I am going on an elk hunt in the fall of 2003 and plan on using my 338 Win. Mag. I came across some Federal High Energy rounds loaded with the 250gr. Woodleigh Weldcore bullet. Has anyone used this bullet in this caliber on elk? What kind of performance can I expect?

Ive used the Woodleigh in 9,3x62 on fallow deer here in Sweden and it�s d**n good.
Since my new rifle dont like the found nose of the Weldcore, i will try the Norma Oryx when it�s released later this year.
The Weldcore is soft enough to open up good on elk and is still strong enough to retain most of the weight and penetrate the whole animal. Thay are very accurate to.
I think it�s the best bullet available and you should go for it.

GregP: I don't know how well the Woodleigh will hold up to the extra velocity generated by the HE ammo. I have never used Woodleigh bullets. However, last year I shot a moose through the lungs as it stood broadside 250 yards away. The bullet was from the Federal HE ammo with 250-grain NOS Partition. Broke the rib on the way in, and left two holes on the way out. The moose jumped and pivoted on its hind legs as it tried to turn in the opposite direction, and dropped where it stood facing the other way. The two holes on the way out were average in size, but there were two large circles of jelled rib meat around them.

This ammo clocked around 2,770 fps on a cool day, pretty close to the advertised 2,800 fps, and I imagine the Woodleigh bullet should work much like a NOS would. The HE load with TBBC bullets should be even better, but I haven't found any around here.

Expect full penetration and one DEAD elk! My .338 Win Mag. load for the woodleigh 250grn. chrono's 2675 fps. It exited a 350lbs. black bear @ 200 yards after a trip through of about 2 feet of hide, muscle, bone etc.
best,
bhtr

I would think it depends on where you will be hunting elk. I recently used the 250 gr WW in Africa and recovered many perfect mushrooms from critters up to 500 pounds. The load was about 2550 fps and the ranges were under 100 yards. The bullet worked great but rarely exited.

My choice for elk hunting at longer than 150 yards would be a 230 grain Winchester Failsafe or 225 grain Swift A Frame. Even the 210 NP is an great option.

I would be nervous shooting Woodleigh's at high velocity.

Ski+3

I see a misinterpetation on this board concerning Woodleighs..Woodleighs are designed for the caliber in which they are to be shot in and at the expected velocity..

Some on this board, including self, have shot them at modern velocities in English calibers designed for big game at 2100 and we pushed them with modern powders at 2600, they worked because Woodleighs don't come apart but they surely wadded up a bit and penitration suffered..

I have use them a lot in 250 gr. and 300 Gr. in the 338 Win. and they are a absolutly the perfect bullet and kill so well, it still amazes me..

BTW the 300 gr. Woodleigh will traverse and elk lenthwise and most of the time leave a large exit in his front part. the 250 is the best balanced for take any shot on an elk that I know of..They are the equal of a Nosler with a bit less penitraton
in equal weight and more expansion, but both have more than needed in both departments...

Have no fear you are more than prepared for elk hunting with Woodleighs and they kill better than BarnesX, Noslers or Swifts..because they expand and have long ragged arms of lead and coper that resemble a fan blade and it really buzz saws and creates internal damage better than most any bullet...

The Swifts ball up into a smooth ball and pretty mushroom with a puff behind the expanded portion and don't do the damage the Woodleighs do..they are good however on Buffalo for that very reason...

The Nosler is a real penitrator and does not get the cross section that most expanding bullets do. It is in effect a half solid and half soft..It works but not as fast as most bullets, but is very positive and is the bullet by which all others are judged. I also put the BarnesX in this catagory if it works like it is designed to, which is argueable and the GS Custom HV which is a monolithic and seems to allways work...

Thats the way I see it based on my own experiences, and I speak for no one else, nor claim to be the last word on bullet performance, but I ain't far off....

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com