Just picked up my new 338-06 - LH Rem 700 - 24 inch barrel - HS precision stock. My son gave me a box of 250 gr Accubonds. Assuming reasonable accuracy and a velocity of 2500fps approx, at what distance/velocity will these bullets stop giving reliable expansion. This is a moose gun - undecided as to whether to go to 225 grains instead. Thanks to all for your responses.
Originally posted by blooper: Just picked up my new 338-06 - LH Rem 700 - 24 inch barrel - HS precision stock. My son gave me a box of 250 gr Accubonds. Assuming reasonable accuracy and a velocity of 2500fps approx, at what distance/velocity will these bullets stop giving reliable expansion. This is a moose gun - undecided as to whether to go to 225 grains instead. Thanks to all for your responses.
Personally, I would go with 225's for better range. Moose aren't terribly difficult to bring down despite what so many armchair hunters will tell you. When I was a young man, almost everyone I knew including myself used to hunt moose with the old British .303.
Posts: 8827 | Location: CANADA | Registered: 25 August 2004
Originally posted by cobra: Personally, I would go with 225's for better range.
Cobra knows his stuff.....and I'm in full agreement.....further the 225 grain is all you need in the .35 Whelen too!
If you insist on the 250 grainers you'll have no trouble with them to 400 yards as previously stated.
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Posts: 28849 | Location: western Nebraska | Registered: 27 May 2003
Blooper, I have been a firm beleiver in the 225 barnes TSX in the 35 Whelen, but with my upcoming hunt for eland and the 338-06 I am going to try the 250 Nosler Partitions. I don't expect the shots to be over 200 yards in South Africa so the range question didn't enter the equation. For what it worth I consider the Nosler Partitions and Accubonds to perform in a similar fashion on game, with better BC for the Accubond. My 338-06 is a post-64 Win that was rebored from '06 by JES. With the 250 grain bullets this rifle likes H414. Good luck on your moose, weather you choose the 225's or 250's you will be reaady.
Since the .338/06 is the ballistic twin of the .318 WR I feel qualified to enter this discussion. There really isn't any reason to go with Nosler PT's in this caliber. The sectional density of the 250 grain bullet is such that it will make an awesome exit hole on just about any thin skinned game animal you can think of. Ordinary roundnose softpoints took hundreds of head of African game in the first third or thereabouts of the XX Century without difficulty and they still will. However, since you've already bought them expect sterling performance. About the only way you will keep them from exiting is to shoot an eland lengthwise!
Sarge
Holland's .375: One Planet, One Rifle . . . for one hundred years!
Posts: 2690 | Location: Lakewood, CA. USA | Registered: 07 January 2001
For years I used the 210 gr Partition at 2800 fps in my 338-06. On my last hunt with it, for grizzly and black bear, I switched to the 225 gr Accubond just to try something different. My load goes a bit over 2650 fps and is the most accuarte load, of many tried, in the rifle. Truth be told, the 210 gr Partition will do all one could ever ask of the round IME.
Posts: 1580 | Location: Either far north Idaho or Hill Country Texas depending upon the weather | Registered: 26 March 2005
The guys above all listed good bullets and choices. One of the great things about the 338 and bigger class of bullets is that you don't need great expansion due to the bullet cross section. If it does not expand, it does not matter.
Pick one that shoots well in your rifle, I like the 250's myself for the high BC & SD.I have killed a lot of African animals with the 225gr Trophy Bonded Bearclaw, including a 2,000+ pound Eland at 360 yards. But the 210gr Partition and 225gr Accubond will work fine.
I think the reason the 225gr bullets were invented was to make 2700fps at modest pressures with the 338WinMag that most American's demand from their "Magnums". Before that most offerings were 210gr or 250gr weights.
Like the long javelin like 155-160gr 6.5mm bullets, any 338 bullet with a sectional density above .300 will be like the Energizer Bunny, it will keep going and going...
The 250gn Nosler accubond has a BC of about 0.57, and if started at 2500fps, it will still be doing over 1800 fps at 500m. If zeroed at 200 yards it will drop around 59 inches at 500. I don't think expansion will be a problem at 1800 fps or above, but estimating the drop at longer distances is going to be a problem unless you have a rangefinder. Typically from my experience the accubonds retain around half their weight, so they are quite an effective bullet, and the 250 gn bullet will certainly be effective at any range out to 500 yards. However the 225gn Nosler accubond can be started at 2650fps, and if zeroed at 200 yards will only be 48 inches low at 500, and traveling at 1900fps. 225gn should be heavy enough, and if it were me, I would choose that weight in preference. But use up the 250's first, there is not that much in it.
Posts: 424 | Location: Australia | Registered: 11 August 2007
The 225 gr AB runs a BC of .550 and, as stated, when launched at a 2650+ fps does very well way out there too. I am becoming an AB convert as all that I have tried have been very, very accurate without much load development.
Posts: 1580 | Location: Either far north Idaho or Hill Country Texas depending upon the weather | Registered: 26 March 2005
Originally posted by blooper: Just picked up my new 338-06 - LH Rem 700 - 24 inch barrel - HS precision stock. My son gave me a box of 250 gr Accubonds. Assuming reasonable accuracy and a velocity of 2500fps approx, at what distance/velocity will these bullets stop giving reliable expansion. This is a moose gun - undecided as to whether to go to 225 grains instead. Thanks to all for your responses.
I always found the 250gr a bit heavy in my 338-06, and settled on 210gr/225gr to be optimum. I primarily have used the 210gr Partition, and it works superbly, even on water buffalo over here in Oz. Recently I switched to the 225gr Accubond, it shoots flatter than the 210gr PT and has more punch out yonder, it is a fantastic bullet for this caliber, as I also discovered in my 338WM and 340Bee way back when they were first introduced, been using 'em ever since. The 225grPT is also a fantastic bullet in the 338-06, but I've found better accuracy with the 225grAB.
The 250's will get the job done, no doubt about it, but I think the longer ranging abilities of the 225grAB should make it the right choice on every level. Just my .02cents.
Cheers. 416.
Posts: 684 | Location: N E Victoria, Australia. | Registered: 26 February 2009
