Sako TRG 42, .338LM, 1-10 twist , best bullet for 1 mile + shot?

[Tango down]

This is for all TRG 42 .338LM 1-10 twist barrel owners.
For the ones who have shot a mile + with this rifle; what bullet got you the most consistency/accuracy at a mile and further?
Because of the distance, mostly looking at Hornady 285 BTHP, 300 SMK, 300 Berger Hybrid OTM and 300 Lapua Scenar. At shorter distances, I had good results with 250 Lapua Lock Base but it is known that the 300's shine mostly after 1500 yards.
Not totally disregarding the 250's with the 1-10 twist, so if someone has good results at these distances with these, let me know.
Only talking about bullets, as the powder/primer situation is bad, will have to find alternate route to the H1000, Retumbo, VVN570 and other most common .338 powders. Will be working with Ramshot Magnum, RL 33 and Winchester Supreme 780. I do have CCI 250 primers and Lapua brass.
What are your thoughts?
Appreciate all answers.

 

[Dogtown]

I don't own a TRG, as much as I like them, and since no one else is responding I'll throw in my two cents on the subject.

Any of those bullets will get you to a mile, easy. The 250s perform very well in that twist and can be run pretty fast (2900-3000fps) with little effort. Beyond a mile they start to have trouble, not having the inertia the heavier bullets have. If your goal is to take your TRG as far as accurately possible, you'll want to look at 300s. Now my personal experience with 300s has been mixed shooting out of a 1:10 barrel. I could never get them fast enough to really outperform my best 250 loads nor get them to group as nicely. I chalked that up to the 1:10 twist but there are others who shoot the same twist and get great results, so it's just one of those "your mileage may vary" kind of situations. I'm actually about to give them a try again, this time with a longer 32" barrel with a faster 1:9 twist, hoping to hit a higher accuracy node and have them leave my 250 loads in the dust. As for the 285s, these really shined in the Gunsite XLR test last year and I bought a bunch of them in bulk thinking they might be the better option for my 300 woes. As it turns out, I've gone through over a hundred of them and tried three different powders and I'm still not finding a load that I'm really happy with. On top of that, something about the way Hornady makes the 285s leads to pretty wild variances in dimensions and mass, so out of 500 rounds I had to cull a significant portion, moreso than any Lapua bullets I've ever sorted.

Personally, I'd try 300 Scenars in your case, even though I had less than desirable results with these, I have seen them perform beyond a mile with a TRG. If your goal is really to go beyond a mile, you'll want a bullet that handles the transonic transition well and SMK isn't a good choice for that. The Bergers are another option, but the only reason I'd choose the Scenars is they are a very forgiving bullet. Again, the 285 performed exceptionally well at the Gunsite evaluation, so that is another option, but my own personal experience so far gives me pause recommending them.

ETA: on a side note, here's to hoping that Lapua does a .338 ScenarL, maybe a 270gr?

 

[Sako man]

This is for all TRG 42 .338LM 1-10 twist barrel owners.
For the ones who have shot a mile + with this rifle; what bullet got you the most consistency/accuracy at a mile and further?
Because of the distance, mostly looking at Hornady 285 BTHP, 300 SMK, 300 Berger Hybrid OTM and 300 Lapua Scenar. At shorter distances, I had good results with 250 Lapua Lock Base but it is known that the 300's shine mostly after 1500 yards.
Not totally disregarding the 250's with the 1-10 twist, so if someone has good results at these distances with these, let me know.
Only talking about bullets, as the powder/primer situation is bad, will have to find alternate route to the H1000, Retumbo, VVN570 and other most common .338 powders. Will be working with Ramshot Magnum, RL 33 and Winchester Supreme 780. I do have CCI 250 primers and Lapua brass.
What are your thoughts?
Appreciate all answers.

Hey Obmre. Good question, I just dropped some dimes on a 42 in .338 as well. Have been shooting a TRG 22 for a few years and looking for same info now. I did pick up some some Scenars....

Im inclined to listen to Dogtown, the guy shoots ELR and knows a bunch on the subject. That said I am having a shitty time finding fuel as well.

So now that we have an idea about bullets, should I pour the gun powder in the muzzle or breach?

Thanks

Sako...

 

[Tango down]

I don't own a TRG, as much as I like them, and since no one else is responding I'll throw in my two cents on the subject.

