338 rum & rl-26 ?

[Timber338]

I was able to find a pound of RL-26 and got out today to see what it would do with the Berger 250 EH.

I loaded .008 jump to the lands which only holds about .1 - .125 of the base of the bullet in the neck. I was using brand new unfired Nosler brass and the GM215M.

Don't have any data for this combo so I used data for RL-25, and because I know my barrel pressures up fast I still started out pretty low at 86.0 grains and loaded up to 95.0 grains in 1 grain increments.

86.0 got 2872 FPS.

I started to see some slight ejection marks around 93.0 grains which got 3144 fps.

Bolt started to get sticky right at 95.0 grains at 3204 FPS.

Pretty crazy veocity for a 250gr bullet in a 338 RUM.

Going to shoot tomorrow with 89.0, 90.0 and 91.0 tomorrow and see how they group.

 

[Duane Waterson]

Tagging in.... Wish I didn't stock up so much h1000 when components got thin.. ha ha

 

[Timber338]

Shot 89, 90 and 91 grains today, 3 shots each charge weight. All shot good and none had pressure signs. Only chrono'd 1 shot at 91 grains and it registered 3090 fps.

Yesterday 91 grains chrono'd at 3097 fps.

I compared energy and trajectory of the 250EH at 3090 fps to my accurate load with the 300 EH at 2740 fps, and the numbers are very compelling to hunt with the 250. I have about 100 inches less drop at 1200 yards and about 55 ft.lbs more energy.

 

[bitbythebug]

tRIED rl26 LAST SUMMER BECAUSE OF IT'S TEMPERATURE STABILITY. Didin't have much success. Lots of pressure before I got close to RL25 velocities or Retumbo velocities. I get along with Retumbo in my 338 rum but my friend likes 7828ssc. He doesn't get the velocity but is very accurate. My Retumbo load is around 2750 and very accurate. His is in the high 2600's. Both are custom guns with longer barrels.

 

[alaska]

Reloader 26 was for the 338 Lapua with the 250's since RL 33 was just to slow.
The Reloader 33 shines better with the 300 grain.

 

[Swamplord]

Messed with RL 26 in my 338 Edge in May of 2016, worked up a good shootin load with 265 gr CEB MTH bullets and haven't messed with it since, data in thread ....

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/338-edge-rl-26-265-gr-cutting-edge-mth-bullets-171855/

 

[D.Camilleri]

Hey Timber, what is your OAL with the 250 bergers? You are shooting faster than a buddy of mine with a 338 edge. He gave me 25 250 gr bergers to try, but my 300's shoot so good with rl33, 99 gr, 3.800 300 Berger OTM at 2805 and the same load shoots the 300 gr accubond at 2785 with a 3.720 OAL. I had a 3.8 wyatt's box installed last year along with a new Bartlein barrel and so far I haven't tried any other powder than rl33. I bought a pound of the dupont 7977 but haven't tried it yet. What is the scoop on the rl26 for temp sensitivity?

 

[Timber338]

Hey Timber, what is your OAL with the 250 bergers? You are shooting faster than a buddy of mine with a 338 edge. He gave me 25 250 gr bergers to try, but my 300's shoot so good with rl33, 99 gr, 3.800 300 Berger OTM at 2805 and the same load shoots the 300 gr accubond at 2785 with a 3.720 OAL. I had a 3.8 wyatt's box installed last year along with a new Bartlein barrel and so far I haven't tried any other powder than rl33. I bought a pound of the dupont 7977 but haven't tried it yet. What is the scoop on the rl26 for temp sensitivity?

My OAL, case head to bullet tip, is about 3.875" with the 250 EH. COAL is about 3.890" with the 300 EH. I was able to hit 3200 fps with the 250/RL26 but I had pressure signs. I ran out of my 1 lb of powder and never had a chance to do any temp sensitivity studies. I did end up working up a load with the 250 and Retumbo and my accurate load has settled right at 3000 FPS. So RL26 seems to get about an extra 100 fps, it's pretty amazing.

The 250 also seems to be a bit finicky In my barrel, but been too busy lately to do much work with it at long range. I might end up sticking with the 300 an RL33 because it is such an amazing load.

 

[D.Camilleri]

Timber,

What is your load with the 300 and rl33? I was able to get over 2900 fps with rl 33, but the accuracy wasn't there. It was a pretty stiff compressed load and I kept checking to see if the bullets were moving out. A buddy is having a new 338 rum accurized right now and he is having a 4 inch wyatts box installed so he can keep it a repeater. With my 300 gr Berger seated to 3.800 tip to base, I am still .090 off the lands. My 300 accubonds are .020 off the lands seated to 3.720 tip to base. Both loads shoot to same point of impact and both are very accurate. I missed a 950 yard shot on a cow elk in Dec because I wanted a kill with the accubond, but I goofed and forgot to change programs on my G-7 so I hit at least a minute low, maybe more. The two bullets have a very similar flight out to about 750 yards, but after that the berger walks away. I wanted to go out and do some low temp testing of my rl33 loads, because I developed the load at 50 degrees. I don't really care about warm temps, because I don't hunt when it is hot out. I was hunting elk at about 10 degrees though and if I lost 40 fps, no big deal.

 

[Timber338]

with the 300 grain, I am loading 93.0 grains of RL33 and the bullet is .010 away from the lands. I had the same exact load with the Accubond and the Berger EH and both shot to the same velocity. Both loads also tested out very consistently to the same temp sensitivity of .81 FPS/degF. I'm not super concerned about temp sensitivity when it's consistent, the app accounts for it and I typically also hunt between about 10 degrees and 40 maybe 50 degF.

