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338 Federal - Fast Twist/Long bullets

puddleglum

Private
Minuteman
Dec 5, 2023
6
0
WI
Hello all,

First post here.

I have been interested in getting something to shoot subsonics for a while now. I recently watched a bunch of 8.6 Blackout videos and it looks like a cool round, able to shoot supers at decent speed and it has given rise to some interesting .338 expanding subsonic bullets. I want to get into reloading however, and a wildcat seems like a bad place for a newb to start in reloading.

What If I went with a bolt action 338 Federal in a 1:7 or 1:6.5 twist? There is a decent amount of established reloading info out there for supersonic loads for the 338F, which is where I would probably start anyway. Then, when I have cut my teeth on reloading supers I could start working on subsonic loads.

The long, 300ish grain, subsonic bullets would obviously be loading down into the 338F case. How likely is this to cause me problems? I have read about donuts in the neck of cases causing issues. Do these donuts always form? Are there ways to avoid/remedy this?

Thanks
-pg