Update-on-338-Yogi-Project

[Fiftydriver]

Just curious how you know they are the same cases? I do not know the man and do not wish to offend so if you stand behind his honesty I will take what you say as the truth, still amazing but will give him the benefit of the doubt.

I see that with this load, a 240 gr loaded to 2950 fps is pretty mild stuff. VERY mild in fact if he is using a barrel of at least 30". I was getting over 3200 fps pretty easily in my 300 AX with upper end loads so this explains quite a bit. Makes sense as well as a target shooter is less concerned about ultra performance whereas me as a big game hunter wants all the performance I can get as long as consistancy and accuracy hold true.

Thanks for the info, sheds some light on the subject, still that is an amazing amount of firings per case.

I assume those cases have outlasted several barrels.....???

Kirby Allen(50)

 

[Steve Shelp]

Kirby,
Haven't been on here in awhile and decided to check tonight and I see this thread. I haven't stood behind Tom everytime he loaded his rounds either so I can't say for sure that he has that many firings. But I personally don't have any reason to doubt his word at this point either.

But I can give you actual numbers from my own 338 Yogi experience though. When I unscrewed my last 338 barrel off of my competition HG class rifle some of the original 100 Lapua cases had 20 firings on them and were still going. No extraction problems at all. I purchased them in 1999 when I had my 338 Yogi built. Of those original cases 94 are still shootable after multiple barrels. I keep very good records of all of this. So I can vouch for at least 20 firings.

You are right in that these are target rifles and I wasn't looking for maximum horsepower. I shot up to 98gr of R25 with the 300gr bullet and 96gr of H1000 wih 210 and 215 primers. But my accuracy loads during the summer temps here in the SE were normally 95gr of R25 and 94gr of H1000 if memory serves we correctly.

I had some Norma case also that I got 6-8 firings out of before I lost the primer pockets using the same loads. Dave Tooley sets up his dies to minimum full length resize and slight bump on the shoulder for every sizing. I'm sure that played into the equations also.

Boy I miss shooting that monster! Watching sod fly around at 1000yds on impact is fun to watch. Whenever someone gets BR quality bullets for 338 I've got a barrel sitting in the corner with only 150rds on it ready to go. I know Berger is working on some.

Hope this sheds some light,
Steve

 

[Fiftydriver]

Steve,

Thanks for the information, very interesting for sure!!! Great case life.

I would agree and mirror your experience with the norma cases. Great quality but to **** soft. Nothing like the Lapua cases. I have yet to loosen a primer pocket on a Lapua case and I will admit to pushing them pretty hard in testing many of my Allen Magnum and Allen Xpress rounds.

Thanks again for your information.

Kirby Allen(50)

 

[Chawlston]

I-should-be-able-to-get-3050fps-to-3100fps-with-the-300grn-MK-out-of-the-36"-pipe.

I-will-post-pics-as-soon-as-I-receive-her.

Wildcat

With the 36" barrel, you should get real close to 3100 w/ the 300SMK bullets. I have a 30" version and get 3000 with mine. Of course, mine does not weigh anything close to yours.

Chawlston

 

[Yogishooter]

.300 Hulk

First of all I want to thank those who have stood behind me on the records andall the support I have recieved from shooters and manufactures. I also want to apologize for not responding sooner to some forums and or threads I've been covered and not just getting caught up.

As for the Hulk's brass life....
The day the records were broke that was the 58th firing on the brass I originally made up for the rifle. Now they have 62 firings ONLY on them and they are retired as of now. They still work but a few are starting to show signs of not wanting to give me uniform neck tension after annealing for some reason. I'm not worried because they were a experimentfor me as was the cartridge itself. No extraction problems at all ever unless it was really hot hot and I may have got a stick bolt now and then. Primer pockets are still snug also. This is all fact for I have no reason to mis inform or mislead anyone for any reason. Some rumors of me trying to cash in because of the records is simply not true. I have had a couple of interested partys before that. These were all just tests for a cartridge that has worked awesome from day one. I really could care less if I ever make a dime on the thing or not or the records. Yes, in the back of my head sometime ago thought it would be an oportunity at some point like the 300wsm's fire storm it caused. I'm no Dave Tooley and I respect his awesome series of cartridges he has developed and I used him as an inspiration for that matter. I have sold a few of these rifles chambered in the Hulk and they just simply work. This is a great cartridge but is not for everyone. It has a special purpose and does the job well. I just happen to use it to shoot benchrest too.

