Powder Too Slow?

[Kevin]

Ok as some of you may remember I have a 338-300WSM handgun with a 15.5 in barrel. So last fall I quickly worked up a load that shot good - 63gr N-165 - 300SMK at 2100 fps. Now that I finally have some time I have been working to increase the velocity. Unfortunatly my chrony has been out of order untill today. So I had been increasing my loads by .2gr increments and am now at 65gr of N-165. But today when I got the chrony back working the loads were still at 2100fps. The only difference other than the powder charge is that the brass I have most recetly shot was reloaded once. So was there that much of a powder capacity increase from the reloaded cases, I only neck sized them. Or do you think that the powder is too slow and any additional powder is not getting burned anyway. Also do you think that I should be using magnum primers with this? I think I probably should be but for some reason I just haven't used them.

[Fiftydriver]

I would say your powder is to slow. I use Rl-15 in my 338 WSM with 225 gr bullets and get 2600 fps. My main load was using the 180 gr Ballistic Tip using Rl-15 which was good for 2950 fps.

Rl-15 would probably be to fast for the 300 gr SMK but it may well suprise you. Other then that I would look hard at powders such as H-380, H-414 or H-4350. These are all significantly quicker then 165 and should be a better match in the 338 bore with a 15" class barrel.

Kirby Allen(50)

[Kevin]

50, Thanks for the info, thats pretty much what I thought. Also, what primers are you using?

[Fiftydriver]

If you use stick powders I would not use anything hotter then say a CCI-250 primer. Generally unless your hunting in very cold temps the standard Large Rifle primers work best with this round in my experience, no need for a real hot primer with 65 or so gr of powder.

I generally use CCI-200 in my WSM handguns, 6.5mm and 338 WSM.

Good luck, let us know how they shoot!!

Kirby Allen(50)

[Kevin]

Ok I'll stick with the CCI-200's. Beautifull day today! I've got some H-4350 loaded up, so we'll see how that goes.

[Kevin]

I have been working up loads for the past few days. H4350 is getting closer and closer to the preformance I desire. I started at 56gr-1960fps, and am now at 61gr-2174fps. I am not sure how much higher I can go. I still have plenty of case capacity but I think I detected a little stiffer bolt lift on my last shot (not sure though). The extreme spread is rather large which is a little dissapointing.

Also, sorry this topic did not end up in handloading section, not sure what I was thinking. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[Fiftydriver]

At times a magnum primer will help tighten up extreme spreads in a handgun length barrel. I genreally do not use them with this case capacity but will admit they can be used to tighten up extreme spreads. Around 2200 fps in a handgun length barrel may be all you will get. May want to try H-4831, Rl-19 or 22 but you may be there.

Kirby Allen(50)