300wm recipes.

[Damo300]

Looking for anyone throwing 180gr around the 3100fps mark.

I using Sierra 180gr SPBT.

What powder are you using?
Best I can get out of AR2217 is 2900, and that's almost compressed.
It is tac driving, but I would like it quicker. Factory 180gr federals are flinging at 3100.


The ADI chart shows figures of 2700fps with 2209, but I can get that out of an actual 308.

What's your goto recipe for a fast 300wm load?


Cheers.

[Wapiti]

Firstly Damo, congrats on your calibre choice.

What is your powder weight for 2217? Compressing the load is not a problem with the 300 and this powder.
Are you well versed on pressure signs? If so, you have a ways to go.
In my rifles, I find the ADI data (and uncle Nicks) quite conservative.
I have found 2213SC is awesome for 300WM, my 3 love it, strangely it is the number-1 accuracy powder. I find that more important than ultimate speed.
Better to still be crapping on 30-06 speeds, but at mild pressures. Components last so much longer.

A mate has easily gotten 3100 plus with 2225/180gn Woodleighs, and easily 3000 with 200 grainers, from a 24" barrel in a HS Precision rifle.
However, the recoil of this powder is much more noticeable.

I went to 300RUM to see what if any benefits of getting 250-350fps more easily, but then struck the issue of the speed overwhelming projectile construction in everything but solid copper, using 100gns or more of 2217. 150gn'ers easily going over 3,500 and 180's mid 3,300fps from a 26" barrel. And a Fed 215 Magnum primer, which can be hard to get. 2225 was unbelievably severe in recoil acceleration, my mates 416 RM felt easily less. Crazy.

[Damo300]

Thanks wapiti.
I love 30cal.
I have the 24inch t3x super varmint.
Beautiful rifle to shoot.
One of those purchases that you can confidently say is worth every cent, and some.

Im only a newbe to reloading in a sense. I tend not to veer outside the lanes I've been shown. That all comes later with experience.

I am up to 80.1gr of 2217 @ 2990fps.
The pill just touches the powder when seating.
No signs of overpressure that I can see.
I would consider myself semi competent in understandimg pressure signs, however still learning all the time. Never one to say I know everything and always trying to soak info off anyone who wants to talk about it.

I am seating to mag length too.
Lands are almost 5mm further out from memory.
I didn't bother working back because it won't fit in the magazine, and I'm not really a target shooter, although I don't mind a few shots with the boys in a bit of friendly competition.... haha.

Was thinking of dropping to 2213sc but if I can jam more 2217 in, I will, just don't think I'll get the extra 200fps I'm looking for is all.

[deye243]

Get a Waters Rifleman 300 Winchester Magnum magazine then you will be able to seat your projectile further out and use the correct amount of 2217 and 2225 .
Or get the single shot adapter I virtually use all my long range rifles single shot because you're a long way back you've got all the time in the world to load another round if need be

[Damo300]

Get a Waters Rifleman 300 Winchester Magnum magazine then you will be able to seat your projectile further out and use the correct amount of 2217 and 2225 .
Or get the single shot adapter I virtually use all my long range rifles single shot because you're a long way back you've got all the time in the world to load another round if need be

Deye243.
Thank you for that.

Due in may. I'll get onto them.
Get some 2225 as well.

[Wapiti]

Yes you're right, you won't be able to get the speeds that 2217 will give you. I only mentioned it as an alternative and one I found is strangely accurate.
2225 gave me the highest speeds.

But Dye243's tip on finding a mag with more space, these are usually steel mags that have thinner walls that will fit in the mag wells, hence more space. But a mate has a Tikka Super-varmint and the mags are proprietary plastic things, and does anyone make steel mags to fit in there?
I've heard, which may be incorrect , that to do that you need a new chassis stock like an MDT to take these mags?

He's right, if you can seat the bullets out, you get more volume in the pressure vessel hence can increase your powder charge to get more velocity without too much extra pressure jump. That's what Roy Weatherby routinely did in his rifles, the ones made in the US at least.

