I was at the range a few days ago and a guy there let me shoot over his chronograph, he offered as he wanted to see what FPS my hand load was getting. I strongly doubt the chronos findings. My load is this:

338 Winchester Magnum
<>Winchester brass, new never fired, neck sized only

75.5 grains of RL-19
225 grain Nosler Accubond
Federal 215m Primer
Cartrage length over all 3.705
A compressed load for sure, I know this.

His Shooting chrony clamimed I was getting a three shot average of 2960fps with less than 30fps of deveation when my educated guess felt I should be in the 2800-2840 fps range. I have no excessive pressure sighns what so ever with this load. No flatened primer edges, loose primer pockets, hard to lift bolt, nothing at all to indicate high or excessive pressure. I just dont think it is possable for me to be knocking on 3000fps with any load with 225grn bullets out of a 338wm.

What does anyone think?

According to my Nosler reload manual and Noslers web your 3grs over max. With that Chrony giving three consistant readings as it did,I would have to say your over the line. You sense somethings not on the up and up. When I work up a load I use all info available to produce a safe load,even gut feelings. If you didn't work up this load when the air temp was high I'd be VERY concerned about using that load when it does get hot. Lets see if anyone else has any opinions on this. Myself? I'd back off on the load and,on a hot day, work up to Noslers velocity watching for pressure signs. I'm guessing that if you keep using that load your primer pockets won't stay tight very long.

til later

quote:

Originally posted by EP:
If you didn't work up this load when the air temp was high I'd be VERY concerned about using that load when it does get hot.

Ditto.

Yes, I'd be concerned. Personally, I'd back off and get another set of chronograph readings and try to validate these initial results.


Hank

ART, I've checked your load through Quickload 3.3 and it should give 56200/56300 psi, but only because you seat the bullet very little; you state that the c.o.l. is 3.705" and that means that you probably seat the bullet 0.245", but, since it's a boat-tail, the shank is just seated 0.11", an insufficient amount, IMO. How a so long cartridge can accomodate into the magazine? Is it a single shot rifle?

P.S. It must have a looong throat!

Loadtech calls the velocity around 2915 pressure of 58000+. Again that is because of your OAL. Reducing it to 3.34" I can't force the program to take that much powder.

It's also possible you javea slightly oversize chamber that & the longer OAL are allowing you to exceed max. If you have no pressure signs, you may be fine, but prudence would tell me to back down abit.

I THINK that if he had an oversized chamber and was seating his bullets long (larger combustion chamber so to speak), it would take the greater amount of powder to achieve the same velocity. It would not yield him a greater velocity.