I also was able to reach just shy of 2900 FPS with RL33 and the 300 grain, but my accuracy was not there. My rifle has supreme accuracy with that RL33 load right at 2750 FPS. It's pretty amazing how well these big bullets fly in a rifle that is put together well. In calm conditions I can regularly hold 1/4 - 3/8 MOA out to 1000 yards.

 

[Pdvdh]

with the 300 grain, I am loading 93.0 grains of RL33 and the bullet is .010 away from the lands. I had the same exact load with the Accubond and the Berger EH and both shot to the same velocity. Both loads also tested out very consistently to the same temp sensitivity of .81 FPS/degF. I'm not super concerned about temp sensitivity when it's consistent, the app accounts for it and I typically also hunt between about 10 degrees and 40 maybe 50 degF.

I also was able to reach just shy of 2900 FPS with RL33 and the 300 grain, but my accuracy was not there. My rifle has supreme accuracy with that RL33 load right at 2750 FPS. It's pretty amazing how well these big bullets fly in a rifle that is put together well. In calm conditions I can regularly hold 1/4 - 3/8 MOA out to 1000 yards.

Interesting. You have a 27" barrel? In my 338 Lapua Improved, 28" barrel length, I run 105.3gr RL33 at 2,945fps. I burn 12.3gr more RL33, for an additional 190 fps MV. But my barrel is 1" longer than yours (if your's is 27").

 

[Timber338]

Interesting. You have a 27" barrel? In my 338 Lapua Improved, 28" barrel length, I run 105.3gr RL33 at 2,945fps. I burn 12.3gr more RL33, for an additional 190 fps MV. But my barrel is 1" longer than yours (if your's is 27").

Correct, I am at 27" barrel length. My barrel has proven to pressure up quicker than normal... all of my accurate loads are at book listed starting loads, and I am very near max pressure.

What are your thoughts on 12.3 more grains of powder for 190 fps gain... does that seem to correlate? Or would you expect more velocity gain for those 12.3 grains? Or?

Ran some quick energy numbers and I'm at ~5030 ft.lbs while you are a bit north of 5770 of ft.lbs. those 12 grains are getting you over 700 additional ft.lbs of energy. That seems like a pretty efficient use of 12.3 grains.... you are likely running at higher pressure?

 

[Pdvdh]

What are your thoughts on 12.3 more grains of powder for 190 fps gain... does that seem to correlate? Or would you expect more velocity gain for those 12.3 grains? Or?

Ran some quick energy numbers and I'm at ~5030 ft.lbs while you are a bit north of 5770 of ft.lbs. those 12 grains are getting you over 700 additional ft.lbs of energy. That seems like a pretty efficient use of 12.3 grains.... you are likely running at higher pressure?

I never gave it any thought when I posted. I provided the data from my rifle in 338 LI as a comparable point of interest. It seems like a lot of additional powder for the extra 190fps, but I believe that's typical. Larger capacity cases will yield higher MV at equal pressures, but the additional MV & energy are obtained less efficiently than in cases with less capacity. Which is why proponents of smaller capacity cases are quick to point to how efficient their cartridges are.

Divide my muzzle velocity my powder charge weight; 2945fps/105.3gr = 27.97fps/gr RL33.

Divide your MV by your powder charge; 2750fps/93.0gr = 29.57fps/gr RL33.

Your 338RUM yields 1.6fps additional MV per grain of RL33 burned in your smaller cartridge case. More efficient.

In all likelihood, I'm also running higher pressures than you. I have a BAT action and I'm using Lapua cases. They'll both digest high pressure without much evidence/affect. I ran my pressures up till I experienced some bolt lift resistance while ejecting fired brass, than backed off just a little. That load shot good enough for me with acceptable ES/SD, and I left it at that. Haven't done near the load development you've described. Only bullet I've ever loaded is the 300gr OTM.

I read the late Elmer Keith articles where he'd say he didn't give a **** about efficiency. The only number that mattered to him was the MV. I don't go that far, but he made his point. I don't shoot my rifle enough for concern over barrel life or the increased cost of burning the additional powder. However I have no plan to (or interest in) move into the 150gr powder capacity Cheytac case.

 

[D.Camilleri]

I never gave it any thought when I posted. I provided the data from my rifle in 338 LI as a comparable point of interest. It seems like a lot of additional powder for the extra 190fps, but I believe that's typical. Larger capacity cases will yield higher MV at equal pressures, but the additional MV & energy are obtained less efficiently than in cases with less capacity. Which is why proponents of smaller capacity cases are quick to point to how efficient their cartridges are.

Divide my muzzle velocity my powder charge weight; 2945fps/105.3gr = 27.97fps/gr RL33.

Divide your MV by your powder charge; 2750fps/93.0gr = 29.57fps/gr RL33.

Your 338RUM yields 1.6fps additional MV per grain of RL33 burned in your smaller cartridge case. More efficient.

In all likelihood, I'm also running higher pressures than you. I have a BAT action and I'm using Lapua cases. They'll both digest high pressure without much evidence/affect. I ran my pressures up till I experienced some bolt lift resistance while ejecting fired brass, than backed off just a little. That load shot good enough for me with acceptable ES/SD, and I left it at that. Haven't done near the load development you've described. Only bullet I've ever loaded is the 300gr OTM.

I read the late Elmer Keith articles where he'd say he didn't give a **** about efficiency. The only number that mattered to him was the MV. I don't go that far, but he made his point. I don't shoot my rifle enough for concern over barrel life or the increased cost of burning the additional powder. However I have no plan to (or interest in) move into the 150gr powder capacity Cheytac case.

Phorwath,

Do you know how much powder capacity you gained with the lapua improved over a standard lapua? Standard lapua and 338 rum are very close in case capacity.