338 Winchester Magnum

[shootist~]

Yes I shoot 185 tsx and ttsx. I hand load them with IMR 4831 and my gun loves them. I have a pic of one I recovered from a black bear that I will post if I can find it (the only tsx I have ever recovered). I think its an excellent bullet and would be great for PG.

Outstanding. Thanks for the info in both your posts. Sounds like the Barnes 185 will be tough enough for Plains Game, then.

 

[Mekaniks]

Outstanding. Thanks for the info in both your posts. Sounds like the Barnes 185 will be tough enough for Plains Game, then.

Here it is.....

 

[CoElkHunter]

The 338 Win Mag with good ammo will take any plains game and leopard. I stick with 225 or 250 grain Remington ammo. I have had good success with the Ammo.

Unless you are going after the other big 5 the 338 will do all your game.

I have ALWAYS used the Remington Core Lokt ammo 225gr .338 WM for elk in Colorado and it has never failed me. I was told in one of these posts that it might be to "soft" for African PG? I don't know, it's always killed my elk with one shot. My son has killed several elk with his .300 WM using 180gr Core Lokts? ????

 

[Mekaniks]

I have ALWAYS used the Remington Core Lokt ammo 225gr .338 WM for elk in Colorado and it has never failed me. I was told in one of these posts that it might be to "soft" for African PG? I don't know, it's always killed my elk with one shot. My son has killed several elk with his .300 WM using 180gr Core Lokts? ????

My dad always used Core loks when I was growing up. We shot tons lots of critters with them.... until he had one explode in the front shoulder of a deer. Now he uses Nosler Partitions.
My personal opinion is that there is too many really good bullets out there to risk a bullet failure on an expensive hunt.
With that said, many bullets are signed for different applications. As example TSX and NP are very different designs and will function very differently.

 

[CoElkHunter]

My dad always used Core loks when I was growing up. We shot tons lots of critters with them.... until he had one explode in the front shoulder of a deer. Now he uses Nosler Partitions.
My personal opinion is that there is too many really good bullets out there to risk a bullet failure on an expensive hunt.
With that said, many bullets are signed for different applications. As example TSX and NP are very different designs and will function very differently.

Your absolutely right. An acquaintance's son had to shoot a caribou in Alaska three times with his .300 WM using 180gr Noslers. Apparently in the light bodied caribou, the Noslers didn't expand much (or at all) and went straight through the animal. I don't remember what the distance was, but I think it was about 100yds. He told me this during an elk hunt, where I shot a cow elk at about 35 yds., and was surprised I was using Core Lokts in my .338. My bullet ended up on the opposite side under the hide on a quartering shot and perfectly mushroomed. I still have the bullet. My father-in-law swears by the Noslers, and his buddy swears by the Barnes TSX (or TTSX?) in his .338. They both have shot a LOT of game between them. So, I guess each to his own poison?

 

[Mekaniks]

Your absolutely right. An acquaintance's son had to shoot a caribou in Alaska three times with his .300 WM using 180gr Noslers. Apparently in the light bodied caribou, the Noslers didn't expand much (or at all) and went straight through the animal. I don't remember what the distance was, but I think it was about 100yds. He told me this during an elk hunt, where I shot a cow elk at about 35 yds., and was surprised I was using Core Lokts in my .338. My bullet ended up on the opposite side under the hide on a quartering shot and perfectly mushroomed. I still have the bullet. My father-in-law swears by the Noslers, and his buddy swears by the Barnes TSX (or TTSX?) in his .338. They both have shot a LOT of game between them. So, I guess each to his own poison?

Yes. Just for comparison purposes this is a 150g Nosler Partition 30-06 at 100 yards that I recovered from a from a hog in Hawaii. It went in the front shoulder and found it under the hide on the other side.

 

[bruce moulds]

that nosler partition almost looks like a boat tail?
bruce.

 

[Mekaniks]

that nosler partition almost looks like a boat tail?
bruce.

yeah your correct it was a Nosler Accubond NOT a Partition.....my bad

 

[shaggy430]

I was at Bass Pro today and came across some Sako 250grain Hammerhead 338 Win Mag marked way down. It says it is a bonded bullet. Very little I can find online about it. Has anyone used this bullet?

 

[shootist~]

I was at Bass Pro today and came across some Sako 250grain Hammerhead 338 Win Mag marked way down. It says it is a bonded bullet. Very little I can find online about it. Has anyone used this bullet?

I think it was mentioned in this thread (or possibly on another site). Someone had a massive bullet failure with it. No penetration, bullet breakup, IIRC.

 

[Ryan]

It worked fine in a 30-06 here https://www.africahunting.com/index.php?threads/15571/

But that's not a 338. It looks like a well constructed bonded bullet. My main concern isn't performance, it's availability. If they're marked way down it sounds like they're getting rid of them. So, if they shoot well will you be able to find more?

