Hello:

OK, new guy here.

Over a decade of hankering for a 338-06 to compliment my 270 M70 Featherweight and months of winter time study and pondering lead me to a 20" SS/SYN Hawkeye in 338RCM. The package just made darn good sense.

I called Hornady and asked specifically if they will continue to support this round before buying the rifle. The response was "you bet, it's a popular round for us".

Of course as we all know the shelves are bare at the LGS! So I have a pile of standard LR primers and IMR4350. Hogdon has H414 a favorite for this cartridge which is No. 92 in Lymans 49th and IMR4350 is No. 93 for burn rate.

So my query: anyone used IMR4350 in the 338RCM? Any ideas, advice and suggestions on where to start. Any theoretical reason why IMR4350 can't be used in this round?

Been a while since any posting on 338RCM, does anyone care to post their latest and greatest loads, hunts, pics?

I like to search and read before I join up a forum and post. Unfortunately that usually results in specific and esoteric questions that receive little if any response. Kind of like this one.

I hope that doesn't put anyone off since I'm new here. I'm really a nice fellow, a little redneck but a nice guy anyway.

Steve
Oregon

I have been using the 338-06 since the early '90's and really see no practical benefit to the Ruger version so I cannot help your specific question. Cheap brass, easy to build a light, easy to pack rifle and not limited to the short action bullet lengths particularly when bullets seem to be getting longer. My Rem 700 based rebore has taken a fair amount of game and is easy to carry too.

I have one of the Ruger compact magnum rifles, now in a McMillan stock.

I have not done a full load work up as the rifle showed up right at hunting season last year. I found good velocity and reasonable accuracy (5 shots ~1.25) with BLC(2) and 200 hornady and 210 NP. When I get back to it again I will pick up with the BLC(2)

Haven't tried 4350. I would see what loads are out there for 338-06 and 338-06 and use them as a guide as your work up.

All depends what bullet you are using. I think there is data on reloadersnest and also an article on realguns with data. I used Varget with 185 grain bullets. Ruger has phased out quite a few guns in the rcm calibers and I dont know of any other makers using them. I had one, but only had the choice of one gun in lefty. It worked well, but wanted to go a different route and stainless so I sold it and moved on from that caliber.

EdM: If I had a 338-06 I wouldn't get a 338RCM either, why bother, right? But...I didn't so I did!

KenMi, noKnees: Thanks, I'll try something here soon, see what happens.

Steve
Oregon

I'd be interested in powders and charge weights if its not too much of a hijack. I really like my rifle. Wish it was a touch faster though

Jesse Jaymes:

Do you have any data you care to suggest?

Steve
Oregon

I jusr went back through my resources and remembered I got my data from the Hodgdon website. They have quite comprehensive data for this round, in all bullet weights from 160 up.

My chrono numbers are not close. They tested 24" tube. Quite a difference to the 20" Compact barrel.

I'd be interested in loads and velocities if you don't mind letting on...

Unfortunately I don't have anything to offer you, I don't even have dies yet.

Steve
Oregon

185 TSX w 56.0 Varget = 2704 av ES 22
185 TSX w 57.0 RL15 = 2692 av ES 88
200 Hornady Spire w 56.0 Varget = 2691 av ES 22

Notes say ejector marks on 185/56 Varget combo

Here's what I have bookmarked if you want to take a look.

Net article:
http://www.realguns.com/archives/170.htm

Another:
http://alcan7.quazen.com/shopping/ruger-338-rcm/

Forum, fellow with custom built 18" barrel:
http://rugerforum.net/reloading/34756-338-rcm-reloading.html

Steve
Oregon

I intend to work on 200gr AB and 210gr PT's. Nosler has that fps for the 338-06 in a 24" barrel with these pills. This is what I'm after right there for the little Ruger.

Steve
Oregon

I forgot they made 200 Accubonds. I had a screamer group last fall on a random shooting session down a power line. Used 3 older 200 grn Ballistic Tips at 253 yards. Was 1.75". I had found the bullets in an old Sample Pack. I'll have to revisit those in an Accubond.

ol_skool,

I put together a 22" #2 Lilja on a M77 tang safety with McMillan ultralight stock. Tried a few light bullets but settled on the 225 accubond. RL-17 worked the best for me.
Lengthened the mag box to 3.1" with loaded ammo approx. 3.050". This rifle handles 61 gr of RL-17 for vel of 2750 fps. Your results may vary.

