You are probably right, Ray, but knowing how hard empirical proof of bullet performance can be to find in real animals, and knowing how effective marketing can be, we may never really know.

On the latter point, I can tell you that marketing beat brilliance in video recorders and has crushed sensible riflescope design the world over.

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:
You are probably right, Ray, but knowing how hard empirical proof of bullet performance can be to find in real animals, and knowing how effective marketing can be, we may never really know.

On the latter point, I can tell you that marketing beat brilliance in video recorders and has crushed sensible riflescope design the world over.

Your are right about marketing, and people fall for that crap day in and day out.

I also shoot the 225 grain TTSX in my 338 here in Alaska.


Close to 15 moose, several black bear, and a backup shot on a brown bear. Never recovered a bullet.


I don't even consider any other bullets at this point.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by AK_Stick:
I also shoot the 225 grain TTSX in my 338 here in Alaska.


Close to 15 moose, several black bear, and a backup shot on a brown bear. Never recovered a bullet.



Barnes mono’s have been our “only” bullet since the early ‘90’s. As their technology improved, we followed their changes.
My wife has always (since ‘95) used 225’s in her .338 WM, now using the TTSX’s. She’s had “nothing but” great success with the Barnes mono’s, from antelope to moose! memtb

Ross,

I'm coming to this 338 experts party a little late but what the heck! I've used the 338 a lot. It works as well for impala as it does for moose size game. I've tried multiple bullets and all worked well but I think the 338 WM is best served overall with the 250 NP if your rifle likes them and your thinking big stuff is on the menu. Tissue damage is incredible and penetration more than adequate. I had good luck with H 4831 but R 19 and IMR 4350 are also excellent for the 338 and may offer better performance in your rifle.

Mark

I know it's irrelevant cause they don't make them anymore, but the Winchester Fail Safe 230 grain tops them all!

quote:

Originally posted by L. Rivard:
I know it's irrelevant cause they don't make them anymore, but the Winchester Fail Safe 230 grain tops them all!

Yes, it was a good bullet, but I prefer the original Lubalox-coated instead of the latter or Molybdenum-coated. However, the .225-grain TTSX does as well or better than the old FS.

The 250-grain A-Frame is another tough bullet, but because of its construction there is too much bullet contact with the rifling, which in turn makes it difficult for one to load them as fast as a Partition. Maybe it had a couple more grooves it could be loaded faster (?). Don't really know.

Terry Blaukamp needs to chime in here. From his annual month-long culling trips to Africa every year, he has probably killed more game with the 338 than all of us here combined.

He has. Been in contact with him. He likes the 215gr TTSX or TSX.

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
He has. Been in contact with him. He likes the 215gr TTSX or TSX.

For elk in my .338-06 the 185 TTSX is my first choice.....adding 30 grains in your magnum makes good sense to me.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
He has. Been in contact with him. He likes the 215gr TTSX or TSX.

For elk in my .338-06 the 185 TTSX is my first choice.....adding 30 grains in your magnum makes good sense to me.

There is a typo in the thread. The TTSX comes in 210 grain and 225 grains, among others. Since only one neighboring digit is necessary to correct 215 to 225, I would assume that the original post intended to say

225 TTSX.

No argument from me with you SAmbarman, but the likelihood of me shooting at ranges wherein the heavy 300 gr. bullets take over in velocity isn't going to happen..I won't shoot beyond 400 yards these days and only then under the best of circumstances and lack of will perhaps!!

Ive not found a .338 bullet that displeases me, but tend to use the 225 gr. and 250 gr. in partition or Accubond and I still like those 300 gr. Woodleighs..Ive shot thru elk going away with those bullets in the hip and out the jaw in one occasion, and that was my largest elk crowding 400 B&C..It was a left over round nose from Safari that also got me my largest buffalo so Im a tad pred toward that bullet..

The 338 Win Mag is a sweet, little, "can do" caliber.

It's nice to hear stories about what its bullets have done. The 300-grain elk story fits expectations. Thank you, kindly.

Thinking of the outlook on power retention at long range, yes Ray and Ray, the point I was making applied to some pointy 300-grainer, probably fired from 338 Lapua, and I would be loathe to shoot at game at any distance where that might apply.

As Ray Alaska hinted, lighter, pointy monos probably have BCs that challenge those old verities, anyway.

I,m going on a moose hunt in Canada. Had a lot
of 210gr Partitions so I,m using them. So far
the powders I,m using is Norma MRP and RL16. I
get over 3000fps with the MRP and very tight groups. And the other load is RL16 at about
2950fps. A little less accurate. Loaded some RL26 powder but have not shot it yet.

