Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Can you tell me about the 338-06 for elk and mule deer?

I'm researching this caliber and I know little about it, some of the info states that it is a 300 yard cartridge and other state that it is good out to 500-600 yards. All my shots will be 500 yards in or less probably using a 215 grain Sierra Gameking or a 210 grain Barnes TTSX. Thanks for the help.

Can't see how one would achieve better ballistics than with the .30-06.
Maybe slightly more shocking power...otherwise slower...heavier. Less of a long range round, imho.

I am on my third one, and it does a very good job on both elk and mule deer. However, I don't shoot much beyond 300 yards, and it's a rare occasion when I shoot that far. I have used 200 Ballistic Tips, 210 Partitions and Sciroccos , and 200 and 225 AccuBonds. All have produced one-shot kills on elk. I have some 185 TTSXs loaded up, but haven't had a chance to get out and shoot them yet. I expect that they will perform just as well.

That said, it would not be my first choice if i was expecting to take a lot of shots beyond 300. That's what the .300 Win Mag is for.

Yep, my thoughts exactly.

My only kill with a 338-06 was a cow elk last fall, 185gr GMX at 2780fps, range 400 yds.
The scope was a Burris E1 and it worked well in the sagebrush flats.
Shooting at a known distance (laser) and being able to place the shot via a holdover reticle or dialing makes it more workable for me regardless of the cartridge.

A buddy had suggested I take the 7Mag or 300Win and was surprised with my choice but he is used to a duplex scope and guesstimate for range and holdover.
My rifles are all setup a little differently than his, but they work for me...

This is how the 338-06 works on game.

I'd say 300 is seriously underestimating the .338-06. While bullet drop is more than a speedster, a 225g AB launched at 2600fps retains 1883fps and 1772fpe at 500 yards. If you want to stick with a minimum 2000fps it is a 400 yards load.

That clip looks familiar somehow..

Not slower at all. A 30-06 will push on average a 200 grain bullet 2500-2600 fps. a 338-06 will push a 200 grain bullet 2750-2900 fps. The lower BC of the lighter .338 caliber bullets could be a handicap if the range was extreme.

I was wondering if you would notice..

I've prolly killed more elk with the .338-'06 than most. It fuggin' kills elk DEAD. No fanfare, no bullshit ... just dead.

Yes, I'd sooner hunt elk with a .338-'06 with a 200-grain @ 2,750 than a .30-'06 shooting a 180 at 2,700 fps. Marginal difference, but a difference.

Blessings,

Steve

Steve what 200gr bullets did you use?

"Lighter" bullets? I'm missing something.....
The advantage with the .338-06 is due to the increased pressure and *more powder*.

Physics are what they are...no free lunch.

I have killed exactly one elk, a 5x6 bull, with the 338-06 and it work very well. I was using a 210 gr. Barnes TSX at a tad over 2700 fps and with a quartering shot it entered the left side just behind the ribs and exited in front of the right shoulder. Bull stumbled down the hill and went down within 100 yards.

The area we were in had lots of grizzly and I felt very comfortable carrying the 338-06 over say a 30-06 or even a 300 mag.

Now, would the results on that bull be similar with the 30-06 or 300 mag, maybe.

It is my current postulate that the more you open up the diameter of the bullet as compared to the diameter of the brass powder charge. I guess more bearing surface of the bullet to charge? The more efficient that the rifle caliber will show in terminal performance. It is just having to use heavier bullets to match ballistic coefficient make excessive recoil an issue. I wonder if there needs to be some neck in down how ever as I have not studied or seen man straight wall case cartrudges/ calibers.

"Lighter" for caliber. The 200 grain class bullets which shine in the 338-06, don't have a very good BC compared to the 225 and up .338 caliber bullets. The lighter .338 caliber bullets also suffer in BC compared to the 200 gr .308 caliber bullets.

In your first post you had it backwards, the 338-06 is not slower and heaver. It is faster and heavier.

More bearing surface in the 30=06 case makes a difference.

