My grandfather was quite a rifleman back in the day. His preferred rifle for elk hunting was a 30-338 he built on a 1903 Springfield action. He's gone on to the "eternal hunting grounds" and his wildcat has found it's way to my collection. I plan to keep and shoot this rifle, the stock is a beauty and after some minor changes in length fits perfectly. The problem is, he never shared any technical information with me about the rifle.
I do have some clues though, along with the rifle I got an ammo can with reloading dies, several boxes of 338 Winchester Magnum unprimed cases, some reloaded ammo, reloading data from magazine articles written in the 60's, and some of grandpa's notes.
Below are the loads grandpa was using according to his notes:
Sept 12, 1961: 180 gr Nosler, 338 Winchester cases, 71 gr 4350, western Primers, 3115 fps apx. (20 rounds)
1963: 180 gr speer, once fired 338 Winchester cases, 71 gr 4350, CCI 200 primer (10 rounds)
1963: 165 gr speer, once fired 338 Winchester cases, 77gr 4831, CCI 200 primer (10 rounds)
1968: 180 gr Nosler, once fired 338 Winchester cases, 71 gr 4350, CCI 200 Primers, (20 rounds)
Here are my questions for those who might have some experience with the 30-338. Is there a go to information source for reloading the 30-338? Did grandpa get it right with the 71gr of 4350? Is it a bad idea to shoot grandpa's reloads given the fact that they're 40-50 years old?
Thanks for taking the time to read this post!
I do have some clues though, along with the rifle I got an ammo can with reloading dies, several boxes of 338 Winchester Magnum unprimed cases, some reloaded ammo, reloading data from magazine articles written in the 60's, and some of grandpa's notes.
Below are the loads grandpa was using according to his notes:
Sept 12, 1961: 180 gr Nosler, 338 Winchester cases, 71 gr 4350, western Primers, 3115 fps apx. (20 rounds)
1963: 180 gr speer, once fired 338 Winchester cases, 71 gr 4350, CCI 200 primer (10 rounds)
1963: 165 gr speer, once fired 338 Winchester cases, 77gr 4831, CCI 200 primer (10 rounds)
1968: 180 gr Nosler, once fired 338 Winchester cases, 71 gr 4350, CCI 200 Primers, (20 rounds)
Here are my questions for those who might have some experience with the 30-338. Is there a go to information source for reloading the 30-338? Did grandpa get it right with the 71gr of 4350? Is it a bad idea to shoot grandpa's reloads given the fact that they're 40-50 years old?
Thanks for taking the time to read this post!