338 Lapua Mag, reloads for hunting

[threeshot]

Hey gang...
Anyone reloading any hunting rounds for 338 Lapua Mag? If so, I'd love to hear what hunting bullet and powder combinations you're happy with...(factory or reloads).
I have a TRG42 and so far have only found factory target ammunition...
Thanks!!!

[Solothurn]

Yup 300 gr Sierra Matchkings is what I shoot, kills things DEAD!! Killed plenty of critters in Africa last spring with them. A few deer last fall also succumbed to them, plan to kill some more next week with them too.
Your TRG will not likly shoot the 300s, too slow a twist barrel, so I would try the 250 gr Sierra matchkings.
Ofcourse the 250 Gr Partitions will work well too, you just won't have the trajectory.

[STWMAN]

I shoot a .338 lm in a trg42
one load is a 250 gr sierra hpbt match king with
100.1 gr. Of h1000, fed 215m primer
my gun loves this load, chronographed them at 3123 avg.
Works well...

[depopulator]

You may want to look at Noslers .338 - 250 grain accubonds. They are in Canada now and should work great in your 1-12" twist barrel. 250's typically shoot flatter out to 1000 yards than the 300 SMK's due to their lighter weight, and therefore increased velocity, but because of their reduced BC, will be more effected by wind.

[Solothurn]

You may want to look at Noslers .338 - 250 grain accubonds. They are in Canada now and should work great in your 1-12" twist barrel. 250's typically shoot flatter out to 1000 yards than the 300 SMK's due to their lighter weight, and therefore increased velocity, but because of their reduced BC, will be more effected by wind.

Are you finding that Accubonds actually track well at distance?
I have not tried them in 338 but found the big 30 cal Accubonds flew well until about 500 yards then seemed to get a mind of their own and wandered off for no particular reason.

I have found the 250 SMKs and Scenars needed MORE elevation to get out on real long distance than the 300s do. Shooting 250s out to 1750 yards needed 67 moa elevation, the 300s only 53 moa.
At 1000 I only need 19.5 moa shooting 300s whereas I need 24 moa with 250s:confused:

Lighter bullets loose foward momentum faster and energy than heavier 1s of a similar design.
More importantly is, what the rifle will shoot best? Trying different bullets is the only real way to find out.

[depopulator]

Are you finding that Accubonds actually track well at distance?
I have not tried them in 338 but found the big 30 cal Accubonds flew well until about 500 yards then seemed to get a mind of their own and wandered off for no particular reason.

At 1000 I only need 19.5 moa shooting 300s whereas I need 24 moa with 250s:confused:



I have not yet tested the .338 - 250 NAB, but plan to this spring. They look promising as a hunting bullet, but seem pricey.

I have had excellent success with 30 cal - 180 and 200 NAB, and on my good days, both shoot 1/2 MOA to 700m (max at my range). My self imposed distance on big game with my 300 RUM setup is 'closer to' ;) 600 yards though, so the 180 NAB's are more than accurate, fly very flat and hit plenty hard at that range. I'm a believer in 'em.

Your MOA elevations seem counter intuitive, but then your rifles are not like most. Given the 150fps advantage the 250's should have over the 300's, and limiting the range to 1000 yards, the 250's should shoot flatter. Maybe its the 1-9.4" twist barrels you run ?

[Solothurn]

I have not yet tested the .338 - 250 NAB, but plan to this spring. They look promising as a hunting bullet, but seem pricey.

I have had excellent success with 30 cal - 180 and 200 NAB, and on my good days, both shoot 1/2 MOA to 700m (max at my range). My self imposed distance on big game with my 300 RUM setup is 'closer to' ;) 600 yards though, so the 180 NAB's are more than accurate, fly very flat and hit plenty hard at that range. I'm a believer in 'em.

Your MOA elevations seem counter intuitive, but then your rifles are not like most. Given the 150fps advantage the 250's should have over the 300's, and limiting the range to 1000 yards, the 250's should shoot flatter. Maybe its the 1-9.4" twist barrels you run ?

I found the 30 cal 200s were great for accuracy at closer ranges, but as mentioned did not work well at longers ranges. Keep us informed of what you find with the 338s.

"Counter intuitive?" Run a ballistics program and you will se that 150 fps at the muzzle means very little at long range, but 50 grains of bullet with a much higher BC means alot. Trajectory has nothing to do with twist rate in determining how many moa is needed to get to a distance. Twist rate only determines what the spin rate of the bullet is. The 9.4 rate of my barrel only means that I can impart suffcient spin in the bigger bullets to ensure total stability.
The numbers quoted were using the actual velocities from my rifle with the most accurate load for the given bullet weight.
My own rifle sends 300 gr SMKs out the muzzle at 3075 on a hot day and 3060 on a colder 1. With 250 gr SMKs I get 3170 on hot and 3155 on colder.
Run the program out to at least 1000 yards to get the most significant difference. Further if your program will support it.

Physics is what is at work here. Throw a grain of sand hard and you won't get much distance or energy, but if flies faster than a baseball, initially yet the baseball will travel further and have alot more energy if it hits something.
This is greatly exagerated I know but the theory holds true no matter.

[depopulator]

Sorry three shot that this is getting sidetracked, however...