For what it is worth. I also made a long throated 338 RCM to shoot the 300 gr berger hybrids. Using a LA. 56.5 gr of RL-17 with a 30" barrel vel 2550 fps. It is a lot of fun to shoot and has some serious downrange energy with minimal wind drift. Can shoot quite a few rounds before the heavy barrel gets warm.

I think RL-17 is the perfect powder for this size case. Might be worth a try.

Something not right there, that's slower than a 338 Fed with the 185s. What barrel length? I know they added some longer barrels to the RCM lineup.

Sounds good. I'll give it a try when the shelves aren't so bare.

Steve
Oregon

Not being a smart azz but I think what's not right is the majority of shooters don't chrono and believe book specs.

Rifle is a factory Ruger .338 RCM Compact with 20" tube. I think I chrono'd factory 200 SST Superformance and it cracked 2700 but didn't average it.

Shooting at 1659ft elevation. All sessions above 32 deg F

I chrono every load. Multiple times. When I said not right, I was implying that maybe the powder is not a good fit, that's all. I have a 338-06 that will not meet book numbers so I realize rifles vary. Regardless, a 200gn .338 bullet at 2700ish is going to kill what it hits.

20" Ruger 338 RCM RL 17 fastest RL 15 best accuracy with 225 gr bullets

Velocity Bullet & Wt Powder

2687, 2693, 2692 FPS 225 Gr Hornady factory load
2555, 2527, 2538 225 Hornady Int. RL 17
2541, 2552, 2558 225 Hornady Int. RL 17
2581, 2608, 2623 225 Hornady Int. RL 17
2635, 2599, 2579 225 Hornady Int. Ram Shot BG

2563, 2535,2501 225 Hornady Int. WW 760
2599 2602 2597 225 Hornady Int. WW 760
2734, 2743, 2731 200 Gr Nosler AB WW 760

225 Gr bullet with RL 15 around 2550 FPS extremely accurate

I did mispeak on the Superformance fps. I shot the 225 SSTs and they clocked 2604 fps average.

The other figures are correct from my load notes/data.

Going to re-vist the 185TSX with other powders and charge increase to be doubly certain. Not very impressive overall though.

That would be my ideal bullet of choice, as it should give 2800fps or so and the abreviated tip should lead to easier magazine function.

Also shot a good group prior looking at my targets and data with a 210 TTSX. But I ran out of powder capacity real quick and I was over compressed with RL-17.

Hi Azshooter:

I found a discussion of your efforts in LHR. Interesting stuff! You had some success with H4350 which gives me some comfort to try IMR4350 since that is what I have. RL17, H414 etc is nowhere to be found at the moment.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/338-rcm-76788/index2.html

Take Care,

Steve
Oregon

I hope you don't mind me posting the link...

Don't mind at all. I always thought the reason for these forums was to share information.

FYI the FL die in the Redding set didn't work that well. Bought a Hornady die set and that FL die worked better.
Finally had Whidden make me a FL/S bushing die which works even better!

The pet load with the 225 accubonds amazes me everytime I take the rifle out for sighting in before my elk hunts. It has always shot with bullets touching. Inspires confidence.

Good luck with your rifle.

Here's what my Ruger Hawkeye in .338 RCM did this past season. This guy was a huge hog of a buck. He weighed 330 lbs on the hoof and was aged at about 7 1/2 yrs. old - past his prime but he still had a fairly heavy 10 pt rack on him. He dwarfed a 12 pt that he was chasing away from a hot doe when I shot him. He was built like me: gray faced, sway backed and pot bellied.



His neck was absolutely HUGE! I tried to show this in this pic, but I had to hold up his head with one hand and shoot the pic with my cell phone with the other and it didn't turn out so good:



The load I took him with was a Hornady 200gr SST over 62.5gr of RL-17 and a CCI 250 primer with a C.O.A.L. of 2.831". This load shoots consistently into just a fuzz less than 3/4" for three shots out of my rifle. I haven't chrono'd any of my .338 RCM loads yet.

