I am building a 338-06, I intend on using either 210 gr or 225 gr bullets. I have read a lot of discussion on bullets. I am looking for a quality bullet to be used for primarily elk and oryx in North America. Can anyone weed through some of the bullet hype for me?

You will be well served with any of the Northfork bullets. Good accuracy, minor fouling and top notch premium performance.

Bob, I have had good luck with 225 grain TSXs and Interbonds. However, in the .338-06, you might give serious consideration to 210 grain Partitions. I think Swift makes a 210 grain Scirroco that might also work well. Either of those bullets would be great on elk and oryx.

For me, I tried 200 b tips @ 2909 fps, under .5 moa

215 BTSP sierra, 2790 fps similar accuracy but bullet blew apart at 200 yds backstop

225 hornady-better some slipped core, better retention, 1.25 " at 200 yds, as were the Speer and partition

I elected in mine to settle on the ballistic tip 200gr for deer, and the 225 partition for elk at 2670fps

Spoke with a reputable smith, used 225 in his to bust BOTH shoulders of an elk at 370-380 yds.

What more could you want?

For elk, get the 225gr. Partitions!

Those Partitions work for me. Killed my bear dead, and my boar also. Haven't been ELK hunting
Maybe someday.

Given the parent case size I think i would start off with a lighter premium bullet, maybe the 185 TSX, unless you have a large amount of free-bore some of the bigger 225 -250 grain bullets such as the original Barnes X types will encroach too muchi into case capacity.

I have found great perfomrance with the heavier 210 TSX in my .330 Dakota. As an alternative the 225 Accubond is a teriffic bullet with phenomenal accuracy but may be a klittle long in your case/ chamber

The elk I have killed with my 338-06 have been with 210gr NP & TSX's. You won't be making a mistake with either.

I have recovered one NP from a cow elk. She was on the ground and I put a finishing shot in her (not needed) and the bullet passed through and lodged in the offside lower leg bone. Had it not been for the leg bone, it would not have been found.

I shot a bull last year with the TSX's and the second shot (quartering to) shattered the ball joint into four pieces and continued through the liver and exited. I would have loved to have found that bullet. I even went back and searched for it. Hoping I would be able to see where the bullet had entered the ground.

With all that being said, any 200-210 premium bullet will do the job from my experiences.

I have found the premium bullets to be a little too much for deer and use plain old cup and jacket bullets for them.

You absolutely will not be disappointed with the 338-06.

I've taken quite a bunch of elk size game w/ the 210gr NP @ 2750fps. THis bullet was designed for 3000fps from a .338winmag, but it's just about perfect for the 338-06 speeds. The expansion/retention is very high & penetration is all you could ask for in a big game bullet. I have only ever recovered a single bullet & it looks like it should be used in a Nosler add.
I have tried various 225gr but my rifle just doesn't like that weight. I am going to give the 200grNF a try, Mike makes a great bullet, and the 200grNAB might be a good choice for an allround bullet as well, but the 210grNP is king.

Desert Ram, what part of Southern NM are you in?

quote:

Originally posted by Otterbob:
Desert Ram, what part of Southern NM are you in?

For all intents and purposes - Cruces. I actually live a bit north near Fort Selden.

Re: Fred's rec. on 210 NP, I respect him 100% and his experience, cannot argue, I personally chose the 225 as it only dropped 1-2" more at 400 yds, yet had more Ft. Lbs, not that it is needed, but all equal, will take the energy and any penetration it might have, which from 210 users, will not be needed.

250's have their place, but unless after Griz, not sure it's needed.

Some use 160 x, or 180 b tips for deer, my looking at charts showed 200 b tips 'ranged' better as lighter bullets petered out sooner. Not that a 160 or 180 would not work to any sane range on whitetail. Have heard the 200 is a 'tough' bullet for a b. tip, and it will do on larger game i.e. elk, my logic says it may or may not do well if hitting very heavy bone so I would aim clear of that if using it.

just my .02

FYI,
I did recover by the way a 200 bt on a deer, large buck underneath me at 25 yds, 2909 fps load, hit back of ribs angling thru to opposite shoulder-busted it, and stopped under hide, lots of penetration, classic mushroom, retained 60% IIRC, believe it weighed 120, possibly 160, will have to dig it out but 120gr is what sticks in my mind if that tells anyone anything about that bullet. IF I find out otherwise I will repost.

It is reasonable at this close point blank range to have more wt. loss, at high vel.

Good thing I checked, old memory not so good, weighed the 200 btip, it weighs 135 grains, for a 67.5% retention.

3 other bullets recovered from 28 deer killed:

140 BTSP 7mm Sierra (7-08, 2850 mv) range 30 yds, doe head on, penetrated length of deer, weighed 100 grains

150 partition, 270 -2850 mv, weighed 88 grains, passed from neck to hind quarter, range 250 or so yds, mule deer average buck, almost exited, bullet stopped expansion at partition and turned base forward blowing jacket back forward

120 Hornady 7mm, 7BR rifle (MV may have been lower than my new load of over 2800, that powder may have been several hundred feet slower on this deer) shot 30 yds, small buck, busted both sholders, under hide offside, weighs about 58 gr.

So, it is interested as I have shot deer with 6BR through 7mag and 338-06, 4 bullets recovered, a few did explode, on the 28 deer killed.

Liked the saying I read the other day, the deer was shot and said, bullet failure, bullet failure, bul...

DesertRam, I lived in Cruces for 13 years! Miss the dove hunting. But I am in mountain paradise now!!! I like being woke up at 3 in the morning by bugling elk.

6.5, while I am pretty comitted to the 210grNP in my .338-06, I have tried several 225gr & just can't get them to shoot nice round groups at vel. much over 2600fps. The 210grNP runs along happily at 2750fps & I get honest MOA & better on good days. The bullet just doesn't stop in most game animals so the extra penetration of a heavier bullet is almost moot.
My rifle does like the 250gr anythings as well. I can only get them moving along @ 2500fps but at that speed you don't need a "premium" bullet to get it done. I haven't taken any game w/ the Hornady 250gr yet but wetpack tests are quite promising. I have carried them in my rifle while timber hunting but just haven't gotten a shot.

Left is recovered from Kudu bull, right from wetpack. Both weigh 168gr+/-. The bullet from the Kudu went at least 24" through the heavy frontal chest muscles & heart, one lung & lodged behind the last rib far side. A 225grNP would probably have exited.

6.5,
I'm with Fred. I can't see the need for anything more than the premium 210's.

But there's nothing wrong with the 225's. I have some on the reloading bench. I just haven't had the time to play with yet.

If one would step up to a premium 250gr bullet, watch out!! I even have some Hornady FMJ's to play with. Can't imagine using them on anything but targets....but if I had to, maybe a Cape Buffalo (not that it would be optimum, legal or even my first choice)

I also have some old Speer 275gr semi-spitzers and old Winchester/Western 300gr RN's. I don't know if the twist rate on my rifles will stabilize them. But I'm going to experiment and have fun.

I am a huge fan of the North Fork bullets for my .340 Wby and .338 Lapua. The 225 grain bullet and the 240 grain bullet covers anything I want to hunt. I just shot a one hole group with the .338 Lapua with the 240 grainer this past week, while preparing for the annual Elk hunting trip to Colorado, it impressed my buddies and me. It is good when one of those appears with the gang looking on. Good shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by Otterbob:
I am building a 338-06, I intend on using either 210 gr or 225 gr bullets. I have read a lot of discussion on bullets. I am looking for a quality bullet to be used for primarily elk and oryx in North America. Can anyone weed through some of the bullet hype for me?

IN the 338-06, I'd go with the 210 TSX.

