vertical stringing 338LM

[brokeasajoke]

Savage 110fcp 338lm weaver superslam scope burris extreme 6 screw rings. R33 20 thou off lands fed mag primer 300gr nosler comp factory second bullets in neck sized ppu brass. First time in a leadsled shoulder been sore for a few months. Applied slight down pressure to stock to finagle crosshairs on target ever so slightly. Think thats where i went wrong. Normaly shoot off of bipod with support under stock. Ignore 2 shots at very bottom. Edit: clicked up from far left to make sure everything was on paper.

 

[ebb]

Tim North told me several years ago he was shooting Win Mag primers in his long range gun. Try a few and see if the vertical gets better. It may surprise you.

 

[lrgoodger]

You are absolutely correct. Your down pressure on the stock destroyed your groups. My experiments with pressure on the stock early in my learning stages is what steered me to shoot free recoil. I realize you can't do that with a 338, but you should lightly place your shoulder against the stock to catch it when it recoils and lightly hold the gun with your trigger hand, also to catch it during recoil, but put no pressure on the stock at all with your trigger hand. You should see the groups tighten up when you don't have pressure from your body pushing the gun this way and that.

 

[Sniper338]

I think the primers are fine. Thats what i use, thats what many people i know use.. my rifle likes reloader 33, others dont, other powder is h1000. My brother in law has a 338 savage model and H1000 is crazy good in it.

But if you already have that load worked up and its shot good before then you probably found your problem like you said. I shoot mine on a bipod loaded up stiff... never shot it free recoil.. haha

 

[dkhunt14]

I think most of the problem is the leadsled. Matt

 

[brokeasajoke]

Dont have a load worked up. These were my first reloads. Sounds like goinh back to bipod will br the way to go. The primers are pretty old too. Gonna try working up a little more since I had no pressure signs.
Thanks all

 

[jlow]

Those are some pretty wide groups - what distance?

Since those are your first reloads and you don't have a load worked up and you can be in no-man's land, it's almost impossible to say much about the group. let alone vertical stringing..

 

[brokeasajoke]

Agreed. The horizontal spread looks good though. Also does any one else notice how the groups walked to the left? The third is almost in the middle

 

[brokeasajoke]

Should i load the bipod?

 

[Ggmac]

Let's start again , did you have first run bullets for load work ? Get some , sorting seconds don't cut it . Weight alone isn't their only reason for being seconds .
I used the same seconds and was chasing them at every load .
Get more data . More loads a few tenths apart and in depth .
Later , mrs is home
Sorry
If it's a new rifle , after 20 or so rounds ,check all mounting screws ( it does not matter if you loctited ) the recoil will seat or mate if you will the scope to the rings , the rings to the base , the base to the receiver , the receiver to the stock .
If any are not tight recheck those again later .
Find your length to rifling or leade , write this down in a book . It will come in handy after a couple of hundred rounds . Your length will get longer .
Good luck .

 

[dragman]

How much RL33 are you putting in them? That powder fills the case fast and stuffing half a 300 grainer down it can cause some real problems.
Also dump the sled and just preload the bipod with a little pressure.

 

[Eric Leonard]

I would bed the action to the block in the stock,,I had the same rifle and with action screws at 60 inch pounds it bent the stamped recoil lug,,

 

[brokeasajoke]

Charge weight wrote on target. Length to lands 3.981 average of about 6 trys. Loaded 3.55.Said 20 but was mistaken thats 25 off lands. 37rds down it so far. Scope mount jb weld bedded to action. Heres a kicker. Shot 3 S&B 250gr factory loads and had about the same horizontal dispertion as handloads had vertical but no vertical dispertion. May pick up a pack of fresh primers too. Will try some of same handloads off bipod and go over all.screws next week. mr.big, what did you end up torquing it to?

 

[Eric Leonard]

I stayed at 60 but glass bedded the action and 2 inches of barrel,,it shot really well but had problems with extraction,,I had good luck with 250 Hornady BTHP and H1000 and the 300 OTM with Retumbo,,

 

[cdparker]

My gun is a Barrett 98-B with the 27" barrel. It is a Hammer. This is my personal experience with the .338 LM. With the 250 gr. bullets, it likes H4831sc. With the 300 gr. bullets, it likes H1000. If you go on Utube, and look up videos on the .338 Lapua, you will find a reoccurring reference to the H1000 load that my gun likes with the 300 gr. bullet. I did some experimenting with Re33 and like the other double based powders, it is crap until you get to very near a maximum load. Your data says that you are loaded a bit lighter than what my gun likes. I use Federal 215 primers and Lapua brass. I have Sierra bullets and run my loads at magazine length. From my experience, I have found that you can load one of each for a ladder test. Look at velocity changes and ease of bolt lift and any other pressure signs. Then I load 3 shots each of where I am pretty sure I will find an accurate load. Velocity nodes and pressure etc. I have found that vertical dispersion is usually that I need more powder. The shots will go to a round group and then as I increase the charge, the groups go horizontal. As it turned out my loads are exactly what are listed as maximum loads with the Re33. Funny how that worked out!

 

[effendude]

Let's load bullets of poor quality into a rifle with a limited barrel life to do load development off a lead sled meant for the once a year sight-in crowd and then complain about the results. Come on Broke, what did you expect?

BTW, free recoil might work for heavy BR guns but you can't shoot these big calibers free recoil in these lighter rifles. Torque and recoil will throw your shots all over. Consistently hold the rifle firmly, load the bipod if you use one, or pull the rifle into the front bag if on the bench. You are asking to get hurt when that 12# rifle isn't held securely.

Scott

 

[brokeasajoke]

I could care less if i shoot it out and never find a load. Ive had fun and learned alot. Lead sled was the first time i have ever used one for ANY gun. First three shots out of this savage went 3/4 inch w/ppu ammo. I am in no way complaining. I am learning because i amthe least among us. Nosler said seconds were minor visual blemishs and shouldnt be a problem. Again Im not complaining. BTW free recoil gave me a fat lip with this gun on a bipod. Lol

 

[Eric Leonard]

mine had a fierce muzzle blast but the actual recoil was not bad at all,,,
shooting off a bipod you really need to learn to load the bipod the same ever time for good groups,,,,

pic of one I had with 3-15 Weaver Tactical doin load work up at 600,,I got tired of having to carry a cleaning rod to knock the brass out and parted it out and sold it all,,

 

[brokeasajoke]

I have not had a single extraction problem yet. I have yet to feed it my lapua brass. I know from early reading many seemed to have probs with hornady.

 

[jsthntn247]

So what's the deal with these rifles and the bolt coming back leaving a round in the chamber? I worked up a load for my buddies and it does the same thing. Loads not hot, is this a defect? Hornady Brass.