When I lived in Alaska one of my favorite rifles was a Savage M116 in .338 Winchester Magnum. A stainless rifle with plastic stock and 22" barrel, it served me well hunting moose, bear and caribou in stinking wet weather. But now I live in Texas and this rifle is pretty over-powered for our little deer and even for hogs. It also has more recoil than I want - it weighs under 8 lbs with scope.

I decided to try a reduced load with 200-grain bullets and H4895: 57 grains gave 2600 fps and very fine accuracy - well under moa for 5 shots. But the recoil was still more than I wanted, and the velocity was more than needed too. I settled on 34.0 grains of BlueDot for 2400 fps and recoil more like a .300 Savage. (36.0 grains proved maximum in my rifle with the same expansion ring growth than I had with full-power loads.) The 34.0/BD load puts five Hornadys into 1.5 moa consistantly and has a flat enough trajectory for 200+ yards so I'm happy.

Happy enough to take the rifle hog hunting last week where it harvested a 150 lb sow. Not huge but still a decent test. The bullet seemed to have expanded well, the wound channel was good sized and the animal's reaction was fast enough. No bullet to recover though.

Just one experience but the load looks very promising. Who else has hunting experience with either the 200 Hornady SP or the 200 Speer SP at velocities between 2300 and 2500 fps (.338 Federal, etc.)? I'm curious how well the Speers work slowed down. Thanks.



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I would consider trying the nosler 180gr accubonds also. I shoot blue dot in several rifles and have had good luck with it. Never shot game with blue dot in my 338 but have played with it at the range before.

D.R:

if you worry on the Blue Dot, I also recommend using SR 4759 with say a 180 TSX or Ballistic Tip... or a 200 grainer..

40 grains of SR 4759 or under and you are good..

IMR 4198 is also a good choice...45 grains and under...

I have enjoyed a charge of 40 grains of IMR 4198 and a 180 grain Ballistic tip...

Thanks Seafire, but I'm not scared of BlueDot. I've used it for many years in a number of different fierarms with great success. I mentioned the 36.0 grain charge as I've seen 'safe' loads posted up to 38 grains. I'm sure that would lock up the action in my M116, but 34.0 grains is fine.

The H4895 load worked so well that I could always fall back on it...but it is needlessly powerful at the top end of .338 Federal performance. Admittedly the group below was one of the best, but the average was still under 1 moa.





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Me.

I used 200gn Hornady with 59gn H 4895 for 2766fps and it shot very well and made a fine youth rifle.

JW

It's an old thread but my question fits.

Have any of you tried the 160gnTTSX in 338WM?

I am thinking about such a load at 2600fps for kids 10-12 years old. the idea is for the round to take impala-sized gamed, up to hartebeest, probably at distances 150-250 yards.
(The rifle is a Tikka, 7.5pounds with a scope, on an LOP cut back to 12.5".)

It is my understanding that SR 4759 is no longer being made.

I have a small stash of said powder. Used it with the now discontinued Horny 200 gr FP (.33 Win bullet) at about 2,200 fps in my .338 Win Mag. Shot well and killed deer dead.

Why in the world would you give a kid that age a 338 mag no matter what you fed it? Reduce loads are not an answer it my opinion. Saw some 300 mag reduced loads on Midway. Probably lower velocity and a 150 gr bullet! For wha reason would you reduce the 338 to that lever, shoot, a 300 Savage and 308 Win do well with 150 gr bullet's. You could drop down to a 260 with a 140gr bullet!

We've had difficulty getting must .338 bullets to expand adequately at even mid range velocity. Heavy bullets with heavy jackets do not expand well at low velocity.

Get your kid a .270 Winchester, load it with some 130gr bullets and H4831, and let the carnage commence.

Coincidentally, I just came back from the range yesterday where I happened to meet a father who saw me working up a load for my .338WM. He came over to share a video of his son shooting his .338. The kid was happier that a hog in slop. His first word was WOW and then he couldn't stop smiling. "Dad, can I shoot it again." Later, he brought his boy over in person and I got to chat with him. They had shot a full-power load and were excited to learn that the .338 is one of the calibers that can be effectively down-loaded to use on lighter game with less recoil.