But regardless, if you tinker you will find a load that gives great accuracy without trying to sit just off the lands, and seating the bullets further out does give a bit more speed, but it's a very small percentage more. Finding the best powder, with the highest SAFE load for it, is the key.

Also remember, that due to tolerances in chambers and barrels, some rifles shoot markedly slower that another same example and there is nothing you can do about it.

I have two Sako 90's in 300WM, one a Walnut Hunter, the other a SS Peak, and the blued timber one shoots 100fps slower than the lighter one with tge same load. I also have a TRG42 in 300WM and it shoots super fast with 2209.
In it, with 71gns 2209 and a 168 Matchking I get the speeds easily of a maxed out 150gn bullet in the other two.

So sometimes, in some rifles no matter what brand, you get a slow shooter compared to another. You will find this out in your testing and I don't doubt people blow guns up trying to match the mythical speeds they sometimes here out there.

[deye243]

These are not steel they are milled aluminium and specifically designed for Tikka

[Damo300]

I got the mag out and measured the wall thickness, and I get 2.3mm at the front, and 2mm at the rear.
I'm sure the lands aren't far from that off my LOA now.

I've emailed Waters rifleman and they're up to something now, but will reply soon.


It flings 180gr factory loads at 3100 in the mag length I have now.

When I remove the pill and weigh the contents, it come to an average total of 68gr, or there abouts.
Whatever powder they're using seems to be flicking them nicely.
I need a cocktail bar of powders to experiment with.

Ill start with a magazine and wind these pills out a bit more.

[Wapiti]

Great thing about the Sakos is that the magazines for the action length used are steel, with even 150gn projectiles I can have them into the lands and still have room in the mag. I reckon that feature is more important than peoplke realise especially when they get to where Damo is right now with what he is trying to achieve.
Not just them though, there's hinge-floorplate designs like Rem 700, Mauser derivatives etc, that have ample mag lengths inside to allow projies to be seated out to get more powder capacity and lower pressures, and to better align the bullets entering the rifling straight.

A suggestion Damo, before you buy a machined Alum mag, try and have a look at one first and measure the length inside...
Alum mags CNC machined from a block have double/triple the thickness walls than a proper high tensile steel magazine, they have to because it's a fact of life here, tolerance of machine and strength wise.
Ones that I have seen do not give any advantage internally for loaded cartridge length but are made longer so you can get a few more bullets in there instead.
An aluminium mag may not give you any more room in the internal length, unless it's removing a design fault like a thick molded in block to make an action meant for a much bigger cartridge, fit a smaller one. Like a Tikka 223. But I can't imagine that would affect the 300 action, it would not need the blocking out would it?

I take the trouble to mention this and type like a clown for half an hour here instead of a cheap one-liner, because a mate down here who is a pro-shooter after spending his days working the farm, had bought a Tikka after wearing out another brand. 223 of course.
The plastic mags only held an insulting amount of ammo, and he found the feed lips wore out after professional use very fast.
He bought some longer ones made by Tikka, but the same thing happened.
Then he bought a few aluminium Lucky13 longer mags, and the feedlips shaved off just as fast.
He's using Howa rifle now, and has bought a HS Precision stock from The Barn and a handfull of steel MDT mags that fit the WA-made Atlas-Worx bottom metal, and he's all smiles.

On aluminium machined mags, I went through this with our 7600's and alum Lucky 13 mags, They wore out really fast, the feed lips strip out after a few hundred rounds. Especially nasty are the first two or three coming from the full mag, because of the spring pressure exerted when the mag is full. The aluminium shavings were easy to see.

Maybe your usage needs are not the same as these from a wear perspective, or the Waters ones have found some special aluminium grade that doesn't do that and have some more room internally for what you're after.
I'm just suggesting you check these things give you any advantages and your money is not spent for no gain.