she won't do much over 2600fps with 180's without pushing it pretty hard. i'd have to look over past notes to see exactly how high i've been in fps.
factory winchester 180gr loads chronied roughly 2650fps if my memory serves me right.
this load is 1 gr under listed max in the hodgdon annual manual.
once ya get up there in pressures with this magnum casehead on the encore action.......things just don't feel right.
just don't know how to explain what i mean here.
the faster powders would give more velocity, but accuracy just wasn't there and once ya started pushing it pretty hard .....there were issues that concerned me. brass stretch, extraction n stuff like that.
yeah........anudder 100-150fps would be nice, but pretty much meaningless in my lifetime of hunting.
i've never knowingly had a "slow barrel"....but i tend to think this could possibly be one
i know of another 15" 300win mag that may possibly exceed the velocity i get with this longer model.
now......a 180gr bullet in .338 does not have the sectional density of one in .308. so......theoretically it should penetrate more on tough game.....AND i'm willing to bet a whole bunch that this thing is quite more pleasant(recoil wise) to shoot 40 er 50rnds thru than a .338JDJ contender
....lol
courtesy of the OTT shark gill muzzle brake