Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Elk Loads for a .338 Winchester Magnum

whelennut,

Sorry I didn't get back when I said I would, working nights and "spaced-it". Fed. Premium Brass, Fed.215 primers, RL22 -78.5 gr., Barnes 225 TTSX. I didn't go back to my chrono data, but velocities were 2950+(as best I remember) from a 24" tube, Win. Model 70. Hope this may help. Also, as mentioned before, this is a "warm" load. memtb

Hagel also thought highly of the Hornady 225 grains PSP Interlok bullets for the .338 Win. Mag. I've used those and the 210 grains Nosler Partition and could not tell the difference in putting down an elk.

My powders were Norma MRP and IMR 4350. Both powders made for very accurate shooting in my .338 W.M.

L.W.

200's actually work very well.

Win Brass

200 gr Nosler BT, SBT, or AB.

H4831, work up to 78gr. 78gr =3k in a 26" barrel

H4350, I'm over 3k, but that's using some old data........ummmm...just work up to max.....

Both shoot well, with the edge going to the H4350.

I've used bullets from 210g up to 250g in a pretty good handful of elk I've taken. I demand instant drops and had some unnerving experiences with 300 Win Mag before 'graduating' to 338. Most of my elk hunting has been in the Rockies where the closest I've taken was @ 160 yards (in my avatar,) and the farthest, 580 yards. Even the 580 yarder was a "bang, flop" with a 250g Nosler Partition. The one in the avatar was a 225 Partition. However, for a combination of both terminal energy and trajectory I settled on 225's. Love the Partitions but the Accubonds performed almost the same. Used many powders but because most of my hunts were late season I stayed with the temperature tolerant ones like Hodgdon H4831, around 78g.

76 grains of IMR4831 pushing a 200 grain Bitterroot. Chronographed at 2960 from my 24" Finnbear.

Yeah, they work great in a 300

You're not getting 3k with them in a 300.

Well, maybe in my 26" barreled 300 Weatherby with a big wad of 7828.

I'm not sure why you would want to go UP in caliber and DOWN in bullet weight? IMHO if you are going to launch a bullet in that 200 grain range go to a 06 or 300 Remchesterby. Once you go up to the three three eight then muscle up a bit in weight as mentioned earlier and go two-fitty. But shoot what groups the best in your rifle that still give you a good SD and BC. Elk can be a lot harder to kill than some bigger animals. Speed kills for sure but there are other factors to juggle as well. Super velocity does weird things up close and personal. I'd take a WAG and say most elk are shot closer than 3/10ths of a mile. Sounds like you have options, so it's a "want to" thing not that you have only one rifle. The Whelen is hard to beat on wapiti as I bet you already know. The hottest and fastest and bestest are rarely the same. It's all fun in the hunt before the hunt. jm2c

Hunting partner using a Hornady 250gr. with 73.0grs. Of H4831ssc with a CCI 250 primer. Year ago when I loaded for the 338win mag. I used a 250gr. Hornady RN and worked really well. I tend to use heavier bullets for the caliber shooting. Have loaded and used Nosler 200gr. Partitions in the 300 H&H for elk and deer. This year using a 300gr. in the 375 Ruger.

Crunch! That load will work on brown bear. Wish I had kept mine.

It has worked on Brown Bear, several of them.

labdad I know one fellow that used it on brown bear and he said the same thing.Never got to use them myself. I had 225's I loaded in the 338 when I was up there,but ended up using the 375's.

Whelen,
My "go to" elk load is 73.0gr. H4831SC with a Fed 215 and a 225gr. Partition @ 3.290". I have used this for Winchesters, pre and post 64, Kimbers, Tikka's and a lonely Weatherby.
This has worked on three elk with an immediate physical reaction. If Partitions were unavailable, I'd gladly substitute 225gr. Accubonds.
As always, work up the load for your rifle.
Good luck.