Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 338-378 loads

Interested in 210-250 grain bullets.

What is working for you guys? Please list your accuracy and velocity if known. TIA

Dang, I shoot the 300 gr Accubonds to 3000 fps with Retumbo, that load hits HARD way out there Fotis, let me know if you decide to try the heavies and I'll go out and grab my load book.

That is a lot of horsepower~! How are your pressures? The reason I ask is that very few loads out there go past 3K and that is with a 250 Accubond, not a 300gr.

not mine, but a good friend loads exactly 100 grains of H 1000, running a 250 grain partition...

during the powder shortages, he desparately needed a pound of powder for a hunt to Wyoming then Colorado...
and I happened to have a couple of pounds of H 1000 to spare...

He insisted I fire off a round... as Fotis said... "that's a lot of horsepower"....

If you miss with the bullet, the muzzle blast will knock them over....

The brass is of course made by Norma ad not terribly durable, but it last just fine, my rifle is an old custom I had built more than 20 years ago, it wears a 28" Shilen super match air gauged 10 twist stainless barrel, I saw a kid in a shoulder brace carrying around a 20" barreled 460 WBY rifle at the Tulsa gun show in '1992, bought the gun from him for the action, had my 'Smith install the barrel then bed it all into a Pacific Research stock.

The loads shoot very well, I have a NF NSX compact 2,5-10x42 scope, a really hard hitting 10LB hunting rifle you can carry, reach, and kill most any game anywhere with Fotis

Yeah Jerry, My friend Don, I've seen on videos he has where he is knocking over Elk at the 400 and 500 yd ranges with his...
He runs a Leupold 4.5 x 14 on top, with some custom reticle, that I don't think is by Leupold....but it will certainly do the job, if the shooter can put the bullet where it wants to go.... and Don, we'll he's got a lot of money, spends a lot on going all over the west hunting.... and is about the size of Barney Fife.... and yeah, his sports a muzzle break... but his is a factory Mark V.

Fotis,
I used this cartridge back in the early 90's before it was a factory cartridge, so the data is old from the powders of the day and from a custom Hart barrel 26".

I found 2 things, firstly it didn't show any difference on game than the .340 Weatherby and secondly, the blast and recoil was more severe with the heavier powder charges and certainly not dissimilar to the .378 Weatherby. I dropped it and went to another .416 Weatherby.

At that time, IMR 7828 was the best powder for it. AR 2209 is H 4350 and AR2213 is H 4831. AR 2214 was eventually dropped.
John

200gn Hornady SP
102gn AR 2209 3314
104gn AR 2209 3346 Maximum working load
109gn H 4831 3281 Original H 4831
107gn AR 2213 3327
114gn IMR 7828 3473 5358 Maximum velocity chronographed
107gn IMR 4831 3354
114gn AR 2214 3081 Mild with huge blast - Powder too slow

200gn Speer SP
108gn IMR 4831 3322
109gn IMR 4831 3371 Maximum working load
109gn H 4831 3238
107gn Rel 19 3319
109gn Rel 19 3378 MAX
109gn Rel 22 3371
104gn AR 2209 3348 MAX
107gn IMR 4831 3345 Good Working Load

225gn Speer BT
100gn AR 2209 3183
102gn AR 2209 3229 MAX
106gn H 4831 3147 Original H 4831
108gn H 4831 3206 MAX
103gn IMR 4831 3202
114gn AR 2214 3092
115gn AR 2214 3109 Warm Load

225gn Hornady
103gn AR 2213 3202 5124

250gn Hornady SP
102gn H 4831 2952 .340 Weatherby velocity
104gn H 4831 3025
112gn AR 2214 3074
114gn AR 2214 3108 Warm Load - Huge blast
98gn Rel 22 2920
100gn Rel 22 3025
106gn IMR 7828 3128 Good load
99gn H 4831 2871
102gn H 4831 2967
93gn IMR 4350 2977
95gn IMR 4350 3045

250gn Sierra BT
103gn H 4831 3025
108gn IMR 4831 3012
103gn IMR 4831 3202 MAX
106gn IMR 7828 3097 Good Load

300gn Sierra BT
98gn H 4831 2756 Original H 4831
92gn IMR 4831 2742
96gn AR 2213 2840 Light recoil - quietest load
110gn AR 2214 2889

300gn Sierra BT
94gn Rel 22 2777
96gn Rel 22 2833 Warm Load

LOL, I've never hit an elk with my 300 gr AB load, but damnit man, I think the recipient will undoubtedly know it, sounds like your buddy Don's got it figured out too.

Thank you gents. I do have a ton of 7828 retumbo and H1000

Have two friends who shoot 30-378's. The muzzle blast from these, even if you are standing directly behind the shooter, are almost enough to take your ears off. Can't imagine what the blast would be like from the .338 version.

Jim

Got my 30-378!

Alright Fotis, just for you buddy, went out to the shop and dug up an old load book and took a look, seems I did load up some light bullets for my 338-378 back in the day, it's on it's second identical barrel to date, and is cut with the standard WBY reamer, freebore and all, some of these loads are from the early to mid 90's.

The most current mid-weight bullet load from 2005 is:

New WBY Brass
225 gr Accubond
116 grs Retumbo
Fed-215 primer
COL 3.775"
Velocity 3375 fps
Group .256" for three at 100 yards at 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Older lightweight bullet loads:

Factory WBY brass
180 gr Ballistic Tip
110 grs RL-22
Fed-215 Primer
COL 3.800"
Velocity 3610 fps
Group .333" for three at 100 yards.

Factory WBY Brass
200 gr Ballistic Tip
108.5 grs IMR-7828
CCI-250 Mag Primer
COL 3.800"
Velocity 3530 fps
Group .510" for three at 100 yards

I don't have to tell you how quick the deer and pigs dropped to the shot from these loads, I never remember anyone of them taking a single step after being hit, the damage to the rib cages had to be seen to be believed, glad I backed off a bit in my SM ways with a little age.

If you ever decide to give the big 300 gr AB a try, 109 grs of Retumbo sends it out my barrel at 3000 fps with half minute moa's in calm winds, I wont lie and say it doesn't boot a little.

Thank you, sir!

You're most welcome.

Going out this week. If I can get a 225 AccuBond at 3150or so I will be happy

You'll damn sure easily get there Fotis, even with 26"s of barrel with Retumbo.