Reloading for the hunting .338 lapua

[wildcat westerner]

hello,
My neighbor came back from Africa where he used a .338 Lapua/Weatherby rifle and now wants to reload for it. I know we can make this "out of the box" rifle more accurate, but I have never reloaded for this cartridge. There must be a wealth of info out there on practical hunting ammo and Bullets for the 338 Lapua. If you have a history of using this cartridge when hunting and have found a 250 grain bullet that works well (not a target bullet) I would be pleased to read your practical, experienced information on this subject.

Thank you,
Gene S.

 

[Skeeter05]

hello,
My neighbor came back from Africa where he used a .338 Lapua/Weatherby rifle and now wants to reload for it. I know we can make this "out of the box" rifle more accurate, but I have never reloaded for this cartridge. There must be a wealth of info out there on practical hunting ammo and Bullets for the 338 Lapua. If you have a history of using this cartridge when hunting and have found a 250 grain bullet that works well (not a target bullet) I would be pleased to read your practical, experienced information on this subject.

Thank you,
Gene S.

What type of range and game are you planning on hunting?

 

[BigGrizz]

Accubond with whatever powder works best and call it good.

I used to be a big fan of 250s and then switched to 300s.

 

[jcp1967]

Ive shot and been part of seven elk shot with Berger 250 elite hunters out of my lapua and they do great out to 965 but never shot one closer than 185. I run them over H1000 94.0 grains.

 

[wildcat westerner]

I assume my neighbor will be using this rifle for Elk here in NM, and that he will be returning to Africa. I am familiar with H1000 but was not aware of the Elite Hunter bullet and am glad to read of experiences with these components. Logic dictates Fed 215 magnum primers?

Thanks so far.

 

[Skeeter05]

I can only give my experience with my Lapua, as it is the only one I have been around that has taken game.

I prefer the 250 gr Barnes LRXBT with 88.5 grains of H1000 and a Fed 215 primer. This combo has taken 12 African animals, including a Cape Buffalo, and 4 bull elk. A Barnes bullet in .338 has amazing performance, in my opinion it has the better terminal performance than most other bullets.

 

[wildcat westerner]

Hi Skeeter,
I appreciate this experienced reply and congratulate you on game taken. What is your experience with copper fouling with this caliber/bullet combination? If I seem finicky it is because I wrote for decades on Precision accuracy andset a couple of worlds records along the way. Thus the simple logic that a copper bullet of this size and propelled at these velocities must have some effect in this regard to your barrel.

Thank You,

 

[jcp1967]

I assume my neighbor will be using this rifle for Elk here in NM, and that he will be returning to Africa. I am familiar with H1000 but was not aware of the Elite Hunter bullet and am glad to read of experiences with these components. Logic dictates Fed 215 magnum primers?

Thanks so far.

yes 215 federal is correct

 

[Rshooter]

I use the 225 gr. Barnes TTSX with H1000 at warp speed. They are extremely accurate and no copper fouling issues. Mine likes the Rem. 9 1/2 magnum primers best, try the others and see which works best.

 

[Wedgy]

Try Hammer Bullets you won't be disappointed. They took a safari last year and posted the success stories in their forum.
https://hammerbullets.com/

 

[Skeeter05]

Hi Skeeter,
I appreciate this experienced reply and congratulate you on game taken. What is your experience with copper fouling with this caliber/bullet combination? If I seem finicky it is because I wrote for decades on Precision accuracy andset a couple of worlds records along the way. Thus the simple logic that a copper bullet of this size and propelled at these velocities must have some effect in this regard to your barrel.

Thank You,

I have never had any issues with the copper fouling. I do clean my barrel more often than most, so copper fouling would have to be extreme for me to notice. During load development/range day I shoot 25+ rounds and have never seen a change.

 

[wildcat westerner]

Skeeter,

Yeah! Thanks so much, which recoil pad do you use?

Gene

 

[Skeeter05]

Skeeter,

Yeah! Thanks so much, which recoil pad do you use?

Gene

I can't remember what I had before, but I replaced it with a Pachmyer and what a difference.