How close can I get to 2500 in a 22'barrel?Is this to much to ask?I'm going on a fall bear hunt in Alaska and expect the shots to be up close in the salmon streams.I am trying to get very close to the 375 by shooting 300 grain Woodleighs.How do you feel about this bullet?

Thanks in advance.

You should be able to come awfully close with a stout charge of IMR4831. Start at 64.0 grains and work up. IMR7828 should do the same thing, but you'll have to add an additional 2.0 grains to the previous load data. My 24" barreled Sako can break the 2500f/s mark with these loads, but a Woodleigh ain't a Sierra MK. Anyway, your 22" barrel should come very close to your gaol with the above mentioned.
With that said, why not use 250s and be happy? They posses greater sectional density then anything offered by its closest competitors, and they'll cruise along 250f/s faster. With a 338 and properly constructed 250s at 2700f/s, you'll not be under gunned for anything that walks this continent.

P.S. Why not a 12 gauge slug gun? Fast and light, what's not to like?

Is a 100 fps really going to matter that much???

If so, why not just tote the 375 and quit messing with uncertainty?

Around Brown Bears is not where I'd want to be playing guessing games of "Do I have enough gun?"...

I am sure you don't need one and I am normally a proponent of one doesn't need half as big as round as many hunters carry....

That being said, if I was in the neighborhood of salmon streams at the times that Brown Bears were feeding... I think my starting caliber choice would be a 416 Something or Other...

out- door lifes-Jim-carmichel has taken cape buffalo and lion,with his 338 win mag and likes the 250 grain bullets. your 300 grainer no slough even if you break mid 2400 fps.
compare bullet flight, mv, and energy, for 250 grain bullets to the 275 grainers and then your 300 grainers. use w-w brass more powder volume and cronograph your rifles reloads.
keep us posted , regards

.........I have loaded and shot a few hundred 300 gr Barnes Orig. 300 gr 338 bullets in Ruger M77mk 2 sThey sure presented alot of problems trying to get 2500 fps with out real big velocity variation ....They were however very accurate ,,1/2 " groups were not uncommon .....the 275 gr. bullets from Swift and Kodiak Bonded Core are ALOT better and I get 2620 fps from the 22 " barrel on my last 338 .....I would use the 250 gr TSX or something in that weight class GS HV ........They out penatrate the 275,s and expand to simular diameters ........Also they shoot alot flatter and retain more energy at 200 plus yards .........If you can go up to a 375or a 40 458 caliber you are lots better off for up close brown bear ......Something to think about is a 300 gr Barnes TSX of XFB spitzer pushed out of the 416 Taylor or 458 Win mag @ 2700 fps .......It is pretty easy to do with a 20" barrel and it kills amazingly well ....Most of the time they exit ......But Oh do they make a BIG hole If your rifle is a Ruger it is a very simple rebarrel .............

My comments are academic rather than experientially based. Member's comments still give weight to velocity here, hence my confusion. If I understand, 300 grains is the heaviest available bullet in 338 win mag. It is there to knock big critters to the deck who (assumably) are reasonably close to the hunter. This bullet is analogous to a 350 or 380 grain pill in 375 H&H isn't it in terms of heavy-for-caliber and setional density? Those are also loadings for large animals at relatively close range. So, why does anyone give a wit about velocity? Most authors I read suggest heavy bullets at moderate velocity create the winning combination a hunter should strive to create.

Thanks for your input.

quote:

Originally posted by jsl3170:
If I understand, 300 grains is the heaviest available bullet in 338 win mag. It is there to knock big critters to the deck who (assumably) are reasonably close to the hunter. This bullet is analogous to a 350 or 380 grain pill in 375 H&H isn't it in terms of heavy-for-caliber and setional density? Those are also loadings for large animals at relatively close range. So, why does anyone give a wit about velocity?

True, very true.
My comments were based on what I consider to be an ideal combination for one particular calibre. Most 338s are scope equipped and aren't set up to be fast acting and "handy" like a open-sighted DGR is. Also, most calibres don't offer a flat trajectory with bullets possessing a sectional density greater than .300, but the 338 does, and it does it with 250 grain bullets. My personal DGR pick would probably be a 416 Rigby, or maybe a vintage Westley Richards if I could afford one.

I know I'm a bit off topic with this as you are searching for load data, but I haven't started reloading for my .338 yet. In the interim, I use Double Tap Ammo's .338 loads and have taken a bunch of game with the 250 grain Partition Gold loads in my M77. That said, I have 300 grain Woodleigh soft loads for it that I have chrono'd but not hunted with. They ran right around 2500 fps out of my Ruger. You might want to give Mike at Double Tap a call if you are interested.

For Bear is S.E. on a crik your 1st shot will probably be a fairly good presentation ,but all subsiquent shots will be what you can get .....The 250 gr TSX penetrates deeper than the 300 gr cup and core...........I woud say in the rare event of a charge the 300 would work better,,but only a little mayby ..... but for a departing bear the monometal expanding bullets work best .....

.........The thing I didn,t have timw to mention this morning was It is not too uncommon to see a good bear a couple, 3 hundred yards off...The pointy nose and velocity help make a good shot easier .......

I use Reloader 22 in my 338 Win Mag for 250gn and 300gn bullets, I have found it to be an excellent powder for these bullet weights in the 338 Win Mag. The 250gn Woodleigh does 2620 fps in my Ruger M77 (24 in barrel) This is using 74.5gn of Re22 in Federal cases with Fed 215 magnum primers. I am sure I could get over 2700 fps if I loaded to maximum, but this is a nice accurate load in my rifle and an extra 80 to 100 fps is not going to make that much difference. For the 300gn Woodleigh SNRN I use 71gn Re22 for 2400 fps. This was with Winchester cases and fed 215 primer. Once again I am pretty sure I could get to 300gn Woodleigh up to 2500fps with Re22, but I don't believe the difference would be noticable in the field. This is also an accurate load in my rifle. You will probably lose 30 to 40 fps in a 22 inch barrel, so you may just make 2500fps with a maximum load. My preference would be to find a load that is accurate in your rifle at any velocity from 2350 fps to 2450 fps as it will be a potent game stopper in that velocity range and any extra velocity is not realy going to be of great benefit. In my opinion accuracy is far more important.

...........Let me just state that I think its a million times better he wants to use a 300 gr bullet than a 210 gr ........However 2 points I would like to bring up ... If he can shoot a 300 gr 338 bullet @ 2500 fps ,, which is MAXIMUM plus ,,,he can just as well shoot a 300 gr 416 bullet @ 2500-2600 fps and the trajectory isn,t much steeper than the 300 gr. 338 rn bullet .....He could just as well shoot a 300 gr 458 Bullet at the same speed ..........Both those loads are at the very top of the list for brown bear ........With X bullets or a simular weight GS Custom ,,,,they are what I use ....I push them a little faster but that is more for flattening the trajectory for deer hunting ......You really do want want exit holes with brown bear and the bigger the better........

.....Also ,., most 338 rifles are a quick rebarrel away from becoming a bear rifle .... Since you need a scope 1x-4x --1.5-5 ,1.75-6 x -2-7 x scopes ,A lighted reticle is one of the most important things he should have .......The 1.5-5x20 Leupold scope with the illuminated circle dot is probably the single best ..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..It is probably more important than any other single thing execpt off hand target practice !!!

.......And remember , Brown bear arn,t elephants ,,,, you don,t need heavy recoil from heavy bullets ,ie 400 gr - 510 gr to do a great job on them .....

rsm458lott,
what have you decided?
are you going to use those 300 gr. woodleighs.
don't let this post get lost in the deck of this forum! regards