Just my 2 cents..........
I've never understood it when folks say "my drum likes to cook at so and so temp". I hear it here a lot. A properly built drum should have no problem cooking between 200-400 degrees. I've had it hold steady anywhere from 180, all the way up to 425! Wanna cook low and slow? No problem! Wanna cook hot and fast? No problem! My uds is just a tool, and I am the driver!
I'm not singling anybody out. Not trying to ruffle feathers by saying people need to learn their cookers. Nothing of the sort! But if a person is letting the drum decide where it "wants" to cook, then they are not realizing its full potential.
Couple of points I'd like to add.......
1. Your charcoal basket will never be too big, but it can be too small to reach certain temps.
2. A lot of catching your target temp depends on how much charcoal one initially starts with. If you need to, adjust the amounts until you reach a happy medium.
Cb4004- if your running 300 degrees with one intake only a 1/4 of the way open, your drum is either sucking in air somewhere, or you are starting with too much charcoal, or both.
Hope this helps!
Jason