338 Win. Mag Ruger M77

[jerryarlington]

I am working up a load for my 338. I had a brake and a recoil pad put on it so I can finally shoot it.

I have a load worked up that is shooting pretty well (about 1.5 MOA) but not as good as I want it to or think it should. I have the powder, the bullet and charge but I wanted to play with seating depth. I have a Hornady lock and load chamber depth tool. However, I can push the bullet all the way out of the case before it contacts the lands. What's up with that. Is this make and model rifle suppose to be that way? A friend mentioned "free bore".

I have used the tool before and have several guns and different calibers that I have set seating depth to obtain better groups. What is up with this gun?? Anyone have any clues?

 

[HARPERC]

Yes it's not unusual.

What bullet are you using?
Magazine length?
What length are you at now?
Are you OK with single loading?
Accuracy goal?
At the end what is your anticipated use?

 

[jerryarlington]

bear and elk and moose if I could draw. Hornady eld-x 225. Under 1 moa

 

[HARPERC]

I see your from WA-the draws are coming up. Which side of the state?

Not familiar with that bullet.

 

[jerryarlington]

Actually I'm in Idaho now, South of Nampa, a few mile north of Murphy, Idaho.

 

[RevJim]

Your rifle just happens to have a long throat. OK, then seat any bullet you want with at least "a bullet's diameter" in the neck, not counting the Boat Tail but the bullet shank. Get you a LEE Factory Crimp Die, crimp your finished rounds, this will help with what I call "bullet pull", it helps during ignition. Speaking of ignition, 1 1/2" is very, very good for a big gun, even with a brake! Just shoot it awhile , paying close attention to Bench Rest technique, and I bet your groups tighten up! If you want, you can increase your powder charge by 1/2 grain increments until you see pressure or accuracy improves. You have created more powder space by seating your bullets further out, see, it can take more now. Of course, you can kill every elk in the mountains with a 3" rifle, but who wants that? ha You may have to "thread the hole" in some brush, etc. Good luck to you Pard!

 

[Hespco]

My 26" stainless custom barrel 338 shoots sub 1' groups with Barnes 185gr TSX, .070 off the lands with IMR 4350. For sure every barrel is different. Recoil with this weight is very manageable. No brake needed. This load shoots great to the 522 yd mark on my range. Gets there right now.

 

[Mike 338]

Yes, it's very common for factory rifles so much freebore that you can't reach the lands. On a practical basis, regardless of where the rifling starts, the longest you can seat a bullet is the maximum magazine length, if you want your rifle to remain a repeater, so magazine length is the place to start, provided mag length doesn't jam the bullet. In your case, it's nowhere near jamming the bullet into the rifling. I'd experiment with seating depths of .030" increments, each being seated deeper than the previous. I have a 338 WM that shoots best with a .225" jump.

 

[Howland]

Most .338 caliber shooters are using heavier bullets and manufacturers are building their rifles around that.

Mine is a Lapua Magnum and I'm using 285 gr. but the majority are probably using 300 grains if I had to guess. Loading to mag length still leaves me with an 80 thousanths jump. Even that has almost cleared the neck when engaging the lands.

I understand why you would want to use a 225, flatter shooting at the ranges you would expect to see game, lower recoil, etc., but you might be pleasantly surprised by trying a longer, heavier bullet. Plus, it could extend the reachable range of the rifle and give a greater margin of error on wind reads. Your twist is likely also designed to be optimum for heavier bullets.

 

[planetwaves]

I am working up a load for my 338. I had a brake and a recoil pad put on it so I can finally shoot it.

I have a load worked up that is shooting pretty well (about 1.5 MOA) but not as good as I want it to or think it should. I have the powder, the bullet and charge but I wanted to play with seating depth. I have a Hornady lock and load chamber depth tool. However, I can push the bullet all the way out of the case before it contacts the lands. What's up with that. Is this make and model rifle suppose to be that way? A friend mentioned "free bore".

I have used the tool before and have several guns and different calibers that I have set seating depth to obtain better groups. What is up with this gun?? Anyone have any clues?

