338wm load using imr 4350

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xcaribooer

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I have an older hornady manual that lists a max load of 72gr of imr 4350 with 225gr bullet. every other book I have seen all seem to stop at about 69gr max with 225gr bullet with this powder. if a person worked up to this in a modern rifle is it a safe load in your opinion? perhaps try up to 71gr?
not that I have a need for the faster load, it is more curiosity why the hornady book shows such a hot load compared to say speer.
 
I find the Hornady handbook to be a little more aggressive than most... a lot of their max loads are too hot in my rifles.

I never tried 225 grainers, but 68 grs. of IMR 4350 was giving me 2700 fps right on the nose with 250's. Probably could have gone hotter, but I was quite happy with that.
 
I have used both 70.2 grains of IMR 4350 and 250's (Gamekings) and 72.0 grains with 225's (SST's) for years in two different rifles and both worked fine.

I have brass that has been reloaded around 10X using these combinations, and trimmed only once, and they're still going strong, so that should make it clear that these are not even close to overloaded loads.
 
xcaribooer said:
I have an older hornady manual that lists a max load of 72gr of imr 4350 with 225gr bullet. every other book I have seen all seem to stop at about 69gr max with 225gr bullet with this powder. if a person worked up to this in a modern rifle is it a safe load in your opinion? perhaps try up to 71gr?
not that I have a need for the faster load, it is more curiosity why the hornady book shows such a hot load compared to say speer.
Click to expand...

Data are only data generated in Hornady equipment using components available at time of testing.
To play safe I would start 10 % lower and shot one of each in 72-10%=65 gr unless this is less than minimum.

Practically I would start 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72 and 72,5 and 73 gr.
If signs of excessive pressure would show up at any point rest of those cartridges would be disassembled and this would be my max load for this case ,powder, primer, bullet and this seating depth combination.
Shooting this over chronograph would give me idea about velocity. I try to get highest velocity and then play with seating depth to fine tune for accuracy.

My fav Bullet for hunting is 225 TTSX and 225 SST for plinking. I am using RL 19 75.6 gr.
 
68 was max in my rifle, bolt was stiff after that.

Work up till you see signs or you get the published speeds.
 
for the ones that I had, using a hornady spire point or round nose or nosler partition of 250g, I was using 70g of imr 4350. I cant help you with 225 or 200 as I have used them. I have one reloading manual that goes up to 72g of imr 4350 for a 250g.
 
When I used 72.0 grains of IMR4831 with the 250 grain Nosler Partition, it was extremely accurate but definitely a colder weather load.
I also used 73 grais of IMR 4350 with the 225 Hornady and found it to be very accurate.
 
67.5 grains of IMR4350 with a Nosler Accubond 225 grain bullet in an R-P case lit up by a CCI-250 primer.......2,715 fps at the muzzle and groups right at the one inch mark in my old Tikka M65.......This load is not anywhere close to a max load in my particular rifle....
 
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