Reduced 300wsm 175 tmk load?

[Jimbee]

I have some 300wsms, some 175 tmks and some H4895. I was hoping I could come up with a reduced recoil load for hunting. Any suggestions on where to start, or is this a dumb idea?
TIA.

 

[nate907]

reducing powder charge to reduce recoil isnt a great idea for a lot of reasons.

 

[Jimbee]

Thanks, I appreciate the reality check.

 

[A382DWDZQ]

https://hodgdon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/h4895-reduced-rifle-loads.pdf

 

[A382DWDZQ]

Here’s the load data for it, but it tops out at 168gr. Might better to use a lighter bullet than trying to make it work with the 175.

Hodgdon H4895®

4895 is a versatile rifle powder with origins in the 30-06 cartridge as a military powder. This is a historic powder for Hodgdon as it was the first powder sold by our founder, Bruce “B.E.” Hodgdon to the reloading public. As a member of the Extreme line of extruded powder, this powder is a...

www.hodgdonreloading.com

 

[gerry35]

Not a dumb idea, H4895 is a very versatile powder. I would find some 165's and go for it.

 

[gerry35]

I had a really accurate load with RL15 and several different 165's for about 3050 fps 59-60 gr depending on the exact bullet. Kicked noticeably less than full power loads. Check Nosler's data for the exact load. That's why I love the 300 WSM it's so versatile.

 

[A382DWDZQ]

Check out Lyman’s Cast Load data as well. The 3rd edition is online on archive.org. While it does not have the WSM, it has others larger and smaller that will give you a sense of the ranges you can look at. The Lee book also has some good info for calculating reduced loads for a lot of the loads.

 

[gerry35]

reducing powder charge to reduce recoil isnt a great idea for a lot of reasons.

Good advice in general. There is some data however from the major manufacturers for the 300 WSM using faster burning powders than most would think of using. Those would be safe to use.

 

[Jimbee]

After some experimenting, I've found that 46.5 grains of H4895 and 175tmk shoots pretty good and has a MV of 2449 fps. Pretty mild recoil. Should stay above 1800 fps to 500yds at Colorado density altitudes. Here's a 742yd target:

 

[gerry35]

That's about 303 British speed but with a much better bullet. Should be a great practice load that will still kill anything you would probably want too. Nice load.