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......No SeaFire 2 ,,,,I think you have a good fast rifle there .....I haven,t figured out how to get 2700 fps from the win mag w/ 250 gr bullets yet .....from a 22" barrel . .If it can,t be grown , its gotta be mined .... | |||
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Yes it did thanks. I've learned in my 30+ years of reloading that every rifle is an individual case. I've had sister rifles built as close to the same as I could that would yield 100+/- different velocities. I also take people at their word as to the velocities they are getting. I wasn't there it wasn't my equipment I don't know what pressure they are comfortable loading to. I simply know in my wildcat with my larger case and 24" barrel I couldn't reach your velocities at pressures I cared to use. So I was curious as to what you are using what had I missed. To be honest the thought of using 380 in my 340PDK never crossed my mind. If I ever decide to look at a heavy bullet again I'll try and remember 380. As usual just my $.02 Paul K | |||
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Anybody tried the 300g powerpoint ? | |||
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seafire2 what is the length of your barrel on your .338/06? I got some data from Ram Shot poweders that showed 2600 fps with 250 grain bullets from a 26" barrel.
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Just love... no hate. But I use 200Gr slugs... | |||
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Ramrod and Gumboot... Glad this didn't get into a pissing match or flaming session. I admit, I wouldn't have participated.. however, it is nice to see that Gentlemen, besides Trolls, frequent the forums.. My barrel length is 24 inches, the rifle is a Model 70, that had a 270 barrel bored out.. the barrel was NEVER shot as a 270, so when it was rebored, it had ZERO rounds thru it... A local friend has a 338/06 Ackley, and we have compared both rifles side by side at the range, also using my cheap Chrony F 1 and him using his Oehler spendy chrony... Both Chronies came to the same conclusions in velocities.. however my rifle does consistently shoot faster velocities than his does...with the same, or mine using even less powder than his... My 338 Win Mag in a Model 70 also has higher velocities than his Ruger with a custom Pac Nor barrel on it, both at 26 inches... He is also a lever gun nut, and he has Model 336s in various calibers, along with the same things in a lot of Model 94s... he consistently gets faster velocities out of the Winchesters also.... So it might just be something to do with Winchester's barrels.... who knows.. All I know is H 380, W 748 and 4064 are three very good powders for both velocity and accuracy in the 338/06.. at least in mine, over the H 414, W 760 and 4350 powders...( for velocity at least.. accuracy potential is just as good.. but 338/06s are usually bench guns anyway...) Life Member: The American Vast Right Wing Conspiracy Jan 20, 2009.. Prisoner in Dumocrat 'Occupied America', Partisan in the 'Save America' Underground Beavis..... James Beavis..... Of Her Majesty's Secret Service..... Spell Check Division "Posterity — you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it." John Quincy Adams A reporter did a human-interest piece on the Texas Rangers. The reporter recognized the Colt Model 1911 the Ranger was carrying and asked him "Why do you carry a 45?" The Ranger responded, "Because they don't make a 46." Duhboy....Nuttier than Squirrel Poop... | |||
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Woods: I certainly hope you don't give up on your .338. I use 225 gr. Northforks (yup! Still have some of them.) and I get 2800 fps with Rldr-22 and my load is not at max. This is my moose hunting load. There's nothing wrong in getting a bit lower velocity. I can tell you that as it is, the .338 is a performer on moose. Just a thought for you to consider. Bear in Fairbanks Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes. I never thought that I'd live to see a President worse than Jimmy Carter. Well, I have. Gun control means using two hands. | |||
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Seafire2, I would like to say something publicly here... You have helped me by answering my PM's many of times with patience and guidance as a newbie to this sport and hobby... I have TRUSTED your findings and I take the responsibility to work up my loads as YOU ALWAYS DECLARE EMPHATICALLY!!! You and everyone else knows you think out of the box oftentimes and it is one of the main reasons why you LOVE reloading so much... And I applaud you for that...You have alot of EXPERENTIAL KNOWLEDGE!!! There is no need for you to be OFFENDED by the TROLLS who constantly flame you and your HONEST findings...Many, Many GENTLEMEN here on this forum WELCOME your input and findings because you can always SUBSTANTIATE the parameters of your EXPERIMENTS... I thank you publicly for all your efforts to GENEROUSLY share your findings with all of us here... Your EFFORTS are very well APPRECIATED by us newbies and many old-timers alike... You are well-respected for your work and I might add that are very expensively self-funded in TIME and $$$$'s! You really don't have to engage with the TROLLS to convince any one of them, your INTEGRITY stands enough in itself!!! As you can see some GENTLEMEN as Gumboot and Ramrod340 are like most of us, just wanting to engage and learn to experience more of what reloading has to offer... BE ENCOURAGED and be not OFFENDED for you have nothing to defend... You are WELL-RESPECTED here by many,... as your heart to share and INTEGRITY speaks louder than words!!! God BLESS YOU for all you do for this reloading community!!! Roland | |||
