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338 SHERMAN MAX

Took it out to 1358 yds today in temps about 15F below what I'd zeroed at and the using the 1fps to 1F in ABMobile put me spot on. Very still day so pretty confident. Anyone else playing with this?
A little more temp data on 62.7g N550, Berger 250g and the 25" barreled 338 Sherman Max. At 52F average of 2805 fps with no pressure signs. At 14F today with same load I was at 2750 fps MV. Still good ES, but dropped 55 fps. Hope this helps folks.

The odd thing is that I run N570 in a 338 Terminator with 300g Bergers and 106g runs 3050 fps at 50F and today ran 3050 at 14F. Clearly in these chamberings, there's some differences.
 
A little more temp data on 62.7g N550, Berger 250g and the 25" barreled 338 Sherman Max. At 52F average of 2805 fps with no pressure signs. At 14F today with same load I was at 2750 fps MV. Still good ES, but dropped 55 fps. Hope this helps folks.

The odd thing is that I run N570 in a 338 Terminator with 300g Bergers and 106g runs 3050 fps at 50F and today ran 3050 at 14F. Clearly in these chamberings, there's some differences.
Yes, N570 is extremely stable! Good info on the 550.
 
Yep
Yes, N570 is extremely stable! Good info on the 550.
Yep, I've been running N570 for close to 10 years in the big .338s and had always seen temp stability (or the barrel was contracting too...or all the other things that we think can account for temps stability) but had never shot it in temps this low.

It's weird how N550 being in the same 'line' of powders for VV is 'unstable', comparatively, to the N570.
 
Downed a smallish bear a couple of mornings ago up high in the alpine blueberries with the 338 Sherman Max spitting 250 Bergers at 2805fps over 62.7g N550. 775 yd shot from 6000' to right around 5000' ele. I spotted the hit with a big puff of dust on the shoulder coming off. I'd opened the tips to .029 for bear and upcoming deer at longrange. At .026 on 250 yd cow elk in March I wasn't too pleased with results...seemed like expansion was wanting. Maybe will try .028 as well. IDK. 1000' vertical and a mile up to camp and then 70+ lbs and 5 miles/2000' vertical down. Tired puppy.
 
Downed a smallish bear a couple of mornings ago up high in the alpine blueberries with the 338 Sherman Max spitting 250 Bergers at 2805fps over 62.7g N550. 775 yd shot from 6000' to right around 5000' ele. I spotted the hit with a big puff of dust on the shoulder coming off. I'd opened the tips to .029 for bear and upcoming deer at longrange. At .026 on 250 yd cow elk in March I wasn't too pleased with results...seemed like expansion was wanting. Maybe will try .028 as well. IDK. 1000' vertical and a mile up to camp and then 70+ lbs and 5 miles/2000' vertical down. Tired puppy.
Congrats on the bear and the shot. I usually open tips to .040" and sometimes .050


"
 
That much…? Do you vary it one way or the other for any particular reason?
It depends on the meplat diameter, the jacket thickness, the distance you want expansion, the game you're shooting, etc.
I don't mean to make it sound like its so precise that its ridiculous, but here is my point.
The Berger EH is so explosive up close that you have to stay away from shoulders of large game (IMO) but it expands very well at fairly low velocities (distance).I see no reason to mess with the tip of the EH because they are always open (unless you ding them badly) A Berger hybrid target has a thicker jacket and might work much better than the EH up close on an elks shoulder, but loses expansion quicker than the EH at distance. People may argue and say, "Ive had good luck at long range with hybrids". Maybe so, but generally speaking with all else equal, the EH will expand easier. the bore size and sectional density matters too. More bullet mass will overcome will overcome body mass better with otherwise equal bullets.
As long as you don't widen the meplat diameter in opening up the tip, there is NO loss in BC and the minimal amount of weight removed is insignificant.
Also, a Berger style bullet doesn't expand so much like a normal mushroom. The hydraulic effect of force inside the hollow of the tip, usually BLOWS the tip off flush with where to lead core begins, and THEN they either mushroom, or come apart, depending on the resistance encountered, and has a lot to do with impact velocity. If you've done much bullet testing, you'll see what I mean by how a Berger normally expands. Ive found countless tips that were bulged and blown off; some even inside animals.
This is why not only jacket thickness matters, but the amount of open tip to cause more hydraulic action, and why at times, at that borderline velocity that allows the tip to blow, results can be radically different! its also where most arguments start as to how good a bullet is!
If a tip doesn't blow, it can act like a solid but if it does blow, it can cause extensive damage. The difference could be only a few feet per second, or how open the tip is.
At the very least, you need to make sure the tip is open!
 
Harvested a spike bull elk (only legal animal that typically can be harvested on east side of WA state on a general tag) last week in the mountains with the 338 Sherman Max. Bullet hit low near the heart and must've taken out the aorta or another great vessel (buddy cut the heart out and I didn't see the damage first hand inside as we were workin' to get it cut up) because it was DRT. 250g EH Berger, 62.7g N550.
 
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