fusion round for 300 WSM

[Capt. NW]

Hello all I am shoping for a new round for my Browning A-bolt medallion rifle. I am not using the BOSS on the gun. The barrel is 23" long and the rate of twist is 1:10.
I was looking at shooting the Fusion 180gr? I will be hunting Mule deer, white tail, Elk and bear with the gun. My shots will be from 50 yards all the way out to 300 yards maybe a 500 yard shot if everything is right.

I am looking at the Fusion because of its price. I have been shooting Remington ammo in the past, but have not like the way they hit on paper or game.

I can get a box (20)of the fusion by Federal for around 22.00 bucks. Any help would be great before money leaves my hand.

 

[dakotasin]

i haven't run any fusion thru my 300 wsm, but i have run it thru a couple of other chamberings and it seems to be pretty accurate for a factory load. suggest you buy a box and run it thru your gun and see how it performs. if you don't like it then you have plenty of time to switch before hunting seasons open. if you do like it you should have enough time to practice w/ it and get to know its ballistics so you'll be ready for the opener. hint: the ballistics printed on the box are not accurate.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Food for rifles, food for thought...

Capt. NW--Dakotasin nailed it:

suggest you buy a box and run it thru your gun and see how it performs

Rifles are INDIVIDUALS--even 2 identical rifles with consecutive serial numbers. Somehow they are more than the sum of their parts, and as such, each one has preferences as to ammunition.

The only way to find out what your rifle "likes" is to feed it a box of the ammo in question and see how it groups. You try for ideal conditions each time you do this (benchrested, you're not tired nor stressed, weather is temperate, wind low enough not to be a factor, same distance each time, etc, etc.) and eventually you find a brand of ammo, and a bullet, that your rifle shoots better than it shoots everything else. Sometimes you get lucky and the first box you try is great, sometimes you seach for a long while to get the perfect combination.

If you handload, the process is exactly the same, only (1) the whole thing is cheaper per shot, and (2) there are more variables to test. Again, sometimes you get lucky, sometimes not.

Is it going to cost a bunch of bucks to try all that ammo? Sure! But come hunting season, when The Jordan Buck steps into your sights for all of 2 seconds, you want to know for a fact that your bullet is going exactly where you point it. A not-unimportant side benefit of trying all that ammo is, that you get that much more practice with your rifle. And it is an acknowledged fact that good bullet placement trumps everything else when it comes to putting Bambi down for the count.

BTW, I like the .300 WSM--have one myself. I wouldn't feel the least under-gunned with it going for muleys, elk, or black bear. I'd want a ton more practice before I took a shot @ a live animal at anything like 300+ yd, though. That means burning up that much more ammo on the practice range.

Ammo costs have got to be a small fraction of any hunter's budget, compared with gasoline, food, lodging, specialized clothing, and that new piece of gear that you just have to have this year. Shoot it up--it's your only connection between a Bambi in the bush and your hand.

 

[usmc1371]

My friend killed a muley buck two years ago with the fusion 180 grain round out of a tikka 300wsm, not a perfect shot by any means but the bullet broke the pelvis and made it into the vitals so I would have to say they work. The shot was just over 200 yards. The recoverd bullet had lost some weight but the deer was very dead so you do the math.

 

[UniversalFrost]

go out and buy as many different loads of factory ammo you can find locally and see what shoots best out of your gun.

I have found that you can not count on premium or match grade ammo to shoot well out of any one rifle, same can be said for bottom end el-cheapo ammo. in some rifles the premium shoots best, but others the el-cheapo shoots the best. only way to find out is to try them all out in your gun.

also, handloading is the only way to go to really find out what combo works best in your gun (bullets, brass, powder, priemrs, crimp, etc...) . I have a weatherby (west german) deluxe mk V that shoots close to .45" from a rest with the proper hand loads or believe it or not the cheap remington core-lokts, but will not shoot under 1.5" with the weatherby premium or other premium loads, so only way to find what works best is to shoot the majority of the ammo.

 

[cougar1717]

I know a hunter who uses the 165gr Fusion cartridges exclusively for his 300 WSM Kimber. As others have said, does that mean that they will shoot well in your gun - maybe, maybe not. You can look at the website (http://www.fusionammo.com/default.aspx ) to see how they are made. The fusion bullets are heavily plated and formed lead bullets. It's definitely a bullet of economy and not a premium bullet, but premium bullets don't guarantee better accuracy either. Fusion would be worth a try if I didn't handload.

 

[hometheaterman]

I've never used them in a 300 WSM. However, my Browning BAR 30-06 is very very picky on ammo and so far the Federal Fusions are the best shooting ammo I've seen for it. I get 1.5-2" groups with them where as the next best is Power Shoks with a 3"-3.5" group and the rest seem to shoot 5" + groups. I've shot one deer with the Fusions. It was about 150 yards away and the deer dropped right there. It didn't leave a bit hole at all. Infact, I thought the bullet didn't exit as I didn't see the exit hole until skinning the deer. Turns out it just punched right through and left a tiny hole going in and going out, but the deer did drop right there. So far I like them fairly well. I wish I could find some of the bullets they are selling now to try to see how they do when using them to reload.