300 WM, 180 g vs 200 g. What do you gain or lose?

I love the 200gr Partition for .300 Mags, and .30-06 too. IMO it is one of the best bullets for game available. The actual BC of that bullet is better than one might suspect. Bryan Litz has tested it and came up with a BC of .487

I've tested it out to 500 yards and found that his BC number is accurate. By way of comparison, his testing on similar bullets:
200gr Accubond - .524
180gr Accubond - .481
180gr TSX - .447
180gr Partition - .359

So it really flies quite well. Also, I have seen +2900fps with the 200gr Partition and the .300 WM. It is accurate, shoots flat and always opens up nicely on game. I don't really see any downside to using it over the 180gr bullets.
 
I went away from the 180s and up to the 200s because I wanted more penetration, then I went to the 300 Wby so I could drive them the same speed as a 300 WM and 180s..........the best of both worlds....high BC 200 gn bullet at 3100+ fps..........I have hunted all over the globe with this load and with 200 Parts and have had great success.
 
You're talking fractions of an inch either way.

In general; If your priority is flat shooting go with the 180's... if your priority is energy/Penetration go with the 200's.

Just keep in mind that bullet design and construction can be a bigger influence than a 20 grain difference in weight. There are 200 grain bullets that are flatter than 180's of a different design... conversely, there are 180 grain bullets that penetrate better than 200's of other designs.

Basically, flip a coin.
 
I need to be more explicit,........I went from 180 Partitions to 200 Partitions because I found the 180s lacked enough penetration when animals were hit at a less than optimum angle. I also found after the switch that performance was not improved by fractions, but by feet actually. I also found that the trajectory was only changed by fractions and that was totally negated when I moved up to the Weatherby. I still use this rifle and cartridge and also have a 200 gn Accubond load that I use as well, it has proven itself on many, many hunts in many corners of the globe and on all sizes of game, from 10 lb red duiker to 3000 lb eland and 2000 lb moose and from impacts at 30 feet to 600 mtrs..........it just works !!!
 
Given a quality equal bullet you gain energy retention, penetration, less wind deflection and flatter at extreme distances, the latter two shouldn't matter in 95% of hunting shots.

You loose a flatter trajectory in the mid ranges by going to a heavier bullet.

FWIW I use a 200 grain AB in my 300 H&H. I've only shot deer with it and only at good angles so have never really tested the bullet like C-FBMI and others have. I was going to switch to Matrix bullets because 200 grain ABs dried up for about a year, but I've since stocked up again.
 
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c-fbmi said:
I need to be more explicit,........I went from 180 Partitions to 200 Partitions...
Click to expand...

I knew you would be comparing apples to apples, Douglas...

Just pointing out to the OP that a 180 Accunonds will likely have it all over a 200 Soft RN... etc...

Just so he compares apples to apples.
 
I also have a liking for 200 grain bullets in the big 30's.

One of my 308 Norma Mags prefers the 200 grain bullet, and I can flirt with 3000 fps with the load I am using.

The difference in trajectory with it vs the 180 of the same design at 3100 is less than 2" at 500 yards.

The upside has already been mentioned...better penetration, etc. The nice thing about the Partition is
that it will expand reliably at the distance, something that monometals sometimes fail to do.

Regards, Dave.
 
I'll be the odd man out, as I'm a 180 grain guy in the various .300s. If I feel that I'm crowding the edge of good judgement regarding soft bullets/close range/hard targets Id rather go to a stiffer bullet than a heavier one. I used a 180 Accubond culling about 50 animals with a .300 RUM, and even plastered a couple Asiatic buffalo and a big scrub bull with it. After that I quit wondering if a .300 Win was going to destroy one, and it didn't scare me to put away my .375 H&H on a rainy September grizzly hunt and run a 180 grain .300 instead.

One of the beauties of the .300s is they have an abundance of power for most uses, and you have to take things to extremes to see any big difference. We spend a lot of time wondering about little differences that don't matter much.
 
Could you guys with experience with the 200 gn partition tell me if they have changed in the last 15 or so years. I have about 20 left and am wondering if I buy a box of new ones will it affect the load I have developed?
 
if you have to buy 180gr nosler partition or accubond some really barnes copper ones ... the problem while we are speaking is where we are ... one day you find what you need and for the next months you got nothing to use ... ammo are made not only to hunt but to practise, if i had no choice it will be partition for hunting and sitting in and another good cup and core bullet for practising ... did you check what they have now in the only store in town?
 
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