I see so much about penetration of the monolithic light weight bullets, but in fact, on heavy game like buffalo etc. Ive found that velocity slows down any bullet as it creates resistence and expansion, expansion in turn give more push back. For that reason based on recovered bullets and wound channels over many years I contend that heavy bullets slowed down produce the most penetration albeit somewhat less expansion and less internal damage..For sometime I thought this was a trade off, but in time noticed the kills were not much different, and the death time, rate, or whatever was about the same..

As far as Im concerned the only advantage to a 185 or 200 gr. bullet in a .338 or a 125 gr. 30-06 vs. a 150 or 180, is you gain a slightly flatter trajectory up to a point in range with the light weights,and perhaps a somewhat higher percentage of instant kills on the lighter species out to a couple of hundred yards,but not on the heavier species..The same on lighter animals but to a more effective extent for the lighter bullets, however that is another story as lighter game responds differently and is another subject that makes for good conversation around a campfire, again I can make a case for the heavier bullets..

Over the years Ive gone pro and con on this subject, but my final is I would rather have the penetration with less velocity on heavy game and a good positive blood trail than the lack of blood on the ground by some lighter bullets, including some monolithics.

I agree with that outlook, Ray. Light bullets that expand beautifully are great when slipped between ribs, not so much if you hit heavy bone on the near side.

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:
I agree with that outlook, Ray. Light bullets that expand beautifully are great when slipped between ribs, not so much if you hit heavy bone on the near side.

I fee the same way you and Ray do on this subject.

quote:

Originally posted by Ray Alaska:

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:
I agree with that outlook, Ray. Light bullets that expand beautifully are great when slipped between ribs, not so much if you hit heavy bone on the near side.

I feel the same way you and Ray do on this subject.

Never had any trouble with 225gn TTSX on larger animals. They are good to go, 0 to 400 yards, longer if you have the right conditions of wind, rest, and practice.

Ive heard so much good about the 225 TSX Barnes bullets that I have a 100 of them loaded up with RL-19 to 2900 plus FPS..I will try them on elk in a month or two..I also have some 250 TSX loaded up..They are a foot and a half long and would serve well as a sword..bet they penetrated a bunch..I can drive them at 2650 FPS give or take 25 to 50 FPS, that should work. I bet it would be a fantastic Cape Buffalo Hippo or Bison bullet

quote:

Originally posted by Ray Alaska:

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:
I agree with that outlook, Ray. Light bullets that expand beautifully are great when slipped between ribs, not so much if you hit heavy bone on the near side.

I fee the same way you and Ray do on this subject.

I would add I have never felt the need for a flatter trajectory using a .338 WM even when shooting 250 grain bullets.

I got involved in this heavy bullet 338 win sometime ago and wrote of my build of a 375 length Mauser action with the std. 338 wIN. case so that I would seat the 265 and 300 gr. spritzer bullets out in a long throated .338 Win case..The results were interesting and I did pick up some velocity and could shoot the long bullets, but ended up shooting mostly 250 gr. Accubonds and Partitions, and I shot my largest elk (just shy of 400) with the 300 gr. Woodleigh, and I shot him in the last rib as he turned and the bullet exited his ear, now that is penetration, and one heck of an exit hole..It was impressive..but alas I sold that nice gun to a fine gentleman that wanted it more than I. I ended up with a new rope horse and a Ruger African in .338 win that's a tack driver and more to my liking in that I can drop it in the dirt or scratch it up without heart failure..

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Ive heard so much good about the 225 TSX Barnes bullets that I have a 100 of them loaded up with RL-19 to 2900 plus FPS..I will try them on elk in a month or two..I also have some 250 TSX loaded up..They are a foot and a half long and would serve well as a sword..bet they penetrated a bunch..I can drive them at 2650 FPS give or take 25 to 50 FPS, that should work. I bet it would be a fantastic Cape Buffalo Hippo or Bison bullet

I don't think you'll be disappointed with the 225 gn TTSX. It will penetrate at least equal to the 250gn NoslerPartition and fly a tad flatter. No need for a rangefinder until well past 300 yards. The 225 TTSX has exited everything we've shot at, including a follow-up shot on a cantankerous buffalo back of the head/neck and out the face.

White spot about a foot behind the boss is the entry wound from the 338.

A 416 had delivered a fatal blow but the buffalo wasn't admitting that.

quote:

Originally posted by 416Tanzan:

No need for a rangefinder until well past 300 yards.

In my experience few people can estimate range beyond 225-250 yards very well. Almost anything works well to 250 yards, but thinking an animal is at 300 when it is really 350 means you are going to miss half the time.