300 H&H Improved

[hperk9.3]

Hello everyone,

I am about to be the owner of a 1917 chambered in good old 300 H&H. As ammo is not readily available in my area, I will be reloading. While looking for brass at a show this weekend, I came across this 300 H&H improved box of hand loads. I purchased it out of curiosity, but have not had much luck finding any info besides it being a popular cartridge for long range competitions in the past. My questions are as follows:

1- Curious if anyone would share their favorite 300 h&h load?
2- does anyone have a 300 h&h improved? If so how do you like it?
3- If I wanted to build a 300 h&h improved would it be worth the cost to find a reamer and dies?

Thanks in advance!

 

[PCC600]

Never heard of a 300 H&H improved unless it is a 300 Win Mag .

 

[Ray B]

That looks to be the PO Ackley Improved. I have a book and can look up the data, but Ackley developed loads before actual pressure testing equipment was readily available, so his loads are generally too hot. Personally, I'd anneal the cases and run them through a H&H sizer and put them back to H&H. Should you persist with having the fine old H&H reamed out to improved, you can use 300 Weatherby starting data as a guide, reduce the starting load about 5% and watch for excessive pressure indicators.

Also, Is that a Redfield scope?

 

[Woodcarver]

You might try Qual-Cart.com for 300 H&H brass. They run a line once back orders reach a sufficient number.

 

[flatwater bill]

Roy made a 300 HH improved in 1948.........it is still hard to beat. I had an H&H in a mod 17 and rechambered it to Wby.................brass available, loads available, factory fresh available....don't even need to trim the cases like you do in the H&H. PO's old cartridge is now a novelty item...............good luck..................FWB

 

[grand veneur]

Never heard of a 300 H&H improved unless it is a 300 Win Mag .

300 Weatherby Magnum

 

[krish]

Hello everyone,

I am about to be the owner of a 1917 chambered in good old 300 H&H. As ammo is not readily available in my area, I will be reloading. While looking for brass at a show this weekend, I came across this 300 H&H improved box of hand loads. I purchased it out of curiosity, but have not had much luck finding any info besides it being a popular cartridge for long range competitions in the past. My questions are as follows:

1- Curious if anyone would share their favorite 300 h&h load?
2- does anyone have a 300 h&h improved? If so how do you like it?
3- If I wanted to build a 300 h&h improved would it be worth the cost to find a reamer and dies?

Thanks in advance!
View attachment 569027View attachment 569028View attachment 569029

Yes. There is a 300 H&H IMPROVED.
RCBS makes dies for them. If this is what looking for.
Krish

 

[krish]

Hello everyone,

I am about to be the owner of a 1917 chambered in good old 300 H&H. As ammo is not readily available in my area, I will be reloading. While looking for brass at a show this weekend, I came across this 300 H&H improved box of hand loads. I purchased it out of curiosity, but have not had much luck finding any info besides it being a popular cartridge for long range competitions in the past. My questions are as follows:

1- Curious if anyone would share their favorite 300 h&h load?
2- does anyone have a 300 h&h improved? If so how do you like it?
3- If I wanted to build a 300 h&h improved would it be worth the cost to find a reamer and dies?

Thanks in advance!
View attachment 569027View attachment 569028View attachment 569029

If you need h&h brass I have them. Let me know.
Krish

 

[hperk9.3]

That looks to be the PO Ackley Improved. I have a book and can look up the data, but Ackley developed loads before actual pressure testing equipment was readily available, so his loads are generally too hot. Personally, I'd anneal the cases and run them through a H&H sizer and put them back to H&H. Should you persist with having the fine old H&H reamed out to improved, you can use 300 Weatherby starting data as a guide, reduce the starting load about 5% and watch for excessive pressure indicators.

Also, Is that a Redfield scope?

I believe so. Picking up from my FFL today.

 

[hperk9.3]

Yes. There is a 300 H&H IMPROVED.
RCBS makes dies for them. If this is what looking for.
KrishView attachment 569117

Thank you!

