[X-Rap]

I just had about 300 - 300gr. Sierra Matchkings given to me. What I want to do is load up some 338-378 weatherby and get started on some long range shooting = 1000 yd.
My gun is an Weatherby with stainless fluted barrel and I have a 6.5x20 VXIII on it. Up till now I have used it for hunting and shoot 210gr Balistic tips 111gr. H1000 at deer and elk to 500yd. I have heard that H869 is better and I know of some in stock but want to hear from some with the long shot experience.
Is the gun, scope, bullets, caliber what I want to get into the sport?
At this time I don't see getting a different rig although a 50 is at the top of my need list.

[X-Rap]

Whats wrong no long range shooters?

[Zak Smith]

Few long-range shooters use .338-378. Long-range shooters usually tend towards calibers that hit what they perceive as a sweet spot between ballistics, cost, and recoil. For shooting targets out to 800-1200 yards, most of us have gone to moderate-sized 6.5mm cartridges, such as .260 Remington, 6.5-284, 6.8-08AI, 6.5-06, etc.

The main benefit of the .338 calibers over the 6.5mm and 7mm is momentum and energy at long-range, which is most useful if you are trying to kill something. There have been ethics discussions of long-range hunting before, and they are more relevant in the Hunting forum than the Reloading forum. The .338's do enjoy a small BC margin on the best 6.5mm and 7mm bullets.

Considering how competent the ballistics of .338LM and .338RUM are at long range, and how they are almost wasted at as close as 1000 yards (compared to smaller cartridges which do just as good), there is no reason to go to an even hotter .338 round for that use.

So that's a summary why hot .338's are not really used by the majority of long-range shooters. I would say that it's not a good caliber for "getting into the sport".

Skill and experience is much more important to LR shooting than even moderate cartridge improvements. The way to gain those is through additional practice and training, which is more effective with a cheaper and easier to shoot caliber.

That said, if you already have the gun and bullets, there's no reason to not try it.

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article | Practical Long-Range Rifle Shooting, Part I - Rifle & Equipment http://demigodllc.com/icon/extwh3.png (http://demigodllc.com/articles/practical-long-range-rifle-shooting-equipment/)

[lgbloader]

I would say that it's not a good caliber for "getting into the sport".


I would have to agree. If i was going to harvest a brown bear, hey, that's one thing, to punch a hole in a sheet of paper 1000 Yards away, that's another.

LGB

[NCsmitty]

300gr. Sierra Matchkings are the epitome of BC excellence, but unless you have an above average tolerance for recoil, sitting through a benchrest session with a 12lb rifle shooting 100gr+ powder charges behind that 300gr bullet will get your attention. You will need to reduce the recoil by adding a can and maybe some gunstock accessories to reduce the felt recoil. It's a whole 'nother ball game from shooting a few shots while hunting game.
I'll stick with my wimpy 6.5x55.

NCsmitty

[Strongbad]

If it's what you have, that's as good a gun as any for getting into the sport! You won't necessarily be competitive, but you should atleast be able to get familiar with the in's/out's of long distance shooting. The Accubrake is noisy as hell, but extremely effective in terms of reducing recoil (as I'm sure you already know) so you're covered there.

As far as powders go, my 338/378's have shown a distinct preference for Reloder 25. Retumbo is also a good choice as is H-1000. There are others as well, but they're not at the top of my list, i.e. 7828, H-50BMG, etc. (Haven't tried 869)

That being said, the best group I ever fired in my 338/378 was with H-4831SC and 300 gr. Mk's. H-4831SC is certainly on the quick side, but it'll work, as will RL-22.

Depending on how much you wanted to modify your current rig, McMillan makes A-5 stocks for the Mark V and you can get angled bases from Near mfg. Fair warning though, neither is cheap. :)

[X-Rap]

Well thanks guys. Thanks for the input and I will see how it goes. I have other options with lighter calibers that I can try but since I had the stuff for this big one I thought I'd give it a try. There are a few guys around here that shoot the Lapua's, Ultra Mags, 50BMG, and 416 Barret, I will try to get some info from them also.