If you are building a 338-06 you can have it throated to sit 225 grain accubonds farther out of the case. 60-61 grains of h4350 will push 225 grain accubond 2700-2750fps out of a 24" barrel but you may need a drop tube to get it in there. That to me is no slouch

broomd,

Have been trying to figure out your ballistic point, but the basic internal ballistics rule is that the same case necked to .338 is capable of about 5% more muzzle velocity, with the same-weight bullets, than the same case in .30 caliber at the same pressure.

Which means that if the the .30-06 can get 2650 with a 200-grain bullet in a 24" barrel (easy in my experience, and shown in published data at 60,000 PSI) then the .338-06 is capable of around 2780 fps at the same pressure. With 220-225's the .338-06 is easily capable of 2650-2700, or about the same velocity as the .30-06 with 200's.

A lot of people use "hard" bullets in the .338-06, because they believe they're somehow "better", but my experience is that the 200-grain Speer Hot-Cor and 225 Hornady Interlock Spire Point work very well at .338-06 velocities. They both penetrate sufficiently and kill quickly--which agrees with Dogzapper's experience, which doesn't surprise me.

Does the .338-06 kill differently than the .30-06? In my experience, maybe. But then that applies to hundreds of cartridges, as long as the bullets open and penetrate sufficiently.

Its interesting that a 30-06 case necked either up or down gets all the raves but the '06 itself is 1000x more popular.

My .338 is a 22” WM and it pushes a 225g AB to 2742fps with H100V. In 2013 I used it to take a cow at 487 yards. With a 24” barrel you should be able to get about 2675fps with the 225g AB (per Hodgdon) and 2775fps with a 210g TTSX (per Barnes). At those velocities the 225g will deliver about 2094fps/2191fpe and the 210g will deliver about 2073fps/2017fpe at 500 yards. With a MPBR zero for a 6” target, the 210g will be down 37” and the 225g 39” at that range.

I went with the 225g AB because of the extra energy at longer ranges but put either one in the zone and they will do the job at 500.

Got it fellas..it certainly appears that the .338-06 maximizes the case potential, the .30-06 is simply less efficient.

I had on built for a Grandson. It impressed me so much that I now own 2 others.
Can't give a detailed scientific explanation why it works, but it does, and well.
53 grs Reloader 15 and a 210 Nosler is bad medicine for Elk.

Why are we wasting E-typing with silly questions like this ?

Is anyone on this site so uninformed that he/she has no access to information on appropriate cartridge choices for any big game species ?

It is the hunter and his/her skill that decide the outcome, not the cartridge.

Mule Deer and Elk can be killed with almost any cartridge that is legal to hunt them.

Of course either cartridge will kill either. So will anything from the 250-3000 to 700 Nitro.

OP might do better to study his abilities, the animals and the place(s) he/she plans to hunt, than worry about two nearly identical cartridges.

The best Mulie and Elk cartridge is the one you can shoot the best from your chosen rifle.

JOC killed them with a 270, Keith with a 45-70. They disagreed but the Elk remained dead.

Larry, crawl back in your hole..

Well since the 'fire is a place where such things are discussed, whether the issue is moot or not, you should probably just not click on the threads.

That's just Larry Root, under his 100th plus new login name. Eventually, he'll get the boot and like herpes-simplex, erupt again..

Ah, makes more sense now.

I think that Rick should just allow him to post under the screen name of Larry Root so that we don't have to try and keep track of who is what at any given time. Same for Strip Buck Hunter and TAK

Hmm now you got me thinking. I do have an extra 6x36 leupold and quite a few 338 cal bullets laying around. #2 lilja cut at 23" In a mcmillan or TI takeoff would be a slick hunting rig I think. Last couple I've been around have had #3s and they were nice. I think the #2 would be more of a good thing when humpin the mountains

I have a #3 Shilen on mine. (338-06) I like it.
I have a #2 on my 30-06, not sure I would want a .338 bore #2.

Just my thoughts.

Yeah, it might shoot groups way too large to hit an elk in the right place.

I was thinking about recoil.

A bit more weight up front.

Try to find a copy of Handloader #109 and read Dogzapper's article on the .338-06. As for effective range, there are some 185-200 grain bullets with very good BC's now.

