Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 348 WCF LOAD DATA

roger on the hero. John I ordered the magazine from Wolfe and I'll check out your 250 grain loads which I really hope they will shoot as well. At the ranges I'll use this rifle, I think it's better to shoot the heavier bullet. Did you use Varget and H-4350 for the 250 loads as well?

Didn't try ay Varget with the 250's, as the data I could find suggested it would be slower than some other powders. Tried H4350, Hybrid 100V, IMR4007SC and H4831SC. Hybrid 100V was the most accurate by a little bit, and H4831SC the fastest, but H4350 was the best compromise of accuracy and velocity.

Thanks!

Jorge, sorry I'm late to the party but I was on a hunt. I've had the 348 for some years now, but the Browning version. It's shot both the 200 Hornady and old 200 Banres X very well.

I've ran both H4831 and H4350 with the 250 Barnes and both shot very well and IIRC, were both around 2250-2300 fps, with H4831 giving slightly faster speeds. I went with H4350 because it was hitting to the same POI at 100 yards as my 200 Hornady load.

M1, thanks for the info. As you saw from my post, both Varget and H-4350 are shooting to POI and exact velocites with either the 200gr Hornady Flat or Flex Points. I had ordered some Woodleighs but they are out until January so I found some 250 grain Barnes Originals and ordered those. I have both of those powders (4350 & 4831) handy so I will load some this weekend and report back. I was also going to try IMR 4064 and RL-19 as I have quite a bit of those as well.

That's a beauty of a 348! Congrats. Looks like it is really an awesome shooter as well. The 348 is high on my hit list of rifles to own in the future.. Very nice. Those 200's and 250's should be fearsome on animals.

There is something about how a lever gun hands that makes it comfortable and familiar. That is a beautiful rifle. How's the recoil and muzzle jump?

IMR 4064 did well for me with the 200 grain bullets, Hornady and the old Barnes X. It didn't give the velocities of some powders but shot well. One of my deer loads is with 4064. It didn't do well for me with the 250's velocity wise, I think with the max load it was just under 2000 fps. I did shoot some RL19 with the 250s and worked up to 59 or 60 grains at about 2150 fps IIRC.

Jeff if you saw the targets a few posts prior, I had no issues with muzzle jump or keeping it on target. It seems nowadays I find myself wanting to hunt more and more with my newly kindled love for lever actions. I'm really enjoying my 95' in 303 Brit, my 405 (which if you remember I killed those axis with) and now this 71. The 250 Barnes' are due in Friday so I'll load some and take them out for testing this weekend. I plan to use Rl-19, H-4350, IMR 4064 and see how it goes.

M1 thanks for the info via PM!

Wish I could...don't have the eyeballs for open sights anymore, at least for rifle ranges.

jorge, anytime, I look forward to seeing how you do.

Quick fly-by, but I just got back from the range after shooting the 250 Barnes and here's my preliminary results.
1. Not as accurate as the 200 grain Hornady Flex or Flat Points, in fact the Hornadys are almost mathematically twice as accurate.

59gr H-4350: 2313, 13, 23 fps (shoots to sights @50 yards. The 200s @ 2530 shoot lower, see target on OP)
51gr IMR 4064: 2303, 15, 22 fps (same POI as above) and a more accurate load. I got this one of a very old "Cartridges Of The World" book and described by the author as "factory duplicate ballistics". This book has always been generally pretty accurate. The down side is it is an OLD book so none of the modern powders are listed.
61gr RL 19: The most accurate load by a hair, but SLOW: 2246 fps. The good side is it shoots close to the 200grain Hornadys.

Back tomorrow for more re-testing and I'll have target pics.

Thanks for posting your results Jorge. I look forward to your pics and other info...Oh, by the way my friends 71 shot like this during load development with the 200gr. Hornady interlocks:

He's a "newbie" hand loader and his data is funny. He did not run the load over a chrono so the "2,400 fps" is speculation and taken from the hornady manual. Powder charge at "59.1 grains" is funny too. Oh well, he got his rifle to shoot this load very well without blowing it up....


This group was shot at 100 yards and measured less than 3/4" center to center. His is set up with a side mount and old leupold 2-7x28 scope. It really seems to be a shooter and he's happy as can be about it. It will out shoot his new Winchester model 70 300 wsm Extreme Weather. He's not real happy with that, but that's how it goes sometimes...

I give up on this powder issue! OF COURSE I can't find either Varget or Hogdon Hybrid 100! grrrr!

Thanks for the update. I haven't pushed up that high with the 250s and IMR 4064 but I'll have to try it and see how it does in mine. I have maybe 3/4 of a lb of Varget left and went to load up some and my priming tool broke so I have to get a new one ASAP. Here's what H4350 gave me at 100 yards with the Williams FP site, same POI as my 200 grn Hornady load:

Wow, that'll work just fine! Looks like your ready to hunt! Nice work.

What load of H-4350 and primer? That is a hell of a group! I'm on the hunt for a Lyman peep sight. On my 1895 405 WCF, I halved my groups at 100 after I switched from the Buckhorn to the Williams. I think the new Williams look "cheap" so I'm holding out for a vintage Lyman or Williams. Incidentally, the both take the same sight.

Anyhow, this is what I turned out today. And BTW switching from F 210s to WLR, DID slow down the loads by about 20 fps and I'm fine with that as I believe Winchester tested their loads with 28" barrels back then:

51gr IMR 4064 ("Factory Duplicate from "Cartridges Of The World"). MV a very steady 2313, 2313, 2325. Flier I "think" was my issue:


Mule Deer Article load (half a grain lighter at 59 of H-3450) and I'm pretty sure the L-R drift was my issue again:



Something else to ponder is I don't know the reputation of the Barnes Original for accuracy. Too bad they don't make a TSX!

Damn, I need to get out and shoot mine!!!!!

Jorge, that load is 59.0 of H4350 with a Federal 210. Some good groups of yours as well.

Mule Deer; I couldn't help myself on a good deal on an eight pound keg of Hybrid 100 so I bought it. I hope you're right!