30-.338 Winchester Magnum Reloading

Are you using new brass? I don't think you should be having any issue with new 338 brass. Used brass could have some depending on it's condition.
I have over a thousand rounds of once fired 338 brass I have tried. The Winchester brand formed reasonably well but the Remington, which is the majority, is the most problematic.
 
the 30/338 is a great round the same a 308 norma magnum.. loading data will be the same. there is a very minor difference in the sholder angle but this is very minor. Because you headspace on the belt -minor is nothing.. once fired the case will be correct and there will be no pressure problems at all. good news 338 cases are better and cheaper than Norma. set you die up a bit and don;t completly resize it just about 2/3 then next step a little more until it will chamber then fireform. it will work out just do it in steps.. remember this is the very best of the 30 cal magnums just like the 300 win. nothing better. those who claim just read magazines and believe all the gun writers bull .
Thanks so much. I'm aware that Winchester actually developed this round originally to be their 300 Magnum but, Norma essentially beat them to it and they changed course developing the 300 WinMag. They probably should have stayed their course and fed off the outstanding success of the 338 WinMag as ballistics are so close to one another.
 
You folks have my admiration and I give huge KUDOS to each one of you for your response to my questions. I thoroughly enjoy the sharing of everyone's helpful information and can't thank Len Bacus enough for putting this site together. Where else could anyone find so many fabulous ideas and information inside such great comadrie?
 
The 308 Norma is a little different than a 30-338 Winchester. The body and the neck are slightly longer on the Norma.
 
Thanks so much. I'm aware that Winchester actually developed this round originally to be their 300 Magnum but, Norma essentially beat them to it and they changed course developing the 300 WinMag. They probably should have stayed their course and fed off the outstanding success of the 338 WinMag as ballistics are so close to one another.

Fred Huntington (RCBS) was first to chamber 30-338mag. That's what got me interested in 30-338mag. I looked at new Browning Safari 308 Norma Mag in the 60's and only reason I didn't buy no ammo or cases. My first 30-338mag I got loading data from Fred jr up in Orville store. Last time I was in Ca that 30-338mag was on display in their small museum @ the store. I really don't think 308 Norma had any part in 300mag vs Fred wildcat 30-338mag. Rem chamber 40x in 30-338mag

 
30/338win is about the easiest 'wildcat' out there to form, load and shoot. It's just a treat to shoot. I've had at least one in my safe for better than ten years. It really shines with 200g - 230g bullets. Very similar velocities to 300Win with less powder. I prefer mine with at least 26" of barrel, but even with a 24" barrel it doesn't give up a lot of velocity.
 
I have necked down many 338 cases and can't recall ever crushing the shoulder. I use Redding dies.
I load 180 grain Sierra's in front of 74.5 grains RL-22 and a 215 Federal primer. Never check the velocity though.

I an sure we are not talking about the same thing. I started out to form 480 Mag. belted cases to 8MM338 Winchester. Again, if they could have formed the cases they would not have asked me to get involved. And they do not like my case lube, they instructed me top to leave my no name case lube at home. They wanted my ''other #4 RCBS shell holder", so I brought a small gasket cutting ball peen hammer. Because: There is no way they could put 480 magnum cases together without problems inherit-ant to the belted case.

First I had to determine if it could be done with my forming dies, I started out the same as anyone; that would be sizing with a 30/338 die or an 8MM338 die. Forget it, there was no way an 8MM Remington mag case could be sized to 30/338 in one pass, And then I went to the 300 Win Mag forming die, that worked until I went to sizing the 30/338 die.

My last effort at forming 300 Weatherby and 8 Remington cases cases to 8/338 was with a 350 Remington mag case forming die. I shimmed the bottom of the die off the shell holder to form cases with the correct case length from the shoulder to the case head + .010". When I finished with the 350 Remington Mag forming die life became easier.

Next: The cases that would not fit the #4 RCBS shell holder:, there were 40 cases in that category. To get the cases into the shell holder I used the small ball peen hammer, when the case will not fit the shell holder there are other problems, all 40 cases had at least 3 problems, all of the cases had case body expansion ahead of the belt and the diameter of the case head in the extractor groove had increased in diameter. Between us we have 5 lathes with collects, reducing the diameter ahead of the case body in front of the belt would not be a problem, after that we could have cut the extractor groove etc. etc. I convinced him he did not need the cases that had been hammered with heavy loads.

F. Guffey
 
8mm Remington magnum and .350 Remington magnum are nowhere near the same length as .30-338... You need to stop and get someone to help you figure out what you have. In 40 years of reloading I have never even heard of a 480 Magnum.

Good Luck

Jerry
 
I an sure we are not talking about the same thing. I started out to form 480 Mag. belted cases to 8MM338 Winchester.

Ok. Sorry. I'm obviously confused, I thought the thread was about forming and loading 30/338winchester.
 
Ok. Sorry. I'm obviously confused, I thought the thread was about forming and loading 30/338winchester.

I can only guess what you could have been confused about. A friend needed all the 8MM338 cases he could get his hands on. Had he been able to find 30/338 Winchester cases her would not have called me. He had 480 Belted magnum cases. He did not have any 480 mag. belted cases.

F. Guffey
 
8mm Remington magnum and .350 Remington magnum are nowhere near the same length as .30-338... You need to stop and get someone to help you figure out what you have. In 40 years of reloading I have never even heard of a 480 Magnum.

You need to stop and get someone to help you figure out what you have. In 40 years of reloading I have never even heard of a 480 Magnum.

I need to stop and get someone to help me figure out what I have? There is no end to how rude a member can be to another. If the smiths involved could figure a way to form 8MM Remington cases to 8MM/338 Winchester cases they would not have bothered me. The only way I was able to form the long Magnum cases was to, there is no reason for me to wast your time or my time.

Forgive, F. Guffey
 
The confusion is that the thread went on a tangent from the OP.

Jerry, you will not believe how pleased I am to find the problem is so simple; I thought the problem was caused because there were so many reloaders/smiths that can not correctly case a chamber.

F. Guffey
 
Warning! This thread is more than 5 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.
Top