338 SIN Testing

[Eaglet]

Eaglet, If you are gearing up to shoot elk at 1000 yards and beyond the 185 Barnes ttsx is not the bullet you need to work with. I fully agree It is not designed for that purpose. If you are hunting inside of 800 yards with a light rifle wanting low recoil it makes a good choice for many types of game. I took quite a bit of game with it last year to just under 800 yards with a 6 3/8 pound 338 winchester at 3220 fps. Recoil was not noticable. All one shot kills and complete pass throughs. From the performance I saw last year I would not hesitate to shoot anything with it out to 800 yards out of a 338 winchester. The 338 SIN is 300 fps faster.

Is .432 the BC you came up with shooting the 185 ttsx? My testing of that bullet is not showing that number to be accurate. You are probably 100% right; due to the speeds you're getting that baby moving, the BC definitively will be higher. The 0.432 is the BC that Barnes website is giving them. That BC was probably calculated for around 3000 ft/sec.

The best bullet to 1000 yards I have found is the 225 Cutting Edge bullet I am testing now. 1000 yard drops out of my 338-378 are showing between a .65 and .66 bc. Run the numbers on that with my 338 SIN accuracy load of 3160 fps and see how it looks compared to the 300 SMK. Will be interesting It is shooting very accurate with light recoil I can stand in the 6 1/4 pound rifle. The 300 grainers are not tolerable so I look for the best bullet fit within the range this light rifle is most capable. If I am shooting elk over 1000 yards I have some heavy rifles to do that with. A heavy rifle 338 SIN is capable of elk kills beyond 1000 yards but my 6 1/4 pound rifle is not a 1000 yard plus rifle so I am not looking at ballistics out that far. I am looking for the best killing performance within the range limits of this rifle with recoil that is tolerable.
You have a pretty amazing set up there, that light of a rifle with that much power is just pretty awesome. I believe it does what it's suppose to do and does it very well.

Hope this explains why I test many different bullets for different purposes. The 225 CE bullet is the closest thing I have found so far to a one bullet do all for hunting at all practical ranges. It does really well to 1000 yards where I have tested it and that is about as far as anyone would ever shoot to kill stuff unless they were shooting specialty rigs specifically designed for the purpose. Now for the killing part of the testing next month.

For a rifle that light, I think the 225 CE would be my to go set up!!!

I was just messing around with the numbers I posted, the one thing that called my attention was how BC catches up with SPEED even with such a difference in muzzle velocities. I fully understand the difference between a light hunting rifle and a much heavier long range hunting beast.

Good post!

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

At 800 yards I was 14" high using the .432 bc. I think it is in the high .4's but don't know for sure. I will let you know what I find out as I continue testing them. The 225 CE bullet starts out over 300 fps slower but almost the same trajectory at 800 yards with the high bc. I think it catches the little 185 by 350 yards or so with velocity. It is really looking good so far.

 

[Eaglet]

LTLR,

What elevation you shoot at?


If zeroed at 100 yards, you dial the dope calculated for 800 yards using BC =0.432 and you're 14" high? Is that right?

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

I shoot at 5000 feet. 100 yard zero and I am 14" high at 800 yards. This was with the 338 winchester and the 338 SIN also shoots much flatter than the .432. Could be the scope height but I checked that and plugged in the proper number. Also it doesn't have the wind drift of a .432. More into the .5's. One of the forum members watched me shoot that set up last year and he was as amazed as me with the minimum wind drift. That is why I don't trust anything and just test the daylights out of stuff to see what the real numbers are. Some are worse and some are better. But this is why I hunted all over with the bullet last year. It proved it works in the field. By the same token the 180 grain nosler does not shoot nearly as flat and has much more wind drift than the 185 Barnes. The bc on it seems to be about right. I can't figure it. Takes someone smarter than me.

 

[Eaglet]

Mine... I'm really beginning to like this, sounds like the 185 Barnes TTSX at 3500 ft/sec will be having a BC closer to 0.579----- In the low .5 would have been more
credible though.

Using standard conditions for 5000 ft, and 14" high at 800 yards from a muzzle
velocity of 3500, I figures 14" = 14/1.047/8 = 1.7 MOA ----> you'd be dialing
1.7 MOA too much. So, with a BC of 0.579 you would need 1.7 MOA less which
would put you right on...

I just love playing with numbers.... And ballistic applications... It would be super
cool if that bullet were to be anywhere closer to that though.

I got your meaning, nothing like field work!

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Doesn't make sense to me because no way a 185 grain 338 bullet can be that high. But that is what it does in my rifles with both trajectory and wind. Mystery to me. Thanks

 

[nwolf]

Have there been any preasure tests yet? It just seems like that much fast powder would be making huge chamber preasures. I'm very interested in this cartridge but I want to make sure it can stand up to the amount of shooting I do without distroying my action.

 

[Eaglet]

Doesn't make sense to me because no way a 185 grain 338 bullet can be that high. But that is what it does in my rifles with both trajectory and wind. Mystery to me. Thanks

LTLR,

I think you read that post from Kirby testing them Barnes bullets and him thinking
they would have this amazing BC and some folks in here were telling him not to
keep his hopes so high or something of that nature. I think the same is happening
to you; not saying it'd be that high but yet because of the much higher velocities that's probably what we're seeing again. Good learning!

 

[jskmtd]

Sinarms,
Have you had a chance to test the 250-300 grain bullets? Just curious about accuracy, velocity, and load data.
Thanks, Jon

 

[sinarms]

Earlier in the post I mentioned the 250gr bullets, accuracy was 1/2" groups at 2975fps. I just got some 285gr bullets to try

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Hit on a super good load with the 225 grain CE bullet MD-62. I shot an exceptional group for a light rifle with 86.5 grains IMR-4831. The COAL was 3.765". Velocity was 3143 fps with 8 fps spread in a five shot group. Group was 2.8" at 400 yards which I feel is very good for a 6 pound rifle. I am shooting again in the morning with several loads. I will be on the short range again and expect to have a couple loads to try at longer distances after tommorow. Tinkering with the seating depth and fine adjustment of RE-19 and IMR-4831. I am sure other powders in this burn rate will work well. I hit on some good loads with these and just working them to death for now. I had a good load with H-4350 earlier on and may try it again also. I think anything between RE-19 and RE-22 will work well with the 225 grain bullets. I am sticking with the 225 grain bullet for this rifle and carrying it to Alaska next month for caribou testing.

 

[joe0121]

Any plans to offer pre-fit tubes for say a savage/Stevens action?

 

[sinarms]

Joe, I can offer a prefit Savage barrel at any time for the 338 Sin.

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Shot a few loads this morning with the 225 CE bullet. This is what I am carrying to Alaska for sure. The 185 ttsx is good but the bc of the 225 CE is just to great of an advantage. Seated the bullet out to 3.85 with 85.2 grains of H-4350 and shot a 2.1" group at 400 yards. The velocity was impressive at 3140, 3141, and 3143 fps on the three shot group. That was the best of the day. After talking to cutting edge I am going out further with my seating depth and trying that this evening with the 4831 and re-19 loads. Best accuracy with these powders seem to be in that 85-86.5 grain range with all the velocities around 3130-3150 fps with best accuracy. Rifles vary but with the 24" barrel tikka this is where I am getting best results. Once I get over 3160 fps groups start to open with this rifle. I am confident on caribou to 800 yards right now with this rifle but still tinkering as we all do.