and the winner is: the .338-06 A-Square!

I get more muzzle velocity out of less powder:

**** Input data:                         Date: 4-Oct-2009     Time: 15:46:16
Cartridge................. = .338-06 A-Square
Projectile type........... = 8.58, 9., Möller 8,5 mm KJG S with boattail
 
Max.avg.pressure(Piezo A-S)= 448 MPa     Shot start / init pressure = 15 MPa
Projectile weight       (g)= 9.007       Groove caliber         (mm)= 8.59
Length of cartridge    (mm)= 84.84       Length of case         (mm)= 63.35 
Case capacity       (cu.cm)= 4.48        Length of projectile   (mm)= 30.48 
Length of barrel       (mm)= 560 
**** Values calculated:
Seating depth          (mm)= 8.99        Volume displaced    (cu.cm)= 0.52 
Comb.chamber volume (cu.cm)= 3.96        Projectile travel      (cm)= 50.56 
**** Input data:
Propellant type........... = ADI AR 2219
Charge weight...........(g)= 3.732       Load density......(g/cu.cm)= 0.942
Heat of Explosion   (kJ/kg)= 4000        Ratio of spec. heats cp/cv =  1.231 
Solid density     (g/cu.cm)= 1.57        Weighting factor...........= 0.50
Burning rate factor Ba(1/s)= 0.67        Pro-/degressivity factor a = 0.4497 
Burning limit ......... z1 = 0.5         Combust.Chamber Vb(m³)= 3.962779E-6
Factor.................. b = 1.6         X-S.Area of Bore A(m²)= 5.695E-5
Bulk density      (g/cu.cm)= 0.950       Projectile mass mp(kg)= 9.007E-3
Loading ratio           (%)= 99.1        Projectile travel x(m)= 5.0563E-1
 
**** Results calculated:
Maximum pressure ........ =  430 MPa     Way of projectile at Pmax =  37.1 mm
Muzzle velocity  ......Ve =  999 m/s     Muzzle pressure .......Pe =  60 MPa
Project. energy at muzzle =  4493 J      Fraction of powder burnt  = 99.7  %
Projectile travel time from 10% Pmax to muzzle = 0.88 ms

updates on own rifle

I have finished joining a gun club, it is Hilltop. I will probably not end up buying my equipment there, as I am particular about stuff and they don't appear to be good at accommodating stuff that is out of the ordinary. Also their prices are high. I got my gun safe 60 € cheaper elsewhere.

I am ending up buying not a .17 HMR, but a .22 lr, since not a lot of ranges in the country are actually certified for anything bigger than .22 lr. hence my rifle is the Savage Mark II BTVS. I have the serial number, most of the other stuff, 2 references - BTW they will likely be called, so one should warn them ;) I was bemused to read in the shooting boards how people were outraged that their references were actually called and. Guys it is called 2reference" not "names of parson or teacher I know the name and address of".

Oh and I am buying the gun in Norn Iron, since a) the guy could deliver faster and b) it is cheaper, £580 vs €800 from a shop in Cavan.

Cruelty to animals

I can't say this on the hunting boards but let me be clear on this: I consider hunting on horseback "par force" or coursing with hounds to be cruelty to animals. I despise it and I will not be solidarical with people who do it. I have recently been directly asked to be that and no. Just because you can't see the tortured creature I am not obliged to be solidarical with your actions. I despise this kind of hunting from the bottom of my heart.

This has got me thinking

I appears that Nitrochemie do not offer powders for reloaders any more. I will try and verify that tomorrow though. I have calculated two loads for the .338 Federal and the .338 RCM (which I had to fudge on the basis of the .300 RSAUM, since my QuickLoad doesn't have that cartridge yet).

