Favorite 338 Win Mag loads?

[BigBore44]

I have a Kimber 8400 338 Win Mag that I want to start building some loads for. I really have come to like the Barnes TSX / TTSX in other calibers and, want to give'em a try in this too. It will primarily be used for (for now) whitetail deer + black bear.
All info is appreciated...!

What are your favorite loads (Bullets +Powders etc.), and what game do you usually hunt with your 338?

Thanks
Ray

[bushog]

I don't know where you are and how far you need to shoot but if you expect most shots within 200-250 yds try slowing a 225gn sierra down to about 2600fps it won't damage tooo much meat and will kill like a hammer. RL-15 if I recall.......

I used to shoot 225gn Accubonds at about 2900fps for elk and 250gn A-frames for bears.

Now I shoot a .300 win almost exclusively for the elk and the unfortunate blackie and haven't hunted big bears in years....

[dougader]

A 225 at 2600 sounds like my 338-06...

[nolongcolt]

I love that round and took one to Africa once. I used a 225 gr Hornady Interbond bullet but would not do so again, its fairly fragile despite being a "bonded" bullet. Recoverd bullets lost nearly 50 percent of weight. Would be a fine deer bullet though. I was driving mine about 2650 as the game I was after was not huge, kudu being the largest. It only took one bullet though. For target shooting I like the 200 gr Nosler Ballistic tips with medium range powders, they all work well. The couple rifles I have had liked R19 very well with 250 gr bullets too. Its not a fussy round at all and if the barrel and bedding are up to snuff, its no problem getting good groups. I plan to head to Namibia next summer and am torn between my latest .338, a Ruger Express model, or an older Ruger 77 .30-06. Both shoot well, the 06 is lighter and since I have never hunted with one I am leaning towards it.

[bradshaw]

Aug 11, 2016 21:56:25 GMT -5 BigBore44 said:

I have a Kimber 8400 338 Win Mag that I want to start building some loads for. I really have come to like the Barnes TSX / TTSX in other calibers and, want to give'em a try in this too. It will primarily be used for (for now) whitetail deer + black bear.
All info is appreciated...!

What are your favorite loads (Bullets +Powders etc.), and what game do you usually hunt with your 338?

Thanks
Ray

Ray.... anything out of a .338 Win Mag should hammer a deer. Back in the early 1970s I settled on IMR 4350, later expanding that by dint of circumstance to Hodgdon 4350. My original favorite bullet was Sierra's 250 Boat Tail Spitzer. Seated long, this bullet steps from the muzzle of a SAKO or other .375 H&H-length action at 2,800 fps, or damn close, and hits like a boulder at long range. Later on expanding projectile menu to Nosler's 210 and 225 grain Partitions. The .338 Win Mag is a workhorse cartridge, not a race horse. In other words, it is not high strung. Rifles are not load sensitive, leastwise should not be. The Nosler 210 Partition represents a hell of an all-round bullet. Your Barnes bullets should provide plenty satisfaction.

Note: while the .338 Win Mag is not load sensitive, please do not read this fact as a shortcut to a "maximum" load. Load development means WORK UP, NOT DOWN. Two rifles of the same model may reach their "maximum" working charge with a difference of 3-grains of powder. It is imperative to WORK UP.

Other powders work well, Reloader 19 high on the list. Some of the medium-burn .30-06 powders perform efficiently at moderate velocity, especially with lighter bullets, 200 grains or below. Real hard bullets for extra thick game may punch a pencil hole in the vittles you seek. The early Federal Trophy Bonder Bear Claw exemplifies a hard bullet likely to pencil-hole a deer, and we might as well include lighter bears in that statement.

Hodgkin 4831 and IMR 4831 are too slow for best efficiency. Accuracy and especially velocity fell behind IMR and Hodgdon 4350.

The .338 performs honest carnage on meat.
David Bradshaw

[bigbrowndog]

338WM is one of my favorites, I used one for years here in Texas for deer and hogs with Nosler 210s. Like Bradshaw my favorite powder is 4350, only I prefer the Accurate version, AA4350. I've used Seirra 250s but had mixed results on expansion ranging from none to a lot when run into deer, some old Winchester Silvertips provided great performance but I needed to shoot deer from one end or the other to generate enough resistance to get good expansion. The Nosler partition 210s are a great all around bullet, for lighter big game and larger stuff as well. I currently use Hornady 225 Sprite points for normal big game less than 500 pounds, if I'm going to Africa or chasing stuff bigger than 500#, then Barnes tsx, Hornady GMX, or Nosler partition get the nod.
I've shot Speer 275gr semi spit. as well but was not pleased with performance on big hogs.

all loads were with AA4350, powder charges varied from 69gr to 73grs, barrel lengths go from 26" to 20", and velocity is from 2400 to 3050fps.
Best overall bullet is definitely 225gr weights, and just adjust bullet construction to the animal hunted. Normal cup and core construction and 2600-2700 provides good performance on lighter big game, tougher construction at the same velocity is a global use gun for everything except maybe big 6 in Africa.

Trapr

[2 Dogs]

Tried all sorts of bullets in mine and the 210 Nosler Partition ended being my favorite. Plenty of clout for Nilgai and it really hammered deer.