What is your favorite .300RUM load?

[1CouesHunter]

93 grns. Retumbo - 200 grn Nosler Accubond - 3150 fps out of a 28 Inch Broughton Barrel - APS Rifle (Thanks Kirby) 1/2 group at 100 Yards!

 

[1CouesHunter]

Not to go too Far off topic, is there anyone out there shooting 300 RUM with
240 SMKs that could help me with Load Data AND their Seating Depths?

Any APS 300 RUM Shooters Out there, shooting the 240 SMK?

I did shoot a 1.4 Inch (2 shot) Group at 300 yards with the 240 SMK seated at
3.653 Inches OAL (end to end measurement) 82grn. H-1000

 

[Gone Ballistic]

I just got through working up a load for my Krieger-barreled 300 RUM. I didn't want to shoot it a lot working up a load, so I only tried two bullets, the 208 Hornady and the 210 Berger. Bergers shot best and did so with 94 grains of Retumbo with the bullet seated just touching the rifling. I used Remington brass from Cabela's, which had less than .001 difference in neck thickness. The barrel is a 28-incher, chrono said 3,175 FPS, best three-shot groups at 100 yards were .175 and at 500 yards 1.963 inches.

Wow, 1.963 at 500 is remarkable let alone the .175 at 100. Congratulations! I can't wait to hear what happens when you've shot 50 rounds and the barrel has it's perfected break-in groove.
One thing that hardly anyone mentions with their favorite load is the primer they are using. I'm trying to do a count on how many like which bulllet, powder, brass and primer. So far, most of you limit your story to powder and bullet selection. Com'on Folks, give us some full detail.
Thanking all of you who responded,
Gone Ballistic

 

[Derek M.]

For MY rifles, I ONLY use Federal primers. Match grade first, then non-match if I have to.

Brass is mostly Win, Lapua, or Norma, unless the caliber requires Rem or Nosler.

 

[JDS]

I have been using Mag-tech primers for a couple years now. They work ok and are consistent but made of harder material than the Federal. I think Federal match is one of the best.

Brass I'm using is Remington for my 300 ultra. I would like to try something else, and maybe I will but for now I will work with what I have.

I haven't settled on a powder or a bullet yet I have a bunch of AA3100 and Reloader 25 to try.
I have a bunch of the barns TSX 180s but haven't seen any one raving about a good load yet.

 

[Gary Morgan]

My SD and ES numbers shrunk when I moved from the 215 Federal to a Winchester Large Rifle Magnum primer. My last three shot group was 3,173, 3,175 and 3,178 for 2SD and 5ES.

 

[JDS]

I'm glad I found this forum before I started working up a load for mine. You guys have a lot of good information about this round. Thanks

 

[WV Sendero]

Since I hunt the little white tails here in VA, big ones are around 175 dressed, but the norm is around 120, I worked up a load using the 165gr Hornady SST, and Retumbo powder. It is a slightly reduced load, since my dad wanted to use it, and I didn't want to pound his shoulder. It will shoot 1/4"@100yds all day, every day. Load is: Rem brass, Remington 9 1/2M primer, 92.4gr of Retumbo, 165gr Hornady SST, seated to cannelure, not crimped.
I can't say what terminal performance is like, as the two deer I have shot so far, have been neck shots. Exit hole on those, after breaking the neck bones, was about half dollar sized.

I am getting ready to try some 165gr GameKings from Sierra in mine.

I shot the 165 Gameking hollow points with WLRM, 103gr Retumbo for whitetail. Man oh man, I have never seen anything drop a deer like that. My dad and I both used them and all of the deer we shot were slammed, not dropped, to the ground right where they were standing and didn't even kick. They quickly became my favorite deer bullet. I will say they don't penetrate the best but it's just a whitetail so they don't have to. My first shot with them was in the edge of a 600 yard field and a buck ran out of the brush a whopping 12 yes, 12 yards from my treestand. I shot it through the shoulders and found the bullet just under the hide on the backside. Probably lost more than half its weight but it **** sure did it's job. The damage to the shoulder and vitals was unreal and unlike anything I have seen (I've hunted with the 300RUM since about 2002).

