Reloading suggestions for .338 Lapua

[LayinItDown]

well if they were sticking when you had pressure signs from seating into the lands causing a pressure spike.. i would say that lapua brass probably would have done the same thing... overpressure is overpressure no matter what case you run with.... were they still sticking after you backed the oal off? if not then i'd say you were at the ragged edge of you pressure max with 87.5grs and seating them out closer or into the lands is pushing your pressure over max... if they are still sticking no matter if you are at your low powder charge end or at the top end then i would look more at the brass or maybe your resizing technique or dies as the problem....

orch

The problem must have been too close to the lands. Once I backed it off, it was fine. I was shooting 89 grains at 3.71 oal and after about 2 or 3 rounds, the bolt started to get a little sticky. So now I'm at 3.713 with 87.5. If I get a chance to print a group at 600, I'll be sure to post a pic. Thanks.......

 

[SidecarFlip]

These .338 Lapua (416 Necked down Rigby) rounds are touchy, especially in the Savage chamber. While I'm still touching off factory (Lapua and HSM stuff) yet, unlike my lowly .223's, I can see this will be an exercise in adjusrments once I start handloading.

Just want a couple hundred cases in the coffee can prior to doing any fiddling

This is a great thread for knowledge and experience.

 

[barnesuser28]

These .338 Lapua (416 Necked down Rigby) rounds are touchy, especially in the Savage chamber. While I'm still touching off factory (Lapua and HSM stuff) yet, unlike my lowly .223's, I can see this will be an exercise in adjusrments once I start handloading.

Just want a couple hundred cases in the coffee can prior to doing any fiddling

This is a great thread for knowledge and experience.

Actually it is not a 416 rigby necked down to 338. While it is very close Lapua had to design a whole new case with thicker walls to withstand the pressures need to reach the original velocity goal

 

[jackem]

These .338 Lapua (416 Necked down Rigby) rounds are touchy, especially in the Savage chamber. While I'm still touching off factory (Lapua and HSM stuff) yet, unlike my lowly .223's, I can see this will be an exercise in adjusrments once I start handloading.

Just want a couple hundred cases in the coffee can prior to doing any fiddling

This is a great thread for knowledge and experience.

Excellent thread! SidecarFlip, How is the factory ammo shooting?

Thanks,

Jack

 

[SidecarFlip]

Actually it is not a 416 rigby necked down to 338. While it is very close Lapua had to design a whole new case with thicker walls to withstand the pressures need to reach the original velocity goal

I'll stand corrected. Lets just say a big brass colored supposotory.....

Excellent thread! SidecarFlip, How is the factory ammo shooting?

Thanks,

Jack

Not bad, but then I'm just farting around and breaking in the tube. I think my favorite is the Lapua/Lapua with Lockbase projectiles (and the most costly by far), next comes the HSM loaded Lapua brass with bergers, then comes the Hornady and dead last and cheapest is the PPU. I can't ever depend on the PPU after having no-fires. I've popped a bunch of bullets and dumped the powder from quite a few no fires. That adds to my collection of brass... I bought 4/20 boxes prior to getting the rifle and hats off to Cabelas for getting my money back for all 4 boxes. Cheap is never good, well cheap compared to Lapua/Lapua....... Might as well bang 'em......

I'm probably going to settle down with the HSM/Berger in Lapua brass and bench it at 200 in the near future. I want to get a hundred 'fun rounds' down the tube first before getting serious.

I let my range buds touch it off. Just don't stand next to it. The brake is wicked..... One of our shooters is in his 80's (he's good BTW with his Anschutz) and he wanted to fire the 338 but was real aprehensive because he thought the recoil was wicked even though I assured him it wasn't. To make a long story short, I wasn't sure I was going to bring it home that night.....

We only have a 100 yard range at the club but I have access to another range thats 200, so that's what I'll sight in on plus I'll sight the 308 WSM at 200 too.

I'll use this thread (I'm printing the replies) as a guide when I start making the Rockchucker creak, this winter.

Benefitting from others experience from posts on here will save a gob of time and grief.

It will never be my 'go to gun' for hunting, it's too cumbersome and too heavy. The 308 will be the carry gun. I bought the 338 for the impressive ballistics and maybe that Elk sometime.

Besides, it's a distinguished looking gun. My wife refers to it as 'Industrial looking'.

 

[LayinItDown]

"Industrial looking".... That's a pretty good term. It's definitely a monster. I was going through some of my .243 stuff, thinking of pounding some coyotes the next couple of months while the elk and deer have babies. Man they seem small after dealing with the "puta" the last few months.

 

[Texas Republic]

Well I am scratching my head once again after going to the range.

I loaded up some 300 gr SMK in FL sized hornady brass. After looking around at some listed OALs, I decided to try 3.70. I chose this OAL because my mag length on my Savage LRH 111 is 3.755". I subtracted .025" from that and had 3.73". I decided to play it safe and make it an even 3.70" OAL. ha-ha. So much for that. I was barely able to extract each casing after firing. I had to push the bolt up hard twice to extract it. This happened shooting retumbo 88.g- 89.5g. Every load. I didnt see any flat primers either.