Other loads I like are:
Hornady 225gr SST, 60.5gr of Big Game, CC1-250, 2.842" OAL, gives about 1" groups out of my rifle.

Hornady 200gr SST, 63.0gr of Big Game, CCI-250, have gotten some groups less than .625" out of this load.

Hornady 200gr SST, 63.0gr of H414, CCI-250, groups between 3/4" and 1" in my rifle.

Hornady 200gr SST, 58.2gr of RL-15, CCI-250, have gotten some ridiculously small groups out of this load that I'm afraid to post, because you probably wouldn't believe me, but some have had fliers. Didn't shoot enough of them to figure out if it was just me or the load. And I wonder what the velocity of this load is.

Hornady 225gr SST, 55.0gr of WW748, CCI-250. This load is hot, but shoots around 1" to 1 1/4" out of my rifle.

I've tuned the trigger on my rifle and free-floated the barrel, but haven't bedded it yet. As you can see from the pic, it's the SS/Syn version. The scope is a 2-7x Burris Fullfield II. I love the rig.

Don't worry the photo seems to convey how thickly built he was. Big bopper!

NFB!!! Hot Damn!

Many thanks for keeping the thread alive and posting your load data. I have a handful of rounds assembled and hope to shoot them over Chrono tomorrow. Big Game and RL-17 also. So maybe I will have some numbers to associate with them.

I looked over some of my data, loads, and past targets. The best accuracy I've had is with standard Hornady 200 Interlocks or Spire Points. And my notes state 55.5 is a touch warm and advised myself to back off to 55.0. That was with standard primer. I'll revist that one again. I also forgot that Hornday made a 200 SST bullet. I'd been hung up on more of a "Masher" bullet rather than plastic tip. But I'd guess at 2700 starting velocity they are all going to hold up fine.

Congrats on the buck.

Skeezix, nice buck! Tell me more about the 200 SST performance. I have been able to get them to shoot well but hearing any reports of performance on game is difficult. They seemed kind of soft when shooting into magazines, but magazines aren't critters. Did the 200 SST penetrate well, size of exit, etc.??

So far, that one buck is all I've taken with the .338 RCM, and the Hornady 200gr SST, so this isn't much of a sample. The first shot, the buck was quartering towards me at about 75 yards, trotting downhill, facing somewhat to his left (my right). The bullet hit him about halfway up on his body on the point of his right shoulder, angling downwards somewhat because he was coming downhill. The shoulder was broken and a fragment of the bullet or bone hit the heart and put a vertical tear in it, but the bullet continued on through the left lung and lower left lobe of the liver. It knicked the paunch but not the intestines, and it did not exit. I didn't find the bullet.

At the shot, the buck whirled to its right (my left) and ran about 10 yards, jumped a four strand fence, ran another 30 to 40 yards and just as I was squeezing the trigger to let him have another one, he stopped almost broadside to me at about 45 yards. As it ran, I could tell that, at the least, the right shoulder was broken, but the buck wasn't going down just yet.

Because of trees and brush, the presentation for the second shot wasn't so good, but I hit him just a little high on the left side. You can see the entrance hole in the first pic just an inch or so past the end of the fore-end, under the barrel. The bullet hit a left rib on entrance, crossed the chest cavity, punching the upper parts of both lungs, hit the rear part of the right shoulder blade, blowing through that and leaving a silver dollar sized exit wound and the buck dropped like he had been pole-axed. There was hair, blood, lung bits and bone debris for 20 to 30 ft past him on the off side.

I really would like to have found that first bullet to see what condition it was in. The buck was dead on his feet from the first shot, but just didn't know it yet.

Thanks. Sounds, and looks, like the 200 SST did the job. I'd be launching them ~100 FPS slower, so even a bit easier on the bullet. Great, yet another bullet I'd like to try on a deer next year.

Powder Valley has H414 in stock and WLR primers. No WLRM or RL 17 though.

Just in case anyone needs something to stoke your 338RCM.

Steve
Ore.

Anyone see brass? I was even snubbed y Hornady direct. Said they are some what overwhelmed and behind. But did state they will be making more RCM brass for sure.

