I have been accused of just going to the range just to make everyone else mad!
I did get a little more load work done. I backed the 350gr MK down to 3050fps for now. I still need to work on the seating depth to fine tune the groups though. I may need to switch powders though since H1000 is heavily compressed with the current load. I really can't seat the bullets in any deeper and maintain an accurate OAL. The muzzle energy of a 350gr bullet at 3050fps is up over 7100 fpe. That's enough to get the job done! Using Sierra's published BC of .805 for the 350gr MK, with a 100yard zero and a muzzle velocity of 3050 the drop at 1000 yards is 20.44 MOA. A 338 Lapua with a 300gr MK at 2800fps and a 100 yard zero drops 25.45 MOA at 1000.
The current load I want to get ready is a 300gr Accubond for hunting. I did some tests using the 300gr Sierra Pro Hunter and Reloader 17. This time I was using fireformed 404 Jeffery brass in stead of the Ultra Mag brass. I won't say how fast they were going, but it's fast enough that they can't be very safe. No pressure signs, but I just didn't feel like they could be safe. I only fired 3 and I plan to pull the rest until I can verify the info. Hopefully I'll get out next weekend to do another round of testing.
Recoil isn't that bad. I'm only 150# myself and I don't get tossed around too bad. The weight of the gun and a really effective muzzle brake help a lot. In fact the gun tracks surprisingly well in the bags. Recoil is straight back and feels similar to a 300 mag. As for fireforming in the garage, it's not that loud. It sounds like a 22lr going off. But I bury the muzzle in a cardboard box full of old clothes to muffle the sound and contain the mess. High velocity Cream of Wheat and toilet paper can be pretty messy!
Andrew
Bookmarks