.338 Federal accuracy problems

[rjm158]

4-5 months ago I bought a new Tikka T-3 in this caliber off Gunbroker. In the time since then I've struggled to find a load that will shoot accurately in it. Consistently, it will place the second bullet about 2-4 inches away from the first and the third near the first. I have tried 180 BT's, 200 BST's, and a few 215 Sierra's with a grocery list of powders. I've tried recipes from loading manuals, magazine articles, and forum members (different site). I also tried a Federal 185 gr. factory load. Regardless, the result is always the same. I have tried shooting off bags and bipods and also had a friend shoot it to see if I was screwing it up but he got the same outcome.

At one point, I scrubbed the barrel and tried a load I saw in a magazine article on the caliber. I also tried it first at 50 yards out of curiosity. It put 3 in a group that measured an estimated .50 or so. I then moved the target to 100 yds and got the aforementioned results.

I own 11 other Tikka's, plus 3 others I sold, and all shoot great so this is an anomaly. It has been suggested to me that the caliber has a reputation for being more difficult to load for than other cartridges in the 308 family, but I haven't read that anywhere in print.

I have contacted Beretta Customer Service who referred me to one of their service/repair centers. They in turn referred me back to Beretta since they have no way to test a rifle for accuracy issues. So.................. :roll:

Does anyone here have any ideas of something else I can try? Has anyone had any experience with the caliber that is similar? As a last resort, does anyone know of a company that rebarrels T-3's?

Thanks, Ron

 

[HeathSexton]

Can't help you, all I can say is I have a Ruger MK77 30/06 that does the same thing. Mine will do 3 shots .3-.5" at 50yds and at 100 3"-4" groups.

I have restocked, reloaded, rescoped and finally rerifled as in bought another one that shoots better.

 

[DrMike]

I have not loaded for the 338 Federal, yet. I am building one, so I will shortly have more experience. However, I have loaded a great deal for the 358 Winchester and some for the 338-06. The 358 Winchester is not known as a difficult cartridge to load for. Likewise, the 338-06 seems to digest bullets in the 200 to 225 grain range without difficulty. I have known of rifles that opened up due to poor crowns. It is a simple fix to see if this is the problem. It takes every bit of ten minutes to recrown a barrel.

 

[Greg Nolan]

I believe DrMike has the best "try this" answer. I would like to add that my Tikka drove me nuts with the same issue. I finally loaded the bullet out as long as I could and still barely, reliably feed from the magazine. It should still have a healthy jump to the rifling with aerodynamic, tipped bullets. It made all the difference. Just one more thing to try.
Greg

 

[JD338]

Make sure the action screws are tight. Same with scope mounts and rings> Are you using a decent scope?
Check the bedding and barrel channel? Maybe try seating your loads to different COL's.

JD338

 

[rjm158]

Thanks for all the input guys!!!

JD338, I tried all that first top to bottom, end to end. As far as COL's I went with the manual prescribed lengths first but then had to shorten many since the rounds wouldn't fit in the magazine. The scope is a Bushnell Banner 4-12.

 

[Polaris]

What does it do with a 10 shot group? Sounds like a bigger sample is needed to see if there is a consistent dispersion problem or just erratic groups. High shots as the barrel heats can indicate a barrel channel bedding issue. As above, a nick in the crown is a definate possibility, You may have an issue with that bargain scope.

Dumb question but has to be asked, you are resting rifle on the forend, not the barrel right? That can really make for wild groups. You probably already know this, but one more variable to eliminate. As a rule of thumb, a consistent dispersion pattern is often due to a mechanical issue (loose screw, poor bedding, flawed crown, throat or rifling)... something is imparting a velocity perp. to your bore as the bullet travels down your barrel or just as it exits. If pattern increases with barrel heating is likely a bedding issue changing the boresight vs line of sight relation. A random dispersion indicates more load development is needed. Some rifles are lemons.

Had another thought.. have you tried cleaning with a strong copper solvent like Sweets 762 or the Barnes stuff?

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

I ahd a rifle that did that, until I started adjusting the OAL. On JD's advice, I brought the OAL in at .05 increments until I found it's sweet spot. Now it puts them all in one ragged hole.

P.S, it's not a .338 Federal, but it is a .338 Win Mag. :wink: