.338 MAI Range Report

Started by gitano, August 06, 2017, 07:39:01 PM

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gitano

There was a chance I was going to be going out with some friends from Texas, (the fellow with whom I went turkey hunting last spring and his friend), to go caribou hunting next week. Didn't turn out. (I'm not disappointed.) In prep for that possibility, I decided I was going to take the .338 MAI of Ol' John's creation. (Use the search engine for the many threads on John and my rifle work-ups. Just put in "range report" and search for all threads started by "gitano".)

The best-shooting bullet out of my rifle so far was the 225-grain Hornady ahead of 56.2 grains of Ramshot Hunter powder. Average MV is 2563 f/s. That's about exactly 100 f/s slower than my loads in the .338 Win Mag with the Nosler 210-grain Partition. (Look here for last range report on this bullet: http://thehunterslife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11767 .) I loaded 10 up and took the rifle (with MagnetoSpeed) 'out back', and shot the following target at 35 yd.


Normally, if I was working up a load, I wouldn't even consider 35 yard target except to get 'on paper'. However, since I already knew how this load shot, I only needed to verify that the scope was still 'on'.

Here's the Excel spreadsheet for those three shots:

As you can see in cell B23, the group is 1.21 MoA. That's about 'right' based on earlier work. This rifle is "good to go".

Considerably more recoil than the .22 Hornet shooting subsonic loads. ;)

Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)

Turvey Stalking
Learn from the Limeys or the Canucks, or the Aussies, or the Kiwis, or the...
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recoil junky

He needs those to whack his caribou. ;)

:food04:

RJ
When you go afield, take the kids and please......................................wear your seatbelts.
Northwest Colorado.............Where the wapiti roam and deer and antelope run amuck. :undecided:  
Proud father of a soldier medic in The 82nd Airborne 325th AIR White Falcons :army:

gitano

Didn't see a need to shoot them. Just a waste of bullets and powder. The rifle is putting them right where it put them the last time I shot it.

Turns out, we're not going. (I'm not disappointed.) I'll relay the details associated with this adventure in Campfire thread.

Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

Hunterbug

Quote from: recoil junkyHe needs those to whack his caribou. ;)

:food04:

RJ

One to hit it in the leg. One to.......  :D
Ask not what your government can do for you. Ask how your government can go away and get out of your life.
 
 
The unarmed man is is not only defenseless, he is also contemptible.
Niccolo Machiavelli

j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)

Quote from: Hunterbug;148653One to hit it in the leg. One to.......  :D
Oh yesss, forgot about the gotta-slow-em-down trick shot...


:MOGRIN:
Turvey Stalking
Learn from the Limeys or the Canucks, or the Aussies, or the Kiwis, or the...
                   "The ONLY reason to register a firearm is for future confiscation - How can it serve ANY other purpose?"

gitano

Be nicer than necessary.

j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)

True......:D


Gotta admit the ol' submariners advanced hunting technique called 'shoot-em-in-the-hoof-n-slow-em-down' tickles me pink. Lucky you have a thick skin!
Turvey Stalking
Learn from the Limeys or the Canucks, or the Aussies, or the Kiwis, or the...
                   "The ONLY reason to register a firearm is for future confiscation - How can it serve ANY other purpose?"

gitano

So I was looking at how the 225 AccuBond bullet with a BC of .550 compared to the Hornady 225 spitzer with the BC of .431. I liked the better BC of the Nosler, and using less powder (52.6 grains of Reloader-17 instead of 56.2 grains RamShot Hunter), producing the same MV. Of course it had to shoot as straight too, so I loaded three ABs up and shot them at the same 35 yd. Here's the Excel spreadsheet with original target:


If you compare the precision of the AB against the Hornady, you can see that the Hornady is slightly better. However, with the small sample sizes of three, the difference is not statistically significant.

Then I figured that if I was going to complete the comparison, I should probably include the 180-grain Combined Technology Ballistic Silvertip too. After paperwhipping the 180, I decided I didn't need to shoot it to "see".

Here are the trajectory tables for the three bullets.
First the Hornady:


Then the 225 AccuBond:


And finally the 180 AccuBond:


Let me summarize in a table:


(180 AB MV number is the only one NOT based on actual chronograph measurement.)

Muzzle energies, (recoils) are "equal". (Remember these are all shot from the same rifle, so "perceived" is identical.)

Energies are close enough to "equal" out to 200 yd because they are all over 2000 ft-lbs. The 180 drops below 2000 ft-lbs at 266 yd.

Impact velocities are "equal", because they are all above the minimum value (about 1700 f/s) to ensure performance "as designed".

Trajectories are insignificantly different out to 200 yd. At 300 yd, (a distance I RARELY shoot at or beyond), the max difference is 3.3". That's about the width of the heart on a whitetail. I absolutely wouln't have to aim "off hair" at 300 with any of them.

COST PER BULLET: The Hornady - which shoots the straightest - is LESS THAN HALF the price of the 225 AB, and only 55% of the cost of the 180.

Which all begs the question: "Why shoot anything other than the 225 Hornady?"

Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

sakorick

I distrust Hornady bullets after my SST fiasco on deer. I use their handgun bullets for most of my pistols. I also like their Muzzle Loader HP's.
Talk to yourself. There are times you need expert advice.

gitano

Akshullee... Of all the manufacturers I use, I am quite certain that in hunting bullets, Speer, Sierra, and Hornady dominate significantly with the majority being Hornady. In fact, this particular bullet - the 225 Spitzer - is the first bullet I loaded for my .338 Win Mag. The first shot at big game with that rifle was one of the longest shots I have ever taken on big game - 287 long paces. I put the cross-hairs on the line of the bull's back and let fire. When I recovered from the recoil, all I saw were four feet sticking up in the air. I was in love. The bullet hit the bull just above the horizontal mid-line, breaking the onside shoulder blade, the off-side shoulder blade, and stopping just under the skin on the far side. Never had that bullet - or ANY bullet but a Remington CoreLokt - "fail" for me.



I expected the 180 to be "the" bullet for the MAI, but I don't know exactly why. I s'pose this is one of those instances of 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'

Paul

PS - That's a Photobucket image. Don't ask me why it 'works'. I assure you I haven't paid them a dime.

Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

gitano

#11
Here's another bull that succumbed to that bullet:






That happens to be the biggest BODIED caribou I have ever shot. He weighed every ounce of 450 lb on the hoof.

Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

recoil junky

Who's that kid? Don't recognize him.

RJ
When you go afield, take the kids and please......................................wear your seatbelts.
Northwest Colorado.............Where the wapiti roam and deer and antelope run amuck. :undecided:  
Proud father of a soldier medic in The 82nd Airborne 325th AIR White Falcons :army:

gitano

About 20 to 25 years back...

Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

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