So after reading these posts, I assume its my OAL or brass? I am leaning more toward the OAL since I FL sized it this time. Any possibility it has something to do with my bolt?

I wasnt impressed with any of my groups, with the best being about .56" at 100. That is **** poor in my book when my AR-10 can get much much better.

Any suggestions? My plan right now is to do the same incremental loads of retumbo with different OAL. I am thinking about trying 3.680 and 3.690. Objections? Hints? Answers?

 

[green 788]

TR... if you'll check the OAL of the cases, they're probably too long for the Savage chamber. You'll need to trim them to 2.715"... see if they're not 2.730" or longer (!)...

Also, see if you can slip a bullet into the neck of a fired case. I'm working over all my Hornady brass, to make it work better (hopefully)... it's too long, and case necks need turning a bit because they're too thick...

Dan

 

[Texas Republic]

TR... if you'll check the OAL of the cases, they're probably too long for the Savage chamber. You'll need to trim them to 2.715"... see if they're not 2.730" or longer (!)...

Also, see if you can slip a bullet into the neck of a fired case. I'm working over all my Hornady brass, to make it work better (hopefully)... it's too long, and case necks need turning a bit because they're too thick...

Dan

I have always trimmed my 338 hornady brass down to 2.714". After firing this last load, it now measures around 2.724--.727. This expansion is pretty average from what I have seen shooting it.

I cant fit a bullet in most of the fired cases. It will slide into a couple, but not the majority.

I am not sure what to think now. I only recently had this problem when I neck sized some 250gr SMK. It shot ok with FL sized 250gr SMK with OAL 3.656 before this. That is why I thought it had to be the OAL since these were FL sized.

 

[jlamb]

I trim after every sizing to 2.714". Depending on the powder/pressure, they'll grown at least .08" each time for me.

Per neck turning, do it. Get a Redding Competition die set. I turn my case necks to .014" thick using Lapua brass. The goal is consistancy.

 

[green 788]

I have the same issue with Hornady... but not with Lapua. I think I found one Lapua case that would not admit a bullet after firing... but pretty much all the Hornady's I have won't let you slip a bullet into the neck.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean pressure may be higher than it would be if the case necks had room to relax enough to let the bullet come free easily, as should always be the case.

Benchrest chambers often are cut this way, but those guys are meticulous about everything they do, and they keep their stuff clean and in tip top shape. I've even heard of some BR shooters not actually sizing cases, they have their chambers cut so tight they just prime them, put in the powder and seat another bullet.

And it's not as if you couldn't do the same thing with the Hornady brass here, if you think about it. So long as it'll chamber again easily and it's not too long for the chamber... and it'll still hold a bullet tight... why bother with sizing.

I'm not sure I'm actually serious about that...

Dan

 

[Texas Republic]

I have the same issue with Hornady... but not with Lapua. I think I found one Lapua case that would not admit a bullet after firing... but pretty much all the Hornady's I have won't let you slip a bullet into the neck.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean pressure may be higher than it would be if the case necks had room to relax enough to let the bullet come free easily, as should always be the case.

Benchrest chambers often are cut this way, but those guys are meticulous about everything they do, and they keep their stuff clean and in tip top shape. I've even heard of some BR shooters not actually sizing cases, they have their chambers cut so tight they just prime them, put in the powder and seat another bullet.

And it's not as if you couldn't do the same thing with the Hornady brass here, if you think about it. So long as it'll chamber again easily and it's not too long for the chamber... and it'll still hold a bullet tight... why bother with sizing.

I'm not sure I'm actually serious about that...

Dan

Hey Green,

Have you shot the 300 gr. SMK with 89gr of Retumbo out of Hornady brass, or is the charge different with Lapua brass?

So do you think shortening the OAL will help out with brass extraction?

 

[Korhil78]

I'm not trying to be the downer guy here but if you are getting consistent 1/2 MOA groups out of a factory gun then you should be doing back flips in joy. You are not going to get custom gun accuracy out of a factory rifle. If you find a load that is giving you consistent 1/2 MOA groups at 300 then I would take that load and stretch it out to further distances and see how it does.

I guess what I am trying to say is don't get pulling your hair out frustrated if you are shooting a half MOA group out of a factory rifle because that is pretty darn good. I am all for more testing and fun but 1/2 MOA out of a factory rifle? I won't be wasting anymore money on load development if I don't want to.

Good luck guys and have fun!

 

[SidecarFlip]

.............at 100, not 300. Even my mini 14 can do way better than that.

The more I read about Hornady brass in .338, the more I think it sucks.

Glad I don't have any.....

Walked by some at Cabelas the other day (Hornady 338), kept on walking.....