.338 Lapua questions

[Leyerly338]

I have recently bought a 338LM in the Savage 110FCP, It has a 26" Tube + Brake, 1-9" Twist. I put a box of HSM rounds OAL 3.680" through it thet seemed to group fairly well @100yds, until my Scope rail came loose. I reset everything and ran some loads through it that i loaded using Berger 300 gr hybrids, HSM brass, Fed 215m Primer's and US 869 powder with charges from 93gr to 100 gr loads all OAL @3.760+/-, temp was 50* elev 10,000'. My grouping was all over the paper @ 100yd's, This is my first experience with handloading so I'm pretty new to it. Any advice on loads or anything else would be much appreciated, Thank's in advance.

 

[Broz]

Load up some with 90 gr of H-1000 and a CCI 250 M primer and seat the 300 Bergers .020" 0ff the lands. Then see what ya get.

Other things that come to mind.

Why did the scope come loose? Are you sure that issue is fixed? Could the scope be the problem? It is not uncommon to have a scope fail.

Did you beake it the barrel? Have you cleaned it good between different bullets? BoreTech Eliminator is very good to keep a new bore clean and free of fouling.

Jeff

 

[Leyerly338]

The rail on the action came loose, it didn't get tightened correctly from the factory but my bad for not torqueing everyhting before mounting the scope, it also slide forward a tiny bit in the rings that being my fault. I re-torqued everything and checked it about every 3 rounds today to make sure nothing had come loose. Before it cam loose yesterday it would **** near one hole the HSM rounds @100yds.

 

[Leyerly338]

For the Barrel break in i followed savages procedure, 1 round then thorough cleaning, 3 rounds then clean, and then 5 rounds and clean. I use gunslick ultra klenz and copper klenz.

 

[Broz]

Try that load I posted. It has always been a great starting load.
I would clean it really good agan too.
Jeff

 

[Leyerly338]

Will do, Thank You for the advice. I have less than 50 rounds through it now and after the break in steps i was cleaning it about every 5 to 8 rounds, firing around 3-4 and letting cool down. Forgot to add that the scope i put on it is a Bushnell Elite Tactical ET6245, Weaver Tactical ring's and an EGW 20moa rail. Thank's again.

 

[Broz]

EGW 20moa rail. Thank's again.

I hae had problems with fit on the EGW rails. I would keep a close eye on it and try to move it often if you didn't bed it. A rail that does not fit the contour of the action well and is not bedded will have a tendancy to come loose.

Jeff

 

[Leyerly338]

Another question I have is it seem's there is alot more use of the SMK's over the Berger's. Any particular reason why or is it just personal preference?
I noticed that My OAL consitancy was off as well, anywhere from 3.755-3.780 without moving the seater. Is that due to the Ogive being so far back on the Berger's?

 

[barnesuser28]

I think that the tip of the bullets are contacting the seater stem first and not the ogive

 

[Leyerly338]

Ok, with that being said, is the RCBS Die the problem? Very new to hand loading so I have a ton to learn.

 

[Broz]

Another question I have is it seem's there is alot more use of the SMK's over the Berger's. Any particular reason why or is it just personal preference?
I noticed that My OAL consitancy was off as well, anywhere from 3.755-3.780 without moving the seater. Is that due to the Ogive being so far back on the Berger's?

300 SMK's have been around longer so you will find more posts about them. Plus if a guy has the 300 SMK all worked up for his long range rig he may not wish to change.

If you are not using a comparator to measure to the ogive you will never get consistant seating measurements off any hollow tipped bullet. The tips or "meplate" will vary as much as .010" So you simply can not measure seating deth off the tips. Really, all you should care about is the measurement off the O-give to the case head. This is where you want to measure to keep track of how far off the lands the bullet is. Where the tip is, is only important for magazne fitting.

Jeff

 

[Leyerly338]

That makes sense, Thanks Jeff. Guess I'll be ordering a Comparator very soon.

 

[Broz]

That makes sense, Thanks Jeff. Guess I'll be ordering a Comparator very soon.

Yes Sir, Although it is good to ckeck and make sure the seating plug in your die is not bottoming out on the tip. You can do this either by coloring the bullet with a felt marker and looking for the contact point , or by removing the
seating plug from the die for a visual inspection. But you still need the comparator. I learned the same thing 30yrs ago.. Also you will find by remeasureing the ones you found to be "off", they are now much closer. Unless you adjusted them to a matching tip measurement. Then they are now all over the place and need to be re-set.

Jeff

 

[barnesuser28]

May i recommend the hornady lock n load bullet compararater you need to buy a 338 bushing, a 338 lapua modified case, the attachment that goes on your caliper, and i would advise you to get the rod that measures how far off of the lands you are. hope this helps (i also have the savage fcp in 338 lapua)