New .338LM reloading help

[TheBoctor]

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1. Find a range where you can zero at 300. Find a range where you can shoot 600 or farther. The gun has big balls persona on a 100 yard line, but it's like buying a monster truck and only doing city driving. It becomes really enjoyable at 800 and farther.

Loads development ideas:

1. Standardize on a powder, 300gr projectile and primer. Stick with them.

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Good Stuff here. Only two points I might disagree with are these.

First, I would HIGHLY encourage you to zero at 100 yds. I remember when i was first starting out, i thought that zero'ing at 3-400 yds was going to some how magically help me at longer ranges and I was very very wrong, all it does is reduce how much elevation you have to dial on your turret. At 100 yds the rifle is pretty much going to shoot to zero no matter where you're at, what the temperature is, what the density altitude is and it really won't be affected by wind, especially a big heavy 338. When you zero at 3-400 yds, you have to account for your shifting zero due to potentially changing environmental conditions, and keep track of that and factor it in to your final firing solution at your actual target. You'll think you have your dope nailed down and pull up on a 1000 yd plate on a unseasonably cool day and all of a sudden your dope is off, even if all your other inputs are right.

Second, don't discount the Berger 250. It's the bullet class the Lapua was built around and you'll get the velocity up into a more favorable range. It's got plenty of *** behind it and the BC penalty from the 285/300 isn't significant enough to offset the velocity penalty, in my mind.

Everything else I'm right in line with. Enjoy it! I think the big 338's are some of the most fun rounds to shoot because the recoil is less sharp and they make anything less than 1200 yds pretty **** easy.

 

[DWier]

My 338 RUM hated H1000 but absolutely loves RL26. With the H1000 I was able to get 2750 with 300 gr Bergers at 88 grains and 2950 with 285 ELD M at 92.5. My velocity was up and down all through the ladder test so I switched to RL26. But the accuracy was there with both bullets. CCI 200 primers were used for both

You're using CCI 200 and not 250? Notice any difference LRP and LRPM? I have plenty 200 but no magnum primers and trying to start reloading 338LM.

 

[MTbackwoods]

You're using CCI 200 and not 250? Notice any difference LRP and LRPM? I have plenty 200 but no magnum primers and trying to start reloading 338LM.

Switching to the 250 netted me about 40 FPS on average with the same load but it also increased my ES from 5 to 15

 

[judgebill]

I bought an 8 lb canister of H50BMG powder. According to the burn-rate chart it is next to US 869. I have some Cutting Edge 275 grain Match/Tactical/Hunting bullets and some 275 grin Badlands bullets. I loaded 3 rounds each with Lapua brass (twice-fired), Winchester LRM primers. The Cutting Edge gave me a 3-shot group at 100 yards of .564" and the Badlands gave me a group of slightly over 2". Fired in a Fierce rifle, Night Force scope, 2 minutes rest between each shot. Fired the CE bullets first, then the Badlands. All six pieces of brass showed slight scrape marks on base of cartridge case and had slightly hard bolt lift...no other signs of pressure (no flattened or cratered primers). Not an attack on Badlands bullets, just have to try them with a different powder and see if I can shrink that group. Kudos to the Cutting Edge bullets, though. This is a hunting rifle.
Also had good success, accuracy wise, with 236 gr Hammer Hunter. 3/4" 3-shot groups.
Also 270 gr Hornady ELD-X very accurate in this rifle.
Have a RUGER PRECISION RIFLE , same caliber, shoots 300 br Berger's very well.

 

[WildRose]

If your looking for accuracy......when is the last time you saw Hornady or Nosler win a serious bench match????

When was the last time you saw a .338Lapua at a "serious bench match"?

 

[WildRose]

I bought an 8 lb canister of H50BMG powder. According to the burn-rate chart it is next to US 869. I have some Cutting Edge 275 grain Match/Tactical/Hunting bullets and some 275 grin Badlands bullets. I loaded 3 rounds each with Lapua brass (twice-fired), Winchester LRM primers. The Cutting Edge gave me a 3-shot group at 100 yards of .564" and the Badlands gave me a group of slightly over 2". Fired in a Fierce rifle, Night Force scope, 2 minutes rest between each shot. Fired the CE bullets first, then the Badlands. All six pieces of brass showed slight scrape marks on base of cartridge case and had slightly hard bolt lift...no other signs of pressure (no flattened or cratered primers). Not an attack on Badlands bullets, just have to try them with a different powder and see if I can shrink that group. Kudos to the Cutting Edge bullets, though. This is a hunting rifle.
Also had good success, accuracy wise, with 236 gr Hammer Hunter. 3/4" 3-shot groups.
Also 270 gr Hornady ELD-X very accurate in this rifle.
Have a RUGER PRECISION RIFLE , same caliber, shoots 300 br Berger's very well.

Heavy bolt lift is telling you that you're already past safe pressure and need to back off before something bad happens.

 

[WildRose]

I can't find Retumbo any where. But I did score an 8lb jug of RL26 yesterday. But I plan to test some RL23 soon since it seems to always be in stock around here. That and 25. Which, do you know how 23 and 25 compare to one another? Sorry to steal the thread

I would seriously not recommend either of those in a case this size. RL33 and H1000 are probably the fastest powders I would feel safe with.