Any of those bullets will get you to a mile, easy. The 250s perform very well in that twist and can be run pretty fast (2900-3000fps) with little effort. Beyond a mile they start to have trouble, not having the inertia the heavier bullets have. If your goal is to take your TRG as far as accurately possible, you'll want to look at 300s. Now my personal experience with 300s has been mixed shooting out of a 1:10 barrel. I could never get them fast enough to really outperform my best 250 loads nor get them to group as nicely. I chalked that up to the 1:10 twist but there are others who shoot the same twist and get great results, so it's just one of those "your mileage may vary" kind of situations. I'm actually about to give them a try again, this time with a longer 32" barrel with a faster 1:9 twist, hoping to hit a higher accuracy node and have them leave my 250 loads in the dust. As for the 285s, these really shined in the Gunsite XLR test last year and I bought a bunch of them in bulk thinking they might be the better option for my 300 woes. As it turns out, I've gone through over a hundred of them and tried three different powders and I'm still not finding a load that I'm really happy with. On top of that, something about the way Hornady makes the 285s leads to pretty wild variances in dimensions and mass, so out of 500 rounds I had to cull a significant portion, moreso than any Lapua bullets I've ever sorted.

Personally, I'd try 300 Scenars in your case, even though I had less than desirable results with these, I have seen them perform beyond a mile with a TRG. If your goal is really to go beyond a mile, you'll want a bullet that handles the transonic transition well and SMK isn't a good choice for that. The Bergers are another option, but the only reason I'd choose the Scenars is they are a very forgiving bullet. Again, the 285 performed exceptionally well at the Gunsite evaluation, so that is another option, but my own personal experience so far gives me pause recommending them.

ETA: on a side note, here's to hoping that Lapua does a .338 ScenarL, maybe a 270gr?

Dogtown
Thanks for taking the time to pass on these info; yes one of the goals is to get the TRG all the way out there, that's why I purchased the .338LM caliber. I also have a TRG 22 in .308, awesome rifle, very accurate.
Looks like it is tough to get that kind of info from actual TRG (with the 1:10 twist) owners; LVshooter sent some good info but his rifle has a 1:12 twist so the 250's are it.
I have 300 Scenar's and 285 Hornady's to play with, the 300 Hybrids OTM are hard to get for now but I can get the 250 of the same kind, so I will play the "loading game". I still have a few 300 SMK, will load them too and see what happen further out; they did OK when I was sighting in the scope.
I will not really know until I shoot these pills at a mile; I did read about the Gunsite XLR test of last year and I understand why you had hopes for the 285's Hornady. I had the same hopes, still do but after reading your post, I will check them out one by one, to keep track of any differences and put them in batches, this may help some. I will give a go to the 300 Berger's too, whenever I will find them but may have to play with how far they will be seated.
Your 32" barrel and 1:9 is a good combo for far and beyond + big pills; shoot me a PM later on about how it is shooting, as I may go with a "custom stick" in .338 some day; I am already going that route with a "Gucci" .308 in order
Have fun and good shooting.

 

[Tango down]

Hey Obmre. Good question, I just dropped some dimes on a 42 in .338 as well. Have been shooting a TRG 22 for a few years and looking for same info now. I did pick up some some Scenars....

Im inclined to listen to Dogtown, the guy shoots ELR and knows a bunch on the subject. That said I am having a shitty time finding fuel as well.

So now that we have an idea about bullets, should I pour the gun powder in the muzzle or breach?

Thanks

Sako...

Sako
We are following a similar path, also got a TRG 22 (.308), damn good rifle; now got the 42, so the "guess what works game" is on. Fuel sucks but I am looking at options, I did this for another rifle/caliber and found good substitute for Varget.
Use the breach AND muzzle at once, gives better accuracy at 2000 yards but make sure your grease up your bullet real good before shooting, motor oil works fine too
Now that we have these technical details taking care of, I wish you good shooting and shot me a post if you do find a "Magic Load", I'll do the same.

 

[Sako man]

I'll let you know if I find powder and where I got it. The search continues.

Sako

 

[safdtrev]

I have been running Ramshot Magnum 0.5-1.0 gr below max. FGMM 215M primers in Lapua Brass, 300gr SMK and Scenars both are performing very good for me. I think the Scenars do better outta the TRG42, but the SMK are very good also. I use 250's for 0-1000 and 300's past 1K.

 

[Tango down]

I have been running Ramshot Magnum 0.5-1.0 gr below max. FGMM 215M primers in Lapua Brass, 300gr SMK and Scenars both are performing very good for me. I think the Scenars do better outta the TRG42, but the SMK are very good also. I use 250's for 0-1000 and 300's past 1K.

safdtrev
Your statement matches all info I gathered.
Got a bunch of different pills ready to go, loaded with Ramshot Magnum; Berger 250 and 300 Hybrid OTM, Hornady 285 Match, 250 SMK and 250 Lapua Scenar, as well as 300 SMK and 300 Scenar; loaded these last two at 90 gr of RM, Lapua brass, CCI 250 primers, kinda similar to your loads.
Watched a shooter (on YouTube) making several impressive LR shots with the 90 gr load and 300 SMK; different rifle than my TRG but it gave me something to start with.
I appreciate your input.
Good shooting.