**** Input data:                         Date: 4-Oct-2009     Time: 13:25:07
Cartridge................. = .338 RCM Fudge II - from .300 RSAUM
Projectile type........... = 8.58, 9., Möller 8,5 mm KJG S with boattail
 
Max.avg.pressure(Piezo SAA)= 448 MPa     Shot start / init pressure = 15 MPa
Projectile weight       (g)= 9.01        Groove caliber         (mm)= 8.59
Length of cartridge    (mm)= 71.76       Length of case         (mm)= 50.88 
Case capacity       (cu.cm)= 4.67        Length of projectile   (mm)= 30.48 
Length of barrel       (mm)= 560 
**** Values calculated:
Seating depth          (mm)= 9.6         Volume displaced    (cu.cm)= 0.55 
Comb.chamber volume (cu.cm)= 4.12        Projectile travel      (cm)= 51.87 
**** Input data:
Propellant type........... = IMR 4895
Charge weight...........(g)= 3.731       Load density......(g/cu.cm)= 0.905
Heat of Explosion   (kJ/kg)= 3860        Ratio of spec. heats cp/cv =  1.2431 
Solid density     (g/cu.cm)=  1.58       Weighting factor...........= 0.50
Burning rate factor Ba(1/s)= 0.61        Pro-/degressivity factor a = -0.15 
Burning limit ......... z1 = 0.6         Combust.Chamber Vb(m³)= 4.121772E-6
Factor.................. b = 1.6         X-S.Area of Bore A(m²)= 4.7291E-5
Bulk density      (g/cu.cm)= 0.890       Projectile mass mp(kg)= 9.007E-3
Loading ratio           (%)= 101.7       Projectile travel x(m)= 5.1871E-1
 
**** Results calculated:
Maximum pressure ........ =  430 MPa     Way of projectile at Pmax =  43.5 mm
Muzzle velocity  ......Ve =  978 m/s     Muzzle pressure .......Pe =  71 MPa
Project. energy at muzzle =  4310 J      Fraction of powder burnt  = 99.9  %
Projectile travel time from 10% Pmax to muzzle = 0.96 ms

and

**** Input data:                         Date: 4-Oct-2009     Time: 13:25:07

Cartridge................. = .338 RCM Fudge II - from .300 RSAUM

Projectile type........... = 8.58, 9., Möller 8,5 mm KJG S with boattail

Max.avg.pressure(Piezo Wil)= 440 MPa     Shot start / init pressure = 15 MPa
Projectile weight       (g)= 9.01        Groove caliber         (mm)= 8.59
Length of cartridge    (mm)= 71.12       Length of case         (mm)= 51.16 
Case capacity       (cu.cm)= 4.67        Length of projectile   (mm)= 30.48 
Length of barrel       (mm)= 560 
**** Values calculated:
Seating depth          (mm)= 10.51       Volume displaced    (cu.cm)= 0.55 
Comb.chamber volume (cu.cm)= 4.12        Projectile travel      (cm)= 51.93 
**** Input data:
Propellant type........... = Norma 200
Charge weight...........(g)= 3.031       Load density......(g/cu.cm)= 0.969
Heat of Explosion   (kJ/kg)= 3850        Ratio of spec. heats cp/cv =  1.239 
Solid density     (g/cu.cm)=  1.58       Weighting factor...........= 0.50
Burning rate factor Ba(1/s)= 0.555       Pro-/degressivity factor a =  6.5 
Burning limit ......... z1 = 0.3         Combust.Chamber Vb(m³)= 3.126928E-6
Factor.................. b = 2.2         X-S.Area of Bore A(m²)= 5.695E-5
Bulk density      (g/cu.cm)= 0.952       Projectile mass mp(kg)= 9.007E-3
Loading ratio           (%)= 101.8       Projectile travel x(m)= 5.1934E-1
 
**** Results calculated:
Maximum pressure ........ =  430 MPa     Way of projectile at Pmax =  32.1 mm
Muzzle velocity  ......Ve =  948 m/s     Muzzle pressure .......Pe =  46 MPa
Project. energy at muzzle =  4047 J      Fraction of powder burnt  = 100  %
Projectile travel time from 10% Pmax to muzzle = 0.92 ms