 

[WildRose]

H870 surplus

H870 was discontinued over a decade ago. I am really curious where they are finding it???

 

[P7M13]

H870 was discontinued over a decade ago. I am really curious where they are finding it???

Dunno. I still have ~ 2 lbs.

 

[MTbackwoods]

I would seriously not recommend either of those in a case this size. RL33 and H1000 are probably the fastest powders I would feel safe with.

Reloder 26 worked great. I got good velocity and really good accuracy. I was able to achieve 2,876 fps in my RUM with a 285 ELDM. Reloder 33 compressed before I found pressure with a 300 gr OTM. I was also seating the bullets pretty far out as this rifle was single feed only. Accuracy with 33 was out of this world but I ran out quickly. IMR 8133 gave less velocity but was also a good powder

 

[longbarrelxp]

I determine max COAL for each projectile this way:
1. drop one into the breech and tap it against the rifling with a cleaning rod.
2. insert a cleaning rod through the muzzle until it contacts the tip of the bullet.
3.Using masking tape around the cleaning rod near the muzzle, mark the length with a razor blade, then tap the rod to unseat the bullet. Your rod should have a big enough hole in the end (to screw a tip onto it) so that it bridges the bullet tip without damaging it.
4. Make a dummy cartridge by seating a bullet in an empty case, chamber it.
5. Measure length with the cleaning rod as above, cutting the tape exactly in line with the muzzle.
6. Measure the difference between the two cuts in the tape with a vernier caliper. That is your clearance to the rifling for that COAL.

 

[wildcat455]

I have the Savage 110 FCP HS precision in 338 LM.
Not quite the same rifle as OP, but kinda close. I also have a Christensen Arms 110 BA Tactical that I put in a Ridgeline stock to get a hunting weight rifle out of it… but really all this only counts toward experience with the 338 LM cartridge.

OP, your rifle twists at 9.3. Mine is at 9.
I wasn't about to waste too much time on 250 gr when I had a twist rate that would work great on 300's, and I had other rifles that would shoot close enough to a 250gr (Namely 300 RUM).
I did dabble in the 250's a bit and worked up loads, and I think that's where the H1000 and RL26 powder advice comes into play, because for pushing 300's I found RL33 to be the ticket… but now I'm trying to find something less filthy, dirty, sooty than the RL33… maybe VV N570… we'll see… point is it's a PITA to clean the Savage barrel…He'll even the CA gets all sooted up..
Anyway, Your twist will work great with both, and everything in between.

Some people talk about bad experience with Hornady cases, especially with Savage 338LM chambers, but I'm here to tell ya since 2019, I've had no problems. Could just be me or could be Hornady came out with some soft brass, fixed their problem, and now I get all the cases I want because no one else wants them.
Lapua brass is expensive and worth it, extremely dimensionally consistent, but case volume is low. If you just buy that and just work with that, you'll never know the difference. Where it's gonna matter about that case volume is trying to run 300 gr. Pills.
When Lapua designed this cartridge way back in 1989 (for the version we shoot today) their case volume wasn't a problem pushing the 250 gr bullets, pressure was, so they made the case thicker to hold up.

Well, IDK if it's advancement in metallurgy or not, but the other non Lapua cases I got are at over 3 reloads now and as long as I get 5 I'm hitting my goals.

I dont dispute Lapua brass is premium, because it is. I'm just cheap, and something cheaper works for me, so there's that.
I'm not sharing load data with you due to my work ups are in cases with more volume and a rifle cut with a different chamber…

I will share with you this, run the 250's with a powder charge that puts you around 3000fps. You'll have to work up your own seating depth but I suggest starting off at about .010" off lands and going down. That way when you do find your seating depth if you have other rounds you can reseat them to the lower depth. That said, I ended up at about .030" off for the 250's and .005" off for the 300's. On the 300's, run them with a powder charge that puts you about 2800 fps.
Theres something to be said for the experience I have shooting and loading for these rifles in this cartridge. Hard to put into words...
but I'll tell you this, when you walk up on a target you just shot and all 3 are touching, AND you get to subtract .338" from that outside to outside dimension and that 1/2" group becomes 1/4" or less, you start to realize there really is something special about this big ol' Hoss. And then you get take it out to 1500+ yards and ring steel or print groups with authority. Just sayin it'll make a believer out of you. LOL!

Be safe and have fun!

 

[WildRose]

Reloder 26 worked great. I got good velocity and really good accuracy. I was able to achieve 2,876 fps in my RUM with a 285 ELDM. Reloder 33 compressed before I found pressure with a 300 gr OTM. I was also seating the bullets pretty far out as this rifle was single feed only. Accuracy with 33 was out of this world but I ran out quickly. IMR 8133 gave less velocity but was also a good powder

I'm really surprised. I get a definite veclocity boost with it in my STW and 300wm but would have thought it to be far too fast a powder with the .338's shooting the heavies.

The main reason I read and post here is the simple fact I can always learn something. Thanks.

 

[Salmonmoocher12]

My 338 LM shoots the 300 smk great with 90gn. H1000. Did not like the 300gn bergers tho.