Anyone have a pet load for.338 GNR with 225 partitions they
would like to share?
I'd not quote grains to be used as you really need
to work that up to the gun. Sean uses IMR 3031 I think, among others. I used 4064 with is a little bulkier and not quite as hot. (I may be getting that mixed up with the .378 GNR but it applies as well) I used an odd even bulkier powder, BLC-2, the old military powder for 7.62 NATO. The burn rate was pretty well suited for good velocity from the Encore barrel. Mine was a 14+2" brake. The fun trait of BLC-2 is a brilliant muzzle flash! Boy what a fireball, you'd think it inefficient and it may be a little, but I got 2600 fps w/200 gr. Hornady and safe pressures. I'd also note that IMR 4895 is also a good powder to use. The case was about full with BLC-2, I used Fed. #215 Primers, and I did not compress the charge (way, way over 60 grs. - ENCORE ONLY). So many variables with bullet seating to the lands and load density, my loads would do you no good. Just start low and work up, I never had any changes in accuracy as I went up. We were after Y-O Texas Blackbuck and anticipated long fast shots where we needed to anchor that little speedy antelope RIGHT THERE! It's $2500 if you find a drop of blood, no matter if you ever see it again. Both Doug and I were successful and it was a really nice life event to set out a goal and achieve it together in one weekend. Good times!
*That is my load testing scope a China 2-7X for $50. Hunting I used a Weaver 2.5-8X.
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It was spitting snow that morning!
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Sean, do you have one to share?
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FWIW I once mixed an Encore with a Contender loading...
that I had not worked up for that platform. Got them in one bag. Touching off the Contender .338 GNR (I happened to be video taping at the time) the action recoiled open so fast, the bullet was long gone, that the empty brass smacked me in the teeth. Luckily my thin lips slowed it down before hitting my two buck tooth caps! A little blood and I didn't know what happened. The gun looked normal, I thought I shot myself! The gun was locked shut but when I opened it no fired brass. I didn't see the brass anywhere around, never found it. Looking at the video one frame at a time the blurred single frame shows the barrel and grip angle not synchronized, then normal in the next frame. The fast recoil unlatched the locking lugs, and open flew the action, self-ejecting, and then recoil slapped it back shut.
Sort of an avoidable rite of passage to overly hot loading a TC. Sometimes weak locking bolt springs can contribute to this with heavy hitters too. Not a bad thing to replace every couple hundred hot rounds anyway. Had that happen several times on Heavy Encores (weak spring) but not on Contenders. But then I was never trying as hard with them! lol.
A rumor has it that Gary has a "GNR" imprint on his forehead, very small, in a little bitty semi-circle....LOL
actually it said 9.3 X 74. We were thinking of
chambering Contenders in 9.3 X 74 for our '93 African hunt so we built one. I got a box of factory ammo and we shot one round at the local range. The gun opened and the hot brass cam back and stuck to my forehead. Kase said he could read the caliber on there for a week. After that we loaded all the ammo for that barrel and I did take it to Africa and took an Impala at fairly long range (220 yards) with it.
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