All around hunting load for .338 win. mag.

[35 Whelen]

I will be getting a .338 Win. Mag. from my uncle later this year when I go visit me. What is every one using in their .338 Win. Mag. as an all around big game bullet. I mostly hunt with my .270 Win. and 35 Whelen, but also have and use .243 Win, .270 WSM, .30-30 Win, .308 Win, .30-06, .300 Win. Mag. I also have a 45-70 I plain to use too. So I have a good idea of what to use and am thing of a 200gr. or 225gr. bullet in the .338 Win. Mag. What do you guys think? Thanks

 

[wyosteve]

I personally use the 225 gr. for about everything. Having said that, 210's have shot well and I used 250 on my griz'. I'd go with whatever shoots best in your gun.

 

[BigGrizz]

I had to find this thread since you mentioned it.

I'd shoot an AB or Partition from the Win Mag. I've definitely become a Nosler loyalist the past few years. Partitions are the gold standard without a doubt.

 

[35 Whelen]

I had to find this thread since you mentioned it.

I'd shoot an AB or Partition from the Win Mag. I've definitely become a Nosler loyalist the past few years. Partitions are the gold standard without a doubt.

Ben thing about that. My 35 Whelen's shoot the 225gr. Partitions very well.

 

[Playtimefun]

Hi 35

My only 338 Win Mag is in a TC pro hunter with a 26" barrel and it's been more of a closer range gun for me. Basically a bush elk gun out to 300 yards more because it has a bit of a crappy trigger. I need to get a trigger kit and get it down off of 5 lbs.

I haven't played a lot with my 338 but the Barnes TTSX are one of my go to bullets because I have just had such good luck on hitting something when it's close (and they don't explode) and they perform well out far too. I have used the 210 and 225 bullets. The trick with any of the Barnes is getting them out so they are almost to the lands. I haven't developed much for loads for the 210 and 225s yet though.

I have had some surprisingly good luck with the Nosler Accubonds in 225 grain.

I just started liking the Accubonds as I have a Browning Mountain Ti in 325 WSM and I came around a corner of bush about 5 years ago and was 30 yards from a big old cow moose and I had a tag. The 200 grain Accubond factory load hit HARD and mushroomed almost all the way to the base. So it lost some weight but at that range there wasn't much velocity loss lol. She basically went 10 yards.

I used to shoot the partitions a lot, but Barnes has sort of become my go to for performance but you gotta play to find the load to get them to shoot. And if your not going long range, you can go down a weight and get the same performance but flatter. A 210 TTSX will penetrate as good as a 225
Accubond.

 

[35 Whelen]

Hi 35

My only 338 Win Mag is in a TC pro hunter with a 26" barrel and it's been more of a closer range gun for me. Basically a bush elk gun out to 300 yards more because it has a bit of a crappy trigger. I need to get a trigger kit and get it down off of 5 lbs.

I haven't played a lot with my 338 but the Barnes TTSX are one of my go to bullets because I have just had such good luck on hitting something when it's close (and they don't explode) and they perform well out far too. I have used the 210 and 225 bullets. The trick with any of the Barnes is getting them out so they are almost to the lands. I haven't developed much for loads for the 210 and 225s yet though.

I have had some surprisingly good luck with the Nosler Accubonds in 225 grain.

I just started liking the Accubonds as I have a Browning Mountain Ti in 325 WSM and I came around a corner of bush about 5 years ago and was 30 yards from a big old cow moose and I had a tag. The 200 grain Accubond factory load hit HARD and mushroomed almost all the way to the base. So it lost some weight but at that range there wasn't much velocity loss lol. She basically went 10 yards.

I used to shoot the partitions a lot, but Barnes has sort of become my go to for performance but you gotta play to find the load to get them to shoot. And if your not going long range, you can go down a weight and get the same performance but flatter. A 210 TTSX will penetrate as good as a 225
Accubond.

How did the Partitions do for you?

 

[jjmp]

Congrats on your 338 w/mag, it's a great Cartridge for sure for deer you could shoot 160's to 225 grainers .partitions always good for sure ,Speer grand slams also very good,Sierra Ditto ,Barnes also top notch depending on what your hunting ,they Barnes also advise a 0.50 jump to the lands . Hornady ,Swift ,among others make great bullets , mine sports a mk10 Mauser action with a ss/26 inch #5 conture by Douglas , it's more target then hunter 0/625 .

 

[Playtimefun]

How did the Partitions do for you?

I have never had an issue with the performance of Nosler Partitions. I have a ton of 200 grainers loaded up for my 300 Win Mag and 300 Weatherby. 180s in the Win Mag as well.

And now that you mention I can't remember even why I stopped using them and went to the Barnes more.

The only bad thing about the partitions is that they are not a "super accurate" bullet. They are a hunting bullet first and accuracy second. But with the accuracy I got out of them, no deer or moose ever complained. I don't think I have shot an elk with the partitions.

The only bullet I will not use any more are the Nosler Ballistic tips. The bullets never opened up and we found the 1 whitetail after a lot of searching and the second 3 hours after the coyotes had in both casss it was a pencil hole through the animal with no expansion which is apparently an oddity.

The other one I won't use is Berger's. great for targets and if I was hunting for trophies sure... because you hit an animal and it's like a mine field with shrapnel. But you also destroy half the meat on the animal and I am a meat hunter first and foremost. As a young hunter I got warned not to shot this big 52" moose we had seen. Did I listen??? No and you had to chew the hamburger 25 times before you swallowed. I kept the horns for years and then finally gave them to someone. And it was a 165 grain Hornady interlok that worked perfectly out of my first 300 Win Mag. That gun shot 5 shot 1/2" groups with those interloks and with 4350 powder.

 

[MagnumManiac]

My go-to load for all 3 of my 338's is RE19 and a Nosler 225gr Accubond. All 3 rifles require different amounts of powder, but the accuracy is sub MoA in all 3 and these bullets kill so well and leave lots of undamaged meat behind, it's a no brainer. For elk, I use 250gr Accubond or Partitions.

Cheers.

 

[35 Whelen]

Thanks to you guys that replied. I was hoping to get more responses but you guys were very helpful. I guess with all the small bore craze the medium bores just are not getting the love they deserve.

 

[Frog4aday]

Maybe not a lot of responses, but after reading through the thread, the folks that did respond nailed it. Partitions...can't go wrong. Barnes TTSX...can't go wrong. Accubond...can't go wrong. Grand Slam? Another winner. As you yourself said in your first post, "thinking about 200 to 225 grain bullets" so the TTSX and the Partitions give you the 'all-around' capability you wanted in the weight range you were considering. I love my .338 Win Mag (Tikka T3) but it sure lets me know when I've detonated primer and powder.

 

[jjmp]

35W ,nosler 210 Partition is also Golden !!!

 

[35 Whelen]

Maybe not a lot of responses, but after reading through the thread, the folks that did respond nailed it. Partitions...can't go wrong. Barnes TTSX...can't go wrong. Accubond...can't go wrong. Grand Slam? Another winner. As you yourself said in your first post, "thinking about 200 to 225 grain bullets" so the TTSX and the Partitions give you the 'all-around' capability you wanted in the weight range you were considering. I love my .338 Win Mag (Tikka T3) but it sure lets me know when I've detonated primer and powder.

Yes the replies are top notch, I just thought the 338 Win. Mag. would have got a lot more responses.

 

[jjmp]

People pre occupied pm if yu wish it's worth all the time you give it a then some , congrats again