I have been shooting reloader 22 and 25 with federal 215 magnum primers and 215 sierra bullets .
with 90 grains of powder my primers are starting to flatten a bit and there is a shiny mark on my case head from the ejector pin. I have found several loads of people shooting up to a 100 grains of reloader 22 and I cant even come close to that . I have shot up to 102 grains and the symptoms got slightly worse on the last load. Now I am Very new at reloading for these high velocitys and large powder capacitys so I have a few questions I would appreciate some help with from our more experienced riflemen. 1) how serious are these pressure signs even at lighter loads like 85 gr of reloader 22 there is a shiny mark from the ejector pin. 2) The reason I bought my remington 700lss left hand bolt is because of the data I found all over the internet of 3200-3450 fps with 200 to 210 grain bullets which in my mind equals fast flat and hard hitting. Now are these speeds actually achievable or was I a sucker for believing this or maybe there is a problem with my gun. I should also add that the rifle does shoot well my best grouping was .512" with 95 grains of reloader 22. But at best I am basically achieving the velocitys of the 340 wby. but using more powder to get them. should I be trying different powders or primers or possibly different bullets any help would be appreciated.

Trevor,

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I have been shooting reloader 22 and 25 with federal 215 magnum primers and 215 sierra bullets .
with 90 grains of powder my primers are starting to flatten a bit and there is a shiny mark on my case head from the ejector pin. I have found several loads of people shooting up to a 100 grains of reloader 22 and I cant even come close to that . I have shot up to 102 grains and the symptoms got slightly worse on the last load.

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You say you can't get close to 100gr RL22, but then you say you you've shot 102gr??? Do you mean RL25 I ask myself? If you had ejector marks at 85gr, but then went to 102gr, I think you're speaking about both powders without specifying which you did what with... Awefull confusing.

You need to be much clearer about which one you're refering to if you're discussing two different powders at the same time.

I agree. If you will select one powder and work with it until your questions are answered either by chrono or observation you will be working more safely as well.
Yes it is possible you have a "tight" barrel which may not accept the larger amount of powder but you must ask yourself if you are shooting for group or velocity. Are you developing a hunting load or a paper load. If trajectory and velocity are your end goal then you need to test with that in mind. Having done so if still not satisfied then change your powder and begin again.
If, of course you have already done that and are now asking what others have done I apologise for the distraction.
I am currently testing H870 to see if it is suitable for my Rum. I also found some loads posted here but haven't had time to test them for comparison. Try the search option as I recall thinking the loads listed would be worthwhile.
Frank

Like the other guys, I find your post very confusing. You speak of not being able to get to 100 grains of powder, then mention shooting even more?

Anyway, I have some comments anyway. If you are getting ejector marks on your cases with as little as 85 grains of RL 22 behind a 215 Sierra BT, it probably really is not a sign of high pressure. Sometimes the hole in the bolt that the ejector comes through is not finished off correctly and has a sharp burr on it. Fire some factory loads in the gun and see if they provide the same ejector marks or not. Another possibility is that you have a soft batch of cases.

Any data you get from the internet should be viewed with caution, including mine. But, I can tell you that yes, the .338 RUM does burn a lot more powder to achieve the same results as a .340 Weatherby Mag.

I just finished developing loads for a Remington Sendero in .338 RUM and got the following results using Remington cases and Federal 215 primers:

93.5 grains RL 22 / 200 Nosler BT / 3260 fps
95.5 grains IMR 7828/200 Nosler BT/ 3208 fps

93 grains RL 22 / 215 Sierra BT / 3187 fps

90 grains RL 22/ 225 Nosler PT / 3163 fps

97 grains RL 25/ 225 Nosler PT / 3180 fps
97 grains RL 25/ 225 Nosler Accubond/ 3211 fps

So, I did not get the kinds of velocities you thought you might, either. (The Sendero has a 26 inch barrel.)

The load I settled on was 96 grains of RL 25 behind the 225 grain Nosler Accubond. In the Sendero this load shot 3163 fps and gave three shot groups you can cover with a dime.

Hope this helps, R F

The 340 Wby can not push a 225 Nosler at near 3200...3050 is pushing it but it can be done. You could say that the Ultra needs more powder to achieve a small gain but not the same velocity. I used the 340 for my main 338 bore for a dozen years. It's no slouch but a 338 Ultra it is not!!

