastic tipped, but they are bonded. I would stay away from Hornady SST on elk, but the 180 gr Interlock and Interbond would probably be fine.

[cityfisher]

Originally Posted by baltz526

165gr accubond, 180gr accubond or 180gr partition. from the guys using the 300wsm the 165gr accubond seems to be most accurate in general rl22

What he said...

[StickFish]

180 Grain Swift A-Frames, but I'm going to thin down to one hunting rifle again - just cause

[fisher22]

Ishoot the 180 grain Nosler Accubond. They shoot very well in my rifle.

[Dan360]

I would stick to 180 gr bullets unless you pick a 165 that is really tough and retains a lot of weight. The 180 gr bullet will give you more margin of error overall as long as its constructed properly for heavier game. If you know other reloaders that use 308 caliber bullets, try and snag a few before buying a whole box.

[CombinationLicense]

Although the Nosler ballistic tip bullets are very accurate I don't use them for elk. I worked up a load that uses 150's and shoots MOA groups @ over 3000 FPS in my 7mag but for deer and smaller only. I have yet to try Nosler Accubonds but would suggest them in the 180 grain weight or the Barnes triple shock in either the 150 or 180 grain range.



"CL"

[Basshound]

Ballistic tips dont handle the high speeds to well. They fragment almost on impact. And waste alot of meat. This from my experience only and do not speak on behalf of others. So far the accubond nosler has been better for me.

[south county]

I shoot a 180 grain Barnes TSX in a 300 WM, 300 WSM, and a 30-378 Wby mag and there very accurate and very deadly, I havn't had any problems finding a sub MOA load for any of these rifles. The barnes work equally as well at 20 feet as they do at 400 yards. I would use the one thats the most accurate in your gun whether its the TSX, partition, or a accubond, there all good "elk" bullets, I wouldn't use the ballistic tip on elk though.

[Two Fister]

Partition or accubond in 180 would be the best to me.

The brother in law of one of my best friends in my hunting party (carefully worded on purpose) didn't spend the time at the range to get his rifle sighted in with heavier loads after deer season. He promised us that he had spent the time at the range and was shooting heavier loads. He ended up shooting a big bull with a 150 grain ballastic tip and nicked the back of the front leg. The bullet fractured into shrapnel and did slow but lethal damage. We (6 of us) spent the rest of our hunt tracking his bull. It ran for nearly 6 miles and we found it because one of our group is the best natural tracker I have ever met and because we were lucky. There was 6" of snow on the ground the morning after we found it so that bull would have been lost and wasted.

Took us 7 years to draw the tag.

Heavy strong bullets for heavy strong animals.

TF

[Maverick Maxcat]

Originally Posted by south county

I shoot a 180 grain Barnes TSX in a 300 WM, 300 WSM, and a 30-378 Wby mag and there very accurate and very deadly, I havn't had any problems finding a sub MOA load for any of these rifles. The barnes work equally as well at 20 feet as they do at 400 yards. I would use the one thats the most accurate in your gun whether its the TSX, partition, or a accubond, there all good "elk" bullets, I wouldn't use the ballistic tip on elk though.

Except I don't trust the partitions or accubonds. The TSX is as accurate as any and WILL work every time at any range or velocity. I shoot them in every caliber I own, nothing else for big game.

[Killertraylor]

Barnes TSX and Nosler Accubond are equal in my book - I shoot the one that groups better in each rifle. I wouldn't use a Ballistic tip and I couldn't get the Hornady's to shoot in any of my guns. The Federal Premium 180 grain Accubonds are very accurate in the .300 WSM's several of my hunting partners use and I've seen several elk killed with them. My last 4 bulls have fallen in one shot to either an Accubond or a TSX from ranges of 45 yards to 305 yards. You can't go wrong with either one if they shoot well in your gun.

[wapiteaser]

168 grain Nosler Ballistic Silvertips. Speed, punch, and the whole works. Everything from deer to bear. Very accurate.

[SXS]

Isn't the whole idea of using a magnum is to shoot heavy bullets? If you're gonna shoot 165s you'd be better off with a 30-06. I shoot 200gr Partitions in my 300 Win Mag. I've never tried a WSM so I don't know if a 200 will work in it.
Just the rantings of an old hunter. Not wanting to offend anyone.

[baltz526]

from having discussions with 300wsm reloaders. some guns shoot the heavier bullets ok. but light guns with heavy bullets = pretty stiff recoil. for timber hunting the 200gr partition would be my choice, but open country hunting is more of an accuracy shooting event. putting your bullet in a tennis ball sized spot at 300yds is more important than 30" of penitration at 60yds. the good 165gr .30 bullets are elk bullets the tsx and the accubond where designed for this job. PS: the 165gr ballistic tip kills elk just fine at 30-06 velocitys

[oregon45]

The 165gr TSX shot well for me out of the one WSM I loaded for; I don't think the short- magnum's reason for being is heavy bullets. They are best suited for providing magnum velocities with standard weight bullets out of a lighter than usual rifle.

[ICHTHYDEMON]

165 or 168 Barnes TSX.

They'll penetrate a bull lengthwise and fly fast and hit hard.

