338 Whisper chambering

[nakneker]

I have a Tikka CTR in 6.5 creed I was gonna list but maybe it would make a good action and mag combo for a 338 whisper. Mag length is a smidge under 3.00”. I’m gonna check it out, been wanting to do one for awhile, it would be pretty simple to do if that action and mag work for it.

What’s the OAL for the 300 grain Bergers seated just above the shoulder? Anybody know?

 

[farmerjohn]

I have a Tikka CTR in 6.5 creed I was gonna list but maybe it would make a good action and mag combo for a 338 whisper. Mag length is a smidge under 3.00”. I’m gonna check it out, been wanting to do one for awhile, it would be pretty simple to do if that action and mag work for it.

What’s the OAL for the 300 grain Bergers seated just above the shoulder? Anybody know?

Hey Feller, I dug out one of mine, this is with a 300gr elite hunter... John

 

[linebaugh]

Hey Feller, I built one back in the 80s to run strictly sub sonic with the Sierra 300vld, had Douglas do a 7 twist which was as fast as they could go. 20" barrel on a 40x, would have to go back to my notes for the exact dose of Little Gun but I remember the starting load I used jumped up to around 13 or 1400fps with no signs of pressure. Backed it down to 1050fps and with a Knight can off my H&K 45acp was the quietest suppressed rifle I've ever heard. Could actually hear the firing pin hit, set up a target at 50yds and made a 3 shot group in the teens, I was tickled to death. Ordered a 500 box of the Sierra's and moved out to 100yds and sent 3 down, hurried down there and they all hit sideways. Had spent 6mo and a thousand dollars and disappointed don't even describe it. Screwed the barrel off a set it in the corner and never looked back, later on a friend wanted to try the barrel and had good luck with 250gr flat base bullets and Little Gun, 2400, 5744...... food for thought, John

Not sure what was wrong at 100 but a 7 twist shold have been stable.

 

[farmerjohn]

Not sure what was wrong at 100 but a 7 twist shold have been stable.

I don't know either for sure, that was during a hetic time in my life, was single with 3 kids and lot of ground to farm but I think after measuring this case for @nakneker that those old Sierra 300vlds were over 3in, I thought about later after I gave the barrel away that I should have tried some shorter bullets but I probably found a new rabbit to chase and took off. Wouldn't have thought about it again if LVLAaron hadn't asked about that powder. My favorite "thumper" now is a 45 colt with a 300gr cast flat nose in a little H&R carbine, it's pretty rough on anything it hits out to 150yds...
John

 

[nakneker]

I don't know either for sure, that was during a hetic time in my life, was single with 3 kids and lot of ground to farm but I think after measuring this case for @nakneker that those old Sierra 300vlds were over 3in, I thought about later after I gave the barrel away that I should have tried some shorter bullets but I probably found a new rabbit to chase and took off. Wouldn't have thought about it again if LVLAaron hadn't asked about that powder. My favorite "thumper" now is a 45 colt with a 300gr cast flat nose in a little H&R carbine, it's pretty rough on anything it hits out to 150yds...View attachment 1642022
John

You gotta love the old 45 Colt, one of my favorites! I ordered some Peterson 7BR brass, I think I’ll mock up dummy load for OAL and see where it is.

 

[ButcherBlock]

Hello fellas
I am just asking this question out of curiosity ok. If you are wanting to shoot .338 heavy bullets. Wouldn't a smaller case like the 338 arc work better for subs only? Check out the 338 razorback as well.

 

[P1ZombieKiller]

Hello fellas
I am just asking this question out of curiosity ok. If you are wanting to shoot .338 heavy bullets. Wouldn't a smaller case like the 338 arc work better for subs only? Check out the 338 razorback as well.

It might. But I have umpteen millions old 30br cases that will make great donation cases.

I also have a smith that has a 30br reamer, and we are going to finagle it into a 338 br.

 

[linebaugh]

Hello fellas
I am just asking this question out of curiosity ok. If you are wanting to shoot .338 heavy bullets. Wouldn't a smaller case like the 338 arc work better for subs only? Check out the 338 razorback as well.