Nope, no brass anywhere. The last available loaded rounds I could find were from Cabela's, which are now gone. Also 2 boxes (minus 2 rounds) on Gunbroker for $75 plus shipping were sold last week. The well is dry.

I hope Hornady makes a lot of brass when they do. I'm confident it'll get lapped up pretty fast and in significant quantities. I know I intend to buy a lifetime supply if'n I can get my CC out fast enough!

Steve
Oregon

Crapola! I've been looking also, with no success. I started out with 100 rounds of brass and dropped two of them when I shot the deer posted earlier in this thread. I need to go back to my stand and rake around some more and see if I can find them.

Skeezix

Sad when we have to fret over two pieces of brass.

I shot mine again this week. Want to keep the thread alive. I don't have my data in front of me as I am at work, but per usual, I had to stand on it to make it go. But one load easily eclipsed the other. I think it was a 185 TSX with RL-17. Think I got 2804fps for two rounds ES of 0 and those two rounds went .70" at 200 yards. I saved my 3rd round to take back and pull specs from. Plus I was too chicken to blow the group or the ES of 0.

Interested in more if you have the time.


Just picked up a chrono. If I get a chance will try it out on the Hornady factory stuff that's open. IIRC it's the 225's.

Surprising how manageable this little gun is, I don't have a scope hanging off it yet either. Maybe the chrono will have an explanation...

Decided to pick up some H414 from Powder Valley. But it sounds like it'll be a few weeks before it ships, so no handloads yet.

Hey, maybe we should bug Hornady for a series of dies to make 338RCM from 375 Ruger! Just kidding... sort of...

Steve
Oregon

Have my notes now that I'm home. Try not to get typos via iPhone...

I focused on 185 Barnes TSX due to having to stand on the charges to get close to 2700. Figured these bullets would have the best potential.

185 TSX w 56.2 TAC and 215s yielded 2738fps av with 72 ES. Group was 2.5" at 200 yds

185 TSX w 63.0 of RL-17 and 215 yielded 2807 av with 0 ES. This is the load I mentioned above that I kept 3rd round to pull AOL to Ogive from. Good accuracy.

210 TTSX w 61.5 RL-17 and cci200 were 2673 av with 64 ES. Thinking a change back to 215s may change things. Worth another try.

200 Hornady Interlock w 55.0 RL-15 and cci 200 av 2575 w an ES of 30 after discounting the fouler round post cleaning. This had been my Go To load as its been proven accurate in the past and it was very manageable in recoil. Being this slow I can see why now after its been run over the Chrono.

I found some old 200 Nosler Ballistic Tips. I shot a very good group with these prior and duplicated the load from my notes, however I was not as impressed with the accuracy this Go Round. Charge was same as above, 55.0 RL-15 av was 2555 ES of 25.

kk alaska:
That's what I'm after right there. Got some H414 from Powder Valley coming, oh... in a month or so! Did you use mag primers?

Steve
Oregon

Emailed Hornady about brass. Basically said keep the faith. Maybe we'll see some brass soon, eh?

Anyone else talk to them recently?

Steve
Oregon

Zombie thread!

Ran 4 rounds over a chrono tonight. Just wanted to see how this all worked. Each load was a different charge - looking for pressure signs. None detected, at all.

CCI 200, 200gr NAB, H414

60gr - 2578
61gr - 2588
62gr - 2682
63gr - 2650

My goal is 2650 to 2700 with 200gr AB, same with 210gr NPT. Suspect I might get a little more scoot from a magnum primer, but since I'm in the ball park, why?

Interesting the 63gr was less than the 62gr. It was a compressed charge and noticed a little puff of smoke from the 20 inch barrel. Point of diminishing returns with standard primers maybe...

Next work on load for groups. If that's possible with my eyes and iron sites. Yikes!

Steve
Oregon

OL School all loads were shot with std, CCI primer it shot a lot better with the 225 gr bullets. Under 1" most 200 gr loads were greater than 1.5". PM me your E mail and will send you my 338 RCM data.

I'm running 225 NABs and N560. Smoked RL15 and Big Game on the chrono. Don't have the load handy, but it's discovery was the result of a handloader article.