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338 ULTRA MAG
mond
Member Posts: 6,458
hi all.
i been reloading my stalking/hunt rifle a 338 U/M for a while & using 225g partition heads & using N165& R19 with loads from 85-90g , i have tried every thing to get this rifle accurate ,brass cleaned & sized, etc, i use a sporter barrel, honey comb stock, the barrel is now bedded,it ws floated, i re-crowned,mussle breaked it ,cleaned it every 5 shots & the best i can get is 3-4" group at 125yds!& thats bench rest, no touching the gun!!
Any ideas, im at my patients end with this remmy 700 XCR.Its costing me $4+ a shot here, & im getting no where fast!
any ideas guys?
thanks
i been reloading my stalking/hunt rifle a 338 U/M for a while & using 225g partition heads & using N165& R19 with loads from 85-90g , i have tried every thing to get this rifle accurate ,brass cleaned & sized, etc, i use a sporter barrel, honey comb stock, the barrel is now bedded,it ws floated, i re-crowned,mussle breaked it ,cleaned it every 5 shots & the best i can get is 3-4" group at 125yds!& thats bench rest, no touching the gun!!
Any ideas, im at my patients end with this remmy 700 XCR.Its costing me $4+ a shot here, & im getting no where fast!
any ideas guys?
thanks
Comments
I hate to read about folks having trouble developing a load for any rifle. The frustration has to be enormous especially considering the rising cost of reloading. You have tried just about everything physically that is available and then some! I went back through a bunch of load notes that I have on the .300 RUM and the .338 RUM to see if I could cast any light on your position. I'm not sure it's the load right now. You might want to sit down for this.
I think it's your stock.
Those Hogue Overmold stocks have been known to contribute some unacceptable harmonics to the entire rifle system. I know you had it bedded but I don't think this is solving the basic problem as it is probably the stock as a whole. Now before you blow a gasket and call me a loon, think about this test.
Borrow a Remington stock from a friend or club member or maybe you have a spare takeoff put away or laying around on the bench. The best bet would be to try to locate an HS Precision stock with the aluminum bedding block for this type of experiment. Take the .338 RUM out of the factory Hogue stock and put it in another Remington stock. Tighten it down carefully and make sure that the barrel is free. Scrape the barrel channel if necessary. Make sure that the barreled action is not stressed in the new stock.
Try some of your current loads again but this time don't clean after every 5 shots. That is really over cleaning unless you're attempting some form of break-in procedure. For this attempt, I'd skip some of the cleaning. Pay close attention to how the stock sits on the front bag and what you use for a rear bag. Do NOT let the sling swivels or studs rest on the bags. Remove them if you have to.
I'm not trying to upset the cart here but 3-4" groups require other measures.
Best.
Helped a friend with a Rem custom shop pencil barrelled w/brake 338RUM. 300 grain Sierra bullets and RL25 is good medicince. Best group at 1300 yards - 12.5".
You also might want to try shooting groups at 200 or 300 yards, bullets might not be stabilized yet.
Hang on to it. Free recoil is not the way to go with a magnum.
What twist is the barrel?
Helped a friend with a Rem custom shop pencil barrelled w/brake 338RUM. 300 grain Sierra bullets and RL25 is good medicince. Best group at 1300 yards - 12.5".
You also might want to try shooting groups at 200 or 300 yards, bullets might not be stabilized yet.
I agree, and with Hawk, hang on to it, shoot 300 yard groups, very possible over stabilizing. Lastly have you shot any Sierra MKs? partitions are not known for extremely tight groups at the kind of ranges you will be shooting the UM, they are slso expensive testers. If you need a slower powder-try N-170, it is SLOW, but clean and very,very little variation between jugs, and this dude uses a lot of powder. Please post What you have come up with, and how it worked, not enough 338UM shooters around, more info is better info.
Justc I think has it right, My 300 u/m LOVES slower powders IMR 4831 gives me one hole groups (.2,.3) at 100 yards .
Good shooting! What bullet are you using?
I also agree that the stock may be causing problems with groups that poor. Unless a bore scope reveals some SERIOUS internal issues such as missing rifling or extreme gouging.
I have the hogue stocks with the bedding block, and had them bedded also. these shoot well, but the standard injection molded stocks are not all that great.
i will track down a good stock, & go with the slower powder, mentioned, i shall beg a few gram here & there from the guys @ the club, & see whats best..before i spend $150 on a tub !! [:0]
i shall post the results soon [;)]
niiiiiiiiice, thanks to all who hepled. [:)]
Congratulation! Great shooting!
Best.