ideal .338 win mag bullet? Barnes 265gn LRX?

[EXPRESS]

I have a .338 win mag coming which is going to be my "go to" big game rifle, as well and LR plinking out to 1300 yards. For hunting I wouldn't be likely to ever shoot past 800 yards with it.

I was initially thinking to set the rifle up with two loads, a 300 grain SMK or Berger for steel and the occasional long hunting shot, and an all round bullet like the 225gn Accubond or something similar.

Then I came across the 265 grain Barnes tipped TSX/LRX bullet, which Kirby Allen tested some years ago and found to have a potentially higher BC than the .575 Barned advertises. He, somewhat controversially suggested his results indicated a BC as high as .8.

So I thought this could be a solution to the problem of using two loads, if it will carry the energy out to the long ranges just as well as a 300 grain bullet will;

Assuming I get 2400 fps with a 300 gn VLD with a BC of .76 like the SMK, the 265gn (assuming it gets 2650fps) bullets needs to have a BC of .69 in order to match the 300 grainers' energy at 1000 yards, arriving with more residual speed. So if the 265gn LRX bullet does indeed surpass it's advertised BC, and reaches into the high .6's then I would have my bullet, but no one seems to have that answer.

If not the 265gn LRX, what might another ideal bullet be for the use I have outlines?

 

[TXAoudadKlr]

I would Opt for a bullet in the 250-265 weight range just to keep velocity up. The 250gr elite hunter from berger has a advertised B.C of .682

The 265 LRX may eat up more case capacity than you may like given its all copper construction.

 

[86alaskan]

are you planning on single loading or magazine loading. I agree with the above post in that you'll lose too much with a big heavy bullet in the 338 unless you single load. even then the throat may be too short to load them out very far. I shoot 250gr hornady's out of my Tikka 338 and seat them to mag length but still have a lot of bullet in the case. I think I'm in the 2600fps area with 75gr 7828ssc. that load leaves a light ejector ring on the base and has worked well on Alaskan game for a few years now.