Seating Depth for 300 Win Mag

[bowrugger]

Hiya,
Would really appreciate any suggestions for 300 Win Mag seating depths using the following bullets (all are 180 gr) other than the Nosler Accubond 190gr) ;

1. Swift Scirocco
2. Nosler LR Accubond
3. Nosler Ballistic Tipped
4, Nosler Partition

This is for a hunting rifle (either a Benelli R1, Sig Saur SHR 970, or Tika TX3) - Do not want to go lower or higher on the bullet weight, max I am comfortable shooting at game is 300 yards.

Appreciate any input (btw I want to eat the meat, so no Berger or other type bullet)

Thank you.

 

[bozo699]

Welcome to the forum,
I don’t know how far your magazine will allow you to seat but I would start .020 off the lands and work back from there if magazine will allow. If not load maximum your mag will allow and still function and work back from there
Wayne

 

[philip brousseau]

If magazine length will not let you seat to the lands seat to max length for the magazine and work up your powder charge for best accuracy .

 

[L.Sherm]

Appreciate any input (btw I want to eat the meat, so no Berger or other type bullet)

I've only ate probably 40 animals that have been shot with Bergers so what's the problem.

 

[Hipshoot]

No bergers and no fries----just venison and elk meat!

 

[PBR Streetgang]

I am new to this forum and have been lurking here for info on reloading for .300 wm. I took some advice to seat .020 off the lands and move back from there. I just tested this today and while my groups did not noticeably improve(.5-.7”) I had a major reduction in es and sd. I went from an es of 40 and sd of 10 to an es of 10 and sd of 3.5. I am shooting Berger 215’s though it may work for your application as well. I tested at .050 as well and had a big improvement from where I was but at .020 it was a major leap in the right direction. Thanks everyone.

 

[L.Sherm]

No bergers and no fries----just venison and elk meat!

Its why I shoot Bergers, you forgot praire goats

 

[bowrugger]

I've only ate probably 40 animals that have been shot with Bergers so what's the problem.

lol, I would think that a highly frangible bullets would provide more meat jelly than a bonded bullet

 

[bowrugger]

If magazine length will not let you seat to the lands seat to max length for the magazine and work up your powder charge for best accuracy .

Yup, I am going to go this route. I did mess around with increasing the seating depth by x thou and it made a difference but not in the direction I needed The two powders that group the best are H1000 and IMR-4831, so I'll start at the min charge for each and increase in .5 say 60.5 and once I get groupings in a range, start homing in on .1 of a grain increments - The 300 Win Mag is difficult due to the amount of head space you have. Never had issues with other calibers so any Win 300 guys out there that can give me some tips, I would appreciate it.

 

[Webster]

Yup, I am going to go this route. I did mess around with increasing the seating depth by x thou and it made a difference but not in the direction I needed The two powders that group the best are H1000 and IMR-4831, so I'll start at the min charge for each and increase in .5 say 60.5 and once I get groupings in a range, start homing in on .1 of a grain increments - The 300 Win Mag is difficult due to the amount of head space you have. Never had issues with other calibers so any Win 300 guys out there that can give me some tips, I would appreciate it.

Your trying to find a good load like it's a bench rest gun. Anything under 1" is good for hunting. Do you really think the gun and your shooting skills are good enough to see a difference in tiny changes in powder charge and seating depth, SD is meaningless in a hunting rifle.

 

[bowrugger]

Your trying to find a good load like it's a bench rest gun. Anything under 1" is good for hunting. Do you really think the gun and your shooting skills are good enough to see a difference in tiny changes in powder charge and seating depth, SD is meaningless in a hunting rifle.

 

[bowrugger]

Right now I am not getting 1" or 2" groups @ 50 yards OAL = 3.340 powder charge = best grouping according to Nosler reloading data. Never had these challenges with 416, 338 etc

 

[L.Sherm]

lol, I would think that a highly frangible bullets would provide more meat jelly than a bonded bullet

So you've never shot them is my guess but believing the internet.
I can tell you for a fact you hit them were your suppose to theywaste no more meat than all the other bullets I used before 2005 when I started using Bergers.
They go in to the chest cavity and destroy the internals that is a fact.
Berger bullets are like believing a load should shoot because of numbers and not the target, performance is what matters in accuracy and killing power nothing else ive tried has meet those two.

 

[bowrugger]

Berger's were my goto bullet when I shot F-Class, if I have to take a shoulder shot I don't feel that it would do the job, open to hearing otherwise

 

[philip brousseau]

With the case capacity of the 300 win mag starting at minimum load I'd increase 2 grains at a time until getting closer to max loads and then 1 grain at a time watching pressure signs. More consistent ignition is usually close to maximum safe working pressure for the brass being used gives the best accuracy in my experience.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I size my belted cartridges, 338 wm, same as my other cases. It's a single stack mag, so I seat to fit the mag. Last elk I shot with the Berger 7mm 150 classic, dropped straight down, quartering away at 146 yards behind the shoulder. No shoulder or loin bruising, bullet didn't exit.

 

[Webster]

Right now I am not getting 1" or 2" groups @ 50 yards OAL = 3.340 powder charge = best grouping according to Nosler reloading data. Never had these challenges with 416, 338 etc

Maybe the groups are bigger than you want because of dealing with heavy recoil.

 

[bowrugger]

With the case capacity of the 300 win mag starting at minimum load I'd increase 2 grains at a time until getting closer to max loads and then 1 grain at a time watching pressure signs. More consistent ignition is usually close to maximum safe working pressure for the brass being used gives the best accuracy in my experience.

Appreciate the info, what bullet and powder do you use ?

 

[Coonman300]

I’m strictly a hunter and try to get MOA or better accuracy out of my rifles. I reload for 4 300 WM rifles. 3 allow for seating to the lands and one is limited by the magazine. The one limited by the magazine shoots within my MOA needs with Sierra 180 grain gamekings with a healthy jump. All my loads are above 70 grains of IMR 7828 SSC. I shoot 200 grain bullets in the other 3. All that being said, with groups like that at 50 yards I’d suspect a bad scope, loose rings, or some other issue than powder/seating. Just my opinion.

 

[L.Sherm]

Berger's were my goto bullet when I shot F-Class, if I have to take a shoulder shot I don't feel that it would do the job, open to hearing otherwise

Why would you intentionally shoot something in the shoulder, no matter the bullet its gonna be blood shot.