338 Lapua

[Elk868]

Hello

I plan to hunt with my sako trg s in 338 Lapuamag . scope is an nightforce nxs and it was customized with an 72 cm match grade barrel .
Now i try to create a load for it .
i thinked about to use barnes bullets (200-250 grains)
somebody an idea where to start at ?

thx a lot
gun)

 

[DM770]

250 would be my starting point. Big, heavy bullets moving at a good speed is what the 338 LM is all about. You will also get better BC out of the larger round because it has a different profile and you will find that the better BCs will out run the light bullets at longer ranges.

 

[Elk868]

thank you for your answer DM770. i plan to use Barnes bullets . Either 225 grain TTSX or 250 grains TSX . As far i seen the 225 bullets are extremly accurate already . i used 90 grain H1000.
Sadly i run out of bullets and they are hard to get here .
regards
Elk868

 

[scrmblr1982cj8]

Are there other bullets that you can find? It might be easier to tailor a load to what you can find rather than a load for a bullet that is hard to get.

 

[azsugarbear]

Servus Elk686! Es ist schon lange her, seitdem ich in Oesterreich war. Herzliches Wilkomen.

OK Gents, Elk686 is from Austria where there is very little public land available. So I'm guessing there will not be much opportunity to stretch the legs of his 338 Lapua, unless he lives close to a shooting range catering to long range shooters. So bullet BC isn't going to be as big a concern for him as it is for us. The largest game animal in Austria would be the Hirsch, or red stag - something close to our elk. I believe most all hunting opportunities will be found on private game preserves.

Like scrmblr suggested: I would go with a 250 grain bullet that is easy to buy in your area. With the extreme power of a 338 Lapua, you don't have to focus on loading premium bullets in order to get great terminal performance. Barnes is an excellent choice, but if they are hard to find, then try the Nosler Accubond or even some of the Hornady SST. Over here, the Berger and Sierra offerings seem to be popular in the 338 Lapua.

Nosler's reloading book suggests a starting load of 90.0 gr. of H-1000 for the 338 Lapua with a 250 gr. bullet and a max load of 94.0 gr. The most accurate load in their test rifle was with 94.0 gr. Like most big magnums, they seem to perform best when their cases are full. Viel Gluck!

 

[Elk868]

@ azsugarbear: danke für dein herlzliches willkommen .
And azsugarbear is correct . we are a bit limited in what we can do . I m glad i have a place for Long range Shooting Close to me ( around 35 km away) and this at an reasonable Price . Lots People here would travel a couple hundred km to have this Chance .
and mostly if i try to order american powder or bullets i get the answer us companys not deliever or you have to wait Ages . 3 months are nearly common .
the second bad thing is we sometimes pay the double of your Price in euro .
at Moment i stick with the barnes bullets because i plan to go elk hunt in Canada and i want to use a rifle wich is able to take all at (nearly ) all distances .
when the load is done i will test it up to 1000 m distance .
and i love Magnums . i own a wichester 70 /300 wm a steyr 8x68S and the customized sako trg s in 338 Lapua
at 250 m i got really nice Group with 90 gr H1000 and 225 gr Barnes TTSX OAL 89mm
thanks all for help
i will work that out and also give the 250 gr Barnes TSX a Chance
Elk868

 

[600BP]

You may also try Cutting Edge Bullets in your lapua. I had been using 225Gr TTSX bullets in my 338 Remington Ultra mag. Velocities are very close between the two calibers.

I switched to Cutting Edge bullets, however, because of the very high BC even for the 225 and 252 grain projectiles. I know they distribute them in Europe. Load data will be about the same, and if you have any questions they will reply to your email.

Best of Luck
Erik

 

[Elk868]

hello 600BP
well i think if i ask for cutting edge bullets the guys in shop would say : ähm urgh what u want ??
they even more unknown then the Barnes bullets . but i might make a test
just to see what happens . but i see them already rolling eyes hehehe
for me it is one Hand fun on other Hand it is frustrating . i will start to order bigger amount of each or get me an Import license for make direct orders hehe
Elk868

 

[Elk868]

Hello all
at least i found cutting edge bullets at shop in Germany .
50 box - 338 " - 252 grain - for 153.10 €
what to say about ?
i stay with barnes bullet s - much cheaper and work great
Elk868