I just bought a short 21.5" barreled 338 Lapua off the Hide. I'm getting ready to reload for it. Anybody have any real life experience with a short barreled 338 Lapua. Mainly what powder will work best out of such a short barrel. Thanks I have H1000 and was thinking Retumbo??? Thanks And yes I wish the barrel was longer. If you have a barrel stretcher I would be more than happy to borrow it.
- Thread starter tsonda
- Start date
Anything???
Are you sure that Retumbo is the best choice for a short barrel? It is actually slower than H1000. My experience so far as been that slower powders don't burn completely in short barrels and therefore give reduced speeds and inconsistent results. I think that if it were mine, I'd be trying faster, like H1000 or even RL26. Maybe even H4831.
I'm not saying that Retumbo will not work, just that you will likely be blowing un-burnt powder out of your brake or into your can.
I'm not saying that Retumbo will not work, just that you will likely be blowing un-burnt powder out of your brake or into your can.
I run H1000 in my 20” with a TBAC 338 can, get good performance and I am not seeing a lot of crud in my can. I definitely would not use retumbo, as already pointed out H4831 I believe would be a good option as well. Save the retumbo for the longer barrels, it really seems to get it’s legs in my 27” tube.
Best initial choice would be H1000. Never had much success with H4831 but may want to give it a try. Another option is IMR 7828SSC. iI am having very good results with the Hornady 285 ELD-M's.
Quickload indicates that with a 20" barrel you're at a 98-99% burn rate with any of the above powders, even with the short barrel. Strangely it predicts a 100% burn rate with Retumbo, even though it's a slower powder than the others. Best velocity is likely to come from Retumbo, then H1000 or IMR 7828SSC. H4831 is a bit too fast of a powder and will be slower velocity at equivalent pressure.
My thought is run any of the typical 338 powders and use what gives you the best results. No need to worry about unburnt powder.
My thought is run any of the typical 338 powders and use what gives you the best results. No need to worry about unburnt powder.
I had a 18.5” barreled 338 Norma mag. It loved h1000 with a 300 grn hybrid.
Thanks for all the input. Ive started working a load with H1000 hornady 285 ELDs, since I have it. Went to range without Chrono so not sure about numbers yet.
And I will be shooting this through a TBAC 338 can. So I am a little concerned about unburnt powder
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