.338 Win Mag loads..help me decide!

[Deepfork]

I started another thread here a while back after I purchased a new in the box (made in 1979) Ruger M77 in .338 Win Mag. for my next Africa hunt. Several members here helped me gather load data and components. Thankyou!!!

I have spent the last six weeks working up loads. The six below were consistent and very accurate from my rifle. I made a poll, I am very curious what everyone believes the best choice or choices would be, you can pick two if you like.

My original 225gr choice was a Barnes TTSX. I could not get that bullet to group for me so I acquired the 225 gr Hornady CX which performed great for me.

Other info to help you pick.

My wish list for the next hunt is: Mountain Zebra, Duiker, Mountain Reedbuck, Lechwe, Eland and Kudu. We are going back to where we hunted last year so I expect the same types of shots. I took nine animals, two with my bow and seven with a rifle. Of the rifle shots three were 300 plus yards, three were between 150 and 250 yards. Only one was under 100 yards.

I have it narrowed down to two in my mind. Looking forward to your opinions!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I started another thread here a while back after I purchased a new in the box (made in 1979) Ruger M77 in .338 Win Mag. for my next Africa hunt. Several members here helped me gather load data and components. Thankyou!!!

I have spent the last six weeks working up loads. The six below were consistent and very accurate from my rifle. I made a poll, I am very curious what everyone believes the best choice or choices would be, you can pick two if you like.

My original 225gr choice was a Barnes TTSX. I could not get that bullet to group for me so I acquired the 225 gr Hornady CX which performed great for me.

Other info to help you pick.

My wish list for the next hunt is: Mountain Zebra, Duiker, Mountain Reedbuck, Lechwe, Eland and Kudu. We are going back to where we hunted last year so I expect the same types of shots. I took nine animals, two with my bow and seven with a rifle. Of the rifle shots three were 300 plus yards, three were between 150 and 250 yards. Only one was under 100 yards.

I have it narrowed down to two in my mind. Looking forward to your opinions!

I have been and always will be a fan of the Nosler Partition, the original premium bullet in my mind. But I prefer North Fork Bonded Cores and Swift A-Frames. Neither of those two are on your list as I can see, but if you can get them, I'd try them.

One thing to keep in mind if you've not worked with the TTSX before is they really like a clean barrel. If you did not give the barrel a thorough cleaning prior to working with them, you may want to try again. I'm not a huge fan of the bullet but that is due to their sensitivity to copper fouling. I have developed good loads with the bullet, but after enough rounds of just the TTSX thru my barrel, accuracy will drop off and quickly. At least that has been my experience as well as that of others. Clean the barrel and it comes right back. But when I go to Africa, the last thing I want to do in the evenings is clean a rifle barrel, that's for when I get back home.

 

[Scott CWO]

225 grain Swift A-Frame

 

[Deepfork]

225 grain Swift A-Frame

Not on my list cause I cant get any. Send me some and ill load them up.

 

[DLSJR]

I prefer 225 grain bullets in my 338 Winchester. I typically shoot Barnes TTSX, but also really like Trophy Bonded Bearclaws. I’ll be shooting Federal Premium factory loaded Bearclaws on an upcoming hunt in the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania. I’m also a fan of Nosler Partitions and have had good results on anything I’ve shot with them.

 

[flatwater bill]

Just to play Devil's advocate: why use a .338 if you don't use a big bullet? The late Jim Carmichael said that a 250 grain bullet backed with 68 grains of IMR 4350 was the load that made the 338 shine. (I use 67 grains with mono-metal) As for smaller bullets.....I can load the 220 grain Nosler Semi-Spitzer Partition in my 300 Win Mag.....so for me, a big bullet is something bigger than that. And BTW, I used the 275 grain Speer semi-spitzer when that was available.....JMO......good luck with whatever....................FWB

 

[JimP]

I haven't found a bullet that is more accurate out of my .340 Weatherby than the Barnes 225 grain TTSX. I'll shoot them at any animal that I hunt where it is legal.

I have zero problems with a dirty barrel and accuracy.

 

[Inline6]

Not enough information to be honest. Velocity is only but one measurement and in my eyes not the most important.

What are the SDs for these loads? Are all these groups sub MOA? Any 1/2MOA? Anything better than that? People are not going to see their Bullet of choice and will ask the question why not that Bullet. That is how most of these threads go. All the bullets you listed will kill all the animals on your list at the distance you are going to be hunting. At the end of the day the Eland is the biggest on your list and it is a big animal. Pick the best Bullet for him and the rest will be a chip shot.

 

[pilar]

210 NP @ 3000fps + = is a very very time tested load for a 338 , I wouldn’t hesitate to use them .
225 CX is rather capital if you’re going where lead is being banned and only want to develop one load for every occasion

 

[AimSmall]

I find great accuracy, with speed, using 225 TSX and IMR4350.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

250Gr Swift A Frame.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

I just got new to me 338. Decided on Barnes 225 TTSX and IMR4350 to start working up a load for it. I would have tried AFrames but can't find any and the Barnes is readily available.

