Weatherby Nation

 Hey guys, id like to have some opinions made on what ammo i should use for hunting whietails out of a .300 Wby Mag.....id like some good range out to 300-400 yards, but be able to hit hard at close range too.....i need an all around bullet, what do you think??? "POSTED" No Hunting Without The Guaranteed Accuracy Of A Vanguard

Factory or Reload?

If factory I love 180 gr Hornady Spire Points but it really just depends on what your rifle like.

I reload and I am going to try either Hornady 165 gr SST's or Nosler 168 gr Balistic Tips.

Remember it doesn't take much to take a whitetail down hard and fast.

Use whatever bullet shoots accurately with your rifle. Every factory load out there for your rifle will do the job nicely at that range if you can do your part. If accurate in your rifle I would suggest the Weatherby 150 grain Nosler Partition ammunition. There is no real advantage to using a heavier bullet at that range on whitetail deer, and your recoil should be a little less too. I will believe corporations are people when Texas executes one.

my question would be.... are whitey's the only thing you're going to be hunting with that rifle, or are you going to be hunting other animals as well???

hunting whitetails and that's all....... "POSTED" No Hunting Without The Guaranteed Accuracy Of A Vanguard

If whitetails is it, and you're looking to cover the 200-300 yard map, I can't believe you'll need anymore than a 150 gr bullet.  Like everyone else, I'd say it depends on what you found to be the most accurate at the range, but I'd think 150 gr Hornady Spire points, Nosler Partitions or Accubonds.  And, since the Hornady's will likely be considerably cheaper, I'd start there.  As you're well aware, whitetails aren't going to require a premium bullet, particularly out of a .300 Wby, and certainly not at those distances.

If you know a handloader, might also try 150 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips or Sierra Pro Hunter or Game King.  Any of these will more than do the job.  Each will likely like/dislike your rifle a bit more than the others.  :-)With freedom comes responsibility

I'd be careful slinging Nosler Ballistic Tips at the velocities a 300Wby will sling the 150gr pill.  I can't speak for the Sierra stuff, as I don't shoot their bullets after dealing wtih an exceptionally rude tech over the phone one day.  I would opt for something in the 165gr realm for white-tails only, and look at the Nosler Accubond, Hornady Interbond, or Barnes TTSX.  All of these should be available in factory ammo (except maybe the Interbond, I don't know if Hornady is building that combination these days).  Regardless of what you choose, find something that shoots well in your rifle, and practice a bunch from field positions.  You won't be disappointed.I believe this is a practical world, and in it I can count only on what I can earn.  Therefore I believe in work, hard work. - The Auburn Creed
The older I get, the less stock I place in what men say, and the more I place in what men do.
Andrew Carnegie

I have used the 180 gr. accubonds in the .300WM and have never had a bad experience with them. From 405 yards to 10 feet. its a done deal. They are also very accurate in my mark five as well as my vangards. Yes, you will hear that "its to much for Whitetails" but better too much than too little, and bigger is better if you are a little bit off target. Even I can make a marginal hit and with the .300 even marginal is enough.

Dubyam,

 I understand the misgivings about the Ballistic Tips at those velocities, but lets not forget, per one noted hunting/firearms expert I've read, "standard" bullets, a category that Ballistic Tips find themselves in (along with such bullets as the Hornady Interlock, Federal Soft Point, Speer Hot-Cor, Sierra GameKing, Remington Core-Lokt and Core-Lokt Hollow Point, will expand more and ultimately provider faster kills than premium controlled expansion bullets on CPX2 size animals such as pronghorn antelope or whitetail.  Because of their smaller size/lighter frame (in relation to elk or moose or the ilk) a bullet that penetrates into the heart/lung area and expands violently, thus destroying the maximum amount of tissue, gives the quickest, most humane, kills. 

Lets be clear, these are not fragmenting bullets. 

On the other hand, if you have the dough, and insist on the believing you need one of the premium controlled expansion "boutique bullets", have at it.  I'm just offering that there is a school of thought that bullet company marketing has attempted to convince us that only the premiums will suffice when, for most hunting situations the standard bullets will do just fine. 

I have no particular bias as I have an entire shelf of Partitions, Accubonds, TSX's, Scirocco's and A-Frames right along side my Ballistic Tips, Pro Hunters, Game Kings and Speer Boattails, in all sizes for my .257, .270 and .300 Wby's.   I believe that there are situations in which each is appropriate.   In this case, at 200-300 yards with the .300, I'd offer that any of the standard bullets (whichever is the most accurate) will be more than adequate.

Just some thoughts, I'm certainly no expert.
With freedom comes responsibility

avalauncher, I will agree with everything you wrote, except that the Ballistic Tip is a 'standard construction' bullet.  They are, when utilized in their appropriate velocity range, a true premium bullet with high performance characteristics unlike any other on thin-skinned game like deer and antelope.  But I know hunters who've had to make the second shot on big muleys and white-tails because they hit the shoulder and pancaked a BT at high velocity from a 7mmRemMag, 300Wby, or 257Wby.  The second shot going into the ribcage behind the shoulder produced the desired and expected results of dropping right there.  I've never seen any other bullet made for big game do what the BT's do in this regard.

