I'm planning on using the Federal Premium .300WM with 180gr. partitions for moose in 2 weeks, accuracy is excellent, but I have no "On Game" experience with these loads. What can I expect at short range (100yds or less), and out at 400yds with these, as far as bullet performance??
.300WM & the Nosler Partition
- Thread starter blargon
- Start date
- Location
- Hillbilly shack in the boonies
Good choice on both 
Will work great at ranges indicated
Will work great at ranges indicated
At close range, the Partition will likely shed it's front section and keep plowin' on through...
I used to shoot the 160's in my 7RM, and never failed to retrieve an animal within 30 yards of where it was shot, even WT does shot at 50 yards.
I think the Partition is still one of the best out there...
I used to shoot the 160's in my 7RM, and never failed to retrieve an animal within 30 yards of where it was shot, even WT does shot at 50 yards.
I think the Partition is still one of the best out there...
- Location
- Vancouver Island BC
300 mag + Nosler Partition = moose steaks, roasts, sausages, burgers etc....
The Partition is designed to allow the "Softer" nose to open/flatten rapidly while retaining the rear portion to retain the weight and cylinder shape to penetrate deeply. They will not "fall apart"blargon said:
Obviously the higher the velocity the more rapidly the nose will open.
I've used the 180 Partition from a 300 mag on several Bears(?) up close and afar and never experienced a Partition that didn't do exactly as expected
They work
The load that you are using is the world standard in the .300 Winchester Magnum, the load against which all others are compared (and few have managed to equal) over the last forty years. Some newer bullets add even more zing (theoretically) to the .300 Winchester Magnum, but that 180 Partition at 3,000 feet-per-second is still the benchmark of moose-hammering performance.
blargon said:
Yup. No worries with the partition.
The last deer I shot with one was a WT doe at around 60 yards, with my 'patented' safety shot... broadside thru the ribs. The exit hole was still loonie sized, and she went 30 yards.
This was in a 7RM with the 160gr. The soft nose of the partition dumps a lot of energy quickly, similar to a classic cup & core bullet, but the base keeps going, through muscle, bones, trees etc.
Here's a photo of a 180 gr Partition after it was dug out of a moose that was hit at about 30 yds. Muzzle velocity was a bit under 3000 fps. It was a quartering shot and the bullet broke the back two ribs and was found under the hide ahead of the opposite shoulder. The lungs were liquid. After a very short run, the moose hit the ground dead.
Wrong Way
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I like the partitions. I've found that my particular guns either love them (sub 1") or HATE them (5"+)...nothing in between! Fortunately, my 300 RUM likies them, and I'll be metering out doses of partition lead poisoning 200 gr at a time this year.
Ryan
Ryan
- Location
- In the clock tower!!
I shot my spring bear this year with ammo tipped with the nosler partition. Shot was just under 300m. I'd like to tell you that I recovered the bullet and it retained lots of weight but it passed through both side of the bear, taking both lungs along with it. Great performance!
Wrong Way
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Heres the thing with Partitions: No matter what happens, you will have a part of the bullet (the "partitioned part") continue to penetrate, even if the front end of the bullet disintegrates. I went to these because of my moose situation: *most* of my shots on moose are 300+ yds, but I have had one come out at 20. I dont know how a 180 gr. bear claw moving at 3400 FPS out of my .300 Ultra Mag would hold together, but I KNOW with the partitions, my bullet (if I ever found it) would look alot like mauser98's.
Ryan
Ryan
- Location
- In the clock tower!!
Trophy Bonded Bear Claw was a great bullet when it first came out. That was some time ago and there are bigger and better out there now. Nosler Partition has performance that other manufactures try to match when designing a new "premium" hunting bullet.
The Swift A Frame is an under rated bullet. Many who hunt African Game use the Swift A Frame with great success. The last one I recovered went through the entire shoulder of a bear, (blowing it apart), and made it all the way to the inside rib cage oposite the shoulder hit. (200gr in 300WM). The aftermath looked like someone threw a basket ball at 2800 fps hitting the bear. The downside to the swift is that it is not a streamlined as something along the lines of the Barnes TSX which is available in a Boat Tail design for may calibers. The Swift suffers in down range performance a little bit as compared to others.
I have been playing around with the Barnes TSX as if late. My old standy load was always the Nosler Partition and I may still stay that way. I like the performance of the TSX better that the Partition, however, I find that some of my rifles don't shoot the TSX as well as the Partition no matter how I load the round.
6 of 1,,, 1/2 dozen of the other. Both great bullets.
If you have the time, try the Swift A Frame, you won't be disapointed with it either.
Happy hunting.
The Swift A Frame is an under rated bullet. Many who hunt African Game use the Swift A Frame with great success. The last one I recovered went through the entire shoulder of a bear, (blowing it apart), and made it all the way to the inside rib cage oposite the shoulder hit. (200gr in 300WM). The aftermath looked like someone threw a basket ball at 2800 fps hitting the bear. The downside to the swift is that it is not a streamlined as something along the lines of the Barnes TSX which is available in a Boat Tail design for may calibers. The Swift suffers in down range performance a little bit as compared to others.
I have been playing around with the Barnes TSX as if late. My old standy load was always the Nosler Partition and I may still stay that way. I like the performance of the TSX better that the Partition, however, I find that some of my rifles don't shoot the TSX as well as the Partition no matter how I load the round.
6 of 1,,, 1/2 dozen of the other. Both great bullets.
If you have the time, try the Swift A Frame, you won't be disapointed with it either.
Happy hunting.
The partition is a classic combo, but if you come accross some of the TSX they are awesome, I hammered a really good bull at about 250 yards on Tuesday, broke the onside shoulder, turned the lungs into strwberry jam, nicked the top of the heart and I found it in the skin on the other side. The moose went about ten yards, the bullet looks to be retaining close to 100% of it's weight. That was from a 300 win mag with a 168 gr TSX, muzzle velocity was 3200 fps, so it was probably still going maybe 27-2800 fps at impact.
