• If you are being asked to change your password, and unsure how to do it, follow these instructions. Click here

230 Bergers and 300 RUM

I have a load using the 230 gr Berger and Retumbo that gives me 2910 fps and good accuracy from my Remington SPS stainless with factory 26" barrel. Quite happy.
 
89 gr Retumbo Fed 215 match rem brass 230 hybrid at 2980 fps still room for velocity improvements .410 group at 100 yards factory sendero with DE BRAKE 3.9 length any longer and you have to pull the bolt to extract un fired round. 12 fps spread
 
What is your overall length with that load? Do they fit in your magazine?
OAL is 13thou off lands and doesn't fit in mag. Very similar to Smoked's load. Same primer just I am running 90gr Retumbo. Quite mild in my rifle because of the bullet seated right out but with the factory barrel accuracy goes away if loaded any hotter.
As usual start lower and work up.
 
I noticed that no one uses the RL-25 powder is there a reason for that. William Roscoe built my 300 Rum with a Krieger barrel with 1-10 twist.He said the last three he built with 1-10 twist and i think he said two were Krieger barrels not sure on the last one.William said they loved the RL-25 at 91 Grs and that was with 210 burgers.Thats what I am going to try on my new 300 Rum as sone as I get my cheek peace back from William i can start load testing.MY coal is 3.80 I have my test loads 1000 off the lands.Should I back them off 5000 off the lands to safe or will I be ok were there at.
 
Just starting to follow along and will be working with the 230's right after memorial day. GREAT wealth of info here and much appreciated. I do have one go to load for my RUM that has surpassed any expectations. 215 match primer, 91.5 Retumbo, 208 A-Max just touchin going 3100 with a SD of 5fps. out of a 27" select match HV tube.
Looking forward to keeping up with this thread and posting how things go with the 230's.gun):D
 
Two of us used the 230 gr match target hybrid on Arizona cow elk last week.

My 85 yr old friend Don had a special permit called the Champs permit which allows him to shoot from the truck if necessary. We encountered five elk walking across a meadow at 300 yds while driving out of an area. Don was able to exit the truck, cross the road and shoot from a sitting position sending a 230 hybrid through both lungs. Sorry no pics of this one but entrance hole was caliber and exit was 1 1/4". Cow sort of stopped in her tracks then after a few seconds just teetered over. The rifle is a Browning A-bolt with a mag box of 2.8". The bullet velocity at muzzle is 2720 fps using RL-17. Impact velocity at 8000 ft was 2516 fps. Very impressive.

I finally connected several days later. A group of approx. 100 elk ran off an uphill slope that was comprised of nothing but burned trees. Upon seeing me they ran downhill through the trees with great haste. I couldn't shoot. Then I noticed some stragglers walked out. I figure they were so far up the hill they didn't see me and were simply following the others. One stopped between two trees at 247 yds offering a shot at the shoulders but little else. It was a high shoulder shot. The elk dropped like a stone to the shot.

Rifle is the previously mentioned 300 RUM with 24" barrel 230 hybrid velocity is 2975 fps at muzzle. At 8000 ft impact velocity was approximately 2800 fps.

There was considerable blood in the tissues around the shoulder meat. It is very difficult to see the exit hole. Exit on hide looked similar to Don's with a moderate hole. Once skinned the area was quite red with blood and the affected area was hard to see the damage. Once the shoulders were removed the damage to the ribs can easily be seen.

I won't know the extent of ruined meat till I clean the shoulders in a day or so. Just began cutting yesterday. I can take pics of shoulders in a day or so.

Here are the entrance and exit pics of ribs with shoulders removed.

entrance:

exit
 
Congrats to both and thanks for the detailed report. Very good report on two elk just under 300 yards. Looks like the bullets both did exactly what I would like to see them do. With all the penetration one could ask for and exit holes typical of what we have gotten with the 230's from 180 yards to over 800.

Thanks
Jeff
 
Thanks guys. I put together that 300 RUM load last year but ended up using my lightweight 338 RCM in the woods. Finally got to use it and was very impressed.

I just finished cutting up and freezing the second leg this morning. Total pure meat weight is just shy of 80 lbs from both rear legs. Tomorrow I'll do the loin and tenderloins. Am interested in exactly where the bullet went through the shoulders. I'll share some pics when I get to them.

There is an interesting dynamic with the elk that survived the Wallow Fire 2 1/2 years ago. They planted wheat and barley to control erosion. The plants either survived or reseeded something they were not supposed to do. The elk just love eating the grains. The animals have far more fat on them that I have ever seen in the last 25 yrs of hunting them and the meat is superb .
 
It was a double shoulder shot the only part of the animal that showed between the trees.

Butchered the shoulders today and took these pics. Too much bloody tissues to show offside shoulder with meat. Did manage to get most of the shoulder meat after removing the blood filled membranes between the layers.

Here is the shoulder with entrance wound with some meat



entrance


Exit
 
Warning! This thread is more than 12 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.
Top