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Agree with bowhuntrrl - 210 grain NP's are the ticket. No recoil and dead accurate. My.338 WinMag is my go to for all large North American Big Game....even these 150 pound GA whitetail bucks. | |||
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I started looking into 338 WM's after bear camp one year where the other guys had 338 WM or RUM's. No body even saw a bear but the idea of having a larger round than my 30-06 seemed like a good idea after hearing bear stories around the campfire. The next year I took a bear with my 30-06 and it worked fine and I didn't give much more thought to the 338. Then... I ran across one on one of the auction sites. New in box left handed Rem 700 mountain KS 338 WM out of the custom shop. Minimum bid was half of price new. No bids, one day to go. I bid the minimum and won the rifle. Transaction went smoothly and the rifle was on its way from Wisconsin. Seemed like it was meant to be and the rifle had more or less found me. When it arrived it was as advertised, NIB. The serial number revealed that the rifle was over 10 years old and it had never even been assembled. Seemed like it was waiting for me. Added Talley rings, Leupold 2.5-10 LPS, and a Jewel trigger First load with IMR 4350 and Nosler 225gr AB's resulted in 3/4" groups at 100 yards @ 2880 fps. Perfection from the get go. Load developement was done in about 20 rounds. I have killed some elk with it and the round performs wonderfully. The elk die quickly and don't go very far. This year I watched a guy shoot his elk with a 270. After the first shot you couldn't tell if the elk had been hit and the elk kept wandering away. 2 more shots at the elk and it was finally down (after breaking the off shoulder). But not before covering at least 100 yards since the first shot and not likely to stop for a while until it's shoulder was broken. After dressing it out, all three shots were through the chest and fatal. Just not very quick. I had already shot my elk that morning. One shot behind the shoulder. Obvious hit, 15 yard wobble, down-hill pack out. The mountains of Idaho can be very unforgiving. Getting game down quick is important and follow up shots are rarely offered. While my 338 holds a special place in my heart, I still find my 30-06 in the field. For one thing, it's a pound lighter which does make a difference climbing the hills. It's as accurate as the 338 and has pretty much the same trajectory with a 180gr Nosler AB. It hits hard, just not as hard as the 338. | |||
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jtinidaho, Thanks for sharing a great story...  | |||
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If I were in an area where big bears were a possibility (not that a 400lb black bear isn't big!) while hunting other game I would definately own a .338. For me, the .300 is about perfect, 180gr. @ 3000 fps is about all I'll ever need for moose/elk, great combination of power and trajectory. For lighter game, there is always a .270 sitting in my rack that'll reach out as far as I can shoot. I think there is no better round in certain circumstances (bear country), but in most other situations it is more than what is required. Not "overgunned", but you can step down a few rungs without worry. Whatever floats your boat! ________  "...And on the 8th day, God created beer so those crazy Canadians wouldn't take over the world..." | |||
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SF2, Thanks for another great informative post. When I bought my current "big game" (read, "shoot everything that walks") rifle, I seriously considered a .338 WM. I Bought a .30-06, for recoil and handloading cost considerations. I had the chance to shoot a friend's .338 WM last year, about 10 shots or so. I still drool over the thought of either the mag or the -06 version. Thanks for the information on your handloads. Your posts are always most informative. Regards, Graham | |||
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i like the .338 bore and would love to have one, but... it's unneccesary much for 95% of my hunting, and i still can't take it DG-hunting when the times come. i feel i'm better of with my .300 and adding a 9.3 or .375 later. | |||
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I much prefer the 225gr Noslers or CoreLokts in my 338s and would never part with them...if I had to go to one gun for everything...it would be a 338 WinMag...add one more then a 264 WinMag....add another a 243 Win...but fortunately I don;t have to limit myself... | |||
