Long Time Long Ranger
Well-Known Member
I tested the 225 grain D62 Cutting Edge bullet .64 bc over the weekend in one of my 338-300 RUM's. This rifle was built when I was developing the cartridge back in late 1998 and throated to shoot the new 300 SMK I was helping test for Sierra. I tested several throats with different rifling and bullets to see what was optimum for the cartridge. This rifle has a 28" 1-10 twist three groove Pac-Nor barrel on a Sako action. I pull this rifle out on occasion to test new bullets coming out since it has always been a shooter. The way this barrel was throated the 225 CE made contact at 4.07" oal. The bullets were loaded at 4.045" oal.
I tried loads of 102, 103 and 104 grains of Retumbo at this seating depth. All shot very well up close at the 400 yard target. The 102 and 103 grain loads were mild in this rifle and the 104 grain load hit just right. All had extremely low velocity spreads under 10 fps. The 104 grain load shot a 1.1" group at 400 yards with a velocity spread of 4 fps so I decided to take that one to 1000 yards. It shot the best 1000 yard group I can remember in this rifle ever. I had four bullets and they shot 3376, 3374, 3379 and 3377 fps. The group measured 4.63" at the 1000 yard target.
For guys looking for an alternative to the heavy kicking 300 grainers this bullet offers several benefits over the 300 SMK the rifle was built for. It kicks quite a bit less and shoots better in the wind with a huge advantage in drop to well beyond where anyone would be shooting at game with a reasonable chance to hit it. For instance at 1200 yards this bullet combination has 110 inches less drop and 3.5" less wind drift than the 300 grainer. The accuracy load with the 300 SMK shoots 2812 fps in this rifle for comparison. This puts you in the critical kill zone for a few more yards at long range as your bullet drops through it. I would suggest this bullet as one to try if your looking for every advantage when you get that once in a lifetime shot at a true trophy animal. The accuracy of these perfect cnc cut bullets are amazing. I have tried them in several rifles now and all have shot extreme accuracy. The only drawback is that they are expensive. However for the guy who is looking for a top bullet for his hunting rifle to work up a good load and hunt with it the cost is negligible and well worth it. They would get expensive for target shooting.
I tried loads of 102, 103 and 104 grains of Retumbo at this seating depth. All shot very well up close at the 400 yard target. The 102 and 103 grain loads were mild in this rifle and the 104 grain load hit just right. All had extremely low velocity spreads under 10 fps. The 104 grain load shot a 1.1" group at 400 yards with a velocity spread of 4 fps so I decided to take that one to 1000 yards. It shot the best 1000 yard group I can remember in this rifle ever. I had four bullets and they shot 3376, 3374, 3379 and 3377 fps. The group measured 4.63" at the 1000 yard target.
For guys looking for an alternative to the heavy kicking 300 grainers this bullet offers several benefits over the 300 SMK the rifle was built for. It kicks quite a bit less and shoots better in the wind with a huge advantage in drop to well beyond where anyone would be shooting at game with a reasonable chance to hit it. For instance at 1200 yards this bullet combination has 110 inches less drop and 3.5" less wind drift than the 300 grainer. The accuracy load with the 300 SMK shoots 2812 fps in this rifle for comparison. This puts you in the critical kill zone for a few more yards at long range as your bullet drops through it. I would suggest this bullet as one to try if your looking for every advantage when you get that once in a lifetime shot at a true trophy animal. The accuracy of these perfect cnc cut bullets are amazing. I have tried them in several rifles now and all have shot extreme accuracy. The only drawback is that they are expensive. However for the guy who is looking for a top bullet for his hunting rifle to work up a good load and hunt with it the cost is negligible and well worth it. They would get expensive for target shooting.
Last edited: