Hunting rounds in .338LM

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OVERKILL

OVERKILL

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I've been shooting .338LM for about two years now and generally all that was available was target/match ammo. I've used both S&B 250gr match as well as Hornady 285gr match. In order to have anything that you could shoot at something living you had to hand load. Hornady makes a 225gr SST projectile in this calibre (as well as a 250gr Interlock) which I've used successfully.

Today, I was out at the local shop and they had Federal 250gr lead tipped in stock at just under $4/round. I picked up a box of 20 to try out. These are pretty much the .338LM equivalent of the Federal blue box stuff I buy in .308 and most I am sure here are familiar with.

Of note: There is no heat treating on the brass, something that I have had with all the other .338LM rounds I've purchased. I find that a bit odd.

These are them here:
https://www.federalpremium.com/products/details/rifle.aspx?id=1084

Muzzle velocity is 2,875fps
Muzzle Energy is 4,588lb-ft

They are showing 40 inches of drop at 500 yards.

SpeerHotCoresm.jpg
 
Yes, I've been using the 225gr SST Hornady bullets in my reloads. They cost about $1.50 or so a round to make (roughly). That's recycling brass I've already got. It would be more if I was using new brass.
 
Originally Posted By: umungus1122
Nosler loads the Accubond in different weights.

http://www.nosler.com/338-lapua-magnum


Nice! They had Nosler, but only in Match (FMJ). That's generally what I've been able to find, so this was a welcome surprise. Lapua also makes a green tipped round similar to the Hornady SST, but I've never actually seen it.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Of note: There is no heat treating on the brass, something that I have had with all the other .338LM rounds I've purchased. I find that a bit odd.


You can anneal them yourself with a propane torch, and a pan of water. I've done it with a variety of different calibers. After a couple of reloads it's easy to work harden the brass. By annealing you can get many more reloads without the necks splitting. The brass may in fact be annealed. If they polish it after the annealing process, it won't show the discoloration at the neck.
 
Originally Posted By: billt460
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Of note: There is no heat treating on the brass, something that I have had with all the other .338LM rounds I've purchased. I find that a bit odd.


You can anneal them yourself with a propane torch, and a pan of water. I've done it with a variety of different calibers. After a couple of reloads it's easy to work harden the brass. By annealing you can get many more reloads without the necks splitting. The brass may in fact be annealed. If they polish it after the annealing process, it won't show the discoloration at the neck.


That's a good point and one I had not thought of. These DO look polished.
 
Originally Posted By: Marco620
.338 ? Shooting Crocodile or Moose? Wow,big calibre.


It is a great long range precision calibre that is relatively easy to get ammo for (compared to some others) and there are plenty of precision rifles available in it. I have a CADEX CDX-33, but prior to that, had a Savage 110BA. For hunting, you could use it for moose, it would be overkill for deer, but could also be used for anything really big and would be fun for long range pest control
wink.gif
It has fantastic ballistics, flat trajectory and an incredible range.

Unfortunately, this rifle is quite heavy, so dragging it through the bush isn't much fun. For a drive-in and pick-off though, it works very well. My .308, which takes 10rd AI mags, fitted in the same chassis, but at about half the weight, is a lot better for bush carry and hits hard enough for anything I'm going to encounter in that scenario. If we are going walking I usually bring the 12 gauge and the .308. If we are doing mostly bench I'll bring the .338LM. I used to have a .270 and a .223, but I sold them both because I didn't shoot them. Figured I'd put the money into these two, which I use far more.
 
This is my Weatherby Accumark in .338-378 Weatherby Magnum. I picked it up back in 1999. That was the very first group I shot with it. Since then I've switched to WC-872 powder and the Sierra 300 grain Matchking, and the groups have closed up considerably. It will cloverleaf 3 shot groups for as long as I sit and squeeze. I only shoot 3 shot groups otherwise the barrel gets too hot. That tends to happen when you're lighting off over 100 grains of powder every time the firing pin drops. WC-872 is the all but perfect powder for the big .338 bores. The gun has been a reliable shooter, and very accurate with the sporter barrel. It surprised me. I now have over 500 rounds downrange, and the accuracy has not dropped off. Again, that surprised me. But as I said, I don't get the barrel hot, and I believe that helps a lot with longevity.

The bottom rifle is my Savage Model 12 F-TR in .308. It's got the heavy 30" target barrel. It seems to run the best with IMR-4064 and 180 grain Nosler's seated .010 to .020 off the lands. The Target Accutrigger is set to about 3 ounces. As soon as it cools off out here I'm going to give the new Hornady ELD's a wringing out. From what I've been reading, all of these plastic tip bullets that are now all the rage, suffer from heat deformation of the tip that pretty much ruins their B.C. downrange. The Hornady ELD's have a tip that is manufactured from some type of heat resistant polymer. We'll see. If it is true, and I have zero reason to doubt Hornady's ballistic research, You're going to see all the polymer tip bullet manufacturers going to it. I'm hearing that Nosler is going to be introducing them in their Ballistic Tip line.









 
I've been considering a 338 for some time. But while I shoot the small guns regularly in my backyard shooting range, discharging a 338 is not neighbor friendly. Even if they are far away, and they shoot too. A 338 is probably not ideal for a 67 yard backyard range...
smile.gif


Another reason I've avoided the caliber was the relative lack of ammo flavors. However, in recent years, that's all changed. There are 30 different flavors in stock!

It's time to get one!
 
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Of note: There is no heat treating on the brass, something that I have had with all the other .338LM rounds I've purchased. I find that a bit odd.
They were annealed, or should have been. They were simply polished after annealing which removed the discoloration.
 
My young 'un got a grizzly draw in sheep country. He can take my TRG if he really wants to pack that in and out; 27" barrel plus muzzle brake with 4.5-30 6500.
Loads; 265 LRX 'n 185 TTSX both with 215 primers & Ramshot Magnum powder.
 
Lol, Magnum eye-brow. Gunny Time, reminds me of the 1st 20 minutes of the movie Full Metal Jacket, and Scent of a Women.

I was looking for a hunting rifle in 338 LM when I found Gunny. CZ 550 has a nice synthetic stock one.

www.cz-usa.com
 
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