reloading for a 338/08

[mcrae555]

Okay so I have narrowed the bullet selection down to a couple of choices for my 338/08.

1. 185 grain Barnes XBT or Triple shock

2. 180 grain Accubond

3. 225 grain Hornady Interlock

At the moment its going to be the 185 grain Barnes XBT's because two boxs came with the gun.

How do you figure out how much powder to use? Reloading data is pretty scarce. I have tons of IMR 3031 so I was going to give this a try but I don't really have a clue where to start? Is there a reference or method when starting out with a wildcat?

I also have XMR 2015 and IMR 4831.

The fella that owned the gun gave me some loads for the 185's with XMR 2015 but the speed is low (2500 fps) and the accuracy sucks. Not to mention that the powder is already very compressed so it doesn't seem to be the trick for this gun.

Anybody with some ideas or experience your help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Rick Teal]

I'm surprised you can't find much data on this round. Have you checked Riccardelli's site (stevespages.com) or Hunting Nut (huntingnut.com)? They both have good load databases.

If all else fails, it seems to me that the .308 size case prefers a medium burn-rate powder, so 3031 should be OK. You may want to check data for the .308 and .358, split the difference, deduct 10% and start working up from there in small increments. If you get something with a reasonable velocity, stay there and don't push the envelope until there are some pressure tested loads available.

My Nosler book happens to be beside me right now, and the numbers they give for 180 grain bullets are:

.308 - 36 to 40 grains
.358 - 44 to 48 grains

I'd start loading a .338-08 at about 36 grains and work up toward 44 grains, but I wouldn't be shy about stoppng before I reached it.

 

[mcrae555]

Thanks for the info I will check out those sites as well. I have only been reloading for a couple of years so its nice to here from the more experinced guys

 

[prosper]

We'll start seeing published load data for the 338 Federal from the major manufacturers soon too. I'd expect the data will be usable in a 338/08 as that exactly what the 338 fed is.