Steve,

Nice seeing you at the Nationals I wish we could have talked more but I kinda kept to myself I was in lots of pain and medication. No excuss for my lously performance on the line. The Hulks recoil proved to be too much for my severly torn peck but I still had fun to some degree. Hope to see you here in OHIO for the '08 1000 yard Nationals.

Thanks,
Tom

 

[Steve Shelp]

Tom,
Hope you are getting better. Dealing with some health issues myself. Another reason for taking this shooting season off. But I couldn't miss the Nationals. We had fun out in SD at the 600yd Nationals also the following weekend.
Don't worry about the bad shooting. That was the first time I had pulled the triggers on both of my rifles sinse Hawks Ridge at the Natioanls in '06. So I wasn't prepared at all.
I had a bad scope on my LG and it finally showed it true colors. I got a 3"-4" group with only 3 of the shots on paper for target #2. And I never hit outside the 10 ring for the last 4 sighters. And Dave was watching through the big-eyes and saw this. But at least I finally found the true issues that has plaqued my LG for awhile now. Scope, 1/2gr in load, and bullet jackets!! All of those bullets that came apart were metallurgy issues with jackets or jackets that were way out-of-round.
On the last HG target I had made further adjustments and finally put a decent HG group down there. So it was tuned for the 600yd Nationals and did pretty well with it in SD. Finally brought some wood/patches home after a 2-3yr drought.

I'll always be there for the Nationals! Plus now that I beleive I have found all the gremlins that have plaqued me for several years now.... I might just be competitive again. But time will tell.

Talk to you later!
Steve

 

[edge]

Sorry-guys-my-Space-bar-is-broken-My-wife-spilled-water-on-the-key-board SNIP it-will-be-going-out-for-repair-soon.

Wildcat

Try as you might, sending your wife out for repair is generally a hopeless task. They are as they are, just accept it

 

[wildcat]

Hello all, well I really miss my 338 Yogi. It was a beautiful rifle. I had to sell her because I fell on some hard times. However, I am cuurently building up my collection again. I am currenlty having a 6BR built and a 300 WSM Varminter too.

However, my super long range rifle will be built be none other than Dave Tooley. I think I am going to build a 30/338 Yogi. I would like a 338/408 Cheytec based chamber, however, I am not sure if Dave has started designing anything around the 408 case.

I know Clay Spencer has a 338/408 Cheytec Improved reamer. However, I want Dave to build this rifle. I will e-mail him today and find out if he is designing anything based off the 408 Cheytec. Maybe you guys know if he is, if he is, please let me know.

Anyone thinking about building a top notch Super accurate long range rifle, should look no further than Dave Tooley.

Dave is one of the top Gunsmiths in the United States. He has proven that he is capable of building Championship rifles year in and year out.

Wildcat

 

[wildcat]

Edge, tell me about it!

 

[Steve Shelp]

Wildcat,
Dave and I are good friends. We talk often and I've never heard him talk about developing any 408 based widlcats at all. I could be wrong, just never heard him talk about them or seem anything around the shop.

Nothing wrong with a 300 Yogi either. That is a lot of horsepower and Scott Fletcher is having good success with it in competition the last couple of years. Tom Sarver has had success in the past with it also.

You can't go wrong with Dave's work. The records his rifles have set and the number of championships they have won speak for themselves.

Steve

 

[wildcat]

Steve, thanks for the info. I e-mailed Dave, and he e-mailed my back with some good info. He informed me he is not building anything off the 408 case.

I am going to have Dave build my 300 Yogi. I have two projects going right know, so once those are done, I will send Dave a deposite. I have had three rifles built buy Dave, he is an excellent smith. His work is top notch.

Wildcat