I have been trying to work up loads for a Weatherby Accumark .30-378 and not been doing very well. For one, the gun seems to be extremely sensitive to fouling (requires very frequent cleaning). Even with a clean barrel I have had a hard time getting any load to consistently shoot better than 2-3 inches @ 100 yards. I have tried bullet weights from 165 to 200 and a very large variety of powders. The couple factory loads I have tried shoot very well (inch or better) so there must be some way to get there but I have not yet found it. Any input from someone who has had some success loading for this round would be greatly appreciated.
Luck with .30-378?
- Thread starter WunderDog
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wundwrdog, How new is your gun? What factory load have you been shooting, what bullet is in the cartridge? What have you been trying what powder, and bullet combo?
RH
RH
The gun is about 6 years old but without many rounds through it - maybe just over 100 now. The factory load that shoots best is the 180 gr Barnes-X. There was another that shot okay but I don't remember what that load was off the top of my head. As far as bullets, I have tried 165 gr Swift Sciroccos, 180 gr Nosler Partitions, Sierra GameKings and 200 Accubonds. The powders have been primarily Hodgdon including H1000, 50BMG, Retumbo and US869. I think there was at least one IMR powder early on but my father loaded those so I am not sure which one. For one, I am surpirsed with the ease of fouling as the other two Krieger barrels I shoot do not foul badly at all and shoot exceptionally well for many rounds without cleaning.
Wunderdog
The 30-378 is a little fickle, lots of powder pushin a pin!! I had the best accuracy when I quit pushing the limits and backed off on the velocitys.
I have one of the Accumarks and then had a custom 30-378 built by Howard Wolfe. (Fantastic rifle)
I have killed several Elk with the 30-378 and 180 & 200 grn bullets. the factory gun liked the 180 and the custom I only used the 200 accubonds.
This year I rebarreled to the 30-338 Wolf
It is about 10% less case capacity.
Don't give up on the gun, just back down and be safe!!!
There is some good info several years back.
try the search for 30-378
CAM
The 30-378 is a little fickle, lots of powder pushin a pin!! I had the best accuracy when I quit pushing the limits and backed off on the velocitys.
I have one of the Accumarks and then had a custom 30-378 built by Howard Wolfe. (Fantastic rifle)
I have killed several Elk with the 30-378 and 180 & 200 grn bullets. the factory gun liked the 180 and the custom I only used the 200 accubonds.
This year I rebarreled to the 30-338 Wolf
It is about 10% less case capacity.
Don't give up on the gun, just back down and be safe!!!
There is some good info several years back.
try the search for 30-378
CAM
You might want to try Tubbs lapping bullet this would probley help with the fouling. I have seen barrels take that long to break in. Is the weatherby a stock rifle? If it shoots the barnes ok start looking for small differences in your ammuntion and theirs check seating depth and adjust primer maybe. The powder choice should work I have always had goo luck with the hodgen I use alot of accurate as well you might look at 8700. You kind of got me here I was thinking you would tell me the factory loads were a flat based bullet. I have seen with weatherbys the throat diameter being excessive and they would not shoot boat tails I'm sorry I'm not real sure.
RH
RH
I set bullet seating by put a factory loaded 180gr Nozler BT in the press, run the ram up and screw the bullet seater to until feeling resistance (point when seater reaches the bullet). No loads have shot what I would call poorly and the 180gr TSXs shoot very well.
If memory serves me I am using 111gr Retumbo and 215 primers. This is a max load in my rifle only getting a little better than 3400 fps.
My rifle is not an Accumark however it is the cheaper Stainless Mark V. Yours should shoot better I would think.
All I have done to mine is free float the barrel I believe the accumarks are already free floated but I may be mistaken.
If memory serves me I am using 111gr Retumbo and 215 primers. This is a max load in my rifle only getting a little better than 3400 fps.
My rifle is not an Accumark however it is the cheaper Stainless Mark V. Yours should shoot better I would think.
All I have done to mine is free float the barrel I believe the accumarks are already free floated but I may be mistaken.
Michael Eichele
Well-Known Member
Boy that sounds familiar!
Anyway, if youre using a bipod or even a rest of sorts on the fore end of the stock, you will need to grind the lip off of the end of the stock under the barrel. Chances are, if you sit the rifle on a bench with a bipod, you most likely cant slide a dollar bill between the barrel and stock. 2nd, try RL-25. That was the only powder I could get to shoot worth a crap in mine (was being the operative.)
If I remember right, 107 grains of RL-25 under the Barnes XBT 180 shot decent at about 3450 FPS.
Good luck.
Anyway, if youre using a bipod or even a rest of sorts on the fore end of the stock, you will need to grind the lip off of the end of the stock under the barrel. Chances are, if you sit the rifle on a bench with a bipod, you most likely cant slide a dollar bill between the barrel and stock. 2nd, try RL-25. That was the only powder I could get to shoot worth a crap in mine (was being the operative.)
If I remember right, 107 grains of RL-25 under the Barnes XBT 180 shot decent at about 3450 FPS.
Good luck.
s.ferg
Active Member
My hunting partner shoots a 30-378. I reload his bullets. He shoots 1'moa with 180 gr ballistic tip nosler, 110 grains of H1000 with federal 215 mag primers,, The load is pushing the upper limits of the but preforms well in his Accumark weatherby, The pressure sign his consistantly show is a extractor button ring on the face of the rim but its killed deer out at 500 yards and that the way he likes it. I did not develop this load but have duplicated it many times. I have not chronographed it either.
