My 338 Win Mag really shoots factory Federal Classic 225 grain in the silver and blue box very well. The bullets used are Sierra 225 Pro hunters which are a non stock item from Sierra but I have gotten hold of several hundred. Is there any way to find or figure out what powder is used in this factory load?
I've heard a few people on here ( Seafire was one I think) call out the powder used for a factory load, is there any way to find out without a lot of trial and error?

Snell,

I have disassembled rounds before and then looked at what the powder looked like....

Weighed the charge, and then chronographed a couple..

By those two pieces, and a few reload manuals it is not necessarily hard to duplicate the load...

I disassembled some of their premium stuff that I have had around since the late 80s or early 90s, with the 210 partition.. the powder looked like it was IMR, after chronographing some, it and weighing the charges.. I came up with that it was IMR 4350.. and if it wasn't 4350,. the load could be directly duplicated with 4350.. as I assembled some, and they chronographed exactly like the factory loads did..

hope that helps out..

Thanks, that was my next step was to dis assemble and weigh the charge and visually try to I.D. the powder.
When I first got this .338 several years back I bought a bunch of the Federal "Classic" ammo in the 225 grain variety to just shoot up. I found that the ammo really performs accurately in this rifle shooting sub 1" groups very consistantly. 3 years ago when shooting it before Elk season I shot a 3 shot group at 100 yards that was .264" and exactly 2" high of the bullseye as usual for this rifle.
I found a sale on the same bullets used in this load and now I'm narrowing down the powder.
Thanks

No need to harp about the virtues of IMR's "wonder" powder, but I'd also suggest that you try RL19. With an expansion ratio that doesn't need and can't utilize the super slow burning powders efficiently, the 338 is best served with 4350 type powders.
I will also caution you about the folly of chasing factory loads. Fact is they don't use canister powders like we can purchase locally, so don't waste your time looking. That particular load shoots well in your rifle because the bullet seating depth agrees with your rifle's throat.
I have had three different 338s so far and only one didn't shoot well -it needed a new barrel. In a roundabout way I'm saying that 338s are easy to make shoot accurately and aren't finicky about what bullet/powder combinations they are fed. Some are better than others, but any reasonable combinations will work.
I also believe that the .338 is at its best with 250 grain bullets as the 100f/s saved by 225s do practically nothing to improve trajectory, besides, 250s arrive on target with a whole lot more authority.

I'll second the RL19 suggestion. To me, the 2 best powders are RL-19 and IMR4350 in the 338WM. You can easily duplicate and exceed factory loads.

RH

quote:

Originally posted by himmelrr:
I'll second the RL19 suggestion. To me, the 2 best powders are RL-19 and IMR4350 in the 338WM. You can easily duplicate and exceed factory loads.

RH

I agree with that !! As far as I'm concerned, you only need one powder for a .338 mag, IMR4350. A 210 partition at 3050 fps from my 26" barreled A-Bolt and .75 MOA accuracy.

Wow bowhuntrrl that is some smokin' performance from a 210!
I'll bet that hits with some authority.
Tell me about your load, brass, primer and OAL. Don't worry I would work up to it but I'm just curious about the details.

buckshot
your wrong about factory makers using canster power. alot of them do. do some resurch, I know one manufactor that use to use 4320 in there .308, and federal i think uses 49.o grs of 4350 in 25-06 with a 117. look at a old speer book there are some powders in it that they will tell you where they was used. most win. powder is made by olin. olin sells powders to hodgen

quote:

Originally posted by vines:
buckshot
your wrong about factory makers using canster power. alot of them do. do some resurch, I know one manufactor that use to use 4320 in there .308, and federal i think uses 49.o grs of 4350 in 25-06 with a 117. look at a old speer book there are some powders in it that they will tell you where they was used. most win. powder is made by olin. olin sells powders to hodgen

There is some truth in what you say, however, manufacturers use powders tailored to their specific needs and they buy in large volume. Not so for the handloader, we buy blended powder in small increments. Altho the jug might say 4350, it isn't the same 4350 manufacturers use.
I might ask how much factory and military ammunition you've pulled down? At one time Remington & DuPont were partners, but that was no guarantee Remington used DuPont powders in all their ammunition. Winchester is no different. Pull some down, and surprise surprise, it doesn't always contain Olin ball powder. It is no different in government arsenals where powder that isn't blended correctly and doesn't meet exacting specifications is sold as surplus.
Inasmuch as 4350 is a burning rate, all 4350s aren't created equal, and treating them so is folly. Spoiled by modern powders and their wonderful consistency, ignoring the fact that lot to lot variations exist can be a formula for disaster -especially with maximum loads. IMR4350 isn't, or wasn't in the past, H4350 and it never will be, therefore, treating the various 4350s like they are identical is folly.

buckshot you are wright in some sense. there are 3 differert 4350. for years the goverment used tones of H-4895 in 7.62 and 30 cal. [30-06] i've pulled quite a few rounds. and i did not say win. uses all olin powder. most of your premim rounds are extruded stem powder. and the military now uses RL-15 in alot of match .308 rounds read that in guns and ammo. H-4350 was here first it is a little slower than imr-4350