[Hunt'nFish]

A 180gr bonded poly tip would be my choice. No since in going w/ lightweight bullets for elk.
Accubond, Interbond or Scirrocco makes no differance to me....pick whichever tickles your fancy.
All have VERY high BC's.

IMO, The Barnes' don't open up fast enough. Lots of wasted energy out the back side.
I want as much of the bullets energy dumped into the animal.
Hunt'nFish

[Yeti]

Originally Posted by Hunt'nFish

IMO, The Barnes' don't open up fast enough.

Interesting.

My experience, and all the test data I have seen, is exactly the opposite. Very true that they tend to go through game quite well by design. I am considering buying another 300 and the 168 or 180 TSX's will be the first loads I try.

[Tilla]

Nothing has walked away from a Nosler Partition that I have shot.

[kelso]

I just ordered a Tika T3 300 wsm, and do not have the means to reload. That being said, what factory bullet should I try first.

[Dan360]

Originally Posted by SXS

Isn't the whole idea of using a magnum is to shoot heavy bullets? If you're gonna shoot 165s you'd be better off with a 30-06. I shoot 200gr Partitions in my 300 Win Mag. I've never tried a WSM so I don't know if a 200 will work in it.
Just the rantings of an old hunter. Not wanting to offend anyone.

think you're right when it comes to large cased magnums such as the 300 Win Mag, 300 Wby Mag and 300 RUM. There is plenty of case capacity there. The WSM line relies on a short fat case for an efficient powder burn. They use less powder to achieve the same velocities as the 300 Win Mag. The only thing is that there isn't as much room in the case for the heavier bullets because they are longer and take up more room in the case. Also, the WSM line are housed in short actions, which usually means you have the seat the bullet deeper. I think the 180 gr bullet is as long as the WSM can take and still achieve velocities that make it worth having. Otherwise, might as well be using a 30-06.

[baltz526]

the 300wsm can push a 200gr partition up to 300fps faster than a 30-06 about 100fps slower than a 300 win mag

[south county]

Originally Posted by kelso

I just ordered a Tika T3 300 wsm, and do not have the means to reload. That being said, what factory bullet should I try first.

Fedral Premium 180 gr. Barnes TSX

[Quaka Wacka]

My 300WSM likes the 180gr AB and Vit N550.

I would stay away from the ballistic tips. As metioned they aren't designed for higher speeds and can fail (expand too quiclly or come apart) on larger game. They're good for deer but marginal at best for elk.

If you can get them to shoot, I'd try TSX's too.

[4th_Point]

Originally Posted by Hunt'nFish

A 180gr bonded poly tip would be my choice. No since in going w/ lightweight bullets for elk.
Accubond, Interbond or Scirrocco makes no differance to me....pick whichever tickles your fancy.
All have VERY high BC's.

IMO, The Barnes' don't open up fast enough. Lots of wasted energy out the back side.
I want as much of the bullets energy dumped into the animal.
Hunt'nFish

I was thinking the same thing when I chose factory ammo for my T3 Lite in 300WSM. I want the following: 180gr, polymer tip (high BC and quick expansion), but something that holds together better than a BT.

I considered AB, but from what I've see online (AK forums, reloading forums, etc.) they seem to blow up a bit much. Lots of people like them, but I would like something that stays together a little more. The Partitions and A-frames look good (I would try the A-frames over the Partitions), but the BC is poor.

I bought a box of Rem. 180gr Sciroccos. Accuracy is amazing at 100 yards, but I need to shoot them at 200, and 300 yards. I'll probably go out to 400 for fun as well.

Best part is they shoot the same POI as the cheap Federal softpoints in my rifle so practice at 100 yards could be cheap(er). I'll begin reloading soon and plan to use the Sciroccos, but until then I could use the cheap ammo for trigger time.

I have zero experience with any .30 cal bullets on elk however (bowhunt). My T3 will be going elk hunting this year, but I also use it for target shooting. Wind drift at 400 yards can be dramatic so that is why I went with the Scirocco. I think 400 yards is a long shot in the field, but I like to shoot targets at 500 and 600 yards.

You may want to use a ballistic program to compare various bullets and loads and see what the drop and drift are if you are shooting past 200 yards. It may or may not make a difference. I like to use the JBM program online.

Good luck,

Jason

[baltz526]

i tested the 150gr accubond to see if it would hold together. muzzel velocity of 2775, shot a 16" green lodgepole at 50yds. perfect expansion very good weight retention, lead stayed bonded to jacket. could not ask for a better looking bullet after digging it out of the tree. 11" of penitration. if the accubond comes apart on impact i would think they are hitting something very hard at an extreme high velocity. it has held together on the 2 deer i have shot with the 7mm rem mag. one at 60yds one at 350yds using the 140gr at a muzzel velocity of 3200fps. nosler says it shoots like a ballistic tip and performs like a partition. i agree

[trizzie]

Thanks for all of the advice guys. A friend has offered me some 180 grain Accubonds and Partitions from his stash. I'm also going to load some Berger 175 grain Match VLD's on advice from another source.

It will be a few weeks before I get to the range, but I will post performance results and speeds when I get them.