In addition to my .338 Edge, I bought a Savage Lapua FCP. It shoots 300 gr Bergers into 2.5 to 3 inches at 500 yards (prone with rests) but I recently tried 285 AMAX bullets. Last week 3 shots into 2.5 inches and this morning 3 shots in 1.5 inches at 500 yards. The vertical dispersion for both groups was less than an inch; there was a slight wind on both days.

Savage is hitting on all cylinders right now.

Definitely sounds like it. Post photos if you don't mind.

I don't use Photobucket but happy to email one if you want to post. Only have a photo of the last group.

Here you go:

Thanks for sharing.

What material is your target?

That is very good performance, would appear to be .5 moa with 3 shot group even less. I believe the caliber would be legal for NRA Long Range matches and it would be interesting to see the performance of the round/rifle at 1000yds. with 20 shots in 30 minutes?? X ring for the 1000yd. target some 10"/1moa and with the number of shots and consequential heat build up, shooter fatigue, etc. would it maintain .5moa?? Questions not intended to be negative at all for it is an amazing round and it's easy for me to spend your money, time, and inflict pain on your shoulder for such an experiment. Just curious.

quote:

Originally posted by Instructor:
That is very good performance, would appear to be .5 moa with 3 shot group even less. I believe the caliber would be legal for NRA Long Range matches and it would be interesting to see the performance of the round/rifle at 1000yds. with 20 shots in 30 minutes?? X ring for the 1000yd. target some 10"/1moa and with the number of shots and consequential heat build up, shooter fatigue, etc. would it maintain .5moa?? Questions not intended to be negative at all for it is an amazing round and it's easy for me to spend your money, time, and inflict pain on your shoulder for such an experiment. Just curious.

I don't have a brake on my .338 Win Mag, but I do on both of my big .338s, principally because I shoot they sitting with a bipod and shooting sling with my left arm wrapped under my left leg and gripping the sling at the rear sling stud and the buttstock on my knee. Dead steady.

So recoil isn't fierce, but I have never shot 20 shots in one sitting. The barrel heats up pretty fast with only three shots. If the 338LAP was the best LR rifle for target shooting at 1000 yards, we would see it, right? The trend lately is definitely toward smaller calibers shooting high BC bullets.

I get a kick out of shooting at spots on rocks in the desert at long range, trying to hit with the first shot. The only reason I shoot that 338 at 500 yards is to test/work up loads. For my weekly 500 yard gong shooting, I shoot a .308 or my .220 Swift with 80 gr AMAX's. I also shoot some of my hunting rifles at that range just for practice.

I can well imagine the heat would be significant for few years switched from the 308 for Long Range matches to the 300Win.Mag. and it's a superb long range round, but for 20 round string x 3 for the whole match the barrel was super hot only after 20 rounds. Best barrel life I could get was just over 1100 rounds regardless of brand of barrel. Recoil definitely there but not punishing for 15lb rifle. Overall just cost prohibitive with similar scores at the end of the season. Similar to the "law of diminishing returns."
As for the smaller calibers I did not go as far as you and the 220 Swift, but did the 22-250 route and current one has a less than 7 twist and uses both the 80gr SMK and the 90's as well.
It's a sub moa gun at about any range you want and whole lot less "violence" when shooting. Used the combo last couple years of my active match shooting and got a lot of raised eyebrows when it became known, "that guy is shooting a 22 at 1000yds!" When you get old and feeble you have to be creative to stay in the game you know. Keep up the good work, there are not many riflemen left you know since the new mode is "spray and pray."

quote:

Originally posted by MS Hitman:
Thanks for sharing.

What material is your target?

Some kind of heavy plate; I know our club pays a lot for them and that one, about 30" in diameter, is a two person lift. That particular one shows zero wear, whereas others look like the surface of the moon.

quote:

Originally posted by Instructor:
I can well imagine the heat would be significant for few years switched from the 308 for Long Range matches to the 300Win.Mag. and it's a superb long range round, but for 20 round string x 3 for the whole match the barrel was super hot only after 20 rounds. Best barrel life I could get was just over 1100 rounds regardless of brand of barrel. Recoil definitely there but not punishing for 15lb rifle. Overall just cost prohibitive with similar scores at the end of the season. Similar to the "law of diminishing returns."
As for the smaller calibers I did not go as far as you and the 220 Swift, but did the 22-250 route and current one has a less than 7 twist and uses both the 80gr SMK and the 90's as well.
It's a sub moa gun at about any range you want and whole lot less "violence" when shooting. Used the combo last couple years of my active match shooting and got a lot of raised eyebrows when it became known, "that guy is shooting a 22 at 1000yds!" When you get old and feeble you have to be creative to stay in the game you know. Keep up the good work, there are not many riflemen left you know since the new mode is "spray and pray."