Let's be honest, we can fudge the input data for the ballistics programs 10 ways from Sunday to tell you anything you want. In my own 338 LM, my experience and the ballistics data for the 250 Scenars at 2900 fps shoot flatter than the 300 SMK's run at 2700 fps to 1000 yards. These are actual velocities I have recorded from my 700P. I am not talking 338 LAI and 30" barrels (what is your chamber pressure at those extraordinary velocities anyways?). I am currently getting my 700P fitted with a custom 28" tube, so maybe my results will be closer to yours with the new setup - hopefully they are....

However, as the post requested, for a standard 338 LM, the 250 NAB is a worthy consideration for a hunting bullet, and is worth checking out. Beyond a 1000 yards (which I personally believe is questionable in terms of ethical shots at live animals; my ethics that is!), the 300 SMK or hopefully soon-to-be-released 300 Bergers is no doubt the better choice. Further, I am by no means disagreeing that the 300's may be the better choice under 1000 yards either.

[Solothurn]

I am not fudging my Exbal program at all, inputting the velocities, scope height above bore, environment conditions where I shoot etc and letting the computer do the rest.
I will grant my Improved chamber will allow for higher velocities than your standard SAAMI chamber will, physics still remains a constant.
I think the short barrel on your Remington may be a large part of why your velocities as low as they are, also having the extra case capacity the AI has gains extra velocity, but even with the standard 338 Lapuas I have built we have found the same thing, the 300s carry better.

I have not tried the Accubonds, but think for most hunting purposes they may work very well, trying them will be the only way to really find out.

Not sure as I have no way to determine chamber pressures, but with no primer flattening and getting 18 reloadings from the same brass, I can only conclude the pressures are fairly low.

Getting back to the intial question of the thread, in a TRG42 I think the 250 would be the better choice strictly due to barrel twist rate. If the Accubonds will shoot well, give er. I have killed alot of game with Matchkings and have yet to have anything not die on the spot.

[marcel.boehm@cn.ca]

Stay away from machined brass and paper punching ammo these have great performance on level terrain with no cross wind, I have a custom build 338 lapua mag Sako TRGS M995 modified with a 30 inch 1 in 10 twist barrel, (#8 shilens) for the best stability in rain inverted or down hill shots use a flat base bullet, the tappered bases look great but if you are not willing to spent money on Hyraporting u will find problems in tumbleing.
my sugestion would be my prefrents swift bullet company makes a soft point in 275 grain 338 I use H-1000 powder (89.4 grains) with magnum 250 cci primers although you are shooting the TRG 42 I believe it has a longer OAL start at 81 grains working your self up to no more than 91 you should find yourself a sweet spot with mine it has a holland mussel brake at 800 yards I am on mark at 1500 yards I start taking of limbs if I rush, but with practice I am sure you will be happy it has a high coaficient and unlike the 300 grain match kings if you do not his a rib or bone the 275 will have substantially more shock,

[leadpillproductions]

I use a sako m995 250 grains tsx 88 gr reloader 25 fed 215 primers
norma brass and man does it kill

[Chargerguy]

The TRG-42 in .338LM has a 10" twist

[Solothurn]

The TRG-42 in .338LM has a 10" twist

The newer 1s do but the older production models had 11s and 12s depending on the year of manufacture.

[Chargerguy]

That's right. I see Sako finally updated their site.

[Sir Rollo]

The most accurate one I've found for my TRG-42 so far is the Sierra 250 grain spitzers. They are second only to the Sierra 300 grain match bullets. Nosler, and Hornady haven't come close in my trials so far. I have been using IMR 7828, and 89 grains of it. This load will group under eight inches for me at 600 yds, not quite the performance I would like, but good I think, for a soft point.

[revolution]

Anyone around the Edmonton area with experience that would like to help me build up a round for my .338 Lapua? I don't have any reloading experience so I'm looking for someone that not only knows the basics of reloading but the procedure to best go about developing a round for a specific gun. Thanks Ron

P.S I should mention I have what I think is the basic requirements of loading equipment, with Redding Comp dies, and #100, new Lapua brass, and #500, 300 Gr Sierra HPBT's, and H-1000, and 250 primers.

[depopulator]

Anyone around the Edmonton area with experience that would like to help me build up a round for my .338 Lapua? I don't have any reloading experience so I'm looking for someone that not only knows the basics of reloading but the procedure to best go about developing a round for a specific gun. Thanks Ron

P.S I should mention I have what I think is the basic requirements of loading equipment, with Redding Comp dies, and #100, new Lapua brass, and #500, 300 Gr Sierra HPBT's, and H-1000, and 250 primers.

pm sent

[MattSako]

I use a .338 Lapua as well. Sako with 28 inch barrel 1:10 twist. i have some good hunting load....

I use : 250 gr Nosler accubond with 103 gr of US869
and : 225 gr Hornady sst with 97 gr H1000...

For long distance i just bought the hard hitting 285 gr Hornady BTHP....
( Factory )

[revolution]

I use a .338 Lapua as well. Sako with 28 inch barrel 1:10 twist. i have some good hunting load....

I use : 250 gr Nosler accubond with 103 gr of US869
and : 225 gr Hornady sst with 97 gr H1000...

For long distance i just bought the hard hitting 285 gr Hornady BTHP....
( Factory )

What was your experience with the H1000 and the 860? Which one do you prefer and why?