Reloading suggestions for .338 Lapua

[Texas Republic]

L.I.D., Thanks. Yeah, I was thinking they'll have to be long. Do you remember how far off the lands you were with those 300's? Not sure on this, but does the 110 & 111 LRH hunter use the same barrel/chamber? Anyone know? Seems like more folks here have the 110 than the 111 LRH and am just trying to get ideas of where to start my loads if the chamber/barrel are the same.

I use to have the 110BA in 338 Lapua, but I sold it and bought the 111 LRH because of the weight difference. I hike A LOT when I hunt and the 110 was killing me going up mountains.

The reason more people tend to have the 110BA is because it came out before the 111...and I think also before the one Layinitdown has as well. I remember looking into the 338 lapua rifles that were under 2k, and my only choices were the 110BA or the Armalite model. Then Savage really got into them.

I am not sure what the chamber differences are, if any do exist. They shaved off metal somewhere though, because the 111 is HALF the weight. I miss that bolt on the 110BA. Man that was a fine looking gun.

 

[Texas Republic]

I remember reading a thread somewhere that was explaining what caused a certain grouping of shots to spread. Is there a way to tell what is needed in your reloading data to tighten a group?

 

[SidecarFlip]

I got Pressure signs with PPU brass at 91 gr of H1000. Ejecter marks and sticking bolt. 110 BA

No sticky or jambed case issues like I had had with Hornady Brass.

I believe that the pressure signs are indicative of the tight tolerance chamber more than inadequate brass.

I really appreciate your reply. I was ultimately curious as I am going to have close to 50+ unfired cases with pulled bullets, primers and powder in the trashcan. It pains me to trash the Vitavouri but what can I do.

I use to have the 110BA in 338 Lapua, but I sold it and bought the 111 LRH because of the weight difference. I hike A LOT when I hunt and the 110 was killing me going up mountains.

The reason more people tend to have the 110BA is because it came out before the 111...and I think also before the one Layinitdown has as well. I remember looking into the 338 lapua rifles that were under 2k, and my only choices were the 110BA or the Armalite model. Then Savage really got into them.

I am not sure what the chamber differences are, if any do exist. They shaved off metal somewhere though, because the 111 is HALF the weight. I miss that bolt on the 110BA. Man that was a fine looking gun.

I believe there is no difference other than bolt handle extension. The BA is just heavier all around with excess rails, more bottom metal and forestock and is more of a SWAT type rifle than a hunting rifle. Those things are absurdely heavy. The BA looks sinister. The 111 LRH looks industrial. I'll take svelte industrial over sinister anyday.

When I brought mine home, I took it out of the box, affixed a Harris 2 axis bipod and set it on the kitchen breakfast bar and my wife immediately made the indusrtial comment. I have lots of guns of all makes and in her opinion (always important), the 111 is the best looking of all, with the exception of my Kimber Crimson Ultra carry 45 auto.... That don't count, it's a pistol.

I like the bolt handle extension too but I don't want a lugs-your-arse rifle, I want a sporting firearm.

 

[Ultramag45]

Here is a group from yesterday 90.5 g retumbo with 300 g bergers 3.740 oal lapua brass.

what primer are you using with this load..thanksgun)

 

[RTK]

I'm not trying to be the downer guy here but if you are getting consistent 1/2 MOA groups out of a factory gun then you should be doing back flips in joy. If you find a load that is giving you consistent 1/2 MOA groups at 300 then I would take that load and stretch it out to further distances and see how it does.

I guess what I am trying to say is don't get pulling your hair out frustrated if you are shooting a half MOA group out of a factory rifle because that is pretty darn good. I am all for more testing and fun but 1/2 MOA out of a factory rifle? I won't be wasting anymore money on load development if I don't want to.

Good luck guys and have fun!

I agree, infact if you can hold 1/2MOA's throughout all shooting ranges consistantly I would be very happy.

Laynitdown-- How did that bear hunt turn out??

 

[Aldon]

It pains me to trash the Vitavouri but what can I do.

Well I see powder and primers as relatively cheap and would throw iprimers and powder out unless it is the powder I am aiming to eventually work up load for.

Bullets would depend......but would likely recycle for the 338LM or use in 338wm ammo.

A bunch of extra trouble to be sure.

Just a note, I have used around 100 PRVI factory rounds and have no issues with non-fires or primer issues.

