300 H&H :Who's using them and what is your pet load

[oldgutpile]

Recently aquired a new (to me) 300 H&H. I've always had a thing for classic cartridges and knew someday I would pick one up. BUT, I'm struggling to come up with a load that I'm really happy with. I have been focussing on using 180 grain bullets and so far, the best I can do is about 1 1/2" groups at 100. My main powder for trials has been 4350, and recently Viht N165. Powder is tough to get locally, and I dont have a huge selection on hand.
The gun is a Cooper M56 with 26" barrell.

[oldgutpile]

Wrong section! Mods please move to the firearms forum

[Deer Hunter]

Mine likes RL22 and 180 190 210gr bullets. I am using Hornady brass.

[kujoseto]

Oh come on! You can’t taunt us like that without some pics.
Beauty gun with a classic cartridge... that is gun mag material right there

[oldgutpile]

Sorry, I never did master the art of posting pics
I keep telling myself "one of these days", but so far that day hasn't been a crisis for me

[kayaker]

I had a No1 S in Super .30. Cool cartridge, classic for sure. I didn’t do much load development because H4350 shot so well under 180’s. 64gr under a 180 TSX was good around 2950fps from its 26” Barrel and accuracy hovered around 1”/100. 180gr Interlocks were also accurate with the same load.

[oldgutpile]

I would like to seat the bullets out a bit more to experiment with OAL but the magazine doesn't have much more than a few thousands to play with.
Nosler lists H4350 as best powder in their test rifle for the cartridge and bullet weight. I figured IMR is as close as I could match.
Too many partial cans in my powder stash that I could try some of the other listings, but just my luck I would find a good load and no more powder to match available.

[whitetail Junkie]

Originally Posted by oldgutpile

I would like to seat the bullets out a bit more to experiment with OAL but the magazine doesn't have much more than a few thousands to play with.
Nosler lists H4350 as best powder in their test rifle for the cartridge and bullet weight. I figured IMR is as close as I could match.
Too many partial cans in my powder stash that I could try some of the other listings, but just my luck I would find a good load and no more powder to match available.

My dad had one in ruger #1 and is getting one built that should have been ready a month ago or so...his is an older sako finnbear with a new 300 H&H barrel which will match the actions blueing...gun is mint.ill ask him what powder his ruger #1 liked as it was really accurate.Did you buy your cooper on town post? I saw a custom classic in M56 300h&h on there for a while...

[oldgutpile]

Originally Posted by whitetail Junkie

My dad had one in ruger #1 and is getting one built that should have been ready a month ago or so...his is an older sako finnbear with a new 300 H&H barrel which will match the actions blueing...gun is mint.ill ask him what powder his ruger #1 liked as it was really accurate.Did you buy your cooper on town post? I saw a custom classic in M56 300h&h on there for a while...

That's the one!

[Dean2]

You didn't say which bullet you are using but you may want to try actually increasing the jump. Start at .030 jump and work up to .110 jump .010 at a time. I bet you will find about .090 area that your groups shrink a whole bunch. Other way to do it is start at .110 and work down. I actually had much better results with 4831 in the 300 H&H, for some reason I got much smaller SDs with it than 4350 and better groups.

[oldgutpile]

The bullet I have (and just loaded the last of the them) is the sierra game king. Boat-tail.
I have just been seating to the cannelure, which gives me the book OAL
Something to try for sure. I'll have to find some more and see what I can do.

[oldgutpile]

Anybody ever try just using a 165 grain?
I have a thousand or so (ideal in my '06) and if they work....
My local supplier (hardware store; the only ones left in town to handle reloading components) handles mostly hornady and a few berger.. Just about everything is mail order now, as components are really slow to show up.

[kujoseto]

No experience with the H&H I’ve wanted for so long, but I don’t see why a 165-180 gr wouldn’t be ideal. If I’m not mistaken, the H&H is right between 30-06 and 300 wm velocities.
What 165gr bullets do you have on hand?

