338 Win Mag for long range?

[C-grunt]

This is just a post about theory as I have no intention of building this.

Why don't you hear more about the 338 WM as a long range shooter. I've read some people getting 2700 FPS out of the 250 grn bullets. With a good design it seems like it would be a pretty decent long range round.

[sinister]

Generally a belted magnum has shorter usable case life. You can use an Innovative Technologies collet die and get longer life / more firings from a case over standard dies.



In the "Olden days" (late 50s-through mid-80s) the 30-338 / 308 Norma Magnum was considered a formidable long range cartridge at Camp Perry. The 300 Winchester Magnum had the advantage of using factory brass and not requiring fire-forming (cutting the case's usable life by a shot).

The 6.5 x 284 "Fag Mag" replaced the 300 Win Mag at Perry -- it would shoot inside the 300 and do everything the bigger cartridge can using less powder and with lower recoil (thus the silly nickname).

The straight .338 Winchester Magnum suffers from knocking the snot out of a shooter's shoulder since NRA long range prone does not allow a muzzle brake.

338 Win Mag on left, 338 Lapua on right:

[markm]

We load for and shoot a .338 WIN MAG. It's more of a Bush gun... with factory iron sights... It's Pappabears.

That specific gun isn't much for a long range shooter. I'd love to do a 6.5 284 if I had the time and money... but for now, the 300 WM is able to shoot farther than any spot we can find to shoot it. 1200 yards at this time.

[taliv]

can't say i've ever shot one. but the 30* shoulder seems like a big plus

[orkan]

Yup, not a big fan of belted mags.

[markm]

Yup, not a big fan of belted mags.

Belted mags haven't bothered me too much. If you set up the sizing die so you're head spaced off the shoulder, there's not too much difference.

Every so often you'll need to run that Collet near the belt. But that die has a guage built in. So you only have to run the brass that needs it.

[orkan]

If you set up the sizing die so you're head spaced off the shoulder, there's not too much difference.

... other than the cartridge being designed to headspace off the belt.

[markm]

... other than the cartridge being designed to headspace off the belt.

Yeah yeah.... Unnecessarily as I've come to understand. The rounds were rooted of the belted system un-necessarily.

What can you tell me about donuts? I'm having donut issues with Pappabears 300 WM RWS brass. Looks like crispy creme in his ammo boxes these days.

[orkan]

I can tell you that you should stop using bushing dies.

[orkan]

If you are talking about a donut down by the case head... then you are further understanding why I don't like belted magnums.

Because to resize them properly you need a collet sizing die.
http://www.larrywillis.com/300winmag.html