Got to looking at the current price of my favorite 210 and 225 gr NPTs and began thinkin' maybe there is a cheaper slug for North American game.

Anyone try the .338 225 gr Speer deep curl bullet in something like the 338-06?

Price is certainly right and the 338-06 won't drive them as fast as a .338 Win Mag ... so I can save my pricey bullets for that the heavier rifle.

Mike,
I have not ever tried the Speer but I have used the 225 gr Hornadys in a .338 win and they held together extremely well. Well enough to leave an exit hole in an elk at 80 yards. For game up to and including the elk, I don't think you can beat it. Out of the Chrono, they were moving 2906.

For some reason the 225 Hornady doesn't shoot well in either my 338-06 or my 338 WM.

The Douglas bbl in the 338-06 seems to like the 210 and 225 NPTs a lot and the Kreiger cut rifle bbl in the 338 WM seems to like 225 Barnes Xs.

Had a factory BAR in .338 WM and it wouldn't shoot anything but 250s well.

Have not figured that one out.

I moved to the 225 gr Accubond in my 338-06 and they are the most accurate bullet I have used, of many. Darn sleek too. Took a black and grizzly last spring with the combo. A couple of days ago Nosler had seconds pretty cheap. I bought a pile of them last time they had seconds and that is what I have been shooting since.

I have not used the Speer 225 and have nothing bad to say about it as it would probably serve you well in a .338-06.

Having tried a number of bullets in several .338 Winchesters, I've settled on the 225 grain Accubond. It is the most accurate of the lot, and right now you can get them as "overruns" (not seconds, as if that mattered) from Shooter's Pro Shop for about the same price as (or perhaps less than) the 225 Speers.

Well, I have not used the 225 Deep Curl, but the 200gr Hot Core shoots great out of my 338/06. 3 shots touching at 100/yds over 53.5gr of RL-15. I have only taken one deer with them and it was DRT. I do not think you can beat Speer for the price!

I don't mean to hijack the thread but has anyone tried the 215 gr. Sierra GKs on elk, etc.?
They seem to shoot exceptionally well in my 338WM. My Tikka is very finicky. It doesn't like the Hornadys very well (hot/cold with them as well as the Accubonds). It didn't care for Rem. Ultrabond CLs very much at all.
Tried the Sierra 215 grainers with RL-19 and they shot unbelievably well. Only difference was elevation change from increased powder charges.

quote:

Originally posted by Rae59:
I don't mean to hijack the thread but has anyone tried the 215 gr. Sierra GKs on elk, etc.?
They seem to shoot exceptionally well in my 338WM. My Tikka is very finicky. It doesn't like the Hornadys very well (hot/cold with them as well as the Accubonds). It didn't care for Rem. Ultrabond CLs very much at all.
Tried the Sierra 215 grainers with RL-19 and they shot unbelievably well. Only difference was elevation change from increased powder charges.

I have used them, very accurate, but not so good on heavier game. They expand tremendously fast and fail to penetrate deeply. They're the only 338 bullet I've used that DIDN'T exit, and they showed signs of tumbling through game. I've used them in both the 338WM and 340Bee and won't be using them again anytime soon.
I also tried them in my 338-06, but haven't shot any game bigger than small deer with them, and they weren't really up to those either, but it depends on what you prefer, all animals shot died anyhow.

Cheers.
416.

Thanks for the reply 416.
I suspected that would be the case but hoped the extra mass of a 338 would cure that.

I don't like the Speer HotCore But the DeepCurl looks promising. I havn't used them enough to really have an actual opinion though.

If your rifle wont shoot boat tail bullets try a flat based. As for affordability, I think Hornady is making the best of the "cheap" bullets and wouldn't hesitate to use them on elk at all.

quote:

I don't like the Speer HotCore...

Why not, did one back-talk you once? Bounce off a deer? Get stuck in your barrel?



.

quote:

Originally posted by TX Nimrod:

quote:

I don't like the Speer HotCore...

Why not, did one back-talk you once? Bounce off a deer? Get stuck in your barrel?



.

If you want to goad me into some argument because I don’t care for your favorite brand of bullets you’ll be disappointed. Speer makes good varmint bullets but I don’t like the way they work on game. I quit using them close to twenty-five years ago and have found no reason to go back to them. There are many other fine choices.
The “Deep Curl” seems to work very similar to the Grand Slam which is a good one. I suspect the Deep Curl will prove to perform in similar fashion.