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best ammunition in caliber .338 win mag ?

41K views 23 replies 16 participants last post by  Dom 
#1 ·
hi Hunters, and loaders !

i am in process to get a .338 WM rifle ( out of german parts), and it is to hunt from Roe to red Dears + Elks and Wilkd boras .. perhaps bears as well .
what are the recommended Ammo from the shop meeting the "killing criterias" : Precision at 200 m, + killing efficiency ??

Every one has own experience ..
 
#2 ·
225gr (14.6g) Nosler Accubonds seem to be popular around here. For large brown bears, maybe 250gr Nosler Partitions. I have limited experience with the .338WM so far, having gotten mine only a couple months ago. I've been using the 225gr Accubonds so far but only for target practice and not at game, yet.
 
#3 ·
.338 Wm

Your bullet choice depends on how dangerous the critter is. For all big animals, I highly recommend the Nosler Partition bullet.

For large brown or grissly bears (or anything else that might eat you), I'd recommend the 250gr Nosler Partition bullet in the .338 WM. For elk, stag, smaller bears, the 210gr Nosler Partition will not only do the job, but will extend your range substantially. I've killed several whitetail deer, five elk (one of them weighing 1200 pounds), a 7x7 red stag, and an Alaskan caribou with the 210gr Nosler Partition at a great variety of ranges and recommend that bullet highly. You need only go to the 250gr for extremely big & dangerous bears.

Good hunting!:)
 
#6 ·
The 225 Grain TTSX is outstandiing. The first 2 photos are of a coyote taken with the TSX bullets check out the damage and the coyote meat blown inot the tree about 3' off of the ground






Moose taken with the same load 2 days after taking the coyote



The bullet passed through both shoulder blades and exited the animal
 
#8 ·
Yup, the 210 is famous in the 338WM, and the 250's are some awesome big bullets for heavy game. My old man used 225gr TBBC's for his brown bear and got complete penetration on all shots taken. If I was going to buy factory ammo, I would probably shoot the 210gr-225gr PT's from Federal or Nosler. Scotty
 
#9 ·
thank you for these various and sharp experiences whitness!

The moose is impressively dead ! as well as the coyote ! by Gee !

So i'll go for Federal premium/nosler partition in 210 and 225gr to start with .
I hope to find them here in Europe .

I am quite impatient to test that rifle ( late december probably ).But for time being I have to wait in bed being severely hurt by a double disc protrusion at the low spine !!

Such forums helps me to cope with it !

Friendly regards to you guys up north !
 
#11 ·
I've been shooting a 338wm for a few years. I've shot 180's to 275's with it, mostly Nosler Partitions and Swift AFrames for game and Hornady Interlocks for practice. Over time I've settled on 250 grain bullets as my tool of choice.

Out to 200 yards I have not experienced too much difference in accuracy or ability to kill game cleanly. With proper shot placement critters die fast. Where I have noticed a difference is after 200 yards. The 250's seem to drift less than the lighter bullets and accordingly the point of impact is more predictable. I think the predictability of the POI is why I just shoot the one bullet weight.

On game, with the few bullets I've recovered, the heavier bullets seem to hold together better and penetrate deeper. So far it's taken moose. elk, grizzly, black bear, deer, wolf, coyote. All of them with the exception of one large miserable black bear died quickly and cleanly. The black bear had no lungs or heart left and he still had the poor manners to come for me. I don't view that one animal as a failure of the cartridge, rather I've found every so often bears can just be ill natured.

I'm a double lung guy and as such I have not experienced much meat damage with the 250's; in fact I've found the 250's seem to create less blood shot than smaller faster bullets in meat.

Each to their own and what works for them - for me with a 338wm it's 73 grains of H4831 under a 250 grain Swift A Frame.
 
#12 ·
thanks puddlejumper from B.C !

i like your clear and effective statements, !

by the way you you send a few pictures of your latest gamehunt !! just for appreciating your environment and dreaming a bit ( from my bed where i need to stay for a couple of weeks !)

cheerio !
 
#15 · (Edited)
This wolf I took last year at 276yards (lasered), 250 grain Nosler Partition. Kind of a smaller one but he was going after a friends livestock so...




One of this springs black bears.




A moose carcass from 2 or 3 years ago. Note the exit wound and the lack of blood shot. 250 grain Nosler partion at about 110 yards.





I took this elk (my first) this fall at about 120 yards, 250 grain Nosler partition. He just folded up on the spot.



The mountain top where I shot the elk.





Some scenary from this fall.



The meat tents after 6 days.



My hunting partners 6x4 from this fall - Nice Elk!



More scenery.

 
#13 ·
I use one of two bullet weights in my one .338 Win mag and that is the 210 grain (Nosler Partition) bullet for deer type animals and for anything that wants to chew on my bones, it is a 275 grain Swift A Frame bullet. If you can not get those Swift bullets, then the 250 grain Nosler Partition will do just fine.;)

My long range elk gun (.338-Edge) uses Nosler Accubond in the 225 grain bullet weight. This bullet has great ballistic numbers and stays together giving a very good wound channel. A plus for those big elk 400 yards down range!:) The B.C. is 550 and the Sectional Density is .281.
 
#17 ·
Wow, nice pics from BC.

I've tried quite a lot in the 338 WM, and the most used was a 250 gr Sierra gameking, from moose to elk to deer. Used the 225 Nosler partition, as well as the 230 gr failsafe (no longer in production). Been wanting to try the XP3, but am leaning towards the 25-06, 6.5-06, and 30-06 for quite a bit less kick on me!
 
#18 ·
rifle .338 WM eventually arrived !!

Hi there,

After 1 year of investigation and manufacturing , here is it :

As planned : Barrel of 22.8 " diam .76", mauser K98 sustem, 2-12 X 50 optics ..
easy to shoot .. sub MOA with Federal 225gr TSX barnes .
Check pictures and comment !







 
#21 · (Edited)
Aside from being too pretty too hunt with, that rifle is amazing :D

Iv had good luck with the 225 grain nosler partition, i have 1 5pt bull a spike bull and a cow with that particular bullet. the only one that didnt exit was from a 10 yard shoulder shot on the 5pt, and it did break both front shoulders and he was down on the spot. I have used the 210 gr NP but wasnt very impressed with it, i shot a big cow at 10-15 yards, double lung and the bullet stopped on the opposite hide, too me an exit wound is a requirement for elk, this upcoming year i will be using 250 gr partitions.
 
#22 ·
Hi guys,

I am back on this forum after 5 years ( time flies), .. excellent experience with my .338WM rifle !
Just coming back from Namibia where antilopes and chacal just saw the fire at the end of the barrel , but don't remember anymore :)

Looking for experiences withe the Hornady factory loaded SST superformance 225gr ..!

bests

P.
 
#23 ·
I own a .338 RCM and a very good friend also has one and he uses the 225gr SST SF loading in his. He took a nice Maine black bear with that load a few years back and has been very satisfied with it.
 

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#24 ·
The last time I shot an elk with my 338 mag was in 1996. I have been using a 260Rem/6.5x55 since then. In my 338 I used to use the now out of production Barnes 175gr "X" bullet which always delivered complete penetration. From the many elk I have shot I really don't see a need for a heavier bullet. If I were to use my 338 today I would go with the Barnes 185gr TSX. I promise you it will completely penetrate a mature elk. The 185 gr bullet while having more than ample killing power for your needs it will reduce recoil & flatten trajectory a bit. Also reduces time of flight.
 
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