[NAP]

I followed the manual for imr 2350 powder and started at the lowest grains and it fills the case- well not to the top but the bullet will certainly compress the powder.
Is this common? 338 -06 with 200 grain .Is this a bad thing?
thanls for the info

 

[kdub]

Well, you got me Nap - never heard of IMR 2350. Do you mean IMR 4350?

The Nosler 5th Edition calls for 56.0 grains of IMR 4350 as starting (89% capacity) and 60.0 grains (96% capacity) with a 200 gr Ballistic Tip, 200 gr Ballistic Silver Tip, or a 210 gr Partition bullet. None are mentioned as a compressed load.

 

[MikeG]

Do you mean 4350?

Either IMR-4350 or Hodgdon 4350 are a bit on the slow side for the .338-06, and maximum charges will probably be compressed. Whether the starting charge is compressed or not would depend somewhat on the capacity of the individual brand of cases, and also how well the powder settles in the case as it is poured in.

You might try gently tapping the case as you pour the powder in to see if it settles a bit more.

A little powder compression will probably not hurt anything. Seat some bullets, carefully measure the overall length, and see if they 'grow' after 24 hours from the powder pushing against the base of the bullet. If not, I would not worry about it.

Do check your scale and make sure that you are really at the starting weights.

 

[Jack Monteith]

Hi, NAP:
As the other gents said & a couple more points.

Assuming you're using IMR 4350, whose load data are you using? Hodgdon's minimum is only one grain under Nosler's maximum, and Sierra's is much closer to Nosler's than Hodgdon's. Nosler's VP, Chub Eastman, is a long time .338-06 shooter and likely had some input in their data.

You can settle powder by about 5% by slowly pouring on to the side of your funnel so it swirls around before it drops in. That's compared to dumping it straight down the middle of the funnel.

Bye
Jack