A .338 WM for whitetails?

Wow!

Be cheaper to just use the .308 you mentioned you have and leave the .338 WM for big stuff.

I a .35 cal guy, but one thing that makes me jealous of you .338 users is the 225 gn Hornadys. Sure wish they made them for the .35's... Oh well, Sierras and Noslers aint all bad.

quote:

Originally posted by Wstrnhuntr:
I a .35 cal guy, but one thing that makes me jealous of you .338 users is the 225 gn Hornadys. Sure wish they made them for the .35's... Oh well, Sierras and Noslers aint all bad.

Yes . . . as I've said before, when shot from my Ruger they print to the same POI as the 225 grain Nosler Partition.

And while the NPs cost $75 per 100, those Hornady 225 gr. Spire Points cost a mere $25 per 100 (Midway prices).

I love those Hornadys.

quote:

I a .35 cal guy, but one thing that makes me jealous of you .338 users is the 225 gn Hornadys

I don't know why?? I never liked them for the bigger animials like big bears or moose... They just didn't give enough penetration for me...

I've found they don't group very well in some guns too..

DM

quote:

Originally posted by DM:

quote:

I a .35 cal guy, but one thing that makes me jealous of you .338 users is the 225 gn Hornadys

I don't know why?? I never liked them for the bigger animials like big bears or moose... They just didn't give enough penetration for me...

I've found they don't group very well in some guns too..

DM

I can't answer for Wstrnhuntr, but for me, those Hornadys are a great bullet to use for practice. -- they're cheap, very accurate, and print to the same POI as the 225 Nosler Partition.

Were I to hunt elk, moose or some other large game, I'd probably use the 225 NP.

Just my way of doing things.

Markkur,
I am in agreement with alot of the other posts. Nosler partition or Barnes X. I use both depending on which rifle I am hunting with. You won't go wrong with either.

It's the one bullet for every situation that makes the choice harder. Were it not for the bears, most any standard bullet in that cartridge would work fine. It's amazing to me how many people have killed a pile of animals with such inferior fodder!

I have yet to get to hunt big bears. It would seem to me though that a controlled expansion bullet that retains enough weight to penetrate would be easy to find. Woodliegh Weldcore, Northfork, Partitions, Grand Slams, A-Frames, GS Custom are some of the choices that would certainly work for bear.

If your hunting something that's not going to bite you back I'd not be the least hesitant to use a Sierra or Hornady either. Nate

My personal thought about the 338Win Mag is that if you really NEED a bullet heavier than 225gr you need a bigger cartridge to launch it with.

And in that weight class either the Nosler Partition
(so far the ONLY bullet I've ever loaded in my 338)
OR the Barnes TSX would be the choices to make.

As for lighter bullets? Why?

a 338 with 225's is going to make something of a mess of a small animal, but no more of a mess than a 180 or 200gr bullet that probably isn't designed for magnum velocities in
the first place.

AllanD

The 338 woin mag is far a better choice for all around North American Game than a 30-06 ever was.It hits way harder ,is flat shooting and the killing power is way greater than the 30-06 or the 300 mags.I have hunted with all of them and chose the 338 win mag for deer over 20 years ago.It wacks them in their tracks standing or running.I laugh at guys on tv waiting for a perfict braod side shot.I have shot deer in the center of the back from befind ,quatering away at all angles staight on and running in the shoulder.Its like Elmer Keith said you can eat up to the bullet hole.I have never lost a deer with the 338.Its a perfict moose round also.I loaded one of my 12 338s to a friend who had always used 30-06 on moose.It suprised him that that hardly left their tracks when shot with the 338 win mag.He shot 5 with 5 shots from 30 yards to 300 yards.They all slumped over an fell deader than a mackeral.Its an awesome gun for all North American game.The Ruger Stainless 338 win mag is an awesome rifle in it too.I have shot some 3/4" groups at 200 yards with mine.I like Medium heavy barrels on my 338s but the Winchester stainless with a boss is easier to carry but the others are not that heavy anout 9.5 pounds scoped and loaded.The 338 win mag is hear to beat for knock down power ,accuracy and flatness.I went a step further and got two 338-378 weatherbys which are just faster 338s.

The 225 or 250 grain bullets would work fine , i like the 250 grain bullets myselfand to be honest at the distance you mentioned 30-100 yards the bnest bullet you could use in my opinion is a round nose. Try any 250 round nose .I myself like the hornadys.