RJ, don’t have my notes close but it’s just over 3300fps. Cci 250’s and reloader 26 in ADG brass. I kind of stumbled on to this load shooting up a bunch of the old style 150 nosler solid base. I’m pleased that the tougher scirocco shoots the same.
KS Arms
- Thread starter Walleyewhiz
- Start date
I had my tikka chopped to 19” by Guntech. It makes it way nicer to pack, and more manageable in the thick stuff. My vote out of your choice would be 22”, I would likely go 20” if I were you.
Well, it's been a while since this thread was started. I will give the Cole's notes on how it all turned out. The rifle KS built me is a beauty, and finish weight was 7 lbs 11 oz, with a Zeiss V4 4-16 x 44mm on top (illuminated reticle) sitting in Talley Lightweight rings, that have integrated recoil lug.
I tried 210 gr partitions, 200 gr Trophy Copper, 200 gr Fusion, 180 gr Accubonds, and settled on 200 gr Trophy Bonded Tip for my hunting bullet of choice. Great accuracy with all of them, but I like the bullet construction of the Trophy Bonded, and think it is perfect for the muzzle velocity of 2620 ~ that I am getting with the 22" barrel.
I set my MPBR for a 220 yard zero. Puts me 2 3/4" high at 100, and 7" low at 300, so a great 'hold on fur' set up for the hunting I do. I did get my dope for 400 and 500 yards, so I know what I need to dial, but for hunting I won't ever do it I don't think.
And, ringing a 4" gong at 500 yards had me grinning. It is very accurate. I have the Trigger Tech set at 2.5 lbs, seems just right.
I tried it out on a 1200 lb angus bull at a friend's farm, that I put in the freezer. A 210 gr partition between the eyes at 25 yards had excellent bang flop result, as one would expect. I am looking forward to taking the new rifle on a horseback hunt into the Wilmore this fall, for elk and hopefully sheep.
As an aside, recoil is very moderate. Stock design and good Pachmyr Decelerator pad make it easy to shoot, even with arthritis in shoulders. The day we were testing various ammo I put 50+ rounds through it and didn't really start to notice till the last couple rounds from the bench. Won't ever notice it hunting, and sure won't make anyone flinch. It's not really any different (subjectively) then shooting my 7mm08 and 140 gr bullets. Just a whole lot more energy down range. That's a win!
I tried 210 gr partitions, 200 gr Trophy Copper, 200 gr Fusion, 180 gr Accubonds, and settled on 200 gr Trophy Bonded Tip for my hunting bullet of choice. Great accuracy with all of them, but I like the bullet construction of the Trophy Bonded, and think it is perfect for the muzzle velocity of 2620 ~ that I am getting with the 22" barrel.
I set my MPBR for a 220 yard zero. Puts me 2 3/4" high at 100, and 7" low at 300, so a great 'hold on fur' set up for the hunting I do. I did get my dope for 400 and 500 yards, so I know what I need to dial, but for hunting I won't ever do it I don't think.
And, ringing a 4" gong at 500 yards had me grinning. It is very accurate. I have the Trigger Tech set at 2.5 lbs, seems just right.
I tried it out on a 1200 lb angus bull at a friend's farm, that I put in the freezer. A 210 gr partition between the eyes at 25 yards had excellent bang flop result, as one would expect. I am looking forward to taking the new rifle on a horseback hunt into the Wilmore this fall, for elk and hopefully sheep.
As an aside, recoil is very moderate. Stock design and good Pachmyr Decelerator pad make it easy to shoot, even with arthritis in shoulders. The day we were testing various ammo I put 50+ rounds through it and didn't really start to notice till the last couple rounds from the bench. Won't ever notice it hunting, and sure won't make anyone flinch. It's not really any different (subjectively) then shooting my 7mm08 and 140 gr bullets. Just a whole lot more energy down range. That's a win!
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I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and say you will love it!
So what barrel length and contour did you get? Braked? And what stock?
That will be a dandy with that cartridge. My days of shooting magnums is pretty much done, I really notice when I shoot my .300 WM, and it's a fairly heavy rifle. Some days I do miss it, but not so much now with the .338 Federal.
It’s a 28” 1:8.5 close to a heavy palma with an MBM lil beast 4 port brake. Going in a KRG bravo with a triggertech special. Zeiss V4 6-24.
I also have a short action 338, mine is a Sherman short, saum based wildcat. It’s on a Rem 700 with a 22” barrel, no brake, and HS LTR stock with a 4.5-14 Leupold cds.
Beautiful rifle... very well done, you made some good.choices. The scope is heavier and has more power than necessary for your type of hunting/shooting... I would be tempted to lighten it up... less weight and bulk would probably balance better.
Twisted
Congrats ! your rifle looks GREAT and Shoots great ! The 338 Fed is a WONDER cartridge - I Love it . A little on the heavy side for me and too much scope for me But it’s YOUR rifle . I’m Glad your build turned out Great as they are expensive .Cheers Jim
By the way how did the Fusion 200 gr boned bullets shoot in your rifle - the Federal Factory ammo shoots Excellent in mine at 2700 fps .
Jim
I actually would have preferred a scope in the 3-9 or 2.5-10x range, but I also really wanted an illuminated reticle and an objective that was not 50mm. There were a lot of options I looked at, and weight wasn't so much of a consideration as it was never designed as a purpose built lightweight (with the arthritis issue, a little extra weight to keep recoil down while still being under 8 lbs was a fair trade for me). I know with a different scope I could have shaved as much as 8 oz off but it wasn't a primary consideration.
Anyway, that scope just sort of impressed me with the glass and illuminated reticle. I'm sure it will spend most of its time at 4x. At one point I was thinking of taking my 3-9x Kahles Diavari off my .300 WM for this build, as I really like that scope a lot. But...it kind of belongs to the .300 at this point. And, the illuminated red dot on the Zeiss really helps my older eyes.
As for the 200 gr Fusions, I was really impressed with the groups I got with them, and was hitting 2650~ fps with the 22" barrel.
Anyway, that scope just sort of impressed me with the glass and illuminated reticle. I'm sure it will spend most of its time at 4x. At one point I was thinking of taking my 3-9x Kahles Diavari off my .300 WM for this build, as I really like that scope a lot. But...it kind of belongs to the .300 at this point. And, the illuminated red dot on the Zeiss really helps my older eyes.
As for the 200 gr Fusions, I was really impressed with the groups I got with them, and was hitting 2650~ fps with the 22" barrel.
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Right on - I understand the weight concern as my T3 is pretty Barky for sure ! LOL I also have V4 Zeiss like yours and i LOVE it on my 6.5-284 custom HVA rifle . again a Very NICE Rifle Pal !
Cheers Jim
Cheers Jim