Using less powder to achieve higher velocity in a smaller case can only mean higher pressures...Something experienced 340 reloaders are usually familiar with.
You have to lean on the 340 to make it go.

Just my thoughts

Jamie

cougarhunting

Try the 225 Nosler over 96 grains of RL-25( work up carefully!!). It has proven very accurate in half a dozen rifles and will be good for near 3200fps depending on the lot of powder you get.
If you look at the ballistic charts you will find there is no gain with the 200-210 grain bullets.

The 225 Nosler at this speed really pounds them hard; just ask my buddies moose....well he ain't sayin' much! He was shot high lung (not a good moose shot) and promptly folded. No wonder! The Nosler pulped his lungs and the top of his heart and sprayed half of it out on the bog.

That's got to hurt!

Jamie

sorry for the confusion in the first posting I placed it makes it hard to write with two kids pulling on your sleeve. A friend had told me that the pressure signs I was showing were possibly false and to proceed cautiously one grain at a time to see if the symptoms got any worse and stop immediately if they did (if this was stupid please nicely let me know so I dont do it again) I proceded up to 102 one grain at a time and on the last load the primers were noticeably flatter out of all these loads the gun seemed to favor 95 grains of reloader 22. I have also played with the reloader 25 and I can shoot 95grains ok but after that the symptoms start to show up again. what I am trying to achieve is a fast hunting round but I also love to shoot and do so often so I would also like to find an accurate load for playing with Idealy I would like one load to do both But that is not a must. what I really wanted to know was were the velocitys and amounts of powder people claim to be shooting on some of these web sites were actually achievable or are they stretching the truth. I hope this makes things a little clearer, thanks to you guys who did post some info and let me know what is honestly achievable

[ 11-23-2003, 21:17: Message edited by: cougarhunting ]

Be god damn careful, no velocity number is worth blowing yourself up over!

PLEASE..................STOP!!!!!

I get the feeling that you are not developing these loads over a chronograph. This makes sense since you are new at reloading.

Less than a year ago I had a client with the symptoms you are describing in a 260 Rem, which even had extractor marks with factory ammo. I shot one round over a chronograph and the 140 gr bullet was doing 3140 FPS!!!

That's a 264 Win Mag velocity in a 260 case and dangerous, to say the least. Turns out his custom barrel was a bit tight, so we backed off the charge weight, canned the factory ammo, and he is now winning local matches with the rifle.

Please shoot over a chronograph and be happy with any R25 charge weight that gives you 3200 fps. That's what I use in my 338 RUM and it is Max.

If you want raw speed, just go to the Nosler 180 BTs and 5 different powders will do over 3500 fps with very good accuracy.

Yeah, I agree with Sabot's first line.
Take the gun to a COMPETENT 'smith for examination in regards to "false" pressure signs before you go further. Maybe they are false, maybe they aren't. Ask him to do a Cerrosafe chamber/throat cast so you can check those dimensions too. Factory chambers are not always compatible with factory ammo. I've seen that with 2 rifles, one a Rem. 700, the other a Mod 70 push feed. When issues were dealt with they shot well. Both had tight throats. I own a Ruger 77 in .358 Win that has a groove Dia. of .356", but a very large chamber...you never know what truth YOUR rifle lives with until you examine it.
Don't put a lot of faith in the old standby "pressure signs" either. Yes, they can tell you something is awry, but not how much. Some primers in some cartridges will not start to flatten until pressures are above 70kpsi. And lastly, perhaps a review of your expectations are in order. 1) the cartridge you've chosen is pretty close to being the Hammer of Thor on a slow day. 2) It is not the .340 Wea. or .338 Lapua, it is the .338 RUM. There is no need to race it against the others; it has more reach than 99% of the people in this forum can use when loaded with heavier bullets. BTW, I prefer RX25 for bottle neck cases with that capacity. RX22 is a bit faster and reduces load density. Too, about a year or two back there was a recall for RX22 in 1# canisters. Don't know the lot# but I had some that was used before I became aware of the recall. It loaded about like RX19 and 'twern't no fun in a .300 Wea. with RX22 load data.