300 Dakota with 230s?

[AusFclass]

Is anyone running a 300 Dakota with 200-230gr bullets in a match gun with 30+" barrel?

What kind of accuracy and loads are you running?

Thinking about doing one for 1000+ and hoping to get a bit more performance and longer neck than a 300wm while staying fairly efficient compared to the 300rum

 

[Steve Blair]

I had no problem getting more velocity than I could manage with .300 WSM and 230 Hybrids. That won't be the problem, gun handling will.

 

[dkhunt14]

Without a brake that would be a lot of recoil. I also believe it would be hard on barrels. Matt

 

[AusFclass]

This isn't something that I'll be using every weekend. Maybe 4-6x a year but exclusively for 1000 to 1200+yds in rough conditions.

 

[Steve Blair]

I initially ran my WSM at ~2950 with a 7828 SSC load. The load was very accurate but I just could not manage the gun handling, despite exploiting every trick in the book. Reducing the velocity with H4831 SC to ~2865 did the trick but it is still at the upper limit of manageability. I've fired about 7000 rounds through caliber .50 rifles and have no recoil issues. But, gun handling problems will kill your scores.

 

[AusFclass]

So does 30mph winds at 1200yds. Yes you your rite a 300wsm would be my pick if I was after a day in day out match winner but where's the fun in that? ;D I can always have the barrel re chambered.

I'm just inquiring as to who has seriously used this round. Not many by the look of it?

 

[hogan]

Probably not... Dakota cases a bit spendy and hard to find. Neck down a .338rum for about the same deal or look at a Lazzeroni. Just way too easy to shoot the .300wby or win mag, or a WSM. Even look at the .30-06AI with heavy bullets,

Dakota has an oddball rim size at .545, so you are looking at boltface opening and likely extractor work, more expensive and difficult to obtain brass... What is the point? The guys shooting longrange are fielding gear that works rather than pioneering new territory. If the Dakota was The Solution, it would be widely used already.... But maybe you're a visionary?

 

[AusFclass]

Probably not... Dakota cases a bit spendy and hard to find. Neck down a .338rum for about the same deal or look at a Lazzeroni. Just way too easy to shoot the .300wby or win mag, or a WSM. Even look at the .30-06AI with heavy bullets,

Dakota has an oddball rim size at .545, so you are looking at boltface opening and likely extractor work, more expensive and difficult to obtain brass... What is the point? The guys shooting longrange are fielding gear that works rather than pioneering new territory. If the Dakota was The Solution, it would be widely used already.... But maybe you're a visionary?

Yes i have looked at the other options you mentioned and the Dakota seems to be rite at the point of diminishing returns. From the load data I've seen the Dakota is within about 4gr more capacity than the win mag but with a longer neck giving more options for seating depth and different bullets. I don't think comparing it to a 300rum with 10-15gr more capacity or the laz is in the same league.

The Dakota also doesn't need any cold or fire forming which is appealing after playing with other calibers that take a lot of work to get the brass 100% match perfect.

I have other "smart" and "sensible" calibers and it don't feel that I'm a "visionary" as you like to put it but I would like to consider all options and try something different and learn good bad or otherwise. Have you never played with a caliber because that's what you wanted to do? Not because that's what your mates though was best? And that's what this site is normally about . . . .sharing knowledge not opinions.

 

[waverly]

I shoot the 230's in 308 Baer. Which is which is a version of the 300 Ackley. Trim length on my 308 Baer is 2.830 where the Dakota is 2.55. I myself have given serious thought to some form of a 30 caliber with a shorter case than the 300 Ackley versions.

Back years ago They were playing with a short and a long version based on the 404 Jefferies case called the 300 HV and the 300 SHV. This was a good while back and I think developed by Dave Tooley, Bill Shehane, and Leonard Baity. They had a long and a short version. I never tried them. I think this was mostly at Hawk's Ridge in North Carolina. I started shooting up there towards the tail end of those days. So this is about all I know re: HV, and the SHV.

I personally own a Nesika action 300 Dakota, but it is a hunting rifle, so have no info re:anything heavier than a 180 grain bullet. I do also own a reamer. At the time I ordered it from Dave Kiff he asked me if I wanted the straight neck version reamer. (He offered them both ways) I went with std. 300 reamer because it was a hunting rifle.

There was a guy form Georgia that shot at Hawks Ridge that used to shoot a 300 Dakota. I do not remember if it was a heavy or light gun, but he did ok with it. I do not know if it was a straight neck or standard Dakota reamer. I also read in a old Dakota newsletter where someone shot a 375 Dakota necked down to 30, and shot a small group ( 10 shot) out west a good while back.

It's time to either set back my 308 Baer, or re-barrel, and I have been thinking along the same lines as the Dakota sized case. There is little doubt in my mind that that size case will handle the 230's well and faster than the WSM if you want to. I'm thinking about it from a smaller case tighter powder column point of view. I like a big 30 when it's windy.

Like others mentioned in a light gun it would be a handful. My gun is a 65 lb heavy gun, so I'm not worried about torque. My bolt will handle the 545 case head.

There are lots of options and cases out there to play with I say if you want to do it go ahead It'll be fun

Waverly

P.S. If I got the names wrong on the people that developed the HV, and SHV. Please update with correct names Like I said this was a good long time ago. I have discussed them while at Leonard Baity's shop There were also 7mm, and 338 versions as well.

 

[Steve Blair]

Like others mentioned in a light gun it would be a handful. My gun is a 65 lb heavy gun, so I'm not worried about torque. My bolt will handle the 545 case head.

[br]
F-Class Open rifles can weigh up to 22 pounds but we cannot use muzzle brakes, so it is a similar problem to a light gun.

 

[Joe Salt]

Waverly try some Reloader 33 in the 308 Baer with the 230, it fills the case more and you will get more velocity!

Joe salt

 

[dragman]

I know that the efficiency is an issue as you said before but in the 30 cal family I like the 300WSM and if you go bigger I would go to the RUM. I am running the 230's out of the RUM at just over 3150fps it's not nearly as efficient as the WSM is while running them around 2850-2900 since your using like 40% more powder for a couple hundred FPS, but if you want more it's there and stuff's easier to get than Dakota.

 

[waverly]

Thanks Joe. I never tried RL-33. I've been shooting 77 grns of RL-25 with 210m.

When I locate some RL33 I'll give it a go.

I have 2 light guns in 308 Baer, but 1 is a 12 twist, and the other is 11, so I never tried the 230's in either. 12 twist 200 Sierras, 210 Berger in the 11.