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I like the .338, it is just a big game thumper. I had a friend who said that it killed elk like a .270 kills deer. That pretty much sums up my experience as well. I have a .338-06 and a .338 WM, both on old 1950-era FN actions. They are both fine rifles, the .338-06 is a 1.25 MOA rifle while the .338 WM often will go 3/4 in. at 200 with RL19 and 210 TSX's. The .338 has a McMillan stock and fits me better than any rifle I own, so the felt recoil is pretty much the same. I have yet to shoot a head of game twice with it, and have used it on nothing small. It is one of those rifles that I just know when I pull the trigger, something is going to hit the ground. The sad part is I originally bought the rifle to build a .375 or .416 Taylor on that action. After shooting it, I couldn't bear to unscrew the .338 tube, stuck a set of Talleys and a Zeiss scope on it and started killing game. In my two rifles with 24 in. barrels, there is 100-150 fps difference between the two, not really noticeable in my opinion. A shot not taken is always a miss | |||
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Looks like some of you guys are trying to squeeze too much out of your 338 win. mags. Try a 358 Norma Mag. 3000 fps is possible with a 26" barrel and 225-grain bullets. Bears don't like it . . . | |||
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How about cheapness seafire? A fan of the 223 should understand economy shooting. 338 is the next cheap round up from 300 Win and the very last stop in inexpensive stainless rifles, well before the 375 Ruger Alaskan came along anyway. For an off the shelf all weather hammer, the stainless Ruger 77 in 338 Win mag fits the bill for the least outlay. You have a lot of good points. I would not want a 338 as my only rifle; it fits into a collection rather nicely though. | |||
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Yeah -- I got mine for an elk hunt that never transpired. All I wanted was a rifle that would thump elk, was virtually impervious to the weather, was accurate enough to put a thumping-bullet in an elk's chest at 300 yards, and was dirt cheap. So I selected a bare-bones stainless/synthetic Ruger in .338 WinMag, which I got for about $400 with, of course, Ruger rings. Then, I put a VariX-III 2.5-8 scope on it. I got everything I wanted and more: it's a 3/4 MOA rifle with Hornady 225 gr. SP at 2800 fps, and no worse than 1.25 MOA with anything else I shoot in it, with no tinkering on my part. Brian | |||
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Try the speer 225 gr grand slam bullets.Remington use to load them in their factory a,,o till they started making their own .338 bullets.Those are the bullets which I shot 3/4" groups at 200 yards out of my stainless mark II model 77.I shot a bear with it about 30 yards away through the shoulder it killed the bear but stopped on the far side under the hide.I switched to the 250 gr slam bullets for moose and bears in my 338 win mag.I didnt get much expansion with the 210 gr Noslers in my 338 on deer.They zipped through with very little expansion.I switched to the 200 gr winchester power points which I have shot 95 deer from 3 to 425 yards.I have shot many running deer with this load and wacked them in their tracks. | |||
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I have a Browning A-Bolt SS Stalker in 338 wn mag with the Boss. Do I need that much gun? Well I bought it to hunt plains game in Africa, but some health issues have made me put that off for now. I did a lot of research and was told that more gun was better than less. That has and will continue to be debated. I am 5'-8" and 150 pounds and don't have any fear of the recoil. I could use the brake that comes with the gun, but I have no need for it. I would much rather deal with a little recoil rather than the additional noise of the brake. I have shot 180 gr - 225 gr bullets and none of them were a problem for me. My gun with scope weighs 9.2 pounds. Another issue is that if I hit it with the 338 it is more likely to fall over. I prefer not to chase the animal if I can help it. Also, in some cases, if you wound it and don't find it, you pay the trophy fee. I guess that is justification for some for the larger caliber. It works for me. One day I put over 20 rounds through it at the range and only put it down to cool while I shot my 270 and then back to the 338. This continued until I had shot 20 rounds through each gun. I did not use a pad on my shoulder and did not have any bruises. I was shooting off sticks. I like a little padding if I am shooting off the bench because it is difficult for me to always get it tight in the shoulder every time and once I did get bruised because the gun slid down to my bicep instead of my shoulder. I have found that the 210 gr Nosler bullets shoot extremely well through the gun when the Boss is set at 4.25. dgr416, I will have to look into the expansion issue. I have used a Hyskore Dangerous Game shooting rest and put three of those bullets (one right after the other) in the same hole at 100 yds. I can't do that myself, but the shooting rest helped me determine what the gun is capable of. The 338 wn mag is very accurate even at long ranges, which I am told you won't get from some of the larger calibers. However, I will leave that debate for those of you who know far more than I do about that, since I am more of a shotgunner (I shoot sporting clays) and have only recently got back into shooting rifles. It was great reading other's opinions and experiences. That's what I enjoy about this forum. | |||
