.30-378 questions

[speed demon]

i have accumark .30-378 and im worried
about case life.how many times can
i reload new brass? also should i anneal
the cases after every other round?
if i rebarrel what caliber should i go to?
what are the best cases for super magnums?
also ive heard that lazzeroni cases can
be reloaded 2o times or more. is this
b.s or are their cases really that good?

 

[Darryl Cassel]

Hello

Depending on how hot you shoot the round is the determinig factor of case life.

Use the Norma cases and load the 30/378 with medium loads. The cases should last you for many firings.

Speed not only kills accuracy (in most casses) but it also kills the case life.
When I shoot my 338/416 IMP with real hot loads, I get two firings out of new brass.
When I shoot it sensible and reduce the load by 5 grains, I can fire them 10 or 12 times and more, without problems.

In my 30/378 with a 36 inch barrel, I use a 220 gr Sierra bullet and a medium hot load and can reload the cases at least 12 times.

If you rebarrel my suggestion would be to go to a long barrel (36") in the 338/378 and shoot the 300 gr Sierra MK. Please make sure you have a Muzzle brake installed on the new barrel if the whole outfit is less then 20#.

Good shooting
DC

 

[speed demon]

thanks darryl.but what about annealing the cases. should i do it?do you do it?
im shooting 220 gr match kings
and im using the data hodgdon has.and im not going over maximum. i thought about using
240 matchking but i figured i could gain little by doing so.as my barrel is only 26in
plus 2 inches for brake. and yes i want a
long barrel 36inches. and i will get one when i rebarrel. as for the caliber i was
thinking .338/416 imp also. but i wasnt sure
how to get cases. it would require forming
dies i know. but would i also need to fireform cases? i read some where you asked
about a nightforce NXS 12-42x scope. you might be a little dissappointed in the elevation as it only has 45 moa total.
that's another question i had,, i have a
regular nightforce 12x-42x and i have tapered bases
so i can get around 34 moa up plus 10 moa
in recticle at 42x. for a total of 44 moa
plenty for me but not for a .338/416 as
you can shoot out 2,000 yds plus. i know i
could just get some 50 moa bases and forget
about a close zero and i would be ok. but
i dont want to do that.i was thinking about
the 5-22x NXS scope as it offers 100 moa
plus 20 moa in the recticle. but i was wandering if 22x is enough power for long distance shooting.do you think it would
be enough to make a 2,000 yard+ shoot on a
groundhog? i think 22x would be enough for deer,elk. but im not sure about varmints.
as i would like to go to the long range
ground hog shoot thats held every year in
west virgina. as you are a long distance
shooter whats your experience on varmint/
hunting distance vs. scope power?

[ 10-05-2001: Message edited by: speed demon ]

 

[Darryl Cassel]

Hello
To answer the questions, yes, Ground hogs at 2000 yards can be seen with 22X scopes and no I don't anneal the cases.

I had five witnesses that said I hit a chuck at 2100 yards one time in Virginia. My Old B&L 6x to 24X scope with the Kuhaskey rear base was set on 20X and I was shooting the 338/416.
I could see the bullet vapor trail in the scope and told the witnesses the bullet just went over his head ever so close.
We made the mistake of not going out and checking because there were others who wanted to shoot at closer chucks. We did go out the next day and the chuck had not been seen after I shot and he was not there. I still question if I got him and possibly a fox found him during the night. They still swear I hit that chuck. We were shooting with Vern Harrison who had the first 1 Mile chuck kill in VH Magazine.

Anyway, as far as the 338/416 Rigby I think it's a fine cartridge.
If you want to avoid the step down process of the case with a set of custom, expensive, dies and the fireforming process, you could go to the standard 338/378 Weatherby with the long barrel as mentioned. The cost of the 416 brass and the 378 brass is about the same the last time I checked.

The NXS, Unertl, B&L with Kuharskey rear base
Leupold LR and the Mark4 will all make the trip to 2000 yards given the correct rear base height.

To answer the question again, yes, you can see a chuck at 20X to 24X power at the 2000 yard range.

Be sure to have a good spotter with a set of bigeyes with you.

Have fun and good shooting.
DC

[ 10-05-2001: Message edited by: Darryl Cassel ]

[ 10-05-2001: Message edited by: Darryl Cassel ]

 

[speed demon]

you have answered all of my questions.
thanks thats what i wanted to know.
i dont mind using forming dies. as the
.416 beltless case would be worth it.
i wasnt sure what needed to be done.
i read magazines but i see too much
misinformation in them. like annealing cases
and barrel life. i dont have a sub to
varmint hunters or varmint masters. but i plan to. as i have heard before they dont
tell lies like other mags. thanks for the
help i might asking you some other questions
later on. im definitly using 300 gr match kings. so im going with a .338/416 rig imp
with a 36 inch barrel. thanks

 

[cbjames]

Long Range Shooting for Hunting using the .30-378 and custom T/C Encore 340 Weatherby Rifles.

[ 10-30-2001: Message edited by: Corey B. James ]
Long Range Hunting and Shooting

[ 10-30-2001: Message edited by: Corey B. James ]