338 Federal anyone?

[kren]

Hi

Im getting a 338 Federal soon, 1:7" twist, 18" barrel. I hope to use it for target shooting at up to 3-400m with 250 or 300gr SMKs. Anyone have reloading receipes to share?
Interested in full house loads as well.

K

 

[Ogre6br]

sorry mate
mines a hunting rifle with a slower twsit

I use Varget if thats any help with 225's for camels and donkeys

P

 

[cliffe]

are you gonna shoot 300gr smk with a .308 case and a 18" barrel for target shooting? who makes a 1in7twist 338 barrel. most 338 barrels i have seen are 1in10. let us know how it works out, good luck cliffe

 

[swehrman]

Pac-Nor makes 1-7" twist .338 barrels.

-- Scott

 

[kren]

The barrel is a Lothar Walther. The rifle is primarily for medium/big game hunting, as a short carry rifle, able to wear a suppressor comfortably.

Second duty,but probably get far more shots fired) is low signature small game hunting, where i live. Lots of people and tourists get scared by the noisy 6.5mm and the likes. Also people tend to flock to you when you fire, which is undesirable.
Not really happy with .22LR performance on cormorant and the big ducks either, not to mention goose..
So i figured: What the tiny .22LR bullet cant, the 300SMK may, and with a fraction of the wind drift to boot, and 10 times the whack.

And then comes practice and experimentation, + it is insanely cool to shoot the 300m gong. No earmuffs. Plonk - complete silence,feels like forever) - GONGGG!!!.

For sub loadings QuickLoad suggest 10-12 grains of Vith. N310-340 or Red Dot. But would be cool to hear if others have tried. The smith that builds the gun had supplied a number of 8.5" twist barrels and even had the 7" twist in stock.

K

 

[cliffe]

hey kren, 300smk are like 66 dollars per 100, pretty expensive duck shootin' bullets, but whatever, as long as you're having fun, thats all that matters... cliffe

 

[people]

I was thinking the same thing on the cost of the 300gr SMK's. I do know that they will hit very hard no matter how fast you shoot them.

Have you ever looked at getting a 300 whisper?

You will have to keep up informed on how this rifle shoots.

 

[kren]

Remember this is Europe, money works a bit differently.
66$ a 100, is darn expensive yes, and they are even more expensive here..,
But .66$,maybe 1.5$ total) of bullet to smack a goose or a cormorant, is that really expensive? It is an insignificant fraction of my,way to high) shooting budget for sure.
And the 1000$,thats what a quality barrel costs here, brr) will last "forever".. Besides, shotgun shells starts @ 2$ apiece.

Lastly this is not a cost saving project,barrel, scope, rings, dies, powder, bullets, cases) and dont forget
It will be a deer/moose gun first. If I can get the sub-loads to work I can even use them on the roe deer.

Out of curiosity, what does a match 6.5mm bullet, appropriate powder etc. cost over there?
Here:
6.5mm bullet .25$-.50$
Vith N165 ~100$/kg
Norma Powder twice that almost
Lapua brass 2$ apiece

K

 

[Wapiti Retlas]

Well, first time on the Forum, looking forward to some decent discussions. As for the 338 Federal. OH I love that rifle, both of them. They shoot MOA to 300 yards. Thats a nice 200 grain bullet as well. I do not understand so many shooters condemn this caliber. Its faster than the 308, has a bigger bullet and more foot pounds. I never condemn any new caliber on the market, that is whats keeping the gun buyers needs. Anyways, it surely will be my go to Deer and Hog rifle.

 

[nockhunter]

That bullet has to be just about as long as an empty case!

Mike

 

[284winner]

are you gonna shoot 300gr smk with a .308 case and a 18" barrel for target shooting? who makes a 1in7twist 338 barrel. most 338 barrels i have seen are 1in10. let us know how it works out, good luck cliffe

I think at the slow speeds that 338 fed will produce with those big bullets, he will need a bit faster than a 10. Kinda like a 233 pushing the 90 Bergers. An 8 twist won't work like it will with the 22-250s. He'll no doubt need an 8 or faster to spin them 300s to stability. Just my guess. The calculator will be the closest to a better guess. By the way, PacNor makes 6-14 twist barrels depending on how many grooves you want.