.338 winmag and 225 grain TSX

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troutseeker

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Howdy! I don't have a Barnes manual available and am looking at loading up some 225 grain TSX's for my .338 Winmag. I will be using RL19 for propelant and have some loads from an article in Reloaders magazine. They stated 72 to 76 grains of RL19 (76 being a max charge). Anybody can confirm if the Barnes manual is similar?

Thanks, Troutseeker
 
I have the new Barnes #4 and I was going to check for you, but oddly, they don't use RL 19 for their 338 WM data. I find that strange because I've found RL 19 to be one of the most versatile powders for 338.
 
The new Barnes manual is something of a disappointment with regards to the actual data listed. The older Barnes #3 list 67-72 grs of Re-19 for the 225 gr XFB, and 73-78 grs of Re-19 for the 225 gr XLC. With the 225 gr TSX I would start at 70 grs of Re-19 and work up from there, but that is just me, and not from any published data.
 
I am using RL19 for 338Win Mag and Tipped TSX 225gr.
Started with 72 grains and maxed out at 77.
I need to play with seating depth and 75 grains that clocked at 2800 ft/sec from my Sako 75.
 
I worked my way up to 74 grains of RL19 without signs of pressure and .75" three shot group at 100 meters with the 225 grain TSX. No idea of velocity but an accurate load. To make things even better, my 185 grain TSX load of 76 grain of H414 prints about 1.5" higher than the 225 TSX load nad into 1.25". POI is 1.5" to the left with the 225 TSX, not enough of a difference for me to worry about.

This is from my Ruger MKII on which I just installed a good recoil pad and a Timney trigger. Both made an appreciable difference!

I'm ready to go hunting!

Troutseeker

So I've got two nice load
 
My Lee Book says that a starting load of 67.2 gr @ 2586 f/s. I started at 68 and stopped at 70.5 where I got my best accuracy. It says MAX charge is 72.0c @ 2765 f/s 50900 CUP. Min.OAL 3.335. I found it to be wickedly accurate on the 330 yd silouettes and printing a little less than an inch from a rifle rest @ 100 yds. The rifle is a Tikka T3 Lite stainless that I used. Your gun may be stronger and able to take hotter loads. Thats for you to decide, but I try to stay reasonable with my loads at they tend to be used for hunting anyhow, and I like my brass lasting longer. I'm In Yellowknife, so I know what its like not having a steady supply at your fingertips.
 
I have the Lee book and it's load data is extremely conservative. Comparing with other manuals and Hodgdon's online data you'll notice they are much more agressive than Lee.

Ii seems that RL19 also produces quite a bit less pressure than IMR and H4350's in the .338WM.

The recoil was there, but with a good recoil pad and a decent stock I did not find it painful at all. It was nothing compared to let's say a MArlin .45-70 with 350 grain bullets at 1900fps...

I'm in Kelowna and if you follow trhe news you'll know we have a major rabbit problem. This should help...:D

Troutseeker
 
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