Compiling a list of factory 338 WinMag Ammo

[Northern Shooter]

Like my previous post regarding 458 WinMag ammo, I am now looking to put together a list of all currently available factory options for 338 WinMag.

I've been doing some reading on the history of the cartridge and see that once upon a time Winchester offered 300grain cartridges, and even 270 grainers were available.

Today it looks like 200gr, 225gr and 250gr are the most common weights with a few others like 185gr, 210gr and 230gr thay are also available.

I've picked up a rifle in this cartridge as a "do it all" all purpose hunting platform.

What would be some stand out loads for lighter game (white tail, antelope)?

Medium game (Black bear, caribou, elk)?

Large game (Brown Bear, Moose, Bison)?

Best long range option?

 

[Northern Shooter]

So doing a quick search domestically (Canada), this is what I'm seeing in stock:

1. Hornady SST 225 grain
2. Hornady CX 225 grain
3. Hornady ELD-X 230 grain
4. Winchester Accubond 225 grain
5. Remington Core Lokt 225 grain
6. Remington Core Lokt 250 grain
7. Sako Hammerhead 250 grain
8. Norma Oryx 230 grain

 

[ldmay375]

I am not a long range guy. My present choice for do-all would be the Barnes 225 TTSX, followed by the 210 TTSX. The 225 non-tipped performed well for me, on an example of one bull moose at approximately 150 yards. One rib hit on the entrance, one or two on the exit through the scapula, instantly on the ground.

I think the tipped versions's bc is a plus for velocity retention and a bit less wind drift. I am not convinced there would be much depth or wound channel difference between the 210 and 225.

I am partial to the 225 coppers. The non-tipped versions still work well for my distances. And "maybe" penetrate slightly more than the tipped.

Of course there are the CEB Maximus and Hammer Bullet types also.

 

[Northern Shooter]

I'm finding there is surprisingly less factory 338WM ammo available on the shelves (and online) than I would have thought.

I'm actually seeing more places selling 375HH which I find surprising.

Is the 338 class not very popular these days with all the .30, .284 and .264 options coming to market?

 

[ldmay375]

338 Winchester ammunition & brass has been in low supply to nonexistent, from at some point during the covid bs. The ammunition appears to be starting a trickle of availability. Hopefully the situation will become a bit more normal soon.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

@ldmay375 is absolutely spot on. Ever since 2018, I've been noticing a real shortage of .338 Winchester Magnum ammunition on the market. Two of my personal favorites back in the good old days, were the:
a) 300Gr Winchester Power-Point (now discontinued)
b) 250Gr Nosler Partition (officially listed as "Out of Stock" by Nosler for the last 5 years).

When I hunted my life's first American Kodiak bear in Alaska in 1975, I observed that the. 338 Winchester Magnum (loaded with the 300Gr Winchester Power-Point) was almost universally adapted by Alaskan hunters as their all-round rifle of choice (to the exclusion of everything else). Indeed, this was the caliber and cartridge with which I shot my very first Kodiak. It wouldn't be until the mid-1980s that the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum started to replace the .338 Winchester Magnum as the Alaskan hunter's most popular all-round rifle caliber of choice.

His Royal Excellence, King Mahendra of Nepal preferred the 300Gr Winchester Power-Point for hunting Nepalese tigers as well. His big game rifle of choice was exclusively a Mannlicher Schoenauer in .338 Winchester Magnum.

The 250Gr Nosler Partition (fired out of a .338 Winchester Magnum) used to be extremely popular for hunting lion & leopard in Zambia. I myself have used this magnificent cartridge to hunt a very large leopard over bait. Absolutely ideal feline medicine.

Anyway, enough droning on about the past. We have to work with what is now currently available to us. Based on currently manufactured factory loaded options, I really like the 250Gr Sako Hammerhead.

I'm yet to try this load in Africa. But I have hunted ibex with it. The 250Gr Sako Hammerhead factory load (fired out of a .338 Winchester Magnum) is capable of absolutely hammering a full grown bull ibex from any angle.

 

[Tgood1]

thus far i like the winchester 225 gr accubond.

 

[JimP]

This shortage of factory ammo is a great reason to put your own rounds together.

