What Hornady bullet for Moose?

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BearClan

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Plan on loading up 180 grain Hornady bullets for moose (out of .300 WSM). Anticipate most shots will be in the 50-100 yard range, but shots out to 300 yards possible.

I don't know Hornady bullets that well - was thinking about using the SSTs? What would you recommend and why? Thanks

P.S. - Why Hornady? The new Hornady Manual I've just recieved is the only manual I have that lists H4350 - the preferred powder for my .300 WSM (other manuals I have - Lyman, Barnes, and Nosler Manuals).
 
The 180 Barnes or Nosler is the best "Hornady" for a 300WSM. ;)

You have some huge moose up your way and I wouldn't trust Hornady for the job.
 
SST's are fairly frangible , the have an Interbond that would work well.Also a GMX solid a bit like Barnes bullets , or last would be there interlock. Personally I am a fan of bonded bullets.
 
nosler partitions are quite good. havent shot a a moose but got 2 deer through the neck this year with them at 300 and 350 yards. droped them in there tracks.i wont be usuing them for deer anymore but i will use them for moose.
 
Interlok or interbond. My experience with the sst is that at a distance they are great, but up close, under 100 they fail to expand reliably if they dont hit big muscle or bone. At a distance they expand great once they slow down a bit and shoot very flat, but in moose country you cant beat a good old fashion lead tip spitzer soft point or even a round nose. Good luck.
 
Frankly I'm not a fan of traditional lead core bullets when high impact velocities on dense targets are possible. The Hornady cores seem hard, and the jackets shed too easily in my opinion. I would be looking for a mono-metal or a bonded core bullet. You can find for H-4350 data with 180 gr bullets for the .300 WSM on the Hodgdon website. It doesn't really matter which 180 gr bullet you apply the data to, provided you prudently approach maximum loads. At one time it was said the X bullets created higher pressure in any given bullet weight compared to lead core bullets, but that criticism has relaxed since the introduction of the TSX family of banded bullets.
 
Hornady Interbonds are incredibly tough bullets. They will work just fine for anything in North America. I don't care how big a moose is, they are not tough to kill.
 
I shot a moose last season with a 180 gr Barnes TSX at 150m with a 300WM and loved the results. Minimal damage to the meat and it was laying 25m from where I shot it.
 
I only have one sample to offer.

One 150 grain Hornady Interlock, face on shot at 70 yards shot in the middle of the chest. Bang flop.
 
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I dropped one with a HORNADY 220 grain round nose soft point 308 dia. in 3006 rifle. Used IMR 4350 ...It was under 100 yard shot. The others were with 180 grain Nosler Partion. All over 100 yards.
 
Use your Hornady data to work up a load with the 180g Nosler Accubond or Nosler Partition. These 2 bullets will give you the best of both expansion and penetration from Moose all the way down to coyotes.

If you are stuck on using the Hornadys, the 180 interlock, SST and Interbond will all kill moose just fine too, but arn't "ideal" at deep penetration at close range from the higher velocities the 300 puts out. I would still expect to break the near shoulder and reach the far side of the vitals with them 95% of the time but the Nosler's will do it 100% of the time.
 
I have used a Hornady 250 gr Soft Point in a 338 RUM to take a moose at 460 yds. I had complete penatration of the animal and broke a rib on the way in and on the way out. I also seen a moose shot with the same (above)at 40 yards and the bullet passed through the animal breaking the off side shoulder. I see no problems in using these bullets.
 
anything under 100m with a magnum's velocity I'd stay away from conventional bullets myself, limited penetration upon hitting bone could be an issue.....I've had wonderful performance from 180gr nosler Partitions in my 300WM....my rifle won't shoot the 200 grainers or any barnes bullets with the same accuracy.....
 
bcsteve said:
In Hornady, I would go GMX, Interbond and Interlock, in that order.
Click to expand...

Exactly what he said...I load a 130 gmx in my gf's .270 wsm and wouldn't hesitate to shoot a moose, any moose with it. Stay away from SST if you want bone crunching penetration. SST's are deer bullets and even better gopher bullets.
 
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