.338LM Ladder test , NEW barrel - results - June , 13, 2015 FINAL LOAD CONFIRMED

Kelly Timoffee

Kelly Timoffee

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New McGowen barrel in .338 LM 30".The factory barrel now appears to have been thee issue for sure.

Last years fiasco was well, interesting.

Put through 10 shots and cleaned before actual testing.

Tried some IMR 7828 and Retumbo.

Here is the set up...



Here is the IMR ladder results @ 200 yards...

I adjusted windage after 77gr to ensure I stayed on Target.



73gr - 2356 ft/sec
74gr - 2370 ft/sec
75gr - 2395 ft/sec
76gr - 2445 ft/sec
77gr - 2452 ft/sec
78gr - 2475 ft/sec
79gr - 2537 ft/sec
80gr - 2549 ft/sec
81gr - 2572 ft/sec

Here is the Retumbo results...



85gr - 2570 ft/sec
86gr - 2569 ft/sec
87gr - error
88gr - 2695 ft/sec
89gr - 2718 ft/sec
90gr - 2723 ft/sec
91gr - 2781 ft/sec
92gr - 2812 ft/sec
93gr - 2860 ft/sec

No pressure signs, easy extraction on all loads.

I think I can work with these ones.

Next will be a test @ 500 ish to see what will have long range potential.I think I can pick whatever I like or even try larger charges , seems to be consistency now.
 
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Here is something for the guru's out there...

Last year with the factory barrel I was almost in the middle of my vertical adjustment @ 200.

This year I ran out and actually was still way beyond(I used the reticle for aiming points).

I do have a 40 MOA rail as the intended use is for long range so I wasn't expecting to have a 200 yard zero in the middle of the adjustment range in the first place.

Is that how out of wonk the first barrel was or could have something else been a factor?
 
The center line of the new barrel could be 20 thou higher or lower at the muzzle. Changing the point of impact greatly.
I have found that not cleaning my 338 barrel before load development works best. I also found loading 3 of each load and shot for groups worked surprisingly well. The ladder test with my 338 left puzzling results.
Time behind the gun is fun.
 
I now do a quick loading for pressure then step down a grain and load a OCW test. I've walked away from just shooting groups. Uses far too much resources to chase my tail around in circles.

Your barrel could have been that bad. What is the difference in powder charges?

Glad to hear your finally having some good luck with it Kelly!
 
Kelly Timoffee said:
You bet , thanks again Jerry.

This is by far going to be a much smoother unit to work with.

Recoil is like a pussy cat too!
Click to expand...

Why I rarely use factory barrels anymore. I find them more expensive then a quality match barrel cause you are wasting so much time and components chasing wonky results.

I can ball park my new FTR barrels now in less then 20rds. That is great value for me... And they just shoot better.

See my website in the Tech section for info on scope set up and load tuning. Will answer your questions.

Enjoy

Jerry
 
Well, went out to try the 91,92,95 gr charges @ 500 yards.Average MV was 2894 for the 95 gr Retumbo load.

I finally have something I can work with.



Got discouraged after 91 , and a tad worried after 93







I winged one out there obviously on 95 , that was shot #3 of the group.

There was moderate mirage as well.

Targets do not correspond to aiming points as I am using the hash marks.
 
Whoever dreamt up the theme of the ladder test must have had some connection whereby he made money from the sale of ammunition and components!
 
Back down to 93.5gr and go up in 1/2 gr increments to 96.5gr. You are near the highest pressure node and it will not take much powder change to go past.

To save on components, I would do this next test on a calm day or have flags and shoot 3rds per load. You will see the groups cluster tight around one of these... go back and work around that load in 0.2gr increments. When you find THE best load... go to larger rds count per group just to make sure.

I know some will argue 5ds or 10 rds or nothing. With quality barrels, they are going to print reliably IF the load is a good fit. As long as the shooting is consistent, the accuracy you see in the first 2 rds will mimic the next 5 to 10 rds or until you really overheat the barrel.

And if you are shooting properly, why worry about a load that prints massive 3rds group? Just move on...

Looks very promising indeed.

Jerry
 
I use the 5rd OCW as I know I will "pull" a couple shots throughout the day. This way I can rule out a flier and still have a 4 shot group to analyze.

I'd post a pic but I don't use photo hosting sites.

One last thing for Kelly; you gotta use a different backstop!! The speed holes are ok for summertime but in the winter, it's gonna be a cold ride in your truck!!! lol :p
 
It is just a Chevy. ;)

Yeah , probably do a bit more tweaking and then settle on a load.

Shooter ----/ said:
I use the 5rd OCW as I know I will "pull" a couple shots throughout the day. This way I can rule out a flier and still have a 4 shot group to analyze.

I'd post a pic but I don't use photo hosting sites.

One last thing for Kelly; you gotta use a different backstop!! The speed holes are ok for summertime but in the winter, it's gonna be a cold ride in your truck!!! lol :p
Click to expand...
 
Can someone please explain how to interpret your pics? how does shooting 1 round of each charge tell you anything when they seem to be all over the map? (by that I mean I dont see the pattern where a particular node of say 3 charges are grouped together any better than any other 3 shots?) Lets just say you didnt go past 92 as that was max..., how would you decide where to start shooting groups with a particular charge?
 
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