Now, bear in mind that my bench includes Ballistic Tips, Partitions, Accubonds, Speer Hot-Cors, Hornady Interlocks and Interbonds, Barnes TSX, TTSX, and XLC, and Remington Cor-Lokts, as well as some E-Tips.  So you see, I have everything from basic (Cor-Lokt) to premium boutique (XLC) and in between.  I shoot Speer Hot-Cor 150gr Flat Base Spitzers in my 270Wby, but also shoot 130gr Nosler E-Tips through it.  I shoot Ballistic Tips through my 8x57 (at well under the 3000fps impact velocity ceiling).  It all comes down to matching the bullet to the cartridge.

In a simulation it is estimated that the 150gr BT will be running about 3000fps still just past 200yds.  I'd go for a bullet that will hold up a bit better than the BT for those velocities.  In a 30-06 or 308Win, the BT is a great choice, though.I believe this is a practical world, and in it I can count only on what I can earn.  Therefore I believe in work, hard work. - The Auburn Creed
The older I get, the less stock I place in what men say, and the more I place in what men do.
Andrew Carnegie

Well, though it is true, that the BT will be running just under 3000 fps at 200 (depending on the loading), and that Nosler states it's impact ceiling at 3000, I guess, to play safe, I'd probably step up to a 180 gr.

The real point I was trying (unsuccessfully, I guess) is that too often we hear/recommend the premium bullets from the the manufacturers when, particularly for CXP2 size animals, and most particularly whitetails with an average buck size of 150-175 pounds, "standard" bullets will do just fine.  And have for decades.

Secondly, don't get me wrong, I don't doubt what you've heard about BT's "pancaking".  But, if anything, what I'd expect instead, is a complete fragmentation of the bullet against a shoulder.  Assuming that I understand your description of "pancaking" correctly, at that impact speed, I'd still expect that bullet to smash thru the shoulder and proceed on into the vitals.  Oh, well.  Go figure.  Let me just say I've not witnessed anything of that nature nor heard first hand accounts of such.  But, certainly food for thought and something to keep in mind.


With freedom comes responsibility

Perhaps my terminology was not sufficient.  By pancaking, I mean the bullet struck the animal, and expanded at such a dynamic rate, it just wiped out on the shoulder, leaving a superficial wound (though a fairly nasty superficial wound) and the bullet must have disintegrated because it wasn't to be found.  I called it pancaking because it hit the target, flattened out, and didn't do what it was supposed to do.  The hunters I know who have had this issue are good guys, and wouldn't lie to me.  All of these problem shots were at reasonably close range (100-200yds) and left the barrel at hyper-velocity.  One guy even showed me some pix he had of the wound - a softball sized 'sore' on the shoulder of the deer.  As I said, it all has to do with shot placement, but in field conditions, limiting one's self to a broadside shot with perfect rib placement is really limiting one's self, in my opinion.

Equally, I did not adequately convey my agreement with you on the premium bullet issue, either.  I don't shoot premiums in everything I have, because I don't need to for exactly the reasons you cite.  I do shoot them in my high-velocity rounds (like my .243Win shooting Partitions and my 270Wby shooting E-Tips in the 130gr load).  Beyond that, though, I shoot Speer's in my 30-30, Remington Core-Lokts or Nosler Ballistic Tips in my 8x57, and even shoot Speer 150gr Hot-Cor's (their basic flat-base spitzer) in 150gr in my 270Wby, because the load isn't moving sufficiently fast so as to exceed the design limitations of the 150gr Speer.  The Speer rep I spoke with said that bullet is sufficient at 3000fps muzzle velocity to take on an elk hunt, even, though he said I should really consider their Grand Slam line of bullets if I was going on a once-in-a-lifetime trip out west for elk.  Plenty of them have fallen to the Hot-Cor, however, I was assured.

I think we are in agreement for the most part, other than the BT velocity issue.I believe this is a practical world, and in it I can count only on what I can earn.  Therefore I believe in work, hard work. - The Auburn Creed
The older I get, the less stock I place in what men say, and the more I place in what men do.
Andrew Carnegie

Well, I guess we beat the horse to death, eh?   :-)With freedom comes responsibility

My primary concern is the distance that one is firing.  If one anticipates a long shot, i.e. 400 to 500 yards, the BC is paramount, at worst, it is equal to the starting velocity.  It does little good to launch a bullet at nearly 3,600 FPS if the BC will dramatically slow it.  Conversely, launching a 165 or 180 grain projectile with higher BC will carry significantly more energy downrange, yet the trajectory is not significantly worsened.

In my experience with .300 Wea. Mag, Sierra has been number one for accuracy.  While the 168 grain projectile nets extraordinary accuracy, it is not reliable to expand consistently.  At minimum, a spire pointed boattail is needed for longer shots to keep up the BC.  In closing, for whitetail, I suggest that you split the difference and handload some 165 grain spire point boattails.  That round has knocked the Hades out of any deer that I hit to 525 yards.  You may be well advised to try a Nosler Part in 165 grain.

Doc2005"A Shootist

For Whitetails I use Weatherby 150gr. Partition.Proud to be a veteran!