So I picked up a Tikka super light in 300 win mag and had a brake put on it before taking out. While that was being done, I started working on some initial loads using 212 ELD-X bullets and IMR-4350. Couldn’t find H-1000 but the powder and bullets aren‘t the issue here. I measured my bullet seating depth with my rifle/bullet/brass combo and it was 3.67”. I know the factory OAL is 3.34” for the 300 win mag but I load for my particular rifle, not generic factory specs so I loaded my rounds to 3.64”. The problem was that now they won’t fit in the magazine and I’d prefer not to shoot single shot. So I had to resize everything to 3.34” but it seems like the LED-X rounds are seated way far into the case. And I measured and trimmed every case to the proper length. I am not new to reloading but I am new to the 300 win mag. I don’t like that my chamber is 3.67” and the maximum length of a bullet I can put into it is 3.34”. I also don’t like that the bullet is seated so far into the brass. Does anyone see a problem with either of those issues. I’ve loaded many rifle and pistol calibers but this one makes me nervous So I will not shoot it until I get some intelligent feedback.
- Thread starter Axwilson18
- Start date
It's not a problem with using a shorter COL to function through your magazine. However the bullet will reduce slightly your powder capacity. You could go to an aftermarket stock/DBM system and run a longer cartridge length, or magazine feed with shorter ammo.
You may be surprised with your accuracy, even with a large jump to the lands.. Try it and report back.
You may be surprised with your accuracy, even with a large jump to the lands.. Try it and report back.
Thanks for
Thanks for that. I’m going to leave it stock since I’ll be dragging it through the mountains of Idaho and Alaska and I know it’ll put up with some abuse. Don’t need a huge investment here. I’ll definitely report back how the load development goes.
Is the longest OAL the magazine will accept 3.34"?
Yes. Any longer and they would jam in the magazine. It’s much tighter than I expected
Reporting back on my 300 win mag loads. I experimented with between 64 and 67 grains of IMR-4350, Federal Brass, trimmed to length, CCI primers, 212 Gr Eld-X rounds, with an OAL of 3.34”. To Make a long story short, 67 grains of IMR-4350 was giving me about 2900 FPS and a 3 shot group less that 3/4” @ 200 yards. When I say 3/4”, two bullets were in the same hole and one was no more than 3/4” away. Then I was consistently shooting a 10” steel at 400 yards with the remaining 17 rounds I loaded. I know that H-1000 is what everyone is using for the 212 ELD-X rounds but I can’t get that where I live and after today’s experience I don’t see any reason to look for it any more. I’m shooting a Tikka superlight with a Vortex Viper scope on it. I had an MBM Lil Beast 5 port brake installed on it and the recoil is less than my 308’s and not much more than a 6.5 Creedmooor. The noise is not bad at all either.
Sounds like you've got a load that works, and good speeds so you probably don't need to stress on it, but this is one of the common complaints I hear about the Tikka with a long action caliber like the 300WM. I think they're better suited to shorter cartridges if you're a reloader and want to take full advantage of case capacity and longer/heavier bullets. But, you could always go aftermarket stock to give you some options if you wanted to go that route. (I personally am shooting a Berger 215, ~3.77" COAL out of my 300 WM, but it's a custom barrel with long throat and mag box)
Another thing to pay attention to is twist, 1-11" right? Will need to test to see if you can stabilize some of the longer/heavier bullets.
Another thing to pay attention to is twist, 1-11" right? Will need to test to see if you can stabilize some of the longer/heavier bullets.
Another advantage (consideration?) for you: lower case capacity, you may be shooting a compressed load, so getting higher pressures and speeds with less powder? You're shooting 64-67 grains of IMR-4350 which is also a faster burning powder, I'm testing 74-77 grains of H1000 (INTERNET DISCLAIMER: CUSTOM THROAT, DON'T TRY THIS ON A FACTORY RIFLE UNLESS YOU KNOW HOW TO WORK UP SAFELY)
It’s not a compressed load. For example, Lyman’s 50th edition lists the range for 200 gr jacketed A Frame with H-1000 between 74 and 79 gr. For 220 grain its 69 to 78 grains. IMR4350 is listed as between 63.5 to 67.5 grains, then 69.8 to 66.5 grains, respectively. So while 67 grains of IMR-4350 is at the higher end of the range, it’s well within limits and it shoots very accurately with my rifle. Also, if anything, the extra volume of H-1000 would create a more compressed load than the 4350.
