Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters .338 loads....what is best.

I have been shooting my .338 Magnum for years with just one load.....a 250 grain Woodliegh. Pushed to 2700-2800 fps, it is at the edge of safe, but very effective. I have not really looked for any replacement loads as this one works so well.

However, recently I have been looking at 200 grain loads. Pushed to near 3000 fps they are very flat shooting and seem to be effective on even large animals (at least the reports of others say so).

What loads are you using with lighter bullets? Is there a real advantage to these loads....and I am not interested in any of the mono-metal bullets. They are just too inconsistant when velosity drops below 3000 fps or so for me. Is anyone using something like the Nosler Patition or Swift in a 200 grain variety?

Nosler's light .338 Partition is a 210-grain, but they also make a 200-grain Ballistic Tip and AccuBond. The Ballistic Tip has a very heavy jacket, about 60% of the bullet's total weight, and penetrates quite well. The AccuBond is essentially a bonded version of the Ballistic-Tip. All three bullets perform quite well on a wide variety of game.

I fooled around for years with the usual powder suspects for the .338, such as the 4350's and Reloader 19, but never got consistently fine accuracy with this weight class until I tried Reloder 15. Around 65-67 grains usually results in excellent accuracy and also very good velocity.

I've tried some other medium burning rate powders since then, from Varget to Big Game, and never gotten quite the same combination of accuracy and velocity. However, around 60 grains of IMR4895 usually shoots very well at about 2700 fps, making a fine slightly-reduced load for lighter game.

John, what speeds are you getting with'15?

Don't overlook the 225-gn Accubond. Great bullet.

I ran Reloder 15 in my 35-06 JDJ. With its 15" barrel on my Encore I was getting 2670 fps average with 65 gr's RL15 & 225 Nosler BT. That load shot 1/4" groups as long as I could stand to shoot it....which, was usually only 10 rounds at a time. Nothing remained standing when it stood in front of the muzzle at trigger time.

Like John said, RL 15 is fast, accurate & consistent, very consistent with those bullet weights.

bloodworks,

Right at 3000 with the 200's from the 22" barrel of my custom FN Mauser, and 2900 with the 210 Partition. Accuracy is especially fine with the 200-grain Ballistic Silvertip, with 3-shot groups averaging .6" or so, and 5-shot groups .8".

The 200-grain Hornady Interlock is also a very good bullet, but often requires a grain or so more powder.

TxRick-couple thoughts from the cheap seats. I'd modify the scope, go to one with dotz or BP in it. A 6x36 leo with dotz or a 3-9 Burris with BP will make hitting at range easy.

Use the same 250 load, but drop down to 2700 so you're not pushing it to close to the edge. You can easily set it up for elk to 500 with such a set up.

But, if you really wanted a lighter slug slammo dunk I'd go 200 NBT. And I'd try R15, R17 and H4350 and see which one it preferred.

Then add a scope with dotz and rock on, life is easy to 500 as such.

Best of luck to ya!

Dober

I'm a great fan of the 210 gr Nosler Partition and have used it in 3 different rifles to take grizzly, moose, caribou, and elk over the years.

It is perhaps unfair to memntion this, but if you ever run across any obsolete Hodgdon H-205 at a gun show or estate sale, JUMP ON IT! It gives 3000 fps with MOA accuracy in all my .338s. I hope I don't run out of my meager supplies of this powder before I die. If so, then I'll look at Re-15, another fave of mine.

Mark, I understand what you are saying about a better (newer) scope. Hitting at the ranges I shoot (almost never over 300 yards) is not a problem. The 250 grain bullets I use are doing fine.

I was just wondering if I was overlooking something by not using lighter loads. I have to agree that a load at 2700 fps or so is probably a good idea. I developed my current loading years ago when I was in my "more is better" phase of reloading and have never changed.

I currently push a 250 grain bullet to just over 2850 fps, but realize it is at the ragged edge of safe......and am beginning to rethink things a bit (I won't even begin to say what load I am using as it is "just a bit" over book).

Lately I am rethinking all of my reloads as I have tended to go a little overboard at times (my .30-06 loads send a 165 grain bullet at 3000 fps).....and I am beginning to wonder WHY??? All I am doing is abuse my body and rifles for little or no gain. If I really NEED that much velosity I should probably go with a .300 magnum instead of "pushing" a .30-06.

This is why I am asking about lighter .338 Magnum loads.......do I REALLY need need the heavy (250 grain) loads or would a lighter load do just as well.

Some of us "older" guys remember when the .338 was relatively new, and Winchester was still making their 300-grain load. But even then technology had started to change things, since Nosler had already brought out their 210-grain Partition-- which would penetrate even deeper than the 250-grain Silvertip and darn near as deeply as the 300-grain.

I never shot anything with this bullet, but in my Remington .338 I used a Sierra 215, 75 1/2 grains of RL-22, WLRM, WW cases.

It clocked 2,980 from a 24 inch tube and flung 7 of them into a .585 group once, so I quit before I messed it up. It always shot under 3/4.

I don't think it was any easier recoil wise than the heavier bullet loads; of course I didn't load it too!

I'm with John on this one. I use 65 gr. RL15 behind a 200 Nosler Ballistic Tip . Less than MOA at 100ys, keeps MOA out to 250 yds. I shoot this through my LH Model 70 with a 26" barrel.
I'm thinking this will be my round for mule deer this fall in Montana.

I took JBs suggestion of trying R15 with 200/210gr bullets in my 338 Win years back and have not regretted it. It might just be a mental thing, but I think that this load kicks noticably less than the IMR4350 load I was using prior. According to the load manuals there should be little difference in velocity. I haven't had any problems killing what I've shot with these loads. I've gotten complete south to north penetration on mule deer with these and can't imagine needing more. If I do feel like more penetration is needed I think I'd try a Barnes or Etip in that weight class before moving up in weight. I'll be giving this load a try with Swift S2s later this summer.

I use Nosler 200g ABs at a very conservative 2900+ ft/sec

But have never shot anything larger than a 275lb hog


T