Smaller case capacity is better.

 

[farmerjohn]

You gotta love the old 45 Colt, one of my favorites! I ordered some Peterson 7BR brass, I think I’ll mock up dummy load for OAL and see where it is.

Don't know if you saw the picture just above, but that was nickle plated 7BR Rem brass I used, measured 2.974 with a berger 300 hunter elite.....John

 

[nakneker]

Don't know if you saw the picture just above, but that was nickle plated 7BR Rem brass I used, measured 2.974 with a berger 300 hunter elite.....John

Thank you, I missed that pic. I think that CTR mag will work just fine. Thanks again for the pic!

 

[Fire Dog]

Hmm… Titegroup and Bullseye are super clean and used in 300BO subs,

It sounds like someone gets to do a science project

A caution about Bullseye as it has a very steep pressure curve and once over 5-6 grains I think you will find that the pressure curve is almost straight up ^
Once tried 5gr in a 45 ACP with 230gr bullets and it slammed the slide as hard as some WWII 45ACP sub-machine gun ammo I once tried…. Cases looked a bit bulged, primers starting to unseat and nearly dead flat…. {:~/
Think I would look at the Unique, Red Dot, Blue Dot {had a friend that used BD in his .357 mag wheel gun} H110 I have found to be a “dirty” powder but used a lot of it when I owned an M1 Carbine.

 

[mattri]

A caution about Bullseye as it has a very steep pressure curve and once over 5-6 grains I think you will find that the pressure curve is almost straight up ^
Once tried 5gr in a 45 ACP with 230gr bullets and it slammed the slide as hard as some WWII 45ACP sub-machine gun ammo I once tried…. Cases looked a bit bulged, primers starting to unseat and nearly dead flat…. {:~/
Think I would look at the Unique, Red Dot, Blue Dot {had a friend that used BD in his .357 mag wheel gun} H110 I have found to be a “dirty” powder but used a lot of it when I owned an M1 Carbine.

Where are you finding Unique, Red Dot, Blue Dot in stock?

 

[Evlshnngns]

Hello fellas
I am just asking this question out of curiosity ok. If you are wanting to shoot .338 heavy bullets. Wouldn't a smaller case like the 338 arc work better for subs only? Check out the 338 razorback as well.

I believe this whisper has less capacity than the 8.6blk, certainly works. The br case head also has its benefits.

 

[nakneker]

Where are you finding Unique, Red Dot, Blue Dot in stock?

Alliant powders have been tough to find, if you don’t have some in hand it’ll be a waiting game.

 

[farmerjohn]

A caution about Bullseye as it has a very steep pressure curve and once over 5-6 grains I think you will find that the pressure curve is almost straight up ^
Once tried 5gr in a 45 ACP with 230gr bullets and it slammed the slide as hard as some WWII 45ACP sub-machine gun ammo I once tried…. Cases looked a bit bulged, primers starting to unseat and nearly dead flat…. {:~/
Think I would look at the Unique, Red Dot, Blue Dot {had a friend that used BD in his .357 mag wheel gun} H110 I have found to be a “dirty” powder but used a lot of it when I owned an M1 Carbine.

You are right about the curve on bullseye, and I will add Unique to that list and it's one of my all time favorites. I will always have plenty of it and 2400, been using those three for 60+yrs. 8 to 12 gr of Unique will run just about any center fire rifle with cast or jacked bullets from sub sonic up to and above 1600fps, it's non-positional, don't need a filler, and reg primers light it just fine. BUT, it's spike looks like Musk's rocket, when those ballistic computer programs first came out we looked it up and once you passed 15 or 16gr, straight up.... John

 

[nakneker]

You are right about the curve on bullseye, and I will add Unique to that list and it's one of my all time favorites. I will always have plenty of it and 2400, been using those three for 60+yrs. 8 to 12 gr of Unique will run just about any center fire rifle with cast or jacked bullets from sub sonic up to and above 1600fps, it's non-positional, don't need a filler, and reg primers light it just fine. BUT, it's spike looks like Musk's rocket, when those ballistic computer programs first came out we looked it up and once you passed 15 or 16gr, straight up.... John

Agreed, I use a lot of it in sub rifle loads with jackets bullets. It’s a versatile powder.