[Dean2]

In the 300 win and the H&H I predominately use 165 grain bobtail Hornady bullets. They have as good a BC as the 180 flat base, and u can get enough more velocity to matter. We have used the 165s on everything from grouse to moose, bear and elk.

[oldgutpile]

The 165 gr. stuff works incredible magic in my '06, and I think I have about 400 SSt and 400 interlock. I also have a couple hundred partitions.
Just always considered the H&H a bit of a heavy hitter, so dont want to undersize my ammo and potential for game. I've always been a big advocate for "heavy for caliber" bullets.
The plus side would be to only have to stock one brand and weight for all my 30 caliber stuff (also have a 300 rum) . The one box of old 300 H&H brass is winchester super X and was originally loaded for the 150 grainers, so maybe I'm overthinking the whole equation. I imagine with 150's, the gun would be a real flat-line shooter!

[whitetail Junkie]

Originally Posted by oldgutpile

That's the one!

That was a pretty good deal!..I have many big game rifles however always go to my M56 cooper custom classic every fall...

[kujoseto]

Originally Posted by oldgutpile

... and 400 interlock. I also have a couple hundred partitions.
...so maybe I'm overthinking the whole equation...

With that on hand, I’d be seeing which is more accurate between the interlock and the partition and run with it.
It’ll kill what you can shoot in this province. And you’ll do it with class and style!

[Gilly]

H4350 and a 190 grain accubond long range is my go to in the holland. Nothing feeds as nice as a 300 h an h. I’m running some Norma brass that has long since been discontinued and its excellent.

Gilly

[oldgutpile]

Originally Posted by Gilly

H4350 and a 190 grain accubond long range is my go to in the holland. Nothing feeds as nice as a 300 h an h. I’m running some Norma brass that has long since been discontinued and its excellent.

Gilly

I have had to crank down my dies until I thought I might collapse the shoulder. That cooper is so tightly chambered (common among them I hear) that I still have to slam the bolt down to get it closed.
Feeding (with the 180 gr.) improved when I seated the bullet a couple thousandths shorter. Pretty finicky!

[Dean2]

If you neck size your brass you will find they chamber MUCH easier in the tight Cooper chambers. Set your neck die to bump the shoulder .002 and you will solve a whole bunch of feeding issues. If you want to verify, feed an empty fired case into the gun, I will bet dollars to donuts it feeds WAY better than your FL sized cases do.

It is also why I suggested the longer jump. Cartridge goes in mag fine, tight chamber and throat, the longer jump drops pressure and generally shoot much tighter groups.

[whitetail Junkie]

Originally Posted by oldgutpile

I have had to crank down my dies until I thought I might collapse the shoulder. That cooper is so tightly chambered (common among them I hear) that I still have to slam the bolt down to get it closed.
Feeding (with the 180 gr.) improved when I seated the bullet a couple thousandths shorter. Pretty finicky!

I had to order a larry willis belted magnum resizing collet die for my cooper M56 7STW for the same reason...with shipping and exchange its about a $225.00 CAD bill.I believe they are in Florida and do ship to canada.best is you watch his youtube video on it...innovative technologies I believe is the company name.With the help\knowledge of my dad it took almost 2 years to find the best load for my cooper and get it near perfect...now I've had multiple sub MOA targets with it @ 300 meters and most important shoots minuit of deer

[kujoseto]

Originally Posted by Dean2

If you neck size your brass you will find they chamber MUCH easier in the tight Cooper chambers. Set your neck die to bump the shoulder .002 and you will solve a whole bunch of feeding issues. If you want to verify, feed an empty fired case into the gun, I will bet dollars to donuts it feeds WAY better than your FL sized cases do.

It is also why I suggested the longer jump. Cartridge goes in mag fine, tight chamber and throat, the longer jump drops pressure and generally shoot much tighter groups.