 

[fastfire57]

I have a savage 110 fcp and started loads with the berger 300 hybrid. I've heard some great results with the 300 hybrid and retumbo, but where I needed the bullet seated, it wouldn't fit in my mag so I switched to the hornady 285 bthp.

My best group to date was actually with the 300 berger (1" at 400 yards), but like I said, it wouldn't fit in the mag.

Do you remember what the COL was when you got the best results with the 300gr Bergers?

I'm going to single feed mine.

Thanks

 

[snowpro440]

I really appreciate your reply. I was ultimately curious as I am going to have close to 50+ unfired cases with pulled bullets, primers and powder in the trashcan. It pains me to trash the Vitavouri but what can I do. .Flip , you can send those components to me since you don't like them an you have been compensated for them, that way you won't have that thorn in your side as a memory .

 

[SidecarFlip]

I really appreciate your reply. I was ultimately curious as I am going to have close to 50+ unfired cases with pulled bullets, primers and powder in the trashcan. It pains me to trash the Vitavouri but what can I do. .Flip , you can send those components to me since you don't like them an you have been compensated for them, that way you won't have that thorn in your side as a memory .

You are close enough I could meet you say half way and have lunch and give 'em to you. We could do say a Youngstown or a east Cleveland, Chardon or whatever floats you boat. The weather is nice so a motorcycle ride is always in order and it gives me an excuse to visit my dear friends in Middlefield, Ohio, right off 422 BTW.

I have I believe between 50 and 70 unfired rounds in PPU boxes left. I pulled a couple rounds apart and popped the live primers and interestingly, they didn't ignite. I quit fiddling with them for now. It's the load, rack the bolt, pull the trigger and click that bothers me. Sort of like playing Russian Roulette.

It's nice brass and the projectiles appear to be Lapua Scenar's, 250 grain flavor. Too bad the primers are garbage.

I see Cabelas (and other fine retailers (( I say that tongue-in-cheek)) are selling the stuff. Cabelas, Wideners, Midway.... who know who else.

Next will be the Ted Nugent endorsed ammo with the American Flag conspicuously draped over the box and imported ammo inside. Nugent disgusts me.

 

[bigry26]

what primer are you using with this load..thanksgun)

I am using CCI250 primers

 

[Texas Republic]

Had some decent results at the range yesterday. After becoming frustrated with Retumbo and the 300gr SMK, I decided to switch to H1000 and give it a go with the OCW method.
I am not sure why Retumbo wasnt working well in my rifle (Savage 111) when it seems to perform well in many other Savage chambers. I can say this though, the Savage chamber in my rifle is very temperamental with loads that approach the medium to max charge listed. It seems to prefer the lower charge levels I think.

So the pics below are some of the results that I got with the OCW method. I made a few errors while performing the test.

I wasnt able to wait for the barrel to completely cool down because I was running out of daylight. It would still be warm to the touch after ten minutes. Of course when the day time high is 107 degrees, barrels dont really cool much down here. I would say it was probably 85 degrees at dark when I finished.

I mistakenly shot charge 3 at the wrong target once, but I just scrapped that target and drew it in where it was suppose to be.

I also ran out of daylight to finish shooting my last test loads at target 3 and 4. However, after seeing the 3 shot grouping of loads #1 and #2, I figured it would be a waste of time finishing since I knew they wouldnt be as good. Right? We are looking for the tightest group that appears closest to the point of impact?

So from here...... I should select charge #1 (87.7gr) and load 3 rounds, add .5 grain to 87.7gr and load 3, and subtract .5 from 87.7gr and load 3. Performing the same test with these three loads will let me know which direction I should fine tune the load towards? Sound right?

Should I wait until the load is finalized before adjusting seating depths?

In case you cant read my handwriting, load #1 is:
H1000 87.7 gr.
Lapua Brass
Federal 215 Primer (target has typo)
OAL 3.680 (.054)
3 shot group at 100 yards

 

[green 788]

That target looks great... thanks for the confidence in the OCW method... when done right, it yields good results fast.

Is the .054 the distance from the lands? Just making sure...

You'll probably end up with something very close to 88 grains, which should give you between 2650 and 2700 fps I would say.

I have had great results with Retumbo at 89.3 grains pushing the 300 grain SMK's... CCI 250's and Lapua cases.

I haven't tried H1000, but obviously it's a great choice for this cartridge, especially with the 300 grain bullets.

