What's your favorite .338 bullet for the .338Wm?

250gr (or 240gr) North Fork SS.

truck driver,

Depends on the game you are pursuing but there are lots of great 338 bullets. I personally have used the 210 Nosler Partition, 225 Swift and 250 Nosler partition with great result. A 210 TTSX might be a perfect all around bullet but you'll hard pressed to best the 250 NP for heavier thin skinned game.

Mark

So far my favorite is the 225 TSX for moose. I am going to try the tipped version. If they group as well as the non-tipped, they may become the favorite.
I was very satisfied with it's performance. I actually would not hesitate to use the 210 TSX/TTSX either. I don't think the 15 grain less weight would make much difference in 200 grain and over bullet weights.

Haven't seen their effect on game yet but the 225 TTSX shoots little groups out of my model 70. Still has a ton of energy at 500yds. I think it'll work.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
truck driver,

Depends on the game you are pursuing but there are lots of great 338 bullets. I personally have used the 210 Nosler Partition, 225 Swift and 250 Nosler partition with great result. A 210 TTSX might be a perfect all around bullet but you'll hard pressed to best the 250 NP for heavier thin skinned game.

Mark

Elk and Mule Deer in Montana.

truck driver,

Since your shots might be longish I'd pick one of the lighter bullets. If you have not used a 338 or larger caliber before you'll like the 338. No looking for bullet holes on the near side. You'll be able to stick your finger right in the hole. I've used the 210 NP on deer, sheep, caribou and moose. It works nicely and with a double lung hit usually drops animals in their tracks.

Mark

truck driver,
There are a lot of good bullets for the 338 out there. Like Mark said, its tough to beat the 210 gr NP. If a guy wanted to squeeze a bit more velo down range a 200 or 225 gr Accubond would length your rope a bit. A lot of everyday bullets from Hornady(225 sp), Sierra(250), and Speer (200 gr sp though it's soft) are decent. Not to fond of Hornady SST and prefer the accubonds to them.

210 Swift Scirocco or the 231gr Lapua Naturalis

For years I shot the 210 Nosler partition and it always worked, but had a couple of near simi failures, but they killed the elk..

I switched over to the 225 Nosler partition and Accubonds, drive them 2936 FPS, and they are the best bullets Ive ever used on elk.

Any .338 bullet will work on deer, I use a tougher bullet so as not to blood shot them. I like he 250s on deer for that reason alone..I found the North Fork cup points designed for buffalo very effective on PG so they would be fine for deer..That said I seldom use the .338 on deer except when elk hunting and run across a nice buck, other wise I prefer a lighter rifle like my 250 Savage, 7x57 or 30-06..

truck driver, We're running Barnes 225 gr. TTSX's pushed to 2950 fps in my wife's rifle. She's taken antelope, elk, moose and black bear (all but one were one shot kills), from 30 to 400 yards. She's pretty darned pleased with the performance of her caliber/ bullet on game. memtb

225 TTSX for everything from Sitka Blacktails to Brown Bears...literally.

200 gr Bitterroot Bonded Core; but since these are no longer made and I'm down to about 100; my next favorite is a mistake run from Swift, 217 grain A-Frames.

t-d,

I'm not particularly recoil shy, but if you want to bring the thump of the 338 Win Mag down into the realm of "like a 30/06 Sprg with 220 grainers" = nowhere near the thump of Winchester factory ammo; I'd suggest either the .338" 160 or 185 grain Barnes TTSXs.

Initially with a slower powder (VVN-160) the 160 gr. bullet shot @ 2"; which as accuracy goes isn't to the standard I desire. Changed to a slightly quicker powder, Lovex S070 which is similar to AA-4350 and the load puts three in the same hole at 100 meters.

Similar to what Mark mentioned above; I shot 2 red deer hinds & 1 calf between 200-300 meters with the 165 gr. TTSX and all three red deer did the DRT trick - like someone pulled the rug out from underneath them. The terminal performance was spectacular to say the least and needless to say - I did not recover the bullets.

I thought that was pretty nifty. While three large deer aren't a very all encompassing bullet trial they worked well. I mention the 185 grainers, as despite their reduced weight have the mass of a 210 gr. cup'n core bullet and a much improved B.C.. I'm going to try them next.

Good Luck with mule deer and elk.

