338 Win Mag Reloder 26

[PapaSmurff]

I haven't seen much posted on any of the forums recently about using RL-26 in the 338 Win Mag so I thought I would share some results with everyone. I just finished a 2 day loading spree with my Blaser R8 caliber 338 Win Mag semi-weight 25.5" long barrel using RL-26. I tried 2 different bullets: Berger 250 Elite hunters and Hornady 270 ELD-X's. I've read that RL-26 is too slow for the 338 win mag and while it is a slow burn rate for this caliber here's a few things to note. Mine is a SAAMI chamber I'm assuming being that it is a brand new semi-weight barrel from Blaser 1 in 10" twist rate. I seated my bullets long, like .010-.030" off the lands for my testing so that I could get the adequate amount of RL-26 in the case to keep my right around 60,000-62,000 psi according to Quickloads. My best loads with the 250 Bergers I was loading 79 grains of RL-26 with a cartridge overall length of 3.614" and it was a little compressed I could tell but not too bad. That load was yielding 2,890 FPS average. The accuracy was either really good or not good at all, so I switched to the 270 ELD-X and that's when the magic happened. My cartridge overall length with the 270's is 3.531" (.007" off the lands in my rifle) loading 77.0 grains of RL-26 giving me a single digit ES speed of 2,745 FPS. According to quickloads it is only 103% compressed and is nearly spot on the velocity predictions. It is now shooting around .3 MOA groups at ranges out to 600 yards is as far as I've tested so far. No pressure signs whatsoever on any of the brass. Quickloads says I should be at 61,113 psi which is around 1,000 psi below SAAMI max for this cartridge. Now all that being said you can not get that much powder in the case of the 338 Win Mag unless your seating your bullets almost all the way to the lands. But if you do that then RL-26 can certainly turn the 338 Winchester Magnum into a potent long range elk cartridge for sure!

 

[memtb]

I wonder how it would work with a 225 Barnes TTSX! memtb

 

[PapaSmurff]

I wonder how it would work with a 225 Barnes TTSX! memtb

I think it would be way too compressed most likely. Even the 250's were getting compressed it seemed but still doable. But the 270's seemed jusssst about right!

 

[PapaSmurff]

I wonder how it would work with a 225 Barnes TTSX! memtb

Yeah, I just looked it up on Quickloads and the 225 TTSX's would be way compressed and wouldn't ever pressure up hardly using RL-26. I'd say that 250's are where RL-26 becomes a good option. And trust me, those 250 Bergers going right at 2,900 fps were ringing the heck out of my steel targets with 79 grains of 26 pushing them. Mine just was more consistent with 270 ELD-X's going 2,745 is why I chose that load in the end. Probably could've pushed them on up to 2,800 fps without any problems at all I think but I figured 2,745 with fantastic accuracy was plenty from a 338 Win Mag.

 

[memtb]

Yeah, I just looked it up on Quickloads and the 225 TTSX's would be way compressed and wouldn't ever pressure up hardly using RL-26. I'd say that 250's are where RL-26 becomes a good option. And trust me, those 250 Bergers going right at 2,900 fps were ringing the heck out of my steel targets with 79 grains of 26 pushing them. Mine just was more consistent with 270 ELD-X's going 2,745 is why I chose that load in the end. Probably could've pushed them on up to 2,800 fps without any problems at all I think but I figured 2,745 with fantastic accuracy was plenty from a 338 Win Mag.

We're using RL 22 in my wife's .338 WM….getting us at 2950mv! It works pretty good on game! memtb

 

[MagnumManiac]

Why are scared of compressed loads?
I run 78g of RL19, the most efficient powder in the 338WM, with 225g Accubonds, and it is compressed enough that the powder clumps if you pull a bullet. No pressure issues at all and the bullets do not back out at all. Yes, you can hear the crunch when you seat bullets, but I use a different charging technique than most.

Cheers.

 

[memtb]

Why are scared of compressed loads?
I run 78g of RL19, the most efficient powder in the 338WM, with 225g Accubonds, and it is compressed enough that the powder clumps if you pull a bullet. No pressure issues at all and the bullets do not back out at all. Yes, you can hear the crunch when you seat bullets, but I use a different charging technique than most.

Cheers.

I started to mention that, but a lot of folks avoid heavily compressed loads.

Quite a few years ago, I was using RL 19 (96.5 grains) under a 270 grain Barnes TSX….which I had a lot of and wanted a slower powder for the load! Using a drop tube, the tapping lightly on the case before lifting the drop tube, left the powder level "just below" the case mouth! The first time I seated a bullet…..I bulged the case! NOW THAT'S a COMPRESSED LOAD! I quickly learned to seat the bullet "very slowly" and it could be done! Though in retrospect…..I don't recommend the practice! memtb

 

[PapaSmurff]

Why are scared of compressed loads?
I run 78g of RL19, the most efficient powder in the 338WM, with 225g Accubonds, and it is compressed enough that the powder clumps if you pull a bullet. No pressure issues at all and the bullets do not back out at all. Yes, you can hear the crunch when you seat bullets, but I use a different charging technique than most.

Cheers.

