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I'm going to Alaska next Sept. on a caribou hunt. I will be using a .338 Ultra... any bullet reccomendations? The 200gr. GS Custom caught my eye, I've also heard good things about North Fork bullets, although I am not familiar with them. Should I go as light as 200 grains? | ||
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| one of us |
quote: Hornady 250g spire point | |||
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| <Kodiakisland> |
I can't see using a bullet smaller than 225gr in the ultra for an Alaska hunt. I use 250gr partitions in my 358STA and couldn't be happier. It will penetrate anything heavy and is not too distructive for smaller game. I regularly use it for deer and caribou hunting with great results. The .338 225gr balistic tip should be fine for long range caribou, but I wouldn't want to depend on it for bears. The swift a-frames are as good if not better than the partition. But they do cost a lot more. I like to practice with the bullet I hunt with, so I use the partitions. | ||
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| <Big Stick> |
I've settled on the 210XLC at 3400fps,as my do everything 338Ultra load. Great trajectory,plenty of "Ooomph",good wind drift,and all coupled with a superb bullet.......... | ||
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| one of us |
I believe that a heavy-for-caliber bullet would be better for hunting in most of Alaska, and lighter ones for hunting caribou (open country). For example, a 275-grain Swift A-Frame or a 300-grain Woodleigh should be outstanding moose and bear bullets. A 250-grain .338 NOS Partition bullet out the muzzle from 2,650 to 2,800 fps can easily drop a moose past 200 yards. A 230-grain FS at 2,800 to 2,900 fps can do the same. I have broken both shoulder bones of moose with one FS bullet (broadside, 200 yards out), and the bullet has exited. My handload with the 230-grain FS and 73 grains of RL 19 develop somewhere around 2,830 fps at the muzzle. I accomplish that each year with a .338 WM, and the FS bullet. Last year I decided to use a Federal HE load with 250-grain NOS Partition. Since I have only recovered one FS bullet from moose I have killed, I through that perhaps the NOS would expand and stay inside. I was wrong again, because the 250-grain NOS zipped right through and dropped the moose almost on the spot. This moose was 250 yards out. I have not hunted bears with my .338, but I plan to develop a handload with Swift A-Frame's 275-grain bullet. These heavier bullets should work at "bear hunting distances." Scope? A low power Leupold (1.75-6Ex to 2.5-8x). If you plan to hunt in bear country, you better be ready to take shots at close range. | |||
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| one of us |
With a 338 Ultra you can use about any bullet on caribou. Killed one this past year with a 308Win and 180 grain Sierra...droped on the spot. I'd lean towards a heavier bullet as suggested already...225 or up. As long as you use a bullet of adequare weight, it won't really matter what brand it is. Your best bet is to shot the most accurate bullet in your rifle. | |||
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| <perrydog> |
If you are just going for caribou the 200 grain bullet should be fine...caribou are not that tough and a flatter shooting bullet might help. Most of the time you hunt caribou in very open country. Last weekend a friend of mine shot a medium sized bull with his 375 H&H and a 270 gr x bullet. At ~250 yards, hit behind the shoulder, the exit whole was fist sized. Impressive, but a little bit of an overkill. I think it stumbled three steps before it collapsed. He has now decided that he will use only his 30-06 for caribou...the meat damage was a little more than he liked. That is my opinion...take or leave it. Phil | ||
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| <T/Jazz> |
Perrydog...I heard that the Barnes X bullet only made exit holes the size of a quarter and didn't tear up the meat as bad as a conventional bullet. A fist size hole sounds like a bullet blow up maybe, is this possible with a solid copper bullet? | ||
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| <Reloader66> |
Caribou are very easy animals to bring down and your cartridge is more suited for Moose and Bear. If your just going after the strikingly beautiful Bull Caribou, there are many good cartridge choices you can make. Since the long range question ivariably comes into play on all exotic guided hunts, you should choose that cartridge to do all things well. The 338 magnum cartridge is far more cartridge than you will need for any Caribou. In my view the very best all around game cartridge is the great shooting 300 Winchester Magnum cartridge. It prodcues less recoil than all those new ULTRA magnum cartridges and bullet placement is the key to all game taking at any range. For Caribou the proper 165 grain bullet from the 300 Win.Mag. shines weather the shot is very close or out to 400 yards. The ideal rifle for your Caribou hunt would be the 300 Win.Mag. shooting the well constructed 165 grain bullet from a medium heavy stainless steel 26" barrel. That combination in my view is the perfect choice for the Caribou your after. | ||
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