Please explain why. Does it just keep the brass more consistently formed? Does FL size typically bump more than 2 thou?
Fascinated by this and I load a Cooper in 7mm-08 that I neck size. Crazy accurate but I didn’t know this is what I should be doing

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by kujoseto

Please explain why. Does it just keep the brass more consistently formed? Does FL size typically bump more than 2 thou?
Fascinated by this and I load a Cooper in 7mm-08 that I neck size. Crazy accurate but I didn’t know this is what I should be doing

When a FL die is used to resize brass the brass has to go somewhere when the case is squeezed back down that much. It either flows up to the neck, thus the need to trim more often, or it gets pushed down to the base of the case. With belted ammo especially, though it happens with other non-belted that expansion at the head of the cartridge, or just ahead of the belt in the case of belted cartridges, can cause binding in very tight chambers. Non belted ammo, guys will buy small base dies to try to overcome this issue and the Whidden die was designed for belted ammo, but the fact remains you are working the brass a whole bunch more than it needs to be.

Personally, I neck size with NO shoulder bump, reload, then test chamber all rounds before I take them hunting. I can usually get 10 firings on a piece of brass before I have to bump the shoulder at all, and I have NEVER had to FL size brass shot in the same gun to get it to chamber easily. I also never anneal my brass. I know this method is not universally, or even remotely popular, but anyone who I have worked with that was having issues chambering FL sized brass has switched. It isn't about one being more accurate than the other, though in my rifles I have found the neck sized brass to shoot tighter groups in the ones I have tested, it really is about making the brass easy to chamber and get good life out of it.

[kujoseto]

Originally Posted by Dean2

When a FL die is used to resize brass the brass has to go somewhere when the case is squeezed back down that much. It either flows up to the neck, thus the need to trim more often, or it gets pushed down to the base of the case. With belted ammo especially, though it happens with other non-belted that expansion at the head of the cartridge, or just ahead of the belt in the case of belted cartridges, can cause binding in very tight chambers. Non belted ammo, guys will buy small base dies to try to overcome this issue and the Whidden die was designed for belted ammo, but the fact remains you are working the brass a whole bunch more than it needs to be.

Personally, I neck size with NO shoulder bump, reload, then test chamber all rounds before I take them hunting. I can usually get 10 firings on a piece of brass before I have to bump the shoulder at all, and I have NEVER had to FL size brass shot in the same gun to get it to chamber easily. I also never anneal my brass. I know this method is not universally, or even remotely popular, but anyone who I have worked with that was having issues chambering FL sized brass has switched. It isn't about one being more accurate than the other, though in my rifles I have found the neck sized brass to shoot tighter groups in the ones I have tested, it really is about making the brass easy to chamber and get good life out of it.

Things that make you go hmm.

You just described exactly the issue I now believe I had with reloading a 300 wsm that got significantly better groups running on the max possibly hot side. Could only get about 3-6 loads on a case. FL re-size only. Tried bumping shoulder back, trimming to spec, turning the necks... checked all the dimensions and the only one that seemed to be slightly close to max size was the web or base or whatever. Scuffs on it trying to chamber it drew my attention there. Could not explain why but assumed it was a tight chamber and just started over with new brass and lighter loads.

THANK YOU
Been several years still wondering what the heck went on

[IronNoggin]

Asked Pa who has been shooting a couple 300 H&H's for decades. Here is his response:

Pre-64 model 70
26" Douglas premium bbl
Trigger set for 2.5 pound pull
Custom walnut stock
Leopold VariX III 3x9

Winchester brass
Remington R9 1/2M primer
72 gr H 4831 powder
180 gr Nosler partition bullet
COL 3.60"

This load will usually shoot a 3 shot sub 1" group at 100 yards in my gun if the shooter does his part.

Some people use Federal F215 primers with good results
Other powders that some 300's like are IMR 4831 and IMR 4350

I don't use partitions to work up a load but rather something more aerodynamic like Nosler ballistic tips....then switch to Partitions for hunting.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
Nog

[Swagger]

I have shot 300 H&H almost exclusively for 25 years. Years ago, I messed around a lot trying to find the secret load. 1" to 1.5" was about the best I could do. I was probably more limited by optics and recoil than anything else.

I have found that 180 gr. Nosler Supreme factory loads shoot just as good as anything I can load. They are hard to find but not impossible.