I'm not afraid of compressed loads; the loads I'm shooting with 270 ELD's and also with the 250 Bergers abs RL-26 are both compressed. The 250 Bergers are compressed enough that when I turn my micrometer seating die down .010" it only seats them about .007" because of the pressure. And I'm sure I could go up another grain or grain and a half more with each load safely if I wanted to. The accuracy at those velocities for each bullet that I talked about is really good right where it is however. And I suppose you could run 225's with RL-26 just fine, I was just stating to be a where of a lot more compression needed to attain good working pressures so people would know that. Nothing wrong with compressed loads in my opinion but I generally as a rule of thumb prefer my loads 105% or less compressed if possible, just my personal preference.

 

[44-40]

My go to hunting load for factory 338 Mag 24" barreled hunting rifle is 275 gr bullet 75.6 gr RL 26 velocity 2671 fps.

 

[Mike Matteson]

I haven't seen much posted on any of the forums recently about using RL-26 in the 338 Win Mag so I thought I would share some results with everyone. I just finished a 2 day loading spree with my Blaser R8 caliber 338 Win Mag semi-weight 25.5" long barrel using RL-26. I tried 2 different bullets: Berger 250 Elite hunters and Hornady 270 ELD-X's. I've read that RL-26 is too slow for the 338 win mag and while it is a slow burn rate for this caliber here's a few things to note. Mine is a SAAMI chamber I'm assuming being that it is a brand new semi-weight barrel from Blaser 1 in 10" twist rate. I seated my bullets long, like .010-.030" off the lands for my testing so that I could get the adequate amount of RL-26 in the case to keep my right around 60,000-62,000 psi according to Quickloads. My best loads with the 250 Bergers I was loading 79 grains of RL-26 with a cartridge overall length of 3.614" and it was a little compressed I could tell but not too bad. That load was yielding 2,890 FPS average. The accuracy was either really good or not good at all, so I switched to the 270 ELD-X and that's when the magic happened. My cartridge overall length with the 270's is 3.531" (.007" off the lands in my rifle) loading 77.0 grains of RL-26 giving me a single digit ES speed of 2,745 FPS. According to quickloads it is only 103% compressed and is nearly spot on the velocity predictions. It is now shooting around .3 MOA groups at ranges out to 600 yards is as far as I've tested so far. No pressure signs whatsoever on any of the brass. Quickloads says I should be at 61,113 psi which is around 1,000 psi below SAAMI max for this cartridge. Now all that being said you can not get that much powder in the case of the 338 Win Mag unless your seating your bullets almost all the way to the lands. But if you do that then RL-26 can certainly turn the 338 Winchester Magnum into a potent long range elk cartridge for sure!

Interesting and following.

 

[PapaSmurff]

I just shot 78 grains across my magneto speed with the 270's to get a velocity and to check for pressure. It came out to 2,777 fps and no visible high pressure signs were present. That's one grain more than I have been shooting and 30 more fps. Quickloads is telling me that it should be around 64,000 psi which isn't unsafe in my opinion but that's about as high as I feel comfortable going for this powder bullet combo still. The load I have is plenty accurate but I might put a few rounds down range with 78 grains tomorrow morning just to see how it shoots. Will report back with my results.

 

[memtb]

I just shot 78 grains across my magneto speed with the 270's to get a velocity and to check for pressure. It came out to 2,777 fps and no visible high pressure signs were present. That's one grain more than I have been shooting and 30 more fps. Quickloads is telling me that it should be around 64,000 psi which isn't unsafe in my opinion but that's about as high as I feel comfortable going for this powder bullet combo still. The load I have is plenty accurate but I might put a few rounds down range with 78 grains tomorrow morning just to see how it shoots. Will report back with my results.

You've got a bit more barrel length than my wife's rifle. We have plenty of RL 26, but wonder if we could justify the small velocity gains that we may get! Maybe if we were 20 years younger and hunting as much as we used to! But, one can fantasize…..can't they!

Let us know what kind of accuracy you get in your experiments! memtb

 

[Mike Matteson]

it made me to check up on my on going rifle build in 338 WM rifle. He findly got the barrel monunted. To my suprise it's a heavier barrel than what I was thinking and longer too. So when I go get it. It will be in 28" plus muzzle brake. I don't know how going to win. The rifle or me. I am now 75 yr old. I had started this rifle in 2016. It's one of those hurry up and wait. Jobs. or at least I am able to about it.

 

[PapaSmurff]

So I shot some at 600 yards today with 78 grains of RL-26 and it shot decent but not as consistent at 77 grains did. So then I decided I'd try one more grain up to 79 grains. And I'm seating the bullets only .003" off jam into the lands. It shot just as about accurate at the 77 grain load going 2,745 fps did. Except when loaded up to 79 grains it jumped up in velocity to 2,820 fps. Below is a picture of the first 4 shot group I shot with it this afternoon at 100 yards. I can see a slight ejector mark on the brass at 79 grains but it shot pretty darn well and 2,820 fps is moving for a 270 ELD out of a 338 Win Mag. I just have to decide now if I leave it at 2,820 or go back to 77 for 2,745. Probably gonna have to do a shoot off with both loads at 600 yards as soon as the wind calms down to see which shoots more accurate.