Lehigh 245 banded Solid .338 Lapua

[Xtremegunnr]

Hey Guys,

I am going to start trying these bullets out because of their ability to penetrate hard targets (i think its cool) and their high calculated BC.

Does anyone have any experience with these?

I also have 250 254 grain CE bullets arriving. I cant wait to see which ones fly better.

I have heard the Lehigh bullets dont stay as stabile at ELR but no one really has good proof.

Thanks

 

[Dogtown]

I tried them in a 26' 1:10 about 4 years ago and didn't have much luck. They are pretty long and I suspect could benefit from a 1:9.4 twist. Also, they need a thoroughly cleaned bore otherwise the groups open up fast. I did some load dev on some 250 scenars in the same session as the Lehighs and the groups were ugly. Some wipeout sitting overnight changed that, but honestly these bullets didn't seem that promising to me at the time so I passed. With a faster, longer barrel I would reconsider.

 

[Xtremegunnr]

Thanks for the info. I will take that into consideration

 

[Xtremegunnr]

Time to revisit these bullets. just got 50 in. Going to ladder test at .015 off lands and .075 off lands like Dave Fricke (owner of lehigh i believe) suggested. Anyone have any experience with these?

My 254 grain load was with 98 grains of retumbo at 3.840. I think I will be at 98 or a bit over once this is all over. The copper solids from cutting edge liked to be pushed quite fast before i got accuracy out of them.

 

[Xtremegunnr]

Went out to the range with these. 99 grains of retumbo yielded a bit under 3200 fps. I had some really big swings though. I am going to the range again to see if i had a bad angle on the chrono.

Accuracy was ok. It was really windy. I had some .5 moa results on three shot groups and then they would open up a bit.

I realized at the end of the day my scope had slid back 3/8 of an inch or more. I think that was the cause of most of the problem.

 

[phreakmode]

I gave up on using brass projectiles in short order at extended ranges. Their ability to produce target movement/impact sound volumes was terrible.

 

[xdeano]

I want to hear more about your findings. With this round a guy could potentially push the 338 out to 2300 - 2400yds given the right velocities, provided that the BC .869 is correct. I ran some numbers, with a velocity of 3150fps they go subsonic at ~2400yds. They are kind of spendy though, but a guy has to pay to play.

xdeano

 

[bohem]

With this round a guy could potentially push the 338 out to 2300 - 2400yds given the right velocities, provided that the BC .869 is correct.

I don't know if Lehigh has updated the 245's since late 2011, but if it is the same bullet that we tested 2 years ago HERE then the BC is really more in the mid 0.6's

ETA: I realized that you're also testing the CEB's here too, and my experience with those projectiles does not lead me to believe the manufacturer BC. His bullets report back as shooting well from a lot of rifles however calculating BC via drop over range can be very tricky, albeit possible. Small inconsistencies can manifest themselves as huge changes in calculated ballistic coefficient.

 

[Dogtown]

I don't know if Lehigh has updated the 245's since late 2011, but if it is the same bullet that we tested 2 years ago HERE then the BC is really more in the mid 0.6's

That was exactly my experience. I'd run the numbers too and figured with a longer barrel I could keep them supersonic into the .408CT realm, however it basically shot like a 250 Scenar for me.

 

[xdeano]

I should have figured it was to good to be true.
Xdeano

I don't know if Lehigh has updated the 245's since late 2011, but if it is the same bullet that we tested 2 years ago HERE then the BC is really more in the mid 0.6's

ETA: I realized that you're also testing the CEB's here too, and my experience with those projectiles does not lead me to believe the manufacturer BC. His bullets report back as shooting well from a lot of rifles however calculating BC via drop over range can be very tricky, albeit possible. Small inconsistencies can manifest themselves as huge changes in calculated ballistic coefficient.

 

[Noel Carlson]

Xtremegunnr,

I am in need of information on the effect that ZA ceramic lubricant has on C-360 brass deposition. If you are not entirely discouraged by the corrected Lehigh 338 BC, there are things to be learned from the comparison set forth in your opening post.

Send me a PM if you are interested in performing a test.

Bohem,

I need your mailing address, and phone number.

 

[Xtremegunnr]

Hey guys, I think you are right on the BC. It is not as high as stated. My drop chart was not lining up very well when tested again. Accuracy is ok and penetration is a bit better than the solid copper and jacketed bullets. Will do a 1500 yard test once it warms up a bit. It is -18 degrees f tonight. Great right?

Interested in the lubricant. Sending PM.

 

[Noel Carlson]

Extremegunner,

I would like to see if the bore remains free of brass deposits when the four grooves are filled with lubricant, and what difference in ES, if any, occurs.

 

[Xtremegunnr]

Hmm...i could probably do that. Its -22 degrees today so i dont think the temp would give us good results. When it warms up and i buy more bullets I would give it a try.

Im always up for trying new things out. I spend more time load developing than anything Well..not really....but a lot more than most people