My M77 has a SAAMI length magazine, so the maximum OAL is 3.35" unless I want to use it as a single shot. This puts most of the newer bullets .2 to .3 off the lands. I haven't had luck getting Burgers or ELDX to shoot acceptable groups. Nosier BT and AB work fine giving less than 1" groups at 100 yards at that length. The most accurate bullet in my rifle is the old Hornady interlock, because it is "stubby" and touches the lands at 3.32" OAL in my rifle, but there is not enough bullet in the case, so I experimented with 3.22 to 3.27. Ended up with 0.5" groups at at 100 yards with 3.24. But I prefer the noslers at OAL 3.35. They are better for hunting.

 

[Alibiiv]

I'd suggest checking the torque on the recoil lug screw. The factory recommends 90 inch pounds on the front screw, however all I can get on my Rugers is around 65 inch pounds, I'm afraid I'll strip the screw out with more. The factory recommends just hand tighten on the center and rear screws. If you would glass bed and float the barrel to 4 inches in front of the recoil lug, I'll guarantee your groups to shrink significantly. Also make sure the screws that hold the rings to the receiver are torqued to 30 inch pounds, they do tend to loosen under heavy recoil and repeated shooting

 

[257Tony]

Most .338 caliber shooters are using heavier bullets and manufacturers are building their rifles around that.

Mine is a Lapua Magnum and I'm using 285 gr. but the majority are probably using 300 grains if I had to guess. Loading to mag length still leaves me with an 80 thousanths jump. Even that has almost cleared the neck when engaging the lands.

I understand why you would want to use a 225, flatter shooting at the ranges you would expect to see game, lower recoil, etc., but you might be pleasantly surprised by trying a longer, heavier bullet. Plus, it could extend the reachable range of the rifle and give a greater margin of error on wind reads. Your twist is likely also designed to be optimum for heavier bullets.

The 338 win mag case doesn't have enough capacity to push those heavier bullets fast enough to see any gains in a hunting rifle. The bullet the op is shooting has a .616 bc, plenty to reach out as far as one would need in a lr hunting rifle.

 

[popgun240]

I am working up a load for my 338. I had a brake and a recoil pad put on it so I can finally shoot it.

I have a load worked up that is shooting pretty well (about 1.5 MOA) but not as good as I want it to or think it should. I have the powder, the bullet and charge but I wanted to play with seating depth. I have a Hornady lock and load chamber depth tool. However, I can push the bullet all the way out of the case before it contacts the lands. What's up with that. Is this make and model rifle suppose to be that way? A friend mentioned "free bore".

I have used the tool before and have several guns and different calibers that I have set seating depth to obtain better groups. What is up with this gun?? Anyone have any clues?

 

[popgun240]

I bought a Ruger 77 in 338 Win Mag in about 1982. Paid $257.00 for a brand new one. That rifle kicked so hard that it rolled a friend on his back when shot from a Squatting position. No Muzzle brake. It came with the red pad. It was just a miserable rifle to shoot. Sold it within 6 months of buying it. My replacement for it was finally a CZ-USA 550 American FS in 9.3X62. To me it's tolerable and accurate. I shoot Hornady 250 Accubond, 286 gr. Solid and Nosler 286 Partician. I limit this rifle to 300 yards and is superb in the woods. It fast, light snd shoots under .75" at 100 yards. Carrries a Leopold VR 1.25x4x24. I'm not interested in trying shots over 600 yards because I don't want to lose a wounded animal. Currently I'm in a VA Hospital Bed in Reno having the Great Toe on left foot amputated. 6 years ago I lost my lower Right Leg so I really can't chase wounded game so I utilize self imoose limits. That also includes limit on RECOIL. I guess that Ruger ruined me because of the recoil. I hunt in Nevada. That make it mostly long range open shots. The longest and only Antelope was 488 yards. My Mule Deer last season was only 140 yards. Nevada has instituted a companion Hunter for the Handicapped. I pushed it with NDOW and they actually responded with new law. Good for Nevafa.