6 years ago, I bought a 300 WM. I had a tag for an early season cow elk hunt, and was concerned about being able to work up a good load and practice with it prior to the hunt. After breaking in the barrel, I tried several factory loads with premium bullets. The Nosler Trophy Grade with 190 gr ABLR. I was impressed with the accuracy (only tried it out to 500 yards). I didn't chronograph it, but as I recall the advertised fps was 2870 fps. It was new at the time and limited availability. I was able to round up enough to practice a lot and take on the hunt.
Last day of the hunt, a cow elk stepped out about 200 yards away and was moving, coming from my right, slightly quartering toward me. I tried a lower shoulder shot, but hit just behind the left shoulder. The elk abruptly made an about face and headed back toward the timber, slightly quartering away. I fired again, hitting just behind right shoulder. The elk stopped, stood there and swayed, walked in a small circle, then dropped. During gutting, skinning and quartering, the first bullet had hit a rib on entrance and exploded. It spewed fragments, some of which punctured the stomach and esophagus and imbedded in the opposite rib cage. There was major damage to the lungs. No exit wound. The second shot did not hit a rib going in, traveled through the lungs and lodged in the opposite shoulder. A lot of meat on the opposite shoulder was torn up and all that was left of the bullet was a small piece of the brass base, no lead. The guide discarded the entire right side rib cage and a large portion of the left shoulder.
The ABLR was designed to expand at long ranges, so is a bit fragile for shorter range shots at magnum velocities. I stopped using the ABLR at that point. It killed the elk, but with a lot of meat damage. Maybe Nosler has improved it over the last 6 years. I have killed 4 elk since that hunt. These elk were just as dead, but with much less meat loss.