225 Swift A Frame.

My son and I have used either a 225 gr. Or 240 gr. Northfork with our .340 Wby and .338 Lapua on several Bull Elk with great success. Good Shooting.

quote:

I switched over to the 225 Nosler partition and Accubonds, drive them 2936 FPS, and they are the best bullets Ive ever used on elk.

Me too. There's nothing wrong with the Partition, and I've taken more than a half-dozen head of African game with it. But the 225 Accubond does it all, and is a little slicker, thus delivers just a little better trajectory and down-range energy. The 225 Accubond is now the only bullet I use in my .338, and my velocity is similar to Ray's using a load of good old genuine surplus 4831. The 225 grain bullet is ample for elk, moose, or eland; and because you're unlikely to go after elephant or cape buff with your .338 there's really no point in using a heavier bullet.

I've used the 200gr Ballistic Silvertips as well as the 250gr Nosler Partitions.

I now have 225gr Accubonds for the rifle...but my reloading components are all 210gr Partitions.

I think the 210-225gr is about perfect for the rifle.

225-grain TTSX for all my hunting in Alaska.

There are a lot of good hunting bullet options for the .338. I would try several and see what your rifle likes. I typically like heavy for caliber bullets and had planned to primarily use the 250gr Nosler Partition. I get almost 2800fps with MRP and honest 1" groups. However, I recently used the 210 Barnes TTSX to take a TX whitetail and a WY elk.....terminal results were impressive and this load shoots a ragged hole at 100yds and is pushing 3000fps. Not much a .338WM can't do and it really thumps them!!

I have shot 160 deer 31 years with 338 win mag with Winchester
Power points from 3-425 yards .They never let me down.I 250 grain nosler partitions
On caribou ,bears moose

I'm the odd man out here, I shoot 225 grain Sierra's in my .338 Win Mag.
Excellent accuracy and great performance on game. In Africa I shot 7 animals and all bullets exited except one recovered from a 350 meter shot on a Blue Wildebeest, that one penetrated from shoulder to hip and weighed 204 grains that's 90% weight retention.
The bullet performed excellent on Kudu, Bushbuck, Blesbok, Impala, Zebra, Warthog and the aforementioned Wildebeest.
My current loading is 2845 fps in FC brass from my 21.5" barreled M70 Super Grade, same accuracy as the target below in WW brass.

Well, along with several members up above, I like the .338" 225TTSX a lot in a 338WM.

In the 80-90's I used the 250gnNP as a general, all-around plains game bullet. It was great, although it would occasionally 'blow its nose' and fold back on itself for a pretty thin mushroom.

The past seven years we have been using the 225gn TTSX. Its BC of 0.514 makes it an ideal all-around bullet.

Why am I so impressed? Well, the exterior ballistics help get the bullet to the target.
We use a 1.9"-2.0" sight-in at 100 yards for the 2835fps muzzle velocity.
This is a tad high (+0.6") at 200yards and only down -6.3" at 300yards, -19.2" at 400 yards. More importantly, the drift in a 10mph cross-wind at 300 yards is only 5.7", and 10.4" at 400 yards. You wonder about energy or impact velocity?
At 400 yards the 225gnTTSX is still traveling 2240fps. Not too shabby. And it is still carrying 2506 foot-pounds for massive thump and damage.

The bullet is accurate. For fun I am including a sight-in shot from 2009 off of a car hood. The larger holes are a 416Rigby, including a tumbling shot after hitting a burnt-bush-branch on the way to the target. The smaller holes are the .338" 225gnTTSX. The first two sight-ins were about 1" high, after clicking up, the second pair was about 2" high. The rifle was fine for hunting.

Because the Nikon scope tracks so well, we gave the last two sight-in shots of the 338 two clicks to the left for an assumed dead-on 2" high.

My son took a reedbuck off-hand at 130 yards, DRT.

Internal damage was considerable and bone was hit, though the exit would was quite small, something that happens often enough with the TTSX. I am assuming that the TTSX lost it petals, blew out the chest cavity, and exited. The reedbuck didn't have a clue what hit him. Lights out.

The same load on a hartebeest shows how remaining energy and accuracy work hand in hand. Here is a picture of expansion on a hartebeest heart at 275 yards.
Picture of that hartebeest's heart follows.

338" 225gnTTSX, 2835fps muzzle, and plenty of remaining velocity for explosive expansion.

There are a lot of other good bullets, too, in .338". This September we may be able to get a 265gnABLR (Accubond LongRange) with its reported BC of 0.778. That bullet, at a conservative max of 2600fps will only drift 7.6" at 400 yards and have 2910 ft# remaining energy. Ouch! Of course, by starting out slower there is a little more arc to the trajectory: -8.0" at 300yards, and -22.5" at 400 yards, using the same 2.0" sight-in at 100 yards. Both the 225gnTTSX and 265gnABLR look to be great hunting bullets.

Last year in Calif I found that a 185TTSX does a great job on the smallish mule deer. As a closing picture we have a look at a deer heart with the 185gnTTSX from a .338WM.

The 185gnTTSX is another great bullet for medium game.
At 3125fps I sight it in at 1.9" at 100 in order to keep it with a 2.1" max arc height.
At 300 yards the bullet is only down -4.3", at 400 yards it is down -15.1", with a 10mph cross-wind pushing it 11.4" at 400 yards. Remaining velocity is 2352fps, which helps to explain the blown up heart. A person could use the bullet for elk but the 225gnTTSX gives more penetration for larger animals on quartering shots.

Anyway, that is what we are doing with .338 bullets and the 338WM.

I.have used my 338 Winchester Magnum the last 30 years .This one is a old one but good one on deer to elk sized .I use the 200 grain Winchester power point .I have taken deer ,hogs ,and bears with it .I shot then fro.3-yards to 425 yards .I tried the nosler 210 grain but it zipped through deer below 30 yards so I.started using the 200 grain Winchester power point .
IN Alaska I like 250 grain nosler partitions for moose,caribou and big grizzleys .I have shot clover leads with that Winchester load in my 338 Winchester Magnum in my Ruger 77 tang safety and all seven of my 338 rifles shoot under an inch at 100 yards .My stainless 338 Ruger 77 shot 3/4 inch at 200 yards with Remington 225 grain loads really liked them they were Speer grand slam bullets but they quit making them.I am trying 225 grain accubonds they look very promising for longer ranges the 250 grain except for serria 250-grain boattails kinda poop out on longer range .I.wish lapua made a 250-grain hunting bullet they are very awesome but ones they make are target bullets .
ELMER KEITH was right on with the 338 win mag it's one of the best all around rifles for North American big game !

I like the 250 grain nosler partition. Old and dependable, like me.

210 gr Barnes TSX or 210 gr Partition whichever your rifle likes best. Never recovered a 210 gr TSX bullet but they sure leave a lot of dead animals laying around ! I like the 225 gr TTSX bullet in the 340.

quote:

Originally posted by snowman:
210 gr Barnes TSX or 210 gr Partition whichever your rifle likes best. Never recovered a 210 gr TSX bullet but they sure leave a lot of dead animals laying around ! I like the 225 gr TTSX bullet in the 340.

The 210 TSX-tipped in the .338WM should be plenty for hunting in Alaska, but I use the 225 grainer.

Although I favor the 225 gr. accubond at 2900 plus FPS for elk. there are no flys on the 210 and 250 gr. Noslers...all great bullets IMO, and my pick of the litter..

Another vote for the 225 Accubond. Seems just about perfect in the .338WM.

Hey, guys, I’m listening and pondering.

quote:

Atkinson:
I switched over to the 225 Nosler partition and Accubonds, drive them 2936 FPS, and they are the best bullets Ive ever used on elk.

quote:

Memtb:
We're running Barnes 225 gr. TTSX's pushed to 2950 fps in my wife's rifle.

quote:

Ray, again:
Although I favor the 225 gr. accubond at 2900 plus FPS for elk. there are no flys on the 210 and 250 gr. Noslers.

That is an impressive chorus.

The first thing that I notice is that the 2900fps loads are closer to a 340Weatherby than a normal 338WM. That is fine, especially with a little freebore, although I tend to shoot 225grainers at 2800-2850fps out of the 338WinMag.
Nosler Data lists 2882fps for 225grainNoslers with 71.5IMR4350. But they list other powders and more accurate loads at 2780-2835fps max, which is more in line with almost everyone else on the 338WinMag.

