Primer Choice with Reloader 19
- Thread starter McCray
- Start date
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,312
- 5,977
You will be well advised to use a magnum primer for your 338 WM. The powder column is sufficiently long that regardless of the powder used, to ensure complete ignition throughout the column you will want a hotter flame. Federal 215s work very well, but you will likely find that Winchester LRM, CCI 250 or Remington 9.5M will all work as well.
That's a large column of powder, as Dr Mike told you, it needs a mag primer to get a good burn going.
I've seen load manuals that don't recommend mag primers with some large loads in 7mm Rem Mag but I think that's nuts.
I don't feel out of place with a standard primer at 55 grs but over 65 gr I'd want a mag primer.
I've seen load manuals that don't recommend mag primers with some large loads in 7mm Rem Mag but I think that's nuts.
I don't feel out of place with a standard primer at 55 grs but over 65 gr I'd want a mag primer.
- Nov 4, 2004
- 25,162
- 8,416
Stay with a mag primer as already mentioned.
The Federal GM215M primer is a very good choice.
JD338
The Federal GM215M primer is a very good choice.
JD338
- Thread starter
- #6
I guess for full disclosure, I should state that I have some shells loaded with 72 to 76 grains of RE-19 and regular primers...was planning on shooting them today, but it was just too windy to learn anything.
I usually stick to mag primers when loading the magnums, but haven't used RE-19 before.
Has anyone actually used the regular primers with, say, over 70 grains of RE-19?
I usually stick to mag primers when loading the magnums, but haven't used RE-19 before.
Has anyone actually used the regular primers with, say, over 70 grains of RE-19?
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,312
- 5,977
Large rifle primers will ignite the charge. You will get slightly lower pressures, which likely will translate out to lower velocities. In some instances, velocities can change as much as 100 fps when changing from large rifle to magnum primers. There is always the threat of a hangfire or a misfire when weather gets cold when using standard primers with a long powder column. You can certainly get away with standard large rifle primers with the short magnums due to a shorter powder column. However, as a good rule of thumb, to avoid ignition problems, use magnum primers when your charge is over sixty grains of powder, when you are using spherical powders or when you are shooting in cold weather. I arbitrarily consider cold weather as 0 Celsius or below.
My experience with RL 19 is a little different that the rest of the guys here. It is the ONLY powder that I load in magnum cases using standard rifle primers.
I have messed with the .338 Win Mag at length. RL 19 gave very good groups, indeed, with Sierra 250 Game Kings in two different rifles.
This was quite some time back but I read where the makers of RL 19 did not recommend the use of magnum primers with this powder.
I like to experiment, so I tried a bunch of loads with RL 19 and different primers. It did not seem to matter who made the primers (CCI, Federal, Remington) RL 19 always gave me better groups with standard LR primers. The extreme spreads on the chronograph were also better with standard primers. The velocities were so close as not to matter.
The only way to find out what your gun prefers is to load up some standard and some magnum primers and go test the loads.
I have messed with the .338 Win Mag at length. RL 19 gave very good groups, indeed, with Sierra 250 Game Kings in two different rifles.
This was quite some time back but I read where the makers of RL 19 did not recommend the use of magnum primers with this powder.
I like to experiment, so I tried a bunch of loads with RL 19 and different primers. It did not seem to matter who made the primers (CCI, Federal, Remington) RL 19 always gave me better groups with standard LR primers. The extreme spreads on the chronograph were also better with standard primers. The velocities were so close as not to matter.
The only way to find out what your gun prefers is to load up some standard and some magnum primers and go test the loads.
- Thread starter
- #9
R Flowers,
Searching the archives of several forums I've seen you and a couple other posters have tried the regular primers and RE-19 with good luck...that was what got me to thinking about this. May get to try things tomorrow, wind permitting.
FWIW, rifle is a FN Winchester SuperGrade, 26 inch barrel with a Swarovski 1.5-6x 42 scope. I'm prepping it for a plains game hunt in South Africa next year, so no sub zero weather to worry about.
Searching the archives of several forums I've seen you and a couple other posters have tried the regular primers and RE-19 with good luck...that was what got me to thinking about this. May get to try things tomorrow, wind permitting.
FWIW, rifle is a FN Winchester SuperGrade, 26 inch barrel with a Swarovski 1.5-6x 42 scope. I'm prepping it for a plains game hunt in South Africa next year, so no sub zero weather to worry about.
Alaska
Handloader
- Aug 20, 2006
- 943
- 379
Fed 215 Gold Medal Match in the 338 Win with Reloader 19
Very good powder selection RL 19 in the 338 Win
Best performance when at 98 to 99% case fill.
I use 78.0 with WW Brass and the 225gr AB .............superb!
The barrel stays cleaner with Fed 215GM that with regular rifle primers.......burns more complete!
Very good powder selection RL 19 in the 338 Win
Best performance when at 98 to 99% case fill.
I use 78.0 with WW Brass and the 225gr AB .............superb!
The barrel stays cleaner with Fed 215GM that with regular rifle primers.......burns more complete!