My friend just bought the same rifle you have... it's just in the break in stages, but was shooting 3/4 MOA with Hornady factory 285's... so it's going to be a real tight shooter as well, I'm sure.

These Savage 338LM's are pretty amazing... the Sakos have nothing on them for accuracy, that's for sure.

Dan

 

[Texas Republic]

Dan

Is the .054 the distance from the lands? Just making sure..
....Yes. That is correct. I used the Hornady LocknLoad OAL gauge and consistently measured 3.734" sitting on the lands. I believe I did it right, but I have been mistaken a time or two with reloading.

I have a couple questions regarding the OCW process with this rifle:

Do my plans for making the decreased and increased loads sound right for fine tuning the load?

Do I mess with head spacing yet, or wait until I finalized my powder charge?

Dan, please let me know how the break in/reloading process on that rifle goes. I have had groups like the ones above before with the 250gr SMK, but couldnt replicate them again for some unknown reason. I think it was because of that ***** hornady brass. Anyhow..I am a little frustrated that it took me this long to have a decent group with this rifle. I believe the problem lies with my limited knowledge of reloading more than anything else.



Would cleaning the barrel every 20 rounds be adequate for continuing the break in process? I have 100-150 rounds through it so far I believe. To be sure I get it clean, I usually run one patch of sweets 7.62 down the tube and clean it out well with several dry patches. I then run one patch with Hopps solvent, followed by several dry patches. It has always worked well with my other rifles, but I never had to clean them as often as this.

I ordered a neck turner and pilot from Midway and plan on trying to get my Hornady brass working again just in case I need some in a pinch. Dan, have you had to neck turn your lapua brass any yet? I only purchased 50 lapua brass, so I am fixing to be on reload number 3 with them. I assume I will need to reduce the neck wall thickness at some point so I wont eventually run into the same issue as with the Hornady brass. Do I assume correctly?

Has anyone neck sized the lapua brass after shooting it out of a Savage rifle? I tried it with mine, however the bolt was very stiff on every load so I went back to FL sizing. Went much smoother after FL sizing.

Just got finished clearing my 900 yard range today. First yellow target at 100 yards to your left, 200 yards to the right, 400 yards left, 600 right, 900 straight back. 1000 yards was at the base of the cliff and isn't visible. I ranged the top of the cliff to be 1045 yards. I guess I could always place a target on top of there, but the shot would have a little more elevation to it. I just gotta keep an eye out for the livestock in that pasture. LOL. Hopefully I can get yall some good data on this rifle and caliber at that distance. The only problem I found with my setup was that my DPMS LR-308 I shot today was passing clean through my steel target plates up to 400 yards away with SMK. Pic below is at 200 yards. I need to replace them with the harder steel made for taking rifle rounds. Anyone happen to know the name of that classification of metal?

 

[green 788]

nice pics...

AR500 is the steel you want... it's about 800 bucks for a 4x8 sheet around here. But it'll take the 338LM at 400 yards and beyond. Some say 300... I wouldn't want to risk that.

I don't really like neck turning brass, but in the case of the Hornady, and the Savage's tight necked chamber, it wouldn't be a bad idea to knock a little off those necks. They are thick enough (speaking strictly for my 338, my friend's 338, and the Hornady brass we have worked with so far) that you can honestly seat another bullet in there and it'll hold it... with the Lapua, the bullets slip through the necks of fired cases easily, as they should.

You say work with the "headspace." You mean seating depth, I'm sure. I do seating depth adjustments after identifying the right powder charge through the OCW process. Once you know your powder charge, you can work the bullet in/out in .005" increments... and you will also find that you can tune your cold, clean bore shot to stay sub half MOA with follow up shots--if you use the right seating depth...

...and provided you don't clean too much. Check this video... this is a guy after my own heart I've got to say.

Magpul The Art of the Precision Rifle - Cold Bore vs. Clean bore - YouTube

Had I seen someone as authoritative as Todd say this way back when, I could have saved a lot of trouble and money cleaning the hades out of my barrels. I think Todd is right, and I'm encouraged to hear the round counts he is getting on his custom barrels. I'll go with a custom after this Savage barrel throws in the towel, but it shoots too darned good now to mess with it.

Good luck... I'll post info on my friend's new 338LM as it comes in. He's working with seating depth right now, having ID'd the powder charge already (same as the powder charge I use, it turns out... 89.3 grains Retumbo with the 300's)...

Dan