I had a hunter this last spring stick a 210gr. TSX bullet from his 338-06 thru both shoulders of a large Brown Bear. I would think they should be ideal for elk.
Of course so would North Forks, Swifts or Partitions.
Aren't we lucky to have so many great bullets?

My experience with 338 calibre has taught me that:
-it is one of the easiest calibres to make shoot accurately;
-all 338 calibre bullets are serious hunting bullets, and the 338 Winchester magnum is at its best with a 250 grain bullet;
-it is almost as good as the 375 H&H without the recoil and is all that is needed on this continent (and probably everywhere else too).

I'm with phurley5 on this one. 225 Northfork & don't look back. I nailed a fork horn bull moose this last season with one out of my .338 mag at about 200 yds. Hit him in the left front shoulder & found it under the skin in the right rear quarter. Textbook mushroom and it weighs 218 grs. - no lie. If that's not performance I don't know what is. More accurate, at least for me, than Partitions too. Bear in Fairbanks

quote:

Originally posted by 6.5BR:
For me, I tried 200 b tips @ 2909 fps

Wow!

2900 fps is what I shoot the 200 gr bullets in my 300 win mag. The highest velocity shown in the Nosler #5 for the 200 gr bullet in 338-06 is 2690 fps.

What kind of powder you using?

338-06 needs a middle wt bullet IMO for optimal performance. There are several bullets that will work but my first choice would be the

210 TSX, second: 210 Partition

The woodleigh 225 gr protected point is my chocie of bullet at the moment in .338 win mag, it expands well and holds together as well.

Woods,

IMR 4320 was with 225's and I do believe 200gr as well, possibly 4064.

I don't know the pressure but believe it was safe in my rifle. I do recognize it treads on 300 mag performance, but I simply appreciate higher BC/SD bullets for game larger than deer, not that anyone complains of 210's, I just see the charts showing better retention at longer distances, so I say 'why not have it' by using 225's, some advocate 250's but I think trajectory becomes an issue possibly in the '06 case and recoil is going up.

BTW, my 23" Hart could have had a fast tube, it was certainly SLICK and I used WW cases which hold a little more than others.

quote:

Originally posted by buckshot:
My experience with 338 calibre has taught me that:
-it is one of the easiest calibres to make shoot accurately;
-all 338 calibre bullets are serious hunting bullets, and the 338 Winchester magnum is at its best with a 250 grain bullet;
-it is almost as good as the 375 H&H without the recoil and is all that is needed on this continent (and probably everywhere else too).

After many years of messing with .338s, .375s, and a whole lot of other calibers, I'd have to say I agree with you completely.

Woods,
I have no trouble reaching 2900 in my 338-06 with 200 B-Tips using IMR4064. The Hornady Manual lists several Powders that will achieve that with their 200 gr.

Myself I use Nosler Partitions for any serious
hunting. They work for me!

My 338-06AI has a Hart barrel with 10" twist. I had it chambered to fit the 250 Partitions with col of 3.34" Then I heard about Barnes X bullets and their claim of "more one shot kills." So with a flip of a coin I decided to try some for a Namibian plains game hunt. Because they are solid copper, Barnes recommends going down one bullet weight from a regular cup\leadcore bullet. I used their 225 grain X bullet and molycoated them myself using Midway's kit.

Zebra, gemsbok(oryx), hartebeeste and even 900# kudu all succumbed to one shot through the front shoulders. All were pass throughs. I was impressed, to say the least. But the cheap kinda guy that I am, I wouldn't waste 'em on whitetailed deer. Corelockts work fine. My 2 cents.

I'd love to use them on PA elk but my lottery number never comes up.

Woods

quote:

2900 fps is what I shoot the 200 gr bullets in my 300 win mag. The highest velocity shown in the Nosler #5 for the 200 gr bullet in 338-06 is 2690 fps.

What kind of powder you using?

I have one load that is 2750fps with a 200gr Horn SP. This is a very mild load but shoots good in two of my 338-06's. This is my deer load. This is with 56.5 gr Rel 15.

