338 WM pet loads?

[matt85]

so i finally bought a rifle smaller then 416... dont tell the guys on the big bore thread! i picked up a Winchester supergrade in 338 WM and im wondering what you guys/girls use in your rifle.

what are your favorite loads for the 338 WM?

-matt

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

You going squirrel hunting or something?

 

[Royal27]

You going squirrel hunting or something?

 

[matt85]

You going squirrel hunting or something?

chipmunks, in WA they are truly fearsome critters!

 

[Mr. 16 gauge]

I'll have to go and look through my reloading data, but what I've found with my .338 is that it doesn't particulary like the "go-to" powders for that particular caliber; I have two loads with a 225 grain bullet; the Hornady SP likes IMR4320 and the Nosler accubond likes H4895. I've tried the various powders like H414, IMR4350, reloader 19, etc., but these two loads came out on top accuracy-wise.

When I get a moment to go and check data, I'll post the charge weights and other particulars.

 

[Mekaniks]

Congratulations Matt.

My favorite is Barnes 185g TSX in mine. And it likes to shoot them as well. Easy 1" groups and easy on the shoulder. IMR 4831 and CCI 250 about .020 off the lands.

I just bought some ttsx to load but haven't tried them yet. Expect them to be a lot like the regular TSX since Barnes says to use the same load data.

It seems like a lot of guys like 225g bullets but I didn't have very good luck with the Barnes 225 TSX that I tried. Although I will say I didn't try very hard. Just a couple different loads and then gave up and went back to the 185's that I know work for me.

When I was going buffalo hunting last year I moved up to factory Federal 250g Nosler Partions and my gun shot them well also. But when my buffalo hunt was over (unsuccessful for reasons unrelated) I went right back to my 185's.

For what it's worth.... Good luck and welcome to the .338 family

 

[matt85]

so far ive picked up 3 boxes of Hornady brass, a box of 225gr Nosler Accubond's, a box of 210gr Swift Scirocco II's, a Redding three die set, and a Lee factory crimp die.

ive used the 225gr Nosler Accubond factory 338 WM ammunition to take a impala and a wildebeest. i had borrowed the gun from another hunter (Win m70 super grade) due to some issues with my scope. i was very impressed with the rifle, the cartridge, and the Accubond bullet. so when i was faced with the need for a longer range rifle this rifle/cartridge was the first that came to mind.

im actually hoping i can find good accuracy pushing the Swift 210gr Scirocco II at around 3000fps. im a pretty big fan of Swift bullets and would like to try these on game. but im still curious as to what load every one else uses since things dont always go your way.

-matt

 

[Divernhunter]

You do not need the crimp die. I have never crimped mine and have not had any trouble. Shot 2 deer with a 210gr PAR and a number of animals in Africa with 225gr A-Frames. I have shot a coupe of ground squirrels using 200gr BT and 210 PAR bullets. .... no tracking required. Mine and my brothers have done well using max loads of IMR4350 and RL19. I will be testing the 210gr Swift SC and the 185gr Barnes TTSX bullets in the future. However nothing has ever got away when hit with the 210Gr PAR or 225Gr A-Frames

 

[matt85]

thanks Divernhunter, good to know the crimp die wont be needed. i buy those Lee crimp dies as a reflex since most of my guns have fairly heavy recoil.

-matt

 

[bassasdaindia]

congrats on a great caliber and great rifle . as you know we can't assist you with loads as we only have our local Somchem powder here , but I agree on your choice of bullet

 

[bassasdaindia]

@matt85 what scope did you finally settle on ?

 

[sestoppelman]

I took Hornady 225 Interbonds to Africa but they didn't perform very well so I cannot recommend them. Sierra's 250 shoots well in my rifle with R19 and H4831. For practice and just fun accurate shooting I have been shooting 200 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips with medium speed powders like H4895, 4064, R15 etc. They are accurate and easy to shoot, great for practice. BTW guys, I snagged a 5 lb keg of R19 on line at Powder Valley. They got some powder in so if you have been looking for powders give them a try. I have been looking for R19 for 2 years!

 

[matt85]

@matt85 what scope did you finally settle on ?

same one you use, the Leupold VX3 4.5-14x40.

i do need some R19 but i was hoping the local cabelas would get some in. i managed to pick up some R17 which the Swift manual says should work "ok". shipping powder is expensive and i dont want a 5 pound keg to start with.

-matt

 

[bassasdaindia]

the 4.5-14 is a great choice of scope for the 338 , it will serve you well and offer you many options

 

[sestoppelman]

The cost of the 5 lb keg was less than buying a 1 lb'r at the LGS with tax Matt. Even with the haz mat fees and shipping. You probably go to the Tulalip Cabelas as do I on occasion and they have gotten some powder in but no one around here has had any R19 in quite some time. I emailed Alliants about it and they said they are making it as fast as possible, but when I saw it on Powder Valley and just said to heck with it and got the 5 lb. keg.

 

[8x68]

so i finally bought a rifle smaller then 416... dont tell the guys on the big bore thread! i picked up a Winchester supergrade in 338 WM and im wondering what you guys/girls use in your rifle.

what are your favorite loads for the 338 WM?

-matt

How come you bought a pea-shooter. I thought you were looking at a 30mm cannon of somekind......

 

[8x68]

I have a Win M70 CRF Alaskan in .338WM. Haven't played with it much. Used to have an older style Win 70 in .338 (jeweled bolt style) which I ended up cracking the stock on. Shot too many heavy loads through it I guess.
The most accurate loads in my old rifle were with Sierra's 250gr btsp. I had shot various bullet weights from different manufacturers e.g Barnes, Hornady, Sierra, & Speer.
1st load (according to my notes that I did on my typewriter way back when) was 64.6gr's of IMR 4350, CCI 250 primers, WW brass, velocity was around 2500fps. Grouping at 100yds was 1".
2nd load was 70.2gr's of IMR 4350, CCI 250 primers, WW brass, velocity was around 2700fps. Grouping at 100yds was 1.3"
Heavier bullets were more accurate at min to mid-range velocity than zipping them out near max charge.
H4350 performed pretty well also with almost identical results.
Hornady SST's or GMX's didn't exist when I had my rifle. Would like to try some in my new rifle.

 

[matt85]

How come you bought a pea-shooter. I thought you were looking at a 30mm cannon of somekind......

hard to hit things at 200+ yards with the 505 Gibbs.

my real hope is to find good accuracy from the 210gr Swift Scirocco II's at around 2900-3000fps. my back up plan is to use 225gr Nosler Accubonds at 2800-2900. if those dont work then ill be looking at the 225gr North Fork SS or the 225gr Swift A-frame.

i need this rifle to fill my 200-400 yard needs for critters that i just cant get any closer to. my 416 RM fills my 0-200 yard needs pretty well with 300gr bullets at 2650fps.

-matt

 

[Buff-Buster]

Hey Matt. Been loading my .338 Win Mag since 83'. I use IMR 4350 exclusively. Mine loves Nosler Accubonds 180gr, Nosler Partitions 210gr and Barnes TSX 210gr. I load all with IMR 4350 with sub MOA results. I also seat my bullets within .002" of the rifling lands to increase the accuracy. It works.

 

[thriller]

my father shoots a 250 grain TTSX out of his and its what I killed my kudu bull with at 386 yards. This was a devastating punch on everything we shot it at. I love the gun and it shoots like a laser