Ammo decision

[Bouldar]

I will ask this, then duck.
I am choosing which 300 WM ammo. My gun shoot Barnes tax, tipped corelokt, federal with Berger hybrid hunter, Hornady CX equally well. Hope to go elk hunting one day but mostly hunt deer (whitetail). I have never shot really long distance but would like to be able to. Of these, which would you choose?

Thanks.

 

[displacedtexan]

I'd get a different rifle.

 

[Taudisio]

Tipped core-lokt weight? I’d lean that way, no matter what, out of all the options you provided.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

You got enough gun I'd go for the most rapidly expanding mono, may as well not have lead in the meat.

 

[Bouldar]

Tipped core-lokt weight? I’d lean that way, no matter what, out of all the options you provided.

180 on all

 

[MtnW]

I like the 200 grain Nosler Partition in the 300 WIN . It’s a great all around bullet in the various 300 mags. I have not had a need to try the Barnes TTX / TTSX but have several friends who have ad great success with them from sheep to moose.

 

[Bouldar]

I like the 200 grain Nosler Partition in the 300 WIN . It’s a great all around bullet in the various 300 mags. I have not had a need to try the Barnes TTX / TTSX but have several friends who have ad great success with them from sheep to moose.

It didn’t like the 180 partition. I haven’t tried a 200.
Shot one deer with the Barnes. Ran about 30 yards but absolutely no blood trail. Blew up the heart. The blood all came out in my truck.

 

[Taudisio]

What about some eld-m’s? The 208 will wreak havoc on anything you put it into, and has the bc and weight to shoot well, out as far as anyone could ever wish. I have been shooting the 210 ABLRs in my 30 nosler (just a bit faster than the win mag) and will probably switch to the 208’s when my supply runs out.

 

[Durran87]

Barnes 180 TTSX, my .300 win mag Xbolt does great out to 600 with these. I don’t plan to shoot farther than that personally.

 

[Bouldar]

What about some eld-m’s? The 208 will wreak havoc on anything you put it into, and has the bc and weight to shoot well, out as far as anyone could ever wish. I have been shooting the 210 ABLRs in my 30 nosler (just a bit faster than the win mag) and will probably switch to the 208’s when my supply runs out.

Haven’t tried them but thought about it. Would you hesitate to shoot them or the Berger for an elk?

 

[Dave0317]

Don’t want you to duck for no reason, so here is your official Rokslide answer.

Buy a Tikka in 223. It will be like a free rifle once you shoot a year or two, because of the amount of money you will save in ammo. Especially learning to shoot long range.

And with appropriate scope, it will be a much better tool for learning to shoot long range than a 300 WM. You can shoot it all day more comfortably and for much cheaper, spot your own rounds, etc.

Thirdly, you said you primarily hunt deer, the Tikka will end up being your primary deer rifle once you have shot it a lot and finished reading the 400+ page 223 thread here on Rokslide. It’s just a better fit for that size animal using the most effective modern bullets.

Then, you can just save that 300 WM and expensive ammo for a future elk trip. And that’s if you don’t sell it and buy a 6mm or 6.5 CM Tikka for your big game hunting.

If you have to use a 300 WM for deer, I’d use a Mono. I hate mono bullets, but for 300 WM on deer it will probably help reduce how much meat you damage.

 

[Laelkhunter]

Barnes TTSX in 165 to 180 weight range. Preferably the 168.

 

[Taudisio]

Haven’t tried them but thought about it. Would you hesitate to shoot them or the Berger for an elk?

I would not hesitate to put the 208 into an elk. The eld-m haven’t been functionally different than a similar weight eld-x in my experience. The “locking ring” on the X has failed me multiple times and the core has separated, acting the same as the match would. I’ve shot multiple elk with the 143 eldx. Adding 60 grains to it, should be awesome if you can eat the recoil.

I don’t like how bergers are supposed to function, so I don’t use them. I have been with friends that have used them. I doubt you would have a problem, but they are not on my list to use.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Federal with bergers. It checks all of your boxes. Almost everything I have killed has been with bergers or eldms. We killed two AK moose with 168gr bergers in my 280 AI. We have taken several elk, several mule deer, and several black bears with bergers

 

[The Guide]

Haven’t tried them but thought about it. Would you hesitate to shoot them or the Berger for an elk?

I use a 185 Berger in my Tikka 300WM and have taken deer and elk with it from 150 to 500 yards. I love the way that bullet works on elk. It gives a little too much wound channel for my likes on deer but I hunt deer and elk at the same time so deer get the bullet I'm elk hunting with.

I used a Winchester M70 in 300WM for years with a 180 Remington CoreLokt bullet and killed dozens of deer, elk, antelope, and a bear or two with it. I upgraded it with a new barrel and stock then started handloading 215 Berger bullets for it. That bullet has taken several elk for me now.

With that all said, if you are just hunting deer and not shooting extended ranges, with a 300WM I would look for something in the 150 to 165 grain range with a controlled expansion bullet like a monolithic or a bonded type to prevent meat loss. Throwing away entire quarters because they are bloodshot sucks.

Jay