My serious hunting load is a Barnes 210 TSX at 2850fps. This absolutely right at max in my go to rifle. This is with 57gr Varget. This rifle must have a fast barrel. All the loads that I shoot through this gun chronograph faster when compared to the other 338-06's I own or have owned.

Well, I was just wondering since shooting a 200 gr bullet at 2900 fps does not seem to be what the 338-06 is supposed to do. With the Nosler manual maxing it out at 2690 and the Speer manual maxing it out at 2773, the load for 2900 is bound to be over max and loosen primer pockets.

Don't get me wrong, I am not one who has never pushed the envelope, but it is a real bummer when you have to fireform new brass because your cases won't hold primers anymore.

I have done some loading of 200 gr bullets in a 30-06 and know that around 2700 to 2725 is getting close to max. It may have been that gun. Essentially you are taking the same case and putting a bullet with the same weight and a larger diameter and increasing the velocity by 200 fps.

I guess my question is: how many other 338-06 users can push a 200 gr bullet at 2900 fps on a regular basis. If this is common then I may have to get me one!

Depending on bbl. length, I think 2800fps is easily done in a 22"-23" bbl. Each rifle will vary, it's still a wildcat & reamers differ a bit. I think you have to bend things a bit to get 2700fps from a .30-06 w/ 200gr bullets, but that's just my experience w/ one rilfe. You should be able to beat any bullet weight for vel. w/ the .338 over the 308.
My hunting load is a 210grNP @ 2750fps in my 22 1/2"bbl. I use Norma or WW brass. I get 5-6 firings before things start getting loose. I've been working w/ compressed loads of H4350 recently & accuracy is actually a bit beter, same vel. & apparently a bit less pressure as brass iss showing no signs of pressure.

Woods, I respect your thinking, and cannot say what pressure mine ran, but it was safe and VERY accurate, never had any pressure problems that arose. Used WW brass, formed/partial sized to my chamber, and perhaps my Hart 23" was lapped well!

Whether it's plausible, I don't know, but I have seen it in other ctg's as well, there are a few powders that are in the 'sweet zone' for velocity and I think 4064 and 4320 are the right burn rate through 225's. As you know, improving expansion ratio helps, which is why the new 338 Fed exceeds a 308 with same bullet weight, and other examples give similar improvements.

Perhaps somewhere between 'the manual loads' and others experience lies a load/speed that is 'in spec' for certain industry pressures for a given ctg.

I don't think you'll be able to make a bad choice for a .338-06. I didn't care for the 200gr balistic tips out of my .338WM but they may be great at lower velocities. The 210gr Partition is where I'd start. My fav in the Win Mag is the Woodliegh 250gr PP. Nate

quote:

Perhaps somewhere between 'the manual loads' and others experience lies a load/speed that is 'in spec' for certain industry pressures for a given ctg.

SAAMI limits max pressure at 52K C.U.P. or about 60K psi like the 30-06 and 35 Whelen. Yet they up the limit for the 270 Win to 65K psi. Why? Perhaps in deference to pump and lever guns from the beginning of last century. I always eye book max values with a grain of salt in the 338-06. Plus, mine being the AI version, I have a built-in 5% cushion.

I have never fired a bullet from my .338 Win. Mag. that wasn't accurate. I do prefer the 225 grain bullets, though.

I have had excellent results on a wide variety of game with the 225 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw and the 225 grain Barnes X-Bullet.

I also like the 225 grain North Forks, but I have not yet had a chance to use them on game.

Hi,
I am building a Sako actioned 338 caliber rifle with a Shilen barrel and a custom stock. I heard that many people have had really good results and accuracy with the 225 grain Nosler Accubonds loaded with 71 grains of IMR4350. I hope to get the rifle before Christmas, but the bullets are ready! Had anyone used this combination?

I would pick the Failsafes ..I have just started shooting my 338-06 Imp so no game harvested yet ..My prior 338WM shot them well and harvested things with finality..My 7mmMag..DITTO..
AK