Spent some quality time in the loading room today.
In addition to loading 100 +P+ 45 Colts for my neighbor in Missouri (265gr Hard Cast and 24 grains of H110) I also loaded up my 79 once-fired cases I had been prepping for final zeroing and hunting in the EC.
I had a really good outing a while back with 74 grains of IMR7828. 3 3-shot groups all under an inch. But the chronograph was telling me the average velocity was 3,100 fps and I knew I was only a half-grain, 40 fps and maybe 10 degrees of temp away from getting to that point where cases would start to stick on extraction (74.5 grains at 60F was iffy...accurate, but a little too hot at 3,140fps).
So, I wanted to find a load that shot well, but was maybe 50fps slower and would give me a little insurance if we got some unusually hot weather in May.
73 grains gave me a nice one-hole, quarter inch group, and 72.5 and 73.5 weren't too shabby either...so today I loaded up 79 rounds with 73 grains and called it good. Average velocity was 3,045 at 10 feet.
This 79 rounds will give me plenty for checking zero and drop before departure, and still allow me to take 50 rounds on the plane.
I still have about 75 practice loads to shoot off the sticks...and if I am lucky enough to shoot all those in the next 3 weeks, I will load up more!
I am new to loading the 300 H&H, so this has been fun trying new powders and loads. As of today's loading, the 300 H&H leapfrogged the 280 Rem to become #17 on my list of most loaded calibers. At 385 rounds, it has a long way to go to catch #1, the 45 ACP, at 8,270 rounds. #1 rifle is 308 at 3,453...so the H&H is quite a newcomer for me.
So far it is proving to be a pretty forgiving rifle/cartridge. It seems to shoot everything I put in it at least passably. I don't think I have see a group from this rifle over 1.5" with any combination.
We will have to see if I am going to be down that way in the next while.