I had great luck with the 90 SMK but I heard Sierra was going to drop them so I went back to the 80 AMAX. I am planning a 6XC right now and anxious to see how that works vs my .220 Swift.

quote:

Originally posted by Instructor:
I can well imagine the heat would be significant for few years switched from the 308 for Long Range matches to the 300Win.Mag. and it's a superb long range round, but for 20 round string x 3 for the whole match the barrel was super hot only after 20 rounds. Best barrel life I could get was just over 1100 rounds regardless of brand of barrel. Recoil definitely there but not punishing for 15lb rifle. Overall just cost prohibitive with similar scores at the end of the season. Similar to the "law of diminishing returns."
As for the smaller calibers I did not go as far as you and the 220 Swift, but did the 22-250 route and current one has a less than 7 twist and uses both the 80gr SMK and the 90's as well.
It's a sub moa gun at about any range you want and whole lot less "violence" when shooting. Used the combo last couple years of my active match shooting and got a lot of raised eyebrows when it became known, "that guy is shooting a 22 at 1000yds!" When you get old and feeble you have to be creative to stay in the game you know. Keep up the good work, there are not many riflemen left you know since the new mode is "spray and pray."

I have a 10 twist 22.250 and shoot the 69 grain SMK's on calm days, at our club's monthly 1,000 yard shoots.

That's mighty fine shooting. Should be a heck of a coues rifle the way some of you Arizona boys hunt them..

take it off the bags and bench, sling up prone, add micrometer aperture sights front and rear, let us know how you do at 1000.

There may be a reason no one shoots HP/LR with 33 mags, but rather 6mms to non mag 30s.

Instructor, barrel life on your 22.250?
Peter

First 22-250 rifle built as sort of an experiment and used much abused Rem. 700 action w/new Douglas barrel, 30", 8 twist and surplus 40X Rangemaster walnut stock(basically a Palma Rifle.) Shot two or three 600yd. matches with it plus some 100 or so development loads. Shot the rest of that season with the rifle and accumulated over 1000rnds. Kept waiting for the accuracy to degrade, but shot it the second season for close to another 800rnds. Throat was beginning to erode some, but with that long bullet simple enough to seat longer. Fellow shooter anxious to have the rifle and sold it to him and he shot with me for another season but would say he only put 300 or so more down the barrel. I would consider that good life for the cartridge, similar to the 308 from my experience. The rifle now serves only as a varmint shooter and he claims it is still a "tack driver" whatever that is. From the outset on load developing, were no published loads at that time, found that I could drive the bullet above 3200fps, but accuracy not that good. Loaded down to give just above 3000fps and accuracy was excellent(Lapua brass, Fed.210M, IMR4064, SMK80's.) Built another similar rifle on 40X action, Krieger 30" Palma style, better stock, and no question it shot excellent as well. Found that barrel life pretty much the same as well as accuracy. That rifle now is used to "bust" coyotes pretty much as far as you can see them by another friend of mine. The rifles were set up with micrometer sights for the matches, no scopes. Current set up is the Ruger No.1 w/ Douglas -7 twist in it and no longer shoot matches(age does that to you.) Round count on it is less than 100 and now days cheat with the Unertl 16X scope. Hear that folks complain about the accuracy ability of the No.1, but with floating that forearm some I find the rifle to be extremely accurate. I do think that if you maxed out your loads with the round and that fast twist you would suffer short barrel life, but with loads I use it compares very close to 308. Heck of lot less recoil and no question about accuracy for the 22-250 and heavy bullets. Only long range shots with this rifle were at 600yds. bagged/prone and you can easily clean the 600yd target(hey, I am using a damn scope and it's bagged, it should do that)and best way I know to describe the round is that it is like shooting the SMK155 Palma bullet in the wind.