 

[shootnmoa]

Since I last wrote that first post, I have shot two does, both about 130lbs. Both shot in the ribs, and both dropped where they stood. Never took a step or even kicked. They dropped as quick as the neck shots.

I broke ribs on both of them, both on the entry and exit. The first one had about an inch sized entry hole and half inch or so exit. The second one had a 30cal entry hole and about half inch exit.

I never recovered the bullet, as it went into the dirt on the exit sides. I didn't find any shrapnel in either one, just bone fragments. Both looked like a hand grenade went off in the chest cavity. I found only small pieces of heart, and lungs. Nothing penetrated the diaphragm to the rear.
I am surprised with the damage on the interior, that there wasn't a bigger exit hole. Haven't shot one with the 165 Sierra, yet.

 

[WV Sendero]

Since I last wrote that first post, I have shot two does, both about 130lbs. Both shot in the ribs, and both dropped where they stood. Never took a step or even kicked. They dropped as quick as the neck shots.

I broke ribs on both of them, both on the entry and exit. The first one had about an inch sized entry hole and half inch or so exit. The second one had a 30cal entry hole and about half inch exit.

I never recovered the bullet, as it went into the dirt on the exit sides. I didn't find any shrapnel in either one, just bone fragments. Both looked like a hand grenade went off in the chest cavity. I found only small pieces of heart, and lungs. Nothing penetrated the diaphragm to the rear.
I am surprised with the damage on the interior, that there wasn't a bigger exit hole. Haven't shot one with the 165 Sierra, yet.

If you shoot one with the 165 GKs you will get a bigger exit if you get a pass through, which you most likely will unless you get both shoulders. Those bullets are absolutely devastating on deer. We have shot, ballistic tips, core lokts, sciroccos, partitions, and bear claws and nothing was even close to the GKs (all in .30 cal and all in the 300 RUM except core lokts). I doubt I will ever use another .30 cal bullet for deer unless I go for a higher BC but I doubt I do because my 300 RUM is not my best set-up for long range stuff (scope, sporter barrel). I wish sierra made the GK hollow point in .338 because that would be in my .338 RUM too for deer. So if you get a chance definately try the 165 GK, I think you'll like it.

 

[el si]

Nosler brass, CCI 250 primer, 1/2gr under max load of Retumbo, and Sierra 200gr GameKing #2165. I choose the Sierra because that was all that was available during the drought. I was surprised at its performance. Really large entry wound and large exit hole. No bullet fragmentation.

Bullet availability is getting better. Doesn't hurt to explore and try new things. You may stumble across a good thing you would not have otherwise tried.

 

[rettrpjch]

Remington 700 BDL Remington brass trimmed to 2.840 180gr. Nosler Accubond seated to 3.668 oal CCi-250 primers Hodgdon Retumbo powder 98gr. 3450fps at 10 ft. +2 at 100yds. <1/2 moa. = -11" at 400yds with 2800ft.lbs energy. More than enough to take Elk at that range, or just about anything else on earth

 

[rsbhunter]

Out of a custom 700 with Krieger bbl, 91.0 Retumbo, 210 Berger VLD (hunting bullet) seated .010 off lands.....right at 3050 fps per chrony......Have 2 seperate groups at this range less than 1 inch extreme spread.....VLD's seem to settle in after about 400 yds

 

[Scott300RUM]

I'm building loads for my 300 RUM as we speak with Nosler brass, 210 Bergers, Retumbo, and Federal 215m primers. I have a few questions for you guys that have already built up your loads.

Berger says the max load for Retumbo with 210 gr. bullets is 92 gr. and I've seen quite a few guys using 94 gr. in theirs. Should I work my way towards 94 as long as I don't see any signs of pressure? My plans were to make 5 loads of each starting at 89, 90, 91, and 92. But now I may make loads at 93 and 94 if you guys think it should be fine. I know it's hard to say since every rifle is different, but I'm new to reloading, so just tell me what you guys would do.

My next question is about my Nosler brass. I read in my reloading manual that the max brass length is 2.850 and the trim-to length is 2.840. However, all my 100 pieces are between 2.828 and 2.829. Is this normal and will it affect anything with them being a little bit shorter?

Thank you guys for your help, and I'll share my findings when I do some shooting this weekend,

Scott