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Those 225 gr Grand Slams are GREAT. Remember, forgivness is easier to get than permission. | |||
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I know that Nosler no longer makes them, but I have had great success with the 250 grain Partition Golds at 2,750 fps. They kill enthusiastically! "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
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..............I used he 200 gr Barnes X bullet ,,, It worked well on deer ., ,.,.,...Where do you find the 200 gr winchester bullets .....Sounds like a great blastin load also ... .If it can,t be grown , its gotta be mined .... | |||
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I love my 338 win. I won't trade it. It depends on the rifle you have, but my new 338 on a ruger hawkeye is more comfortable for me to shoot than a savage 30-06 and it is the most accurate rifle I've ever owned. My 338 win is accurate with almost every load I throw at it and shoots 1/4 mao with one load I found. I haven't killed anything with it yet, but this will be my deer rifle. I know I'll get a lot of crap from other hunters because they think I'm trying to over compinsate for lack of accuracy or am trying to be macho, but This thing shoots awsomely and fits me well. That's what matters. | |||
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Greetings all....I am a new member and just wanted to say hey. I surprised my son with a 338 mag stainless Vanguard this past Christmas. We loaded up some 250 gr game kings and hit the range. With a load of 72 grs of RL-19...he shot a 1 inch 5 shot group out of the box. Nice caliber...nice weapon! A little too much blast and recoil for my taste...so I am having my vanguard 30-06 rebarrled into .338-06. Really looking forward to working it up this Spring and joining the ranks of .338 loyalists! Cheers. | |||
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I have to buy factory loads with the 200 gr pp.With the ammo now $43 I will use up the 10 boxes wisely I have.I bought 2000 of the 250 winchester combinded technology bullets .You just have to remove the molly coating on them.I save the regulat partitions for my 338-378.In the 338 wm the Grand Slams are awesome.Thats the most accurate bullet in my guns at 200 yards.I have shot those 3/4" groups more than one.I shoot alot of clover leafs with that 200 gr power point ammo.The hornady 200 gr is very close to it.The 210 gr partitions zipped right through deer with very little or no expansion through both shoulders.The 200 gr pp win blows bigger holes in the deer the further out you shoot them.I have pooped a few deer open at 300 plus yards.It does not hurt the meat but is very dramitic.I think the 338-06 is more able to handle the wide range of 338 bullets better than the 338 federal.I think the 338 ruger might be cool but I have 12 338s and 3000-4000 pcs of 338 win mag brass and I aint buying it.I have two light weight 338s and I really do like shooting them alot but its fine for one shot during hunting.The stainless model 77 with the laminated stock is second only to the winchester model 70 with a boss in recoil.I trust the Rugers all 11 I have had problems with the winchester but fixed most of them.I let my friend borrow it 5 years he got 5 moose and a grizzley and didnt want to give it back.He use to use 30-06 and shoot moosde a few times and wait for them to die and hope they could be found or not hit the water.If you ever clean a moose in a pond ,river or lake you will only do it once.He shot one moose at 300 yards and bowled it over.He was using the 250 gr grandslam bullets.He anchored all 5 within 5 feet of their tracks or the fell right over.The first deer you shoot with the 338 will really impress you.Its like lighting struck them.My 30-06 and 243 sit in the closet .You can beat the good old 338 win mag .Its 50 years old this year and I am glad I got one 20 something years ago.ElmerKeith was right about everything he said about it. | |||
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Sooo, does this mean you guys LIKE the .338?  | |||
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to me there is no bad caliber,some just are better than others. for those of you who brought up the 9.3 line ( for those of us in the usa) go to your local sporting goods store and see if they have any ammo for it and if you were there from out of town and your luggage was lost, what would you do for ammo? i guess you would have a fancy club- lmao. i have shot a 338 win mag for 23+ years and is my only game rifle. it shoots flatter than any 375 or larger caliber will and after 200 yds not even the 375 h&h can compete with it. you get this out of a 30-06 lenght case. i personnaly have 15 elk with one shot kills out to 500+ yds and several deer as well. i use only a 210 nosler partition and either imr 4350 or 4831 as my powder and get 2900 fps out of a 24 inch factory gun. for those of you that say a 338 win mag is too much recoil at 33 ft lbs, why would you go up to a 375 h&h that has more reoil ft lbs?  i get 3 shot groups under a quarter in diameter. the 338 win mag is in no way to compensate for shot placement. i personnaly feel that statement is b.s. and of old school ignorance. i would shoot a 338 win mag on all north american game and most african game and not be scared to do so. | |||