 

[Riksa]

I'm a big fan of Sako. But honestly, I would not use Hammerhead bullet in .338 for any game. The bullet fails even in .308 Win when shooting moose at a short distance. There are way better bullets available. If it's cheap, use it for practice ammo.

 

[Daga Boy]

Barnes Tsx and ttsx are excellent bullets, but 185gr it is not the ideal for Limpopo as ranges are generally close.
Rather look at something a tad heavier.
Personally I favour the 225gr offering - which is probably the perfect choice in this calibre.
You can even go to the 250gr tsx, but it's not necessary for the species you have in mind.

 

[Daga Boy]

I do not favour the Sako bullets at these velocities. 2 years ago I shot a big eland cow with one at abut 75m. The core exited leaving a very small exit wound and I found the jacket inside the animal.
The shock to the animal was considerable and it wasn't exactly going anywhere after it was shot, but internal damage was quite minimal. This coupled with the small exit wound makes me think that the core just slipped the jacket without really expanding much. Not exactly the performance you want.
Have since switched to Swift A Frame in 275gr for the bush.

 

[shaggy430]

I do not favour the Sako bullets at these velocities. 2 years ago I shot a big eland cow with one at abut 75m. The core exited leaving a very small exit wound and I found the jacket inside the animal.
The shock to the animal was considerable and it wasn't exactly going anywhere after it was shot, but internal damage was quite minimal. This coupled with the small exit wound makes me think that the core just slipped the jacket without really expanding much. Not exactly the performance you want.
Have since switched to Swift A Frame in 275gr for the bush.

Thanks. I bought 3 boxes for a good price. I’ll use it for practice. From what I’ve read the brass is excellent for reloading. I have some 250 grain Partitions on order to load up.

 

[Daga Boy]

The brass is great. The bullets do the job but I think the jackets are too thin and too much lead showing for these velocities.
250grn partitions will be perfect. The front portion tends to fragment at close range, often resulting in very dramatic kills. The rear "button" always stays 100% intact regardless of impact velocity.
I highly recommend this bullet, especially for trophy hunters. Also for any animal on which an explosive effect is required in preference to super deep penetration (read cats, hyenas, etc).

 

[JimP]

Just for a comparison I took 8 plains game animals with my .340 Weatherby shooting 225 gr Barnes TTSX bullets at 3000 fps.

All were one shot kills except for one that I screw up on. The shots ranged from 90 yards on a spring buck to 478 yards on my kudu. The spring buck and impala dropped like rocks the impala was at 90 yards and the spring buck was at 439 yards.

I wished that I could show a bullet but I have never recovered one from any animal that I have shot with this round.

 

[Mark R]

I love my Ruger 338WM and my pet load is with the 225gr Woodleigh PP although I have also had success in this rifle with 225gr Accubonds and 230gr Failsafes, as well as the 225gr Woodleigh Hydrostatic bullet.

 

[Philip Glass]

An acquaintance took a .338 to Africa with premium projectiles for plains game and after loseing an Eland traded it for a .416RM (bad shot placement). Just take the .375H&H for everything.

If you want (IMO you don't need) two rifles on safari go a 7mm and .375 or .30-06 and .450+. The .338 and .375 are too close.

I agree with these thoughts. The .375 is all you need.
Philip

 

[Daga Boy]

.338WM is an infinitely better choice for plains game. With appropriate loads in a good rifle you can reliably take large plains game out to 400m - even further if you know what you are doing. It also does a great job on thick skinned game where permitted.
.375H&H has an advantage on big animals at close range with bullets of 300gr and above, but its nowhere near as versatile.
That having been said, either will do in Limpopo as ranges seldom exceed 150m. ( I hunt mainly in Limpopo and have only taken 2 animals at ranges exceeding 200m in the last 5 or 6 years)
If I were to take just one rifle (and not have to choose between these two) it would probably be a toss up between a 9.3x 62 or a .375 Ruger. Both are excellent, and rifles in these calibres tend to be "handier" than rifles chambered for .375 H&H - which is an advantage in thick bush. They are also both permitted on DG.
If a toss up between the 2 mentioned I would go for the best handling rifle as the ability to get on target quickly can be a decisive factor in the Limpopo bush. I would also opt for a lighter rifle over a heavier one as you often have to carry in the hand rather than slung over the shoulder due to the bush. Generally this means that the .338 will get the nod over the .375.
For true plains hunting (like in the Kalahari) I would take the .338WM in preference to just about anything. The only calibres I am aware of that can compete with it are a the 8mm Rem Mag , 8 x 68S , .338 Lapua and 340 Weatherby. I am sure there are a few others , but the .375 H&H isn't one of them.