190 or 150 grn for 300winmag

earlwellman

Is a 150grn siera gameking loaded with varget too light for a 300winmag? I have 190 grn hornady with H4831 already loaded for elk but they have too much penetration on whitetail. I was hoping to load a little lighter and faster with better expansion[?]

Mark T

150's should be OK for deer with the right load. I loaded 165 GK's with 55gr of IMR4320 in my 300wm with stellar results. One of the best groups I have ever shot and very managable recoil. This was the lowest load listed in my Dads OLD Lyman manual. It was listed in their most accurate loads list too. I shot several deer with this and it performed flawlessly.

Snellstrom

Hey Earl which is the most accurate in your gun?
I shoot everything with my 30/06 and only load 180 grain bullets for it cuz' that is the most accurate in my gun. The Deer and Antelope didn't seem to know the difference what they got hit with, now come to think of it neither did the Elk, Bighorn Sheep or Mountain Goat!
Personally I'd stick with the most accurate load in your gun for Deer and for Elk I'd use the heavier ones.

JustC

a 190gr at magnum speeds is too much for the whitetail (MHO). My pard uses a 150gr pill in his and the deer are BANG-FLOP propositions, no tracking whatsoever. The 190gr will overpenetrate the thin skinned game unless you are going to be punching them out to 400yds and beyond where they will have slowed up a bit.

My 300RUM pushing a 200gr SMK went from stem to stern in a large whitetail at 417yds this summer and never even slowed down. She was DRT, but I would wonder about tracking if it were a broadside shot.

why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
Got Balistics?

earlwellman

snellstrom, They both are sub 1" groups @100yrds. I'm also happy that I don't really have to change my scope sight-in. The 150's are only about an inch higher @200yrds. I think I'll shoot the 150's on first day in PA next week and see how they woork out. If there is a problem, I'll fall back to my old 190's. They kill the deer deader than disco but just have no expansion.[8D]

earlwellman

Update on the 150 grain performance. I shot my buck quartering away and found the perfect mushroom just under the skin behind the opposite shoulder. My inlaws wondered why I would give a crap to keep it til I told them that I had loaded them to do just that. I am proud that I can load something and get exact performance. They all just get the heaviest bullet and wack away.[:D][8D][^]