Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 338-'06 load data

Anyone have a pet load for the 338-'06 vanilla or Ackley? 200 and 225 gr bullets....Regards, Rick.

Fireforming new 338-06 headstamped Norma brass, I use a medium/hot load of 58.5gr of H414 and Federal 210 primers with 225gr Accubonds and TTSX's in my Sako m75 Greywolf 338-06 Ackley Improved. The fireforming brass loads group around 0.5-0.75" @ 100 metres.

Reloads with fireformed brass are at 61.5gr so far with H414...I'm still tweaking the reloads...but got to find the time to do it.

Lots of guys use RL15...I just didnt have any of it when I started developing loads for my new rifle.

Thanks MP. I've got RL15 and IMR 4064....probably start with a known vanilla and work up. Regards, Rick.

My best powders so far in my improved 338-06 have been Varget with the 200 - 210's and 414 on the 225 - 250's.

Big Game shows great promise with the lighter bullets.

The .338-284 has about the same case capacity as the .338-06. The shorter, fatter case may have slightly different burn properties, but my best loads are as follow with group size at 100 yds and approximate velocity:

3/8" 180 gr. Accubond 53 gr. RL-15, 2,800 fps

5/8" 160 TTSX 57 gr. Varget, 2,900 fps

3/4" 200 Combined Tech. 53 gr. Varget, 2,700 fps

7/8" 185 TSX 54 gr. Varget, 2,800 fps

I didn't get a chance to chrono, used best estimate from available data. I tried a number of loads with a good selection of powders that were recommended for this caliber. The other loads weren't nearly as accurate as these.

Hope this helps.

DF

Look at the 210 Partition for a do-anything bullet. Also the 180 Ballistic Tip for deer.

One thing that I noticed in mine (non-AI) is that the faster I ran it, the better it shot.

You're gonna love it, it's a wonderful round!

I have had good luck with 200 gr. Hornady with 56 gr. of R-15. My best load has been 55 gr. Varget with 200 Nosler B-tips.

Very helpful.....thanks to all. Regards, Rick.

H 380 is a sleeper powder for this chambering....

Tell us more.

with the 200's I mainly use R15, H4350 and R17. R17 will get top speed of the bunch.

Dober

Dober,

My .338-284 showed pressure signs with 4350 at equivalent velocities but not with Varget or RL-15. Haven't tried RL-17 in that gun but have a couple of pounds. I need to give it a try.

Thanks,

DF

I like the 180 gr NBT for just about everything I normally hunt (deer, paper, water-filled milk jugs) w/ RL-15.

I've gotten good results w/ the 200 gr Int & an over max load of H-380 (in my rifle). IMR-4350, -4320, BLC-(2), RLs -15 and -17 have all done well under the 215 gr Sierra Gameking (a sleeper for this cartridge... high BC, built TOUGH, and ACCURATE!). RL17 & IMR-4350 w/ the 225 gr Int, Big Game and Hunter w/ a 250 gr Barnes O (Big Game a tad more accurate, Hunter a tad faster).

As others have said this is an awesome cartridge. I'd say it rivals its parent for versatility on big game and that is saying something cuz I absolutely LOVE the 'ole Springfield!

180 NBT's and R15 perk along incredibly well in my rig. Can run em to 3K if I wanna but have dropped back off a bit.

Dober

Best for velocity and accuracy with a Hornady 225 for my plain 338-06 was Big Game,2650.

210 TTSXs and Varget for me on a 23" Shilen/Ruger/McFlame

It's slow but accurate and is a DRT Hammer on Deer and Hogs






Bruz

185 TTSX and 58 grains of TAC is running right at 2920. Shoots very well. 54 grains IMR4064 with a 215 Sierra and 62 grains RL17 with a 225 Hornady Interlock also shoot well for me.

23" Hart bbl, 210 ttsx, 62 gr. ramshot big game 2720 fps

tag

The best load for me is the same as TBurroughs 62 Big Game and 210 TSX. Mine is a 24 in barrel and clocks right at 2800fps. Big Game is one of those powders that seems to shoot good in almost anything I've tried it in, 9.3x62.338-06, 375H&H