 

[Inline6]

If the CX line is working in your rifle, it is about a nickels worth of difference between them and Barnes. Personally have not been overly impressed by the mono bullets. The do penetrate, just don't see as many DRT animals using them. They all die quickly, like you will more than likely watch them all fall.

 

[benchracer]

I started another thread here a while back after I purchased a new in the box (made in 1979) Ruger M77 in .338 Win Mag. for my next Africa hunt. Several members here helped me gather load data and components. Thankyou!!!

I have spent the last six weeks working up loads. The six below were consistent and very accurate from my rifle. I made a poll, I am very curious what everyone believes the best choice or choices would be, you can pick two if you like.

My original 225gr choice was a Barnes TTSX. I could not get that bullet to group for me so I acquired the 225 gr Hornady CX which performed great for me.

Other info to help you pick.

My wish list for the next hunt is: Mountain Zebra, Duiker, Mountain Reedbuck, Lechwe, Eland and Kudu. We are going back to where we hunted last year so I expect the same types of shots. I took nine animals, two with my bow and seven with a rifle. Of the rifle shots three were 300 plus yards, three were between 150 and 250 yards. Only one was under 100 yards.

I have it narrowed down to two in my mind. Looking forward to your opinions!

I would be inclined to use the 230 ELD-X for the Duiker, Mountain Reedbuck, and Lechwe. For Mountain Zebra, Kudu, and Eland, I would switch to the 225 CX.

If you prefer a one bullet for everything approach, the 210 Nosler Partition would be my first choice, though the 225 CX could also work.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

 

[DLSJR]

Just to play Devil's advocate: why use a .338 if you don't use a big bullet? The late Jim Carmichael said that a 250 grain bullet backed with 68 grains of IMR 4350 was the load that made the 338 shine. (I use 67 grains with mono-metal) As for smaller bullets.....I can load the 220 grain Nosler Semi-Spitzer Partition in my 300 Win Mag.....so for me, a big bullet is something bigger than that. And BTW, I used the 275 grain Speer semi-spitzer when that was available.....JMO......good luck with whatever....................FWB

Well, in my case it started with better accuracy. I get 3/4” groups with 225’s, not quite as good with 250’s. When I had the factory barrel, I mostly shot 250 grain Nosler Partitions and it was great on Elk and the one Brown Bear I shot with it. I shot out the original barrel and replaced it with a Lilja barrel, which happens to group 225’s better. I’ve never shot an animal with a 225 that didn’t die pretty quickly, so I stick with what works for me. I’ve managed to accumulate 4 boxes of Federal Premium ammo with 225 grain TB Bearclaws, so that’s what I’m using for an upcoming hunt In the Selous. I doubt it really matters, but I figure that a Bearclaw is a better leopard bullet than a TTSX So that’s what I’m shooting. It crushed the last leopard I shot.

 

[shootist~]

The 225 gr CX monometal, being as it will most likely be the best choice for deep penetration on Eland.

 

[flatwater bill]

Hard to argue with your reasoning. And I'm not sure that the newer 225's wont out penetrate some of the older and bigger bullets anyway. Looking forward to that report from The Selous. Go get 'em...........FWB

 

[Deepfork]

Not enough information to be honest. Velocity is only but one measurement and in my eyes not the most important.

What are the SDs for these loads? Are all these groups sub MOA? Any 1/2MOA? Anything better than that? People are not going to see their Bullet of choice and will ask the question why not that Bullet. That is how most of these threads go. All the bullets you listed will kill all the animals on your list at the distance you are going to be hunting. At the end of the day the Eland is the biggest on your list and it is a big animal. Pick the best Bullet for him and the rest will be a chip shot.

I did not give all of the data on purpose, these are my six choices, they all shoot well out of my rifle, what is the best option?

I am still tweaking the loads so I did not give the group sizes. There are still a couple of bullets and powders I am trying to get hold of.

The only one I don't have under an inch is the 180gr Accubond, about 1.3 on that one.

Most accurate was the ELD-X. I shoot four shot groups. All four touching with the ELD-X, and it actually looks like there were only 3 shots. Its one of the best groups I have ever shot.

If anyone has real experience with the .338 230gr ELD-X I'd like to hear it. My son took his trophies with a 162gr ELD-X out of a 7mm RM out our last trip. No exit wounds and almost nothing left of the bullets so I did not have a great opinion of them when I started this. But my rifle loves them.

 

[Deepfork]

If the CX line is working in your rifle, it is about a nickels worth of difference between them and Barnes. Personally have not been overly impressed by the mono bullets. The do penetrate, just don't see as many DRT animals using them. They all die quickly, like you will more than likely watch them all fall.

That has been view also. My only experience with them has been a 130gr Barnes from a .308. Small entry and exit wounds, very little blood.