powder for 340 weatherby?

[big_matt_duq]

I still haven't picked a bullet yet but I know it will be 225-250 grain of some flavor cup and core or one of the hammer hunters from 213-260 grain. Leaning towards the hammers. Powder choice is what has me hung up. IMR 7828ssc or H1000? Maybe RL 23 or 26 if I can find some. Needs to be temp stable so no RL22 or 25. Rifle is a 24" ULA with a brake on it and will weigh 7 lb 7 oz with sling, mounts, and vx5 so I don't think anything over 250 or 260 grain loads. This will be for elk, moose, and bears.

Help me pick a powder... I cannot decide where to start.

 

[Rich Coyle]

7828

 

[J E Custom]

I would start with h 4831 SC. Very forgiving and predictable.

H 4350 works good but you have to work up because it is faster and takes less powder.

7828 would also be a good powder, but not my first choice. Some 340s like it and it needs to be looked at.

Just my choices for the 340. here are some loads listed for the 4831 in the 340

http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/rifle

J E CUSTOM

 

[Mike Thorn]

H4831SC is hard to beat with 225TTSX.
Here's my pet load for my Mark V. Be careful if your chamber doesn't have the Weatherby free bore.

225 TTSX
FED 215GM
H-4831SC 86g
Coal = 3.640 (TTSX like a big jump in my rifle)
Velocity = 2,900

Depending on how hard you want to push it or how little you care about brass life you can probably hit 3000 easily if it matters to you.

 

[MagnumManiac]

When I had one on a custom Model 70 I built, THE powder for it was RE25, hands down best velocity and accuracy.
I have never found RE25 to be temp sensitive to the same degree as RE22, but your results may vary.
Another powder that worked well for me was H1000, in both instances this was with 225-250gr bullets.
Best results for me with 200gr bullets was always H4350.

Cheers.

 

[Mike Thorn]

Yep. Since OP didn't want RL-25 I didn't include it. RL-25 is amazing with 340.

 

[big_matt_duq]

I know I have a partial bottle of 4831 at home. I have h1000, h4350, and rl16. I thought slower burn powders would be best with this so it shocked me that 4350 and 4831 was all the data hodgdon had. I may just order some more 4831 and a few bottles of 7828 to try. I can't seem to find rl26 anywhere.

 

[Rich Coyle]

Factory load for 250 used to be 3,025 feet per second. I did that with the old 7828. It's been more than twenty years since I had a .340, though.

 

[JJMoody]

7828 was great for my old340. Ran 250 SMKs right at 3000 FPS. It was a touch hot, but hammered!! Factory mk5, just added a muzzle brake. Elk didn't like it much....IIRC, factory loads use Norma MRP. I have a pound if someone's interested. Never even opened.H1000 is a great powder, but may be a bit slow. Most info I had placed it as very accurate, but slower than ideal.
Longtimelongranger used to post here, haven't seen him in a few years, but his were the loads I used as an idea.... start low, yadda yadda...

 

[just country]

morning. 4831SC, norma brass, 215, 210gr barnes TTSX.
very accurate, a pure hammer on hogs and everything moving.
by using the barnes bullet a person a drop down in bullet
weight and get more velocity and penetration. I prefer
barnes bullets. speed up the hammer and the
nail will penetrate deeper. justme gbot tum

 

[skipglo]

I still haven't picked a bullet yet but I know it will be 225-250 grain of some flavor cup and core or one of the hammer hunters from 213-260 grain. Leaning towards the hammers. Powder choice is what has me hung up. IMR 7828ssc or H1000? Maybe RL 23 or 26 if I can find some. Needs to be temp stable so no RL22 or 25. Rifle is a 24" ULA with a brake on it and will weigh 7 lb 7 oz with sling, mounts, and vx5 so I don't think anything over 250 or 260 grain loads. This will be for elk, moose, and bears.

Help me pick a powder... I cannot decide where to start.

H4350, H1000.... I use them both on .300 Weatherby, .338 Lapua, and .460 ...best of luck and safe loading

 

[Golovkin]

I wouldn't overlook RL22 or RL25, load a few and put them in the deep freeze to compare to the "more stable" powders.

I would lighten the load, lighten the charge, and add some weight to that gun. Your recoil velocity is going to be too high and your involuntary muscles are going to start reacting to the violence. You might be tough, but nobody can take Mike Tyson's hits without developing a reaction.

A 250gr @ 3000fps in a 7.7lb rifle produces 61 ft/lbs of recoil @ 23fps

For most people, anything over 20 ft/lbs at over 15 fps starts to hurt

a 200gr @ 2900fps in a 9.5lb rifle produces 36 ft/lbs @ 15fps

Ive shot a .338RUM for the last 18yrs, and I've learned two things:
1. You need to manage recoil - or it will manage you!
2. Even with light loads, you have way more gun than you need for N. America, no reason to waste energy beyond the animal.

 

[big_matt_duq]

I have an unbraked 338 RUM that was setup at 9lbs ready to hunt and while recoil is stout off the bench, it wasn't terrible. I was actually pleasantly surprised when shooting offhand that it wasn't that bad. Maybe I am wrong but I think this one will be more than manageable with the brake on it. Maybe I just shoot too many magnum muzzleloader charges and don't know any better. Heavy charges of blackhorn 209 and 300 grain barnes out of the rem UML get your attention.

 

[JohnnieB]

My favorite caliber!!! I do nearly all my hunting with a beautiful 340 Lane Precision put together for me. Favorite load is a 225 TTSX, CCI250 primer, and VV560. Runs the 225 at 2975 for .2 MOA accuracy. All of my 340 have liked the VV560.

I have a second load with a 300 SMK and H4831SC, I only get 2620 fps out of this one, but its still carrying 1800 lbs of energy at 1,000 yards. Also very accurate.

Good luck!