I had a 338-06Ai several years ago. Loved the thing, but for some stupid reason got rid of it. So, I'm going to build a standard 338-06 again.

I know a lot of people on here don't like em, but I am a fan of Gameking bullets. I had bought some 215 gr to shoot out of a 338 win mag, are these to hard of a bullet out of the 338-06?

When I had my other 338-06 I shot the 200 gr Hornady interlock flat base, it did its job well on deer and elk. Plus they are easy on the pocket book.

I've only ever shot one big game animal past 400 yds, 416 to be exact, most of my shots are under 200 with the occasional in the 300-350 yd range.
For this application, out of a 338-06 is a higher end bullet necessary?
I've had limited experience with the accubonds, would the 225 Accubond give me a litte more range if need be with its higher BC?

Are Nosler Accubonds worth the money?

Guess I answered most of my own questions in my original post.

However what do you guys think of Accubonds?

They are on discount as blems on Noslers SPS. Your timing is perfect.

I seriously doubt the AB's will give you anymore range. They may be tad more accurate, but not much.
One thing to consider. Are the AB's a lot longer than the GK's? If so, how do they match your twist rate?

I also don't think you will be pushing the GK"s fast enough to worry about the toughness of the bullet and they sure will expand at lower velocities.

If SPS has them on sale as blems, they should be a lot cheaper than GK'S. Shoot what is most accurate. Either will work.

I have never seen a non premium bullet significantly malfunction under 3000 fps. Over 3000 fps, I have seen a good few bullets just totally break up. 223/55 grain, 270/130 grain, 243/95 grain are the ones I have seen fragment standard cup and core bullets.

The fragmented bullets do tend to result in dead right there (DRT) AKA bang flop, which has some advantages. A clean pass thru with a good exit wound frequently leads to the dash, splash and crash (DSC), and tends to save the meat on the off shoulder.

If your bullets will be traveling <2900 fps, buy some standard bullets and don't worry about it.

On the other hand, I have never tried that theory on an elk's shoulder, I guess I would probably spring for premiums if elk were involved.

I really liked the 215 SGK when I had a 338-06 but saw some pics from testing here suggesting they're too hard.

I'd do 200 gr Interlocks; I am with you on premiums, considering them to be for magnums... I mean, that's why John Nosler developed the partition right?

Get beyond 400 yds & more BC can benefit. A nice compromise might be the 200 gr Combined Tech Ballistic Silvertip (coated ballistic tip). They're godd and stout and have a good BC.

I've posted it here before, but much to my surprise, I found the 215 GK did not open on ~2'+ of dry magazines at 338-06 muzzle velocity. I fired another and got the same result. I can't explain it, but that's what happened and I'd never use them on game. And I had wanted to us them. 225 Accubonds and Partitions did great.

Shot a doe a couple years ago with a 225 grain accubond out of a 338 RCM at 2550FPS about 300 yards behind shoulder. Bullet hit a rib going in and exit hole was about the size of a silver dollar. I now shoot them in my 338-06. I know they aren't needed but they shoot great so I don't mess with it.

Sierra describes the 338-215 as too hard to expand at 338-06 velocities. They mean what they say.

I would never of thought the 215 would be too hard for 338-06, I had bought them when I had 338 win mag on the brain. Sounds like there is plenty of evidence to say that is what they were made for.

Even on sale at SPS the 225 Accubonds are still more money per hundred than the Hornady, are they worth it?

I've shot a lot of 200gr BT/CTs out of a 338 Win Mag and haven't caught one. They'd be my first, and likely last, bullet I'd try for the 338-06.

I shoot the hornady 250 round nose from a 338/06 Imp at 2450. Haven't recovered one from an animal yet and don't expect to.

"Premiums really necessary"???...certainly not IMO this 245 gr cast GC has more than ample AI wallop for any critter I'll ever hunt.

Get a box of Hornady 225 interlocks, pretty sure they will cover everything.

There sure isn't much of a meplat on that bullet.

Pretty much that right there. If I have any question about whether I can keep the bullet off the big bones or not, then I'd run a like-weight Partition instead.

All I've ever shot for the Hornadys are the regular interlock. Always shoot great and kill spot on.

Anybody here like the SST?

I use the 225g SST for practice loads, and the 225g AO for hunting in my 22" .338WM. At most I'm running 75fps faster than a .24" .338-06 is capable of providing.

Worst case I figure appropriate premiums can't hurt when hunting. Best case is they might help.

No there certainly isn't as compared to this 225 grainer but it penetrates well and the nose deforms nicely in water jug tests.Might call it my cast TSX..

I wish one could find the Nosler BT/CT bullets in 338, I would love to throw them into my 338-06ai

last year I loaded 200 grain accubonds, but thinking this year I will keep accubonds for bear season and load some hornady ftx or sst to try on deer

Shot my first elk with the 225 Interlock from a 338 Win Mag. First shot was broadside behind the shoulder - dead on his feet but not down. Aimed for bone on the second shot - broke the near shoulder and the bullet angled up through the neck stopping just under the hide on the far side. He dropped immediately, maybe two steps from the first shot. The bullet expanded perfectly with good weight retention - I wouldn't be afraid to use it again on large bone...

That bullet would likely be my first choice in a 338-06.

My view on bullet choice goes something like this anymore….if I'm 99% certain I can keep my bullets off the big bones, then cup and cores are fine.

If I'm 99% sure I can hit major bones, I'm good with monolithics like the TSX or GMX.

If I'm not 99% certain of either of those conditions, then I prefer something like a Partition. I believe the TTSX is probably equivalent.





Even low speed, glancing, big bone impacts can be pretty tough on C&Cs.

Well I broke down and ordered a few of the Nosler 225 Accubonds while SPS has them on sale. They oughtta work just fine for deer and wapiti.

I agree 225 interlock is great even in the 338 rum

Well put Kliktarik..a can of hash works.

And or I agree.

bigswede, premiums not necessary but are great insurance. I have a 338-06AI and use the Scirocco with great success. I fireformed with Sierra 215gr GK's. They shot great but never ever killed anything with them so can't comment on that end of it. One thing though is that I can't see them being harder than a Scirocco. Look at a cutaway of both and you'll see what I mean. I've shot both elk and moose with the Scirocco's and every time they opened fully and reliably. So gotta believe the 215gr GK would too.
Hope this helped.

Many people assume Sierra bullets are soft - across the board- without realizing that Sierra relies on specific lead alloys in the core material to help control the expansion qualities of the bullet. This together with jacket alloy (bronze vs copper for the Swift) as well as varying characteristics specific to the bullet in question, mean that some Sierra bullets act pretty 'hard'. The 338 Gamekings are among them. (I have driven the 250 Gameking completely through the shoulders of a large moose (at 400 yards) where a 250 Grand Slam on a very similar shoulder shot at around 200 was stopped. Both largