I'm going Bear hunting in Aug. and thought about taking my 338 Rem Ultra shooting 210 Nosler Partitions. What do you think? I be in Canada.

I would probably use at least 250 gr. bullets.

210 is pretty light for the .338


JMHO.

I would recommend the 300 grain woodleigh's.

Whereabouts will you be hunting? I'd lean more towards at least 225gr for long range stuff where they have nowhere to run and at least 250gr for shorter range stuff where there is the possibility of chasing a wounded bear in thick brush. I normally only recommend the 210gr for 338 Winchester shooters looking to step down a bit for deer or black bear.

You don't say what kind of "bears" you'll be hunting, but 99 chances in 100 you're talking about black bears. If so, then the 210 Noslers are plenty. (For that matter, a 150 Sierra from a .300 Savage is plenty.) There's nothing wrong with shooting your .338 UM if that's what you want. Just shoot whatever bullet provides you the best accuracy in it. The bear won't be particular.

It is almost impossible to beat the Rem factory ammo loaded with the 250 gr Swift A Frame .....It did as I remember 2905 avg from my M700 SS Remington rifle with only around 25 fps variation ...The bullet is pretty pointy ...Flies VERY flat .....Very powerful ..

quote:

Originally posted by MikeyB:
Whereabouts will you be hunting? I'd lean more towards at least 225gr for long range stuff where they have nowhere to run and at least 250gr for shorter range stuff where there is the possibility of chasing a wounded bear in thick brush. I normally only recommend the 210gr for 338 Winchester shooters looking to step down a bit for deer or black bear.

I'll be in Ontario about half way up.

I agree with Stonecreek, if it is black bear the bullet really does not matter. However, if we are talking about brown bear I would pick one of the premium 250 gr bullets. I have taken over 50 hogs here in TX experimenting with various bullets and I feel like the partition in any weight is too soft, (the front of the bullet is not bonded to the jacket and this it what the bullet needs, strengthwise, to hold up under extreme velocity) for short range shooting with the velocities that you can get from a handloaded 338 RUM. On 250+ lb hogs at short range the partitions desintegrate. No exit. They do leave huge damage upon literally exploding which kills quickly if it is a smaller animal where penetration is not that relevant to reach the vitals. A quartering shot on a big brown bear might be iffy. M2C'S

Ontario is monster black bear country, so you should be just fine with the 210gr. You may come to need it in the Canadian Shield area, where you and your trophy are standing on big rocks separated by a quarter mile of brush.

Although I am most partial to gumboot458's suggestion - the A-frame and the RUM are made for each other.

You're hunting the east side of Canada - that means black bears. I agree with Stonecreek - a 210 Partition should be all you'll need assuming it's up to your accuracy standards.
Bear in Fairbanks

..........My only reservation with a 210 Nosler Partition would be if the bear was in the 550 lb class or larger and you had to take a walking away shot ... The Swift would penetrate and possibly exit , I don,t know about the Nosler ....Not saying it won,t but I know how well the factory ammo works ....,,

I have found the Nosler 210 will out penetrate the Nosler 250 gr., and it does one hell of a lot of damage on the way..

It will hold together and penetrate with any bullet I have used in the .338 Win...In the faster 338 Ultra Mag it will penetrate even more by a good deal because that velocity will blow the front end off and you will always get an exit hole, something that some of the bullets listed will not do..BTW when that front end comes off its hell and destruction on anything.

I have shot quite a number of Bull Elk, Eland, Zebra, one moose, and several black bear with the 210 Nosler. Its always a good bullet.

The Swift bullets will never out penetrate a Nosler, they are not even designed to do that. They expand perfectly and that broad front cross section robs them of penetration.

Thanks For the info on the 210 Partition, Atkinson

Given the increased impact speeds of the 338 RUM over the 338 Wim, I'd give the Barnes TSX or the GS custom a hard look. These all copper bullets can stand the higher impact velocities and still hold together and penetrate extremely well doing a lot of damage along the way..

I agree with JWP475, the ultramag, may be better off if you want tex book expansion, with a monolithic bullet. Most .338 cal. bullets are designed for the .338 Win. velocities...

Where in Ontario are you going? I am about 400 kms north of Toronto.

Holy crap, I've been hunting bear here a long time and never needed a .338 with 250's or 300's! Where's these monster blacks I'm hearing about here?

The last mine I worked at which is 50kms from my place, had bears everywhere come sunset. It was nothing to see a dozen. Once actually came into the shaft station to eat garbage!

Honestly I must have seen 300 bears or better since living here and not a single one would require anything larger then a .308 Win.

Bring the gun/bullet that shoots well for you and it's not going to matter. If you plant one over 300 lbs, you'd be doing well. Since the ban of the spring bear hunt, bear numbers have gone stupidly high, but their health is starting to be affected. They just don't look the same from 10 years ago.

I believe in Mattawa, a gent shot one last fall which is a new record. I believe it was 800#. Believe me when I say that's a freak around here!

I don't know where you're hunting, but make sure there are no dumps within 20 miles of where you're hunting just in case. I shot one a few years back off a friend's farm. When we cooked up a roast, it actually smelled like garbage. The dogs wouldn't eat it either.

If the guide has lots of blueberries, pincherries or other wild fruits nearby, you'll get a good eating bear.

PS, prove me wrong on the size of bear here will you!

My 338 Rum and a 338 Edge both seem to shoot the 225's beautifully. The 230gr Lapua Naturalis is a FANTASTIC bullet.............

My RUM also shoots the 250 TSX into .5 with Re-25. It's the most accurate big calibre I've ever tried...............even exceeding the 338 Lapua.

Nosler use it as their test round for 338 projectiles...........