So this is pretty much 30m/s more muzzle velocity in exchange for a bigger cartridge, possible problems with sound moderation and maybe greater difficulties getting a licence. OTOH this increases the usable range of the KJG from 200m to just over 250m.

and more on cartridges - this time the .338 RCM

Well, me being me, when I had my rummage around for .338 cartridges, I stumbled upon the .338 Ruger Compact Magnum. Regardless of some silly marketing blahblah ("same power as a .338 Winchester Magnum, but from a 20" barrel" - yeah right) it turns out that it has basically the same volume as the .338-06, so we should still be able to use it with a 25mm over-the-barrel moderator, but it is a short action cartridge, which will not only potentially allow for a shorter barrel (which I am not usually a fan of, but let's not forget that a moderator adds something like 15 to 20cm to the length of the barrel), but also makes a "short, fat magnum", which means better combustion than in a long catridge. So quite possibly one can get a few more m/s out of it. And the added effective barrel length of a short action doesn't hurt my feelings either.

On  the other hand, the .338-06 gets a similar performance with lower pressures. This is from Hodgdon, since my version of QuickLoad doesn't have the .338 RCM

more reasons for the .338-06 A-Square

What are my other considerations for the .338-06 A-Square?

Well, there is brass available for it. That meas you don't have to either buy factory ammo and reuse the cartridges or fireform other cartridges. The first option leaves you with ammo you don't want and is expensive. The second option has problems when crossing borders as you are carrying ammo that has a different bottom stamp to the calibre of your firearm or to what it says on your licence.

And there is brass available from Norma, which has a very good name and does not have to go through any preparation stages before being loaded for the first time. This is not the case for the 3rd potential candidate: the .338 Ruger Compact Magnum (which is not in my version of quickload).

or maybe something a bit bigger? .338-06 A-Square

The fact that any kind of load that achieves decent speeds for the KJG leads to compressed loads in .338 Federal led me to looking for other options. Now I don't want a Magnum for 2 reasons.

1) I don't see any reason. I am not likely to shoot much further than 200m, so why would I need a Magnum?
2) I have found a full length moderator that basically looks like thicker barrel and has a diamter of 25mm, ie looks like a match barrel. This moderator at the moment can use a maximum of 30-06 Ackeley Improved, so I am hoping that the .338-06 will be usable. As that moderator involves drilling holes into the last 1.5" (make that 38mm) of the barrel the usable length goes down to 20.5", ie 520mm. Quickload still recommends Nitrochemie A/S 0300, so that is what I am using here.



**** Input data:                        Date: 26-Sep-2009     Time: 23:03:18
Cartridge................. = .338-06 A-Square
Projectile type........... = 8.58, 9., Möller 8,5 mm KJG S with boattail  

Max.avg.pressure(Piezo A-S)=448 MPa     Shot start / init pressure = 15 MPa
Projectile weight       (g)= 9.01       Groove calibre          (mm)= 8.59
Length of cartridge    (mm)= 84.84      Length of case          (mm)= 63.35 
Case capacity       (cu.cm)= 4.48       Length of projectile    (mm)= 30.48 
Length of barrel       (mm)= 520.7 
**** Values calculated:
Seating depth          (mm)= 8.99       Volume displaced    (cu.cm)= 0.52 
Comb.chamber volume (cu.cm)= 3.96       Projectile travel      (cm)= 46.63 
**** Input data:
Propellant type........... = Nitrochemie A/S 0300
Charge weight...........(g)= 3.592      Load density......(g/cu.cm)= 0.907
Heat of Explosion   (kJ/kg)= 3950       Ratio of spec. heats cp/cv =  1.2401 
Solid density     (g/cu.cm)= 1.62       Weighting factor...........= 0.50
Burning rate factor Ba(1/s)= 0.675      Pro-/degressivity factor a =  0.94 
Burning limit ......... z1 = 0.5        Combust.Chamber Vb     (m³)= 3.962196E-6
Factor.................. b = 1.7        X-S.Area of Bore      A(m²)= 5.695E-5
Bulk density      (g/cu.cm)= 0.944      Projectile mass mp     (kg)= 9.007E-3
Loading ratio           (%)= 96.0       Projectile travel x     (m)= 4.6634E-1
**** Results calculated:
Maximum pressure ........  =  420 MPa     Way of projectile at Pmax=  41.4 mm
Muzzle velocity  ...... Ve =  981m/s      Muzzle pressure .......Pe=  64 MPa
Project. energy at muzzle =  4336J      Fraction of powder burnt  = 100  %
Projectile travel time from 10% Pmax to muzzle = 0.85 ms