I have a hard copy of that article in my files and it was the catalyst for the acquisition of my first .338-06, a custom Ruger No. 1. It's a good read!

It'll bounce off!! Jesus Christ...

Bob Hagel loved it, but he liked the .340 & 338 better!

Sako, I have the AI version and shoot elk and Moose with it using the 210GR Scirocco. Works great. The cartridge can definitely be used beyond 300 yards. The recipe using the 210GR Scirocco shoots within 1.5in of my 270 using 140gr SST's out to 500yds. I too don't plan on shooting elk out that far but just saying. Hope this helps in your decision.

I looked at one for a while when planning a new rifle build. Had the itch bad. Finally, I just came to terms with the fact that there's nothing a 338-06 can do that a 300 WSM can't and the WSM will do it all for an extra couple hundred yards over the 338. Now, style.... The 338-06 has it. I grant you that.

Thanks fellers. I found a copy on FleaBay. It is now in my collection.

The 338-06 had a kind of cult following among experienced elk hunters around here years ago. I think a lot of these guys have retired now. I always thought it was a great round.

In the eighties, I had a BAR re bored to .338-06. I used that rifle for most everything for some five years. Even with an imperfect bore job in the vicinity of the gas block, it shot most everything around an inch (+/-).

The three bullets that I mostly used were Speer 200s, NP 210s, and Woodleigh 250s for a short time.

I loaded a bunch of the Woodleighs for our annual south Texas pig and coyote eradication hunt. Some of the pigs were big! The big strong bullets were more than needed for pigs and just punched holes with little expansion. One coyote that I popped from a fixed stand, in a sendero, lay there without moving for about an hour. I looked back in his direction, and he was slowly crawling off. I chased him down and finished the job with a .22 pistol. I

I had the rifle bored for a Nilgi hunt that fell through due to the failing health of my host. For deer and pigs, the Speer was enough bullet. The 210 NP has always been a good bullet.

I have killed game DRT with lots of smaller bored rifles. Dead is dead. I will say that most kills while using 200/210 were more spectacular. Game was often knocked down as opposed to falling down. One big fat WT doe was actually turned for a complete flip. More spectacular, but no deader than if shot with a .243. Your call......., it very well may be better on larger animals, such as elk or moose. Worked fine on WT and MD.

My medium is now a 9.3x62. Very well covered.

Best,

Jack

If you want an inexpensive ballistic twin of the .338-06, get one of the leftover new .338 rcm's at CDNN.

I had a 338-06 for several years. My 30-06 shot 200's to the same speed as 225's from the 338-06. At the muzzle the 338-06 wins. At 150 yards the better BC's of the 30's make it a tie and at any range greater than 150 yards the 30-06 has more energy and drops less. Once I figured this out I sold the 338-06 and bought 200 gr .308 bullets.

I guess it depends on the loads.

I get 2775 fps from my 21" barrel 338-06 with 210 Sciroccos.

My brother gets 2875 fps with his 24" barrel 30-06 and a 180 grain Scirocco.

Even with a 3" less barrel the slower started but heavier 210 Scirocco still have over 1700 FPE at 500 yards if that means anything.

My brothers 30-06 at 500 yards is just over 1600 FPE.

Granted the 210 drops roughly 3.5" more, but the 338-06 is also 3" shorter overall and handier. Had it had a 24" barrel and picked up another 50 fps or so from it 210 would have even that much more energy than the 30-06 with a 180 grain and the difference in drop would be that much less as well.

If it enough than any animal could ever feel a difference....not really IMO, but its not like the 30-06 just walks away from the 338-06 when shooting bullets of similar BCs.

Well generally you can get 4+1 or even 5+1 when non magnum actions compared to generally 3+1 of magnum actions.

That and non magnum actions in the rifles I prefer are usually a half pound lighter than the WSM magnum actions. Those are the main two criteria that drove me away from WSMs and towards the 338-06 in the first place.

With equal pressure if you have if bullits of equal weight the larger diameter bullitt will be faster because there are more square inches to push on. Or you can get a heavier bullitt to go as fast.