SnipeTac338

ridge rider

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
150
Location
Melbourne Australia
Hi there,

Allow me to introduce myself with my first thread.
I am another Down Under Hunter.
Currently I have two long range shooters both are standard barrel Weatherby Accumarks, both have had their actions bedded and fitted with Timney triggers set at just over one pound trigger pull.
The first one is an absoulte tackholer in 30-378 which puts three 210 Bergers at 3250 fps into the same hole at 100 yards.
It weighs in at 12lbs neat with 5.5-22x56 Nightforce scope and Harris bipod and has yet to be taken for a hunt on deer to earn its keep so to speak.
The other is a 338-378 an identical twin to the 30-378.
It groups at 1/4" to 3/8" pushing 300 SMK's at 2850 fps and is up for sale as I am after more speed.
Initially I went for a 30" Lawton barrel for 3000fps and better but after some thought decided for a fully custom built outfit instead.
I opted for the SnipeTac338 which can achieve much greater speeds at around 3300 - 3500fps for the 300SMK and soon to be released 300 grain Berger without getting into high pressures.
Simple maths puts this hot shot at 600 to 700 fps above my 338-378, any 338 Lapua or 338 Edge.
I am having this new rifle built on a Lawton 8500 Single shot action coupled to a .338 Lawton 30 inch 10 twist match barrel fluted Idaho 16 profile with CheyTac muzzle brake.
Fitted to the action will be a Jewell bottom safety trigger and 40 MOA rail.
All this will be housed in a Manners T-5 Thumb hole stock triple shell in Camo pattern which still has to be decided upon.
Dies and cases from Viersco.
The NF scope on the 338-378 will be transplanted onto the SnipeTac.
Already have 8kgs of 50BMG for them 140 grain loads.
Now all I have to do is sit and wait for my new baby to be born.

RR
 
Welcome to LRH.com
Looks like you are into long range shooting, and know yourself around this matter.
Maybe we can learn good tips from you.
Post some pictures of your rifles, I bet they are good looking rigs.
Hope you enjoy this website, and find it very interesting and useful.
Take care and good luck.
 
Haven't done any load developments as the rifle is still a while away in the making.
You mention you're having some short comings, what are they, if you don't mind me asking?
 
Hi mate, welcome, you will gain some great knowledge here,was sitting next to a guy at the range a while back shooting a 338 snipe tac,great round brass is a bugger though,who is building it for you.
 
Just thought.......going by the lawton gear looks like a grenfell job.
 
You mention you're having some short comings, what are they, if you don't mind me asking?

Well, I may be asking too much of the brass, I'm on my 3d reload after fire-forming. If I wish to get to the bolt to open easily, I cannot put more than 129 grains of H50BMG in the case using the 300 Lapua Scenar. I'm not even getting to 3000 fps. I've tried working the loads up to about 3200fps, but I've broken two extractors in the process and broken a few caseheads. I have backed down reluctantly.
I have some GS 295's I was hoping to start using, but this lackluster performance is putting the brakes on my enthusiasm.
Perhaps with my particular rifle, 2 loadings is all that can be expected.

Lawton 8000
M310 contour, 32"
1 in 8" twist
 
I must clarify, it may be the brass. I began reloading using dies that have been found a little fat. This may have unreasonably stressed the brass. I have since changed to another tighter die, but the damage may already have been done.

Even saying this, I can't see how some can approach 150 grains of H50BMG using a 300 grain bullet
 
Not being an expert in this department but I believe your twist rate might be inhibiting you from achieving high velocities with the heavy 300 grain bullets.
Have you tried the 300 SMK.
My SnipeTac338 is being built as a single feeder and as such is not being built on the largest Lawton action to keep the weight down somewhat.
Barrel is 32" with 1:9.5 twist.
Geoff Grenfell is doing the build.
I also spoke with Dave Viers who developed this round and he is confident my rifle should perform very well with this twist and barrel length as he has had excellent results in that combo with the 300 SMK.
I've been told Shawn Carlock has been getting some not so good results with the new Berger 300 grain Hybrids at speeds over 3000 fps.
Under 3000 fps they perform very well, over 3000 not so good.
I am only surmising that the new Bergers may group better well past 3000 fps, which obviously Shawn cannot achieve in his 338 Egde including his new improved 338Edge+.
Sorry Shawn and please correct me if I am wrong as I do not mean to offend you here.
I have found in both of my Weatherbies 30-378 (210 Berger VLD at 3250 fps) and 338-378 (300 SMK at 2884fps) that there are at least two accurate node points where accuracy is very good at relatively high speeds according to reloading manuals.
However because the Weatherby action is extremely strong I push the speed up a bit more and then they both produce large groups but crank up the speed some more and then the groups tighten up again as faster speeds are reached.
I push them bullets to the limits and the groups really tighten up but this calls for running "hot" loads where I am just starting to get a faint extraction plunger mark in my brass but with no stiff bolt on extraction.
Incidentally these cases have already been loaded 5 times and the primer pockets are still relatively good to the feel by hand priming, however accuracy is now dropping off and I suspect these cases need neck annealing etc...
I have since loaded up a new batch with new cases and accuracy is back on track and groups are very tight once again.
I find that if I push these Weatherbies into "hot" load territory they both shoot exceptionally well and in fact the 30-378 puts three shots into the same hole at 100 yards at times whilst the 338-378 produces at best 1/4" groups.
Both rifles have had their actions bedded with Devcon and their triggers worked down to 1 pound trigger pull.
With the SnipeTac338 and these new 300 grain Berger Hybrids I believe I might somehow end up being somewhat a bit of a pioneer in Australia during my load development especially at very high speeds well above 3000 fps.
I am not too worried if these new Berger pills do not perform well in the SnipeTac338 above 3000 fps as the 300 SMK's do perform well at speeds around 3300fps.
 
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Not being an expert in this department but I believe your twist rate might be inhibiting you from achieving high velocities with the heavy 300 grain bullets..

You're point is a good one. Since I was preferring to eventually use the GS bullets, hence the twist, I shouldn't expect the conventional bullets and loadings to yield a conventional result. 20 grains less because of twist was unexpected. I did not mean to mislead anyone.
 
Thanks SW

You are absolutely spot on with your comment and this is the fun of building / developing a new rifle and its load.
So many powders, primers, projectiles, seating depths and so many other variables as we all know come to play in this game.
However it is a good feeling when everything comes together well.
Time will tell.
Just have to wait and bide my time for the Terminator to be built.
 
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