KJG needs at least 750 m/s to open properly, so that needs to be achieved at whatever range one intends to hit. As the below ballistics table shows, this lets me do that to slightly beyond 250m:

 Muzzle velocity  : 981 m/s
 Crosswind speed  : 0 m/s
 Ballistic Coefficient(s) (G1):
 C1=0.362@V>800 m/s;
 C2=0.307@V>400 m/s;
 C3=0.335@V>340 m/s;
 C4=0.272@V>300 m/s;
 C5=0.253@V>0 m/s;


 Optimum trajectory information :
 Optimum sight-in range (X) = 190 m
 with max. ordinate above LOS at range (M)= 113 m
 and max. point blank range (P)= 220 m.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Sight-in clicks, 1 click = 1.0 cm/100 m or 0.394 in/100 m
 Height of sight above bore axis = 3.6 cm or 1.417 inch
 Gun is zeroed-in at 200 m,
 by sighting-in at level firing
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Range  Velo Time of  Energy   Path    Deflection    Total  Sight correction  Target
        city  flight            to    at crosswind    drop   for setting new   lead
                                LOS    of 0.5 m/s              zero range     10 m/s
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
·Meter   m/s     s    Joule     cm     cm      MOA     cm    Clicks     MOA      m  ·
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|    0   981  0.0000   4336    -3.6    0.0   -----     0.0   ------    -----    0.00
|   25   958  0.0258   4132    -0.6    0.0    0.02     0.3     +2.2    +0.76    0.26
|   50   935  0.0522   3936    +1.8    0.1    0.04     1.3     -3.6    -1.25    0.52
|   75   912  0.0792   3749    +3.5    0.1    0.06     3.0     -4.7    -1.61    0.79
|  100   890  0.1069   3569    +4.5    0.2    0.08     5.4     -4.5    -1.53    1.07
M  118   874  0.1273   3444    +4.7    0.3    0.09     7.6     -3.9    -1.36    1.27
|  125   868  0.1353   3396    +4.6    0.4    0.10     8.6     -3.7    -1.27    1.35
|  150   847  0.1646   3231    +4.0    0.5    0.12    12.7     -2.6    -0.91    1.65
|  175   826  0.1947   3072    +2.4    0.7    0.14    17.6     -1.4    -0.48    1.95
X  200   805  0.2255   2919     0.0    1.0    0.17    23.4      0.0     0.00    2.25
|  225   782  0.2570   2754    -3.3    1.2    0.19    30.1     +1.5    +0.51    2.57
P  229   778  0.2621   2727    -4.0    1.3    0.19    31.2     +1.7    +0.59    2.62
|  250   758  0.2892   2590    -7.6    1.6    0.21    37.7     +3.0    +1.05    2.89
|  275   735  0.3224   2433   -12.9    1.9    0.24    46.4     +4.7    +1.62    3.22
|  300   712  0.3570   2283   -19.5    2.3    0.27    56.3     +6.5    +2.23    3.57
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
M = Peak vs. L.O.S, X = Set Zero, P = Max. Point Blank Range
Elevation above Angle of Site (0.0 deg.)  = 0.0772 deg.