300 win mag reloading w/ VV n160

[jdunca16]

Hello all,

I am new to reloading so have decided to join this forum to see if anyone can answer a couple of questions that I have. Some reloading components have been difficult to source in the recent years and I just jumped into the reloading scene, so I have been buying whatever I can. I recently purchased some VV N160 powder, the first usable powder I have found in months, to reload my 300 Winchester magnum for the first time. I plan on shooting 180 grain Nosler partition bullets as they are my go-to bullet for the game that I stalk. However, I cannot seem to find much load data for this pairing. I have been scouring online and only found one true load data set but their maximum value shows way over pressure when put in Gordons Reloading Tool software. Does anybody load with this particular set up or have a manual that they would recommend that may contain it? I am quite green to reloading so any other tips you may see as useful are more than welcome.

Thank you in advance,

Joseph

 

[Outback]

Hi Joseph ,
Longrangeonly .com will give you all the information you should need , a guy called Broz has years of experience and runs the site .

 

[GWP]

A mate uses rl19 one hole groups at 100yds

 

[paulbshooting]

Used N165 but found RL22 the best for 180 grain noslers. Doesn't help you with your N160 but RL22 seems to be readily available if you can't get sorted

 

[waldini]

I gave up on n160 just couldn’t get a usable load. Now on n560

 

[Sandyb]

I shoot 175 grain TMK's from my 300 win mag. Very accurate with Viht N160. I'll dig out my load later, but recall it was nearer the top end of the Hornady Reloading manual.

 

[jdunca16]

I shoot 175 grain TMK's from my 300 win mag. Very accurate with Viht N160. I'll dig out my load later, but recall it was nearer the top end of the Hornady Reloading manual.

I appreciate the help so far from all of you, thank you very much! I would definitely appreciate the loading so I could compare and potentially extrapolate out slightly to the Nosler Partition as Nosler puts 180 aand 175 grain bullets in the same loading table.

 

[Muir]

Is there something wrong with Vhit's 180 grain data? Or does it not specify Nosler Partitions and that has you nervous? ~Muir

 

[jdunca16]

Is there something wrong with Vhit's 180 grain data? Or does it not specify Nosler Partitions and that has you nervous? ~Muir

Their particular load data for 180 grain bullets are with Hornady GMX bullets which are monolithic copper and significantly longer than the nosler partitions which drops the powder charge significantly. I was able to track down the 2018 Vhit reloading manual which sampled the partitions but the max load seems way high to be reasonable (76 grains) but I may have a starting point now (69.8 grains). The current data with the Hornady GMX shows powder charges in the mid 50s the the big difference made me a little nervous.

 

[Sharpie]

Their particular load data for 180 grain bullets are with Hornady GMX bullets which are monolithic copper and significantly longer than the nosler partitions which drops the powder charge significantly. I was able to track down the 2018 Vhit reloading manual which sampled the partitions but the max load seems way high to be reasonable (76 grains) but I may have a starting point now (69.8 grains). The current data with the Hornady GMX shows powder charges in the mid 50s the the big difference made me a little nervous.

Copper monolithic is different from lead. There is a whole other thread all about that with a few claiming that it can just be reloaded using the same charges as a traditional lead jacketed bullet. They are wrong, but it didn't stop them arguing that black=white.

To the point, Lapua's load, just below the (quite different one for the 180gr copper GMX) is for a 185gr Lapua Mega bullet. Traditional copper jacketed lead softpoint. I don't see a Nosler Partition behaving much differently. You could use that information with confidence I'd suggest. It is for a 5gr heavier bullet, which will make very little difference for a bullet up at this weight, but is also deemed the safe way to go, i.e. using data for a slightly heavier bullet.

Though the Lapua data suggests that N160 is almost the least well suited of their powders, but not by much, if you are interested in achieving best velocities. Which I presume is the point of running a 300 WinMag.

I think that @Muir would concur.

Start 59.7 gr. Max 68.1. Your idea of starting at 69.8 troubles me, as it should do you. That is substantially over their max., albeit for a very slightly heavier bullet.

NB: Vhit. don't just apply the oft-quoted idea that you can simply take max. load but start 10% below that. They actually show a start load slightly more than 12% below their max.

Run that through P-Max internal ballistics to check as well. Always my tool of choice for trying out ideas, and doing sanity checks on whatever other data you can find. Particularly if your barrel is a different length than the ones used for testing in the manuals or other data sources. FWIW Vhit. used a 24.5" barrel for their testing. If yours is substantially different then a different powder choice might be more optimal. Basically you are looking for 100% powder burn inside the barrel. Use a powder with too slow a burning rate to do that and you will not get the best from it, wasted in muzzle flash and noise.

Then try again with GRT why don't you. Compare and contrast. Or just trust that Vhit. know about their powders, perhaps rather better than other load manuals/data where the focus is on providing numbers for a whole variety of alternative manufacturer's powders.

 

[Island]

Copper monolithic is different from lead. There is a whole other thread all about that with a few claiming that it can just be reloaded using the same charges as a traditional lead jacketed bullet. They are wrong, but it didn't stop them arguing that black=white.

You really can't help yourself sometimes @Sharpie

The "whole other thread" is pretty much a text book case of "those who do vs. those who read a bit and pontificate a lot"....