Michael Eichele
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
The pressure sign his consistantly show is a extractor button ring on the face of the rim
[/ QUOTE ]
I would highly recomend backing off of that load.
The pressure sign his consistantly show is a extractor button ring on the face of the rim
[/ QUOTE ]
I would highly recomend backing off of that load.
[ QUOTE ]
Boy that sounds familiar!
Anyway, if youre using a bipod or even a rest of sorts on the fore end of the stock, you will need to grind the lip off of the end of the stock under the barrel. Good luck.
[/ QUOTE ]
Accumarks are free floated.
Boy that sounds familiar!
Anyway, if youre using a bipod or even a rest of sorts on the fore end of the stock, you will need to grind the lip off of the end of the stock under the barrel. Good luck.
[/ QUOTE ]
Accumarks are free floated.
Michael Eichele
Well-Known Member
My accumark was free floated as long as you held the rifle at the pistol grip and pointed it in the air. As soon as you rested the rifle on a flat surface using a bipod, forget it. The weight of the barrel would push it into the stock and you could not slide a dollar bill between the stock and barrel. Once the lip was sanded off of the end of the stock, it worked fine.
juicedcummins
New Member
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2005
- Messages
- 3
My Sako TRG is a 30-378 and shooots very well. The action has been bedded and the barrel decronalized[?spelling].
Best loads for mine so far.
110gr H1000, fed 215 primer, combined tech failsafe 165gr@ 3343fps 3/8inch no presure signs.
122gr H870, fed 215 primer, combined tech failafe 180gr@ 3430fps 3/4inch no presure signs
Tried H50BMG in all loads and shot very poor {before action was bedded.}
Loaded H100@ 107gr and tore a ragged hole @ 2900fps. This is a dangerous load on the low side and fireballs are present.This was a printed load in a nosler manual.
My gun will not shoot barnes very well and prefers flat base bullets.
Nosler Manuals suck and I will never buy another one. They are full of bad info and lies.
Best loads for mine so far.
110gr H1000, fed 215 primer, combined tech failsafe 165gr@ 3343fps 3/8inch no presure signs.
122gr H870, fed 215 primer, combined tech failafe 180gr@ 3430fps 3/4inch no presure signs
Tried H50BMG in all loads and shot very poor {before action was bedded.}
Loaded H100@ 107gr and tore a ragged hole @ 2900fps. This is a dangerous load on the low side and fireballs are present.This was a printed load in a nosler manual.
My gun will not shoot barnes very well and prefers flat base bullets.
Nosler Manuals suck and I will never buy another one. They are full of bad info and lies.
J E Custom
Well-Known Member
Wunderdog
I know it seams crazy but I expermented with tip pressure
because mine did the same thing and went from 1.25 MOA to
.372 moa.
I used .020 shim stock and kept adding one shim at a time
by spreading the stock and barrel apart with one hand and
shooting 2 rounds each time.
AS Meichele said the stock is very flexible and you need
to rest it on or near the front bedding screw for the
best results.
My best load after finding the proper tip pressure was
118 GR H 50 bmg and a 180 gr partition seated to factory
length ( dont worry about reaching the lands because
you cant).
Also neck size only for better bullet alignmenton on long
throated rifels like the 30-378 accumark.
Try it you may be surprised . /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
J E CUSTOM
I know it seams crazy but I expermented with tip pressure
because mine did the same thing and went from 1.25 MOA to
.372 moa.
I used .020 shim stock and kept adding one shim at a time
by spreading the stock and barrel apart with one hand and
shooting 2 rounds each time.
AS Meichele said the stock is very flexible and you need
to rest it on or near the front bedding screw for the
best results.
My best load after finding the proper tip pressure was
118 GR H 50 bmg and a 180 gr partition seated to factory
length ( dont worry about reaching the lands because
you cant).
Also neck size only for better bullet alignmenton on long
throated rifels like the 30-378 accumark.
Try it you may be surprised . /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
J E CUSTOM
Hired Gun
Well-Known Member
I have 3 Accumarks and load for another in 338-378 and all shoot very well. Sub 1/2" consistantly. All of them can easily slide 20 stacked dollar bills right to the action while resing on a bi-pod. My accuracy is best with max loads seated as long as the action will possibly feed from the magazine box. One of my loads jumps .450 to the rifling and it shoots .2"s to .3"s for 3 quick shots with witnesses. My groups did get more consistant with a nice skim bed job that included fully bedding the lug on all sides especially the bottom. Then adjust that trigger down to 1 pound and magic will happen. My rifles all clean up in 5 patches even after 40 to 50 rounds. 3 wet ones with Wipe Out primer. Soak in Wipe Out Foam overnight and 2 dry ones to push it out. No other products including WipeOut will produce any color on a second application. The 338-378 is shooting Barnes 225 TSX's @ 3330 and it has right at 100 rounds total and it takes two soaking with the Wipeout after 20 shots to clean it up. What are you using for a scope and mounts? For precise work I like at least a 20 power. How are you holding it? Free recoil, firm or light grip? They are very sensitive when your trying to do real precise paper work. It took me awhile to get any of them to group off of a bi-pod. For now I would stick to sand bags in a 2 point rest configuration. No Bullbag set ups. Also check that the front sling stud isn't hitting anything on recoil.
My 300Wby shoots best with 200 grain Accubonds over IMR-7828 and CCI-250 primers. The CCI primers helped all 4 guns verses the fed 215's. The 338-378 seems to like RL-25.
My 300Wby shoots best with 200 grain Accubonds over IMR-7828 and CCI-250 primers. The CCI primers helped all 4 guns verses the fed 215's. The 338-378 seems to like RL-25.
