Thread: 300wsm advice

Originally Posted by KRB

Does anyone have a recommendation on projectiles? The 200gr eldx shoots well but I’m not overly impressed with its performance on game.

had a great run on 178gn ELDM's

That's interesting, what is happening with them. I used them solely for the last 5yrs and used them from 10-700mtrs and never had a single issue.

I think when people talk about how projectiles behave on game its a tough question to answer objectively because everyones going to have an opinion, potentially a bad experience & its not always the bullets fault. Not trying to tell anyone how to suck eggs here as theres a huge amount of blokes far more experienced with all sorts of different projectiles on here, just thought i would add my 2 cents as it seems to be a common question to come up on here, what to use or someone stating theyve had a bad experience with x projectile while others have differing opinions & most of the time it looks like its more said person trying to use a projectile for something its not designed to do and then complaining when it doesnt work.

Its important to understand how said projectile is designed to work on game, type/size of game, distance/speed. A 200gr ELDX isnt going to work as good as some others on a smaller animal at closer ranges, Just like a 180gr old round nose isnt going to be very good at trying to drop a big red at 500m. 178gr & 208gr ELDM in the big 30cals work awesome on game at distance but you would be asking for trouble trying to shoot a big solid animal at close range with them

Originally Posted by 6.5 CRD

Its important to understand how said projectile is designed to work on game, type/size of game, distance/speed. A 200gr ELDX isnt going to work as good as some others on a smaller animal at closer ranges, Just like a 180gr old round nose isnt going to be very good at trying to drop a big red at 500m. 178gr & 208gr ELDM in the big 30cals work awesome on game at distance but you would be asking for trouble trying to shoot a big solid animal at close range with them

That in itself is a very broad assumption as muzzle velocity is a big factor in that performance up close. Agree about big heavy projectiles non optimal performance on small game but that can be mitigated with shot placement to a degree. of course there is always an exception so this is not intended as a coverall situations statement as Im sure @6.5 CRD 's wasn't either

As with any projectile shot placement is key. You will find you can make 1 bullet work at a multitude of different distances. As long as you understand what it's designed for and perceived limitations then it will work fine.
Not saying this is true for the original poster, I sometimes get the feeling that people believe when you go to a heavy bullet you can just shoot an animal anywhere and it will stay put. Usually this comes from novice hunters. I have certainly heard this from people I have met.

Originally Posted by dannyb

That in itself is a very broad assumption as muzzle velocity is a big factor in that performance up close. Agree about big heavy projectiles non optimal performance on small game but that can be mitigated with shot placement to a degree. of course there is always an exception so this is not intended as a coverall situations statement as Im sure @6.5 CRD 's wasn't either

Sorry i should have been more specific, i was meaning if you are sending them out of a 30 cal magnum at 2800+fps sort of thing. Im sure a 178 eldm would probably do just fine up closer out of something like a .308 doing much slower speeds, as its impact velocity which matters.

Originally Posted by 6.5 CRD

Sorry i should have been more specific, i was meaning if you are sending them out of a 30 cal magnum at 2800+fps sort of thing. Im sure a 178 eldm would probably do just fine up closer out of something like a .308 doing much slower speeds, as its impact velocity which matters.

I figured that's what you meant, hence my last comment as your reply relates to the O.P's original question. No offense intended mate My comments about big heavy projectiles up close was more around their use in slower calibres like you mention above 308win and 30-06 etc

It was a mid shoulder shot on a bull thar at 170 yards. I think I hit him just behind the shoulder blade, and it just penciled straight through. I will admit, I’ve had some comments about these projectiles from guys that shoot a lot more animals than I do, and it seems to have done exactly the same as their experiences.
I’ll be the first to admit I expected the weight to make up a little on the lack of expansion and it was one of those situations where if you don’t drop him on the spot your in for a hard night.

What sort of speed are you shooting them at?

Inside 200mtrs you need to break bone with the 200g. Yes they will pencil through otherwise. It will also depend on your muzzle velocity as to how well they open up. You will experience the same issue with 178eld x, 208g.

It’s just the hornady factory ammo. It says on the box 2820 so I’d imagine round there.

178 eldx- me and Monk use them in wsm,- and a fair few others on here- works very well out to the 600 ive tried on deers-

If its leaving at 2800 by 170 yards a 200gr ELDX is still doing 2500+. At that sort of impact speed you will need to hit something really solid like the shoulder joint to initiate expansion properly & not have it just pencil through. Im not surprised thats what its doing.

Here is my drop chart for the 200g eldx. Muzzle velocity was 2900fps

Ok that makes a lot of sense. So it’s just a case of wrong projectile for the job.