 

[Dogtown]

safdtrev
Watched a shooter (on YouTube) making several impressive LR shots with the 90 gr load and 300 SMK; different rifle than my TRG but it gave me something to start with.

Uh...be careful. Don't forget your reloading fundamentals.

 

[Tango down]

Uh...be careful. Don't forget your reloading fundamentals.

It is, I believe, 1.8 gr below max load for the 300 SMK, according to Ramshot data (I will look at it again). Now, as I, regretfully , do not know everything, feel free to wave a red flag if you are foreseeing some kind of a FUBAR situation with this load. My right eye would be eternally thankful to you

 

[Dogtown]

I'm just saying that starting near Max isn't wise. That doesn't mean you need to start at the bottom either; just tends towards caution with these big magnum cartridges. In some ways they're like working with explosives: the first time you make a stupid mistake may be your last.

 

[Tango down]

I'm just saying that starting near Max isn't wise. That doesn't mean you need to start at the bottom either; just tends towards caution with these big magnum cartridges. In some ways they're like working with explosives: the first time you make a stupid mistake may be your last.

Got that; will load a few more rounds at a lower load and will check for pressure signs; I blew up a few things in the past but it was always with a purpose and my rifles or my head were never on the list

 

[Jeffvn]

My experience matches what Dogtown says when it comes to the 300 SMKs and subsonic transition. Mine 338 LM Improved shot very well at 1,900 yards, marginal at 2,000 yards, and like complete crap at 2,300 yards. I'll be transitioning to the 300 Scenar's to see if they transition batter. Supposedly they do, but I'll have better idea in the near future.

Ombre keep us up to date with how the RL-33 and Ramshot Magnum works... I've wanted to try those powders but not done so as yet.

Jeffvn

 

[Tango down]

I sent an email to Berger a few days, asking a few questions, as I am not too familiar with the .338LM, yet. Their Tech Support answered the next day; I'll post it, as it may help a few shooters.
My question to Berger was: "Should I work on my load development at 100 yards, 300 yards, or 500 yards, for a .338LM, shooting 250 and 300 gr bullets?"

For the record, Dogtown is 100% correct, on all accounts, thanks man.

This is from Berger Bullets Tech Support:

Thank you for getting with us at Berger Bullets. Here at Berger, we recommend to do your load testing at 100 yards. You would use this yardage for any bullet design that we currently offer as your load testing baseline reference. You would also treat your .308 Winchester, and your .338 Lapua the same by first starting your load testing by working for the load velocity that you are wanting to work with, and then to fine tune the load out for the optimum bullet seating depth. This would allow you to do this at the shorter range so that you can conserve your components, and barrel life. If you do not see the accuracy that you are looking for, a change to a different powder may be in order. If you have our Berger Reloading Manual, we do have a lot of this information available for you to work with in working you loads up for your rifles. Please do not hesitate to get back with us if we can be of further assistance for you.
AS WITH ALL RELOADING, APPROACH THE MAXIMUM LOADS WITH CAUTION, AS ALL RIFLES AND RELOADING TECHNIQUES WILL BE DIFFERENT. IF YOU CHANGE ANY OF YOUR COMPONENTS: THIS INCLUDES DIFFERENT POWDER LOT NUMBERS; YOU MUST RE-FIGURE YOUR LOADS BY STARTING WITH THE MINIMUM LOAD.

Kind Regards,
Berger Bullets Technical Support Team

So here it is, 100 yards for Berger. I would assume it goes the same way for other bullets but if anyone had a different experience, please post it.
Good shooting to all.

 

[Tango down]

A little update
As of now, Sako TRG 42 .338LM 1:10 twist, shoots well the 300 SMK, can't make them shoot bad; they are the most consistent with 2 different kind of powder, still have 2 other powders to try. The 300 Berger have done well too, as the 300 Lapua but both not as consistent as the 300 SMK, in this particular rifle. As this is still at short range, I keep in mind the comments made by Dogtown and Jeffvn when attacking ELR. Also good results with the factory 250 Lockbase but was not able to recreate the factory results in my reloads, could be the powder(??), or where I sat them (??)
Also shot several other bullets of different kind/brand/weight, I believe they could do well too, with some more research and work but went with what worked well right away, gotta pick something...
When mention SMK "shoots well", means nothing over 1/2 MOA (7 shots groups), why 7? Don't know...The 3 shots groups were awesome but they do not count on SH except when Mike R. shoots his work of art rifles but who does not like to look at these
Would anyone know what is the powder in the factory Lapua 250 Lockbase? Could it be VV560 or 570, or 165? Finland sticks with their own products, gotta look if mentioned in VV brochure that came with the Sako but would appreciate any comments.
Thanks

PS: Finally was able to get H1000, so more tests on the horizon.