 

[P1ZombieKiller]

You are right about the curve on bullseye, and I will add Unique to that list and it's one of my all time favorites. I will always have plenty of it and 2400, been using those three for 60+yrs. 8 to 12 gr of Unique will run just about any center fire rifle with cast or jacked bullets from sub sonic up to and above 1600fps, it's non-positional, don't need a filler, and reg primers light it just fine. BUT, it's spike looks like Musk's rocket, when those ballistic computer programs first came out we looked it up and once you passed 15 or 16gr, straight up.... John

@farmerjohn so I should us 12.0 grain of Unique and work down from there?

I got my two bullets in today that I will be shooting.
Since I have a 1:8 barrel, Paul at Maker Bullets suggested I drop down to 275 grain instead of 300 grain.

Left is 250 Nosler HPBT
Right is 275 Maker Rex solid copper

 

[farmerjohn]

@farmerjohn so I should us 12.0 grain of Unique and work down from there?

I got my two bullets in today that I will be shooting.
Since I have a 1:8 barrel, Paul at Maker Bullets suggested I drop down to 275 grain instead of 300 grain.

Left is 250 Nosler HPBT
Right is 275 Maker Rex solid copper

View attachment 1646986

Hey Feller, when I was loading the whisper in the eighty's I didn't know about Unique. I used little gun and reloader 7, later on when I was looking for a squib load for my 375 H&H to shoot Ptarmigan and rabbits with an old gunsmith in Anchorage told me about Unique and I was loading around 12gr with a 225 cast bullet but it was trans-sonic. We worked up a load last deer season for a 450 bushmaster in a Ruger 77 with a heavy bullet and it hit 1050 at 11gr. I would not work backwards but instead start at 8gr and work up in 3 tenths increments and stop at 12.... that I know works great. If you need more velocity I would go to little gun, re7, 4198, ECT. I don't want to put you close to the edge with any loads. That being said if you are trying to push the envelope, do it with .2 tenths of a grain increase and use a chronograph on that whisper because you don't have a lot of case capacity , if you jump .2 and the velocity doesn't jump as far as it did last increase you are there...back down to your last good jump in velocity and either quit or go to another powder ..... Just measure your 200 line and watch your primers... let me know how it's going... John

 

[Oso]

A caution about Bullseye as it has a very steep pressure curve and once over 5-6 grains I think you will find that the pressure curve is almost straight up ^
Once tried 5gr in a 45 ACP with 230gr bullets and it slammed the slide as hard as some WWII 45ACP sub-machine gun ammo I once tried…. Cases looked a bit bulged, primers starting to unseat and nearly dead flat…. {:~/
Think I would look at the Unique, Red Dot, Blue Dot {had a friend that used BD in his .357 mag wheel gun} H110 I have found to be a “dirty” powder but used a lot of it when I owned an M1 Carbine.

Yeah….for 45ACP I would recommend starting at 4.0gr and gradually increasing in small increments (no more than 0.2 gr increments). These powders are high energy while being physically compact so want to carefully work up your load in small increments. The small dense volume is deceiving.

For fire forming large batch of 223AI (cream of wheat method) I used 9.5gr Bullseye, which I gradually worked up to that powder volume. Fast ignition with clean burn. I have been told by knowledgeable member that Bullseye / Titegroup make the quietest subsonic in 300BO. I’ve been using H110.

There are a few Vihtavuori powders that would be worth considering (N105, N110, N120) depending on firearm platform and barrel length.

 

[P1ZombieKiller]

got my rifle back and made up some cases.
tossed 12.0 grains of Alliant 2400 in there with a 250 grain Nosler BTHP and got 1248 fps.
I only shot one round as it was almost dark when i got home.

I am going to back it down to about 11 grains and see what happened.

I have 1 pound of 2400 but I have 8 pounds of Unique.
Once I figure my speed out, I will load 20ish rounds and head to the range to see how it prints on paper.