Here is a review from someone at Midway,

quote:

“I shot a bull elk at 375yds with my 338WinMag, hit in the ribs just behind the shoulder passed thru and was found under the hide on the offside after breaking ribs in and out. Did not hit any large bones. Shed about 30% of its weight, was mushroomed nicely. I like bullets that make two holes in elk that range. I will go back to shooting 250gr. bullets for elk.”

And from another AR thread on long-range partitions:

quote:

cooperjd
“I spoke with a nosler rep at a show a year or so ago and was told that I should not use AB LR's if i'm going to shoot at anything under 400 yards (with 7mmRM and 338RUM), because it will basically blow apart.”

We need to remember those mitigating reviews in the following consultation, though with a grain salt “a nosler rep” “a year or so ago”[before the ABLR was announced?].

Here is my starting point:
I consider the 338WinMag to be an absolutely ideal rifle for hartebeest and plains game from 0 to 400 yards.
I mean, it would be hard to design something truly and practically better for this purpose although there are many calibers as good and even with extra range for non-dangerous game. (Extra range is just not necessary for Africa.) And in the 338WinMag I want a bullet that will resist winddrift out to 300-400yards, hit a large animal like an eland with authority way out there, or a little animal like a tommy or oribi, and still do a reliably good job at 50-100 yards.

So I figure that all of the following bullets, listed with their BC’s, would certainly work:

The 225Accubond stats:
• Ballistic Coefficient: 0.550
• Optimal Performance: 1800 fps minimum

The 225TTSX stats:
• Ballistic Coefficient: 0.514
• Optimal Performance: 2000 fps minimum (my personal estimation)

The 225Partition
• Ballistic Coefficient: 0.454

The 250Partition
• Ballistic Coefficient: 0.473

The 250Accubond
• Ballistic Coefficient: 0.575
[Here again, Nosler lists some pretty impressive data, 2700-2780fps with 250grainers, 71.5H4831.)

The 250TSX
• Ballistic Coefficient: 0.425 
(Caveat: Stat from Midway is .521. Current Barnes’ stat is only .425!)

The265Accubond
• Ballistic Coefficient: 0.778 (Yowsa! Will that be real? Their 300Accubond is only .720.) 

The 265LRX Barnes(=TTSX)
• Ballistic Coefficient:.575
Expected max velocities with 265grainers should be around 2600fps, though Nosler may push that to 2650fps. We’ll see when the 265 Accubond is released.

But now comes the kicker for me in my typical situation:
Which of the above bullets would you shoot at a cape buffalo, should the situation arise?

Imagine you are tracking some hartebeest through a forest, possibly expecting some impala in the area, and stumble across three dagga boys. You have buffalo on the license but did not take the 416 or 500 on the longish track. So what bullet would you use, assuming that you would shoot? The game scout with you will certainly be excited for you to take one of the buffalo.

Well, for me, I would be leery of the Accubonds. Despite bonding, they are sometimes reported as a little too close to their old cousins, the “Ballistic Tip”. They may be a great non-dangerous game bullet, maybe great for elk, but a buffalo is a different class of animal. Maybe they would 'always penetrate' on buffalo, but I don't like a little doubt in the back of my mind from the caveats above.
So my minimum from the bullets up above would be . . . drum roll . . .
- the Nosler partition 250grain (Swift 250 A-Frames would be acceptable, too.)
- and the Barnes 225grainTTSX.

Buffalo have some big bones and penetration is the sina-qua-non in this game. Some might prefer the 275 Swift A-Frame for the buffalo, and I wouldn't hesitate, but that is not the best meat-and-potatoes bullet for tommy, impala, and hartebeest as the distances push over 300 yards. Yes, the 275Swift will work, but not with as little thought about trajectory or wind. For trajectory, I would choose the 225TTSX, Nosler NP and Swift 250AF over the 275AF.

Since I’ve never hunted big bear or moose, I will let others chime in. To be ready for a caribou out to 400 yards, and then . . . a big bear lumbers into sight.

250 grain Nosler Partition for me. It has done it's job admirably from 50 to 300 yards, on Elk and Mule Deer.

That rep was as full of s--t as a Christmas Turkey...The AB is an awesome bullet up close or out yonder..He apparently has spent most of his career behind a desk surmising!! Ive used the AB in my .338 just too many times to accept is answer..Id like to see him explain such BS to John Nosler...