But then you need to source components. I'm lucky in that 8 or so years ago I was able to put my hands on enough powder and primers that I'll still be good for quite a while. A few months ago I purchased a few hundred bullets that my rifles like, so I'm set that way.

My only problem will creep up as my cases age and start to show signs of stress.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Midway USA shows 18 listings, most of them are out of stock.

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[Northern Shooter]

Th

@ldmay375 is absolutely spot on. Ever since 2018, I've been noticing a real shortage of .338 Winchester Magnum ammunition on the market. Two of my personal favorites back in the good old days, were the:
a) 300Gr Winchester Power-Point (now discontinued)
b) 250Gr Nosler Partition (officially listed as "Out of Stock" by Nosler for the last 5 years).

When I hunted my life's first American Kodiak bear in Alaska in 1975, I observed that the. 338 Winchester Magnum (loaded with the 300Gr Winchester Power-Point) was almost universally adapted by Alaskan hunters as their all-round rifle of choice (to the exclusion of everything else). Indeed, this was the caliber and cartridge with which I shot my very first Kodiak. It wouldn't be until the mid-1980s that the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum started to replace the .338 Winchester Magnum as the Alaskan hunter's most popular all-round rifle caliber of choice.

His Royal Excellence, King Mahendra of Nepal preferred the 300Gr Winchester Power-Point for hunting Nepalese tigers as well. His big game rifle of choice was exclusively a Mannlicher Schoenauer in .338 Winchester Magnum.

The 250Gr Nosler Partition (fired out of a .338 Winchester Magnum) used to be extremely popular for hunting lion & leopard in Zambia. I myself have used this magnificent cartridge to hunt a very large leopard over bait. Absolutely ideal feline medicine.

Anyway, enough droning on about the past. We have to work with what is now currently available to us. Based on currently manufactured factory loaded options, I really like the 250Gr Sako Hammerhead.

I'm yet to try this load in Africa. But I have hunted ibex with it. The 250Gr Sako Hammerhead factory load (fired out of a .338 Winchester Magnum) is capable of absolutely hammering a full grown bull ibex from any angle.

That's too bad about the discontinuation of the 300gr Winchester offerings, although I have read some articles making the claim that 300gr was too much for the 338 WM. What kind of velocities were those moving at? 2,300 fps?

It looks like the heaviest loads available today from the factory are the 250gr, of those I'm only seeing offerings from Sako (Hammerhead) and Remington (Core Lokt).

I have also heard good things about the 230 gr Norma Oryx which I'm seeing in stock.

I plan on buying a couple boxes of everything and seeing which my rifle prefers.

 

[Northern Shooter]

The 338WinMag ammo shortage continues.
Hornady seems to be the most common brand availible that I'm seeing. The first of my orders just arrived, Hornady 230 gr ELDX.

If my rifle likes this load I plan on getting my Luepold CDS dial tuned for it.

I've also ordered a couple boxes of the Norma Oryx 230gr.

Finding other brands has been difficult. I'm really surprised I'm not seeing anything from Federal in stock across the country. They must not have ran a production run of 338 in sometime.

 

[ldmay375]

I saw several boxes of the Hornady 225 grain CX 338 Winchester in the local firearm store.

I like the Barnes 225's, because that is the monolithic type that I started with and they have worked well for me. I would have no hesitation using the Hornady providing that they grouped well in my rifle. For my distances the reported bc and impact velocity should be plenty for bullet performance.

I have not tried them because I have ample Barnes for hand loading.

 

[Northern Shooter]

So I've ordered my latest batch of 338 WinMag Ammo, Sako Hammerheads (250 grain). What's the consensus on these?

I'm still testing out as many factory loads as I can get my hands on. I'm hoping to settle on two separate preferred loads, a "heavy" 250gr for larger game at closer distances and a a lighter 225-230 grain load more suited for long range work.

In terms of 250 grain options, I've only been seeing Sako Hammerheads and Remington Corelokts. Any preference between these two?

for 230 grain options I'm seeing the Hornady ELDX and Norma Oryx. How do these 2 compare?

Is there a 225 load that would be preferred as a longer range option to the above? Unfortunately I've yet to find any Barnes in stock.