338 Federal ~ 160 grainers

[todbartell]

picked up a half box of the new Barnes 160 gr Tipped TSX for the 338 Federal.

Did the ladder load development thing, starting @ 49.0 grs Benchmark and going up in half grain increments, loaded one round at each charge and shot them at the target/over the chrony

Results :

Velocity - 2900 fps up to 2980 fps

Accuracy - 1.25" 5 shot @ 90y

Plugged the numbers into the ballistic program and it says if I'm +2.5" @ 100y, it's only gonna be down about 4 inches @ 300y, and 17" @ 400y. Not bad for a wannabe 358



tb

 

[BwanaDave]

Not bad at all !

 

[Kevan]

Thats very impressive !!....I'm gonna try those in the 338 RCM..
Are you going to test them on a big Mulie ?

 

[pharaoh2]

Shoot, their almost cute looking. I have to admit though, I thought you'd get more speed out of them. I'm not complaining, but I really thought those little guys would break 3000.

 

[todbartell]

they might, I have no high pressure signs @ 51.0 grs Benchmark.

 

[pharaoh2]

With accuracy like that, I wouldn't worry about trying to squeeze every last drop out of her.

 

[shortaction]

The Barnes Reloading Data on their website shows Benchmark Powder with a minimum of 45.5 gr and a max of 49.5 gr at 105% capacity and an overall length of 2.82".

Are you using a longer C.O.L. or just compressing the load?

 

[todbartell]

2.935" OAL in my Sako.

 

[shortaction]

How far does that set it off the lands?

How far is the bullet seated into the cartridge?

I am quite interested in the 338 Federal and your results are making it even more intriguing.

 

[todbartell]

not sure how far off the lands it is, but I bet it's not very far. It barely fits in the magazine of my Sako, but feeds slick and chambers perfect. The bullet isn't in the case all that much but seems to hold it pretty firm. I'm gonna load more up tonight I will take a picture

 

[todbartell]

here's how the TTSX sits in the case @ 2.935" OAL

 

['Boo]

Same bullet in 338-06 case. At ~3100 fps it should be one hell of a mulie load.

 

[oldfart]

Great info thanks, im interested to see how effective the light 338 feds will hold up on game (from 185gr to 160) Im sure ill be hearing reports soon.

 

[sbtennex]

Stop messin' around already! A 160? That thing was made for 210's - 250's. You can shoot 160's all day long with your 7mm's @ 3100+! BTW, my HVA got shipped today for the rebuild to the same cartridge!

 

[SuperCub]

Stop messin' around already! A 160? That thing was made for 210's - 250's. You can shoot 160's all day long with your 7mm's @ 3100+!

I was thinking that too.

I see this alot where a shooter will buy a med/big bore just to shoot light (for caliber) bullets in it. What's the advantage of this load over the same bullet in 165gr from a 30/06? ..... and pls don't schpeel about the huge advantage of a short action over a long action.


.

 

[SuperCub]

I've never used them, so .... Are all the TSXs longer than the equivalent weight cup and core bullets?




.

 

[BC Bigbore]

Same bullet in 338-06 case. At ~3100 fps it should be one hell of a mulie load.

Still waiting on my RMR .338-06, 'Boo (sigh) but todbartel graciously set me up with two boxes of those 160gr. TTSX's to try when it arrives (ya shoulda seen the look on the wife's face when she saw the invoice, tod...priceless )

 

['Boo]

Stop messin' around already! A 160? That thing was made for 210's - 250's. You can shoot 160's all day long with your 7mm's @ 3100+! BTW, my HVA got shipped today for the rebuild to the same cartridge!

Actually most published loads for the 7mm Remington show 2800 - 2900 fps for the cartridge. The 338-06 165 combo beats that handily using much less powder while using a rifle with a shorter barrel. It also takes the 338-06 up one level and makes an honest 400 yard sheep, goat, and mulie rifle out of it. For larger animals like elk, moose, or G-bears I personally would go back to my favorite 250 grain TBBC @ 2600 fps as I am still not sold on the concept of velocity trumping bullet weight on these big critters.

The TTSX & TSX bullets are not like conventional lead bullets in any way. This 165 for example provides terminal performance similar to the 210 Nosler Partition. They are also much longer for any given weight than comparable lead core bullets.

Kurt, I paid $48.00 + tax for the box I bought which is less than what .338 Partition cost locally. .

 

[Gatehouse]

I was thinking that too.

I see this alot where a shooter will buy a med/big bore just to shoot light (for caliber) bullets in it. What's the advantage of this load over the same bullet in 165gr from a 30/06? ..... and pls don't schpeel about the huge advantage of a short action over a long action.


.

The biggest advantage is that it's not a boring 30-06.

 

[blargon]

I've never used them, so .... Are all the TSXs longer than the equivalent weight cup and core bullets?

.

Yeah, if you don't count the plastic tips. But the TTSX would be even longer...

Left to Right:

.338 Hornady 225 SP, 250 Partition Gold, 225 TSX, 225 Interbond.

.308 180 Partition, 168 TSX, 165 Interbond, 165 SST.