 

[Bert the Turtle]

The Antiquated .300 H&H Ackley Improved | Load Data Article

To retire a useful rifle is a crying shame, but the rifle in my hands would take considerable work to get it back into the field. The rifle was originally a Winchester Model 70 .300 H&H Magnum, but sometime during its life its chamber had been reamed out to “.300 H&H Ackley Imp.” as was stamped...

loaddata.com

 

[Shooter375]

My 2 cents. Stick with the 300 H&H in a classic rifle like that. The extra velocity is not needed. If you want to shoot longer ranges buy a new 300 PRC designed for the purpose.

 

[Bonk]

Blasphemy! Leave it alone! There's nothing you can do to 300H&H that will make it better than it already is. It doesn't need to be faster. Go get some new fangled .30 caliber whizbang if speed is your thing. Among its other attributes the 300H&H feeds like butter with its gently sloped shoulders. If you 'improve' it by adding steeper shoulders for the sake of a minor and totally unnecessary speed gain you'll ruin that aspect of the caliber. Just leave it alone.

It's a superb caliber that's withstood the test of time for right at 100 years. In fact the only reason 300H&H faded from popularity was when Winchester dropped it from the M70 line-up to promote its new caliber: 300WinMag. I'm not knocking 300WinMag but it trades a slight increase in performance in exchange for recoil and muzzle blast. If you try to change a 300H&H into a 300H&H Improved you'l get the exact same trade off plus the aforementioned loss of feeding.

 

[mdwest]

Im in agreement with @Bonk .. If you want a 300 WM.. get a 300 WM.. Leave the 300 H&H what it is.. the trade up for a 100 FPS in performance isnt worth the increase in recoil and loss of the smooth action performance of the 300 H&H.. and honestly the animal isnt going to know the difference, nor is the rifle (same effective range, almost identical terminal performance, etc)..

Im not disparaging the 300 WM.. its an incredibly effective round.. Im sure a 300 H&H "improved" would be as well..

Im just saying the "improvements" are likely not worth the cost, time, etc.. or the potential risks.. and are much more easy to accomplish if you want them by buying a 300 WM..

Not to mention if you ever want to get rid of the 300 H&H, there is a market for them (albeit limited).. I wouldnt think there are a whole lot of guys that are out there looking for a 300 H&H "Improved" (even smaller market.. where you'll likely never recoup any of the additional costs associated with converting the rifle)..

I get that finding 300 H&H ammo is hard in your area (its not super common anywhere in the US either).. but its going to be a lot easier to find than300 HH Improved.. either way you are looking at a handload solution to the problem.. and since the components are the same... its actually easier to solve for 300 H&H (more common dies)..

 

[wswolf]

I have doubts that the improved cartridges would feed reliably from the tapered H&H magazine.
My favorite H&H loads consist of 180 TTSX with Reloder 26, Reloder 23 or H4350; 180 Hornady SP with H4350; 200 Partitions Reloder 23, Reloder 26 or Magnum. 215 primers.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Hello everyone,

I am about to be the owner of a 1917 chambered in good old 300 H&H. As ammo is not readily available in my area, I will be reloading. While looking for brass at a show this weekend, I came across this 300 H&H improved box of hand loads. I purchased it out of curiosity, but have not had much luck finding any info besides it being a popular cartridge for long range competitions in the past. My questions are as follows:

1- Curious if anyone would share their favorite 300 h&h load?
2- does anyone have a 300 h&h improved? If so how do you like it?
3- If I wanted to build a 300 h&h improved would it be worth the cost to find a reamer and dies?

Thanks in advance!
View attachment 569027View attachment 569028View attachment 569029

@hperk9.3
Simplest solution if you can't find 300H&H brass is neck down 375H&H brass while you look for the brass.
The other solution is run a 300 Weatherby reamer into the chamber and make it a 300 Weatherby.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

If you need h&h brass I have them. Let me know.
Krish

@krish
As usual the true gentleman.
We may have to start calling you the Lone Ranger, you seem to be consistently helping someone out mate.
Bob