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I have used a 338 Win Mag for the last 15 years or so. It is by far my favorite elk rifle. I have used the 210 Nosler and the 185 Barnes. To me the recoil seems less than that of a 300 mag. My rifle is a model 70 and it is very accurate. There is no subsitute for proper bullet placement regardless of the caliber you use. | |||
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I am the biggest fan going of the .338 Win. and the 210 Nosler and 300 gr. Woodliegh, but for someone to say the 30-06 is no bear rifle is ridiculas, its an excellent bear rifle and has killed its share of elephants for that matter. How could anyone not own both. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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No love-hate relationship here...it's all love! So much so, I recently bought another one. It's my all-around caliber here in Alaska. Is it too much for the lower 48? Not in my view. | |||
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Ah man. . . I already have a .338-06 Improved, does this mean I have to buy a .338 as well. . . ? This is gunna cost me isn't it ?. . . | |||
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The 338 is my go to gun and I've only used the heavier weight bullets. I've read alot about the 210 grain Noslers but have never tried them. I can't ever seem to get the Noslers to shoot that well in my rifles. Then I discovered the Northfork bullets. Now I have a load worked up in both my 338's using the 225 grain Northforks that shoots right where I'm looking. Northfork Bullets going out of business has me in deep depression whenever I look at my 338's.  The only easy day is yesterday! | |||
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PEG LEG, try 73.0 grains of imr 4350 or 76.0 of imr4831. both loads with a 210 nosler have given me great accuracy. then you just need to find the overall lenght that shoots well for you. my overall lenght worked best in my ruger at max lenght of 3.340 | |||
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Pegleg...or try the Barnes TSX in 225 grain. I really like those bullets. | |||
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I havent gotten a sub moa load in my .338 Tikka hunter yet with 210 TSX but who cares, Im not shooting P-dogs with it anyway. It definately takes deer with authority though and isnt very hard on the shoulder. Im shooting Varget in this caliber.... | |||
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I gotta admit that I am very prejudiced ... I can't see anything wrong with the .338 WM. May be because mine is probably the best bolt rifle I own (at the moment ... my recent great good luck hasn't been delivered yet). Is a Pre-64 Win M70 with a 24" SS Krieger cut rifled bbl, and NECG sights bedded into a McMillan stock. Is finished in Gun-Kote. Wears a 3-9x40 MC Zeiss Conquest in Leupold QR rings. Weighs just over 8 pound ready to hunt. Very well done. Very robust. Very handy. Very accurate. Got off the plane in Jackson Hole one time. Checked into the motel. Went to the range and shot 3 rds of 225 gr Barnes Xs into 2" on the 300 yard gong. Went hunting as there was no need for further checking. Rifle is great to carry, easy on the shoulder and knocks the daylights out of game. What more can you ask for? I like the .338 caliber so well that I built a commercial FN Mauser into a 22" .338-06 on a synthetic stock so that I can drag it around the eastern mountains in bad weather without worrying about hurting it. Has not taken game yet as I took delivery of it after first of this year. Mike -------------- DRSS, Womper's Club, NRA Life Member/Charter Member NRA Golden Eagles ... Knifemaker, http://www.mstarling.com | |||
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A most interesting thread on the .338. The neat thing about this round as I see it is that it provides .375-like power in a standard-length cartridge which can be used in Mausers and Springfields, etc. Had to sell my .375 to move to a different shack, but I've got a Mauser action... Seafire, what really caught my attention in your posts is that you are getting a definate increase in velocity when going to std primers rather than the mags. What do you suppose is happening here? Please understand that I do not doubt you for a second- I am just, well, very intrigued by this phenomenon. I am wondering if the same thing would occur in the .375 with 75 gr 4350 under a 300 gr bullet. Has anyone else experienced something like this? Damned curious! RG | |||
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DWright, Well thats what I did many moons ago, bought a 338 Win, when they first came out and after I used it a bit, sent my old 338-06 to the gunshow and sold it...Have never looked back, I have owned the szme Jack Hogue 338 for about 30 something years I guess. I personally like it better than the 338-06 by a good deal, as did old Elmer K. Not that you have to do the same, just what I did. The 338-06 is is a fine caliber. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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