I guess it worked for that particular kid, at least. :-)

An alternative idea would be to reduce the bullet weight: You can use a light-for-caliber bullet such the 130 grain all-copper bullets developed by Mr. Lutz Muller of Germany. These bullets are very accurate in my custom 338 WM and THEY DON"T KICK! In my rifle, 67 or 68 grain of Norma 202 produced best accuracy (touching groups) at 100 yards. The velocity was 3250 f/s (67 grain) and 3350 f/s (68 grain).

There is one thing to consider though: These bullets work best in a single-stack magazine or some other magazine where there is a wall holding the shoulder of the cartridges in place. The polymer tip is too soft and it may get damaged if the cartridges move in the magazine during recoil.

Best regards,
-Omid


Sample loaded bullet:




Velocity of my max load (69 grain Norma 202):

Been awhile...but where do you find these Lutz bullets or what id their website? Thanks, Jim

Tanzan I see no issue at all doing this. If I hadn't bought up a boatload of the 180 BT's from Shooters Pro Shop a few years ago I would be using those. I have 300+ of the old Barnes "X" in 175 gr. that I have taken hogs with. I use H4895 to do what DoubleRadius has done. I use 58.0 grains with the 180 BT and that averages 2778 fps in my 22.5" barrel on my Remy 700. That load basically duplicates 30-06 ballistics with a 180 gr bullet

If you go to the 160 ttsx you will need to keep them moving pretty fast. A bunch of us have been experimenting with them in the .338 Fed and, like all Barnes, they need to be moving. We've been loading around 2900 fps or so in the Fed.

If you want something that will perform below 2500 fps look at the 200 FTX from Federal. It is designed for the .338 Marlin Express and expands violently even at .338 fed velocities. It was a little too soft for my liking even at full power .338 Fed velocities, but would be perfect for what you want to do.

You can write to Mr Muller in Germany: Lutz Möller <[email protected]>

Information on the 338 Caliber bullet:

Lutz Moeller 338 Caliber Bullets

Mr Muller's website is written in a mix of German and English. He had a collection of pages in English too but I can't find them now. You can use Google translator to read German pages. It is a very informative website and you can learn a lot about bullet development, ballistics and hunting in Europe..

Sincerely,
-Omid

Thank you sir!

Best answer right here...

Cast bullet manual should give you and idea of a load to be loading them in the 30/30 speed range...

I dust off my Browning 338 mag once in a Blue Moon and take it out to the range....

using a load of Unique.. shooting it in the 30/30 speed range..

or have used Blue Dot also..

but also have 4 eight pound kegs of SR 4759, I know where its at...
and NO, none of it is for sale, unless I drop dead and then you can contact my wife on that one..

once I built a 338/06, the 338 Mag lives a life as a safe queen.. but then its against my religion to
get rid of a tack driving rifle.. so safe queen she be...

same with her sister the 300 Win Mag...

The problem with small charges of fast powder in big cases is it is very easy to throw a double charge, especially when you are in the middle of a reloading task and go to fill up the coffee cup!

There is no way I would use that 34 grain load in my 338 Win Mag.

You also need to think about S.E.E with that light load. Under the right conditions it could occur.

I've fired a few thousand reduced loads using fast powders in cases from the smallest 17 M4 to 45-70 using jacketed and cast. Not one double charge, and not one hint off SEE. It takes a bit of know-how, but it is inherently safe if your loading technique is.

Also, SEE is mostly associated with too light charges of slow burning powder.

Seems like H4895 would be the way to go.

its called discipline at the reload bench...if one doesn't know what they are doing,
you present a valid point... and shouldn't go there..

however many of us do this reduced charges frequently...

Simply you charge a case, and seat a bullet before moving on to the next round...

no different than loading a pistol cartridge.

and if distracted, by say the wife wanting help 'with it will only take a minute honey'..
dump the powder into your container, turn the cartridge upside down, and you know
where to start again...

All wives interrupt ya when you are at the load bench.. with "it will only take a minute honey"

I've pointed it out to my wife, it is like while she is in the bathroom coloring her hair,
for me to come in and ask her for her help and tell her 'it will only take a minute honey"..

She gets the picture....