RayB,
I bought a 1000 of those 217 gr. Swift bullets some years back at SCI at the Swift booth, they were dumping them..your right they are a very good bullet, I think I still have a hundred of them loaded unless I sold them a while back.

Ray A;
I talked with the Swift rep 15 or 20 years back about the 217 gr bullets. He said that it was a run of what was supposed to be 225 gr bullets, but one of the parts (core or jacket cutter or forming die) was out of adjustment and they ended up with a whole run of 217 gr bullets. Not wanting to dilute their advertising with an Edsel, the bullets got quietly sold a reasonable prices. I think I have about 400 left, which considering that I have about 200 BBCs of 338 200 gr; I'll probably use the BBCs for elk and run out of years to hunt before I run out of those.

My new favourite will be the old Speer 275gr semi-spitzer. I found 30 in a box at a gun show on Saturday for $20. I used to load them decades ago but think most finished up in the mound at the range.

The vagaries of circumstance ensures I'll never nut out the difference in killing power between them and the monos I bought recently at $66 for 20, but the parsimonious part of me leans towards the Speers.

A Better bullet than the 275 ss Speer has never been made for the 338wm. Different, newer, just as good, etc. yes but better no.
Best regards,
Fury01

I like the 210ttsx. 2900fps from a 22" barrel in a 8lb rig. Less recoil when compared to the 250's

Maybe this should be a separate thread topic, but aside from misapplications (eg., loading a Hornady 200 gr FN to 3000 fps+ and trying to shoot a buffalo lengthwise) are there any "bad" .338 bullets?

quote:

Originally posted by Samuel_Hoggson:
Maybe this should be a separate thread topic, but aside from misapplications (eg., loading a Hornady 200 gr FN to 3000 fps+ and trying to shoot a buffalo lengthwise) are there any "bad" .338 bullets?

I became leery of Sierra 250grain cup-n-core after seeing a couple of core-jacket separations. Yes, they killed the antelope, but there are lion and buffalo in the area. So I've always gravitated toward reasonably guaranteed penetration.

Incidentally, I've shot a buffalo with the 275gnSpeer. It's a great, old bullet, beloved by Elmer. And I concur. We just have faster bullets today, with the same penetration.

Spot on Tanzan 416, as usual we agree...Don't ever underestimate the Woodleigh 300 gr. PP or RN BTW, its blood and devastation on every thing Ive shot with it, in my 24" .338 win. including Buffalo, Eland,my largest elk, Moose and Mule Deer, and I was amazed at just how flat it shot. Some of the game was with a couple of other .338 Win's Ive owned....Yes the 275 Swift is an excellent bullet, Used it on PG one whole season, not one complaint.

quote:

Don't ever underestimate the Woodleigh 300 gr. PP or RN BTW, its blood and devastation on every thing Ive shot with it, in my 24" .338 win. including Buffalo, Eland,my largest elk, Moose and Mule Deer, and I was amazed at just how flat it shot.

I don't underestimate the Woodleigh and have a box and a half sitting around in the US. My only hunting experience was three decades ago with the 300gn Barnes (original). We only used it for warthogs around water holes because in those days the 250NP shot flatter, not to mention the old Speer. With today's flat-shooting bullets I doubt if the Woodleighs are going to make it across the pond, good though they are.

Of course, if the 338 were my only hunting rifle (it's not, nor planned to be), then the Woodleighs at 2450fps might make a nice buffalo surprise, turning the 338 almost fully into a 375. The Woodleighs do seem to expand quite a bit, but the 338 has plenty of SD to push that wide mushroom very deep. (An SD of .375 is way way up there, even better than the 350gn .375" weldcore BC .356.)

PS: I just did a little calculation. Our 338s could probably push that 300 Woodleigh at 2475fps with R-17 or R-16. The bullet wouldn't cross the 2000fps barrier until about 300 yards and would still have over 2500 ft#. Yes, that is a buffalo load that could be used for most antelope distances out to 300 yards. Sighted-in 2.1" at 100yards it would drop -11.7" at 300. Definitely huntable. Wind-drift 10mph only 9.0". Recoil in our little 7.5# scoped Tikka would be 45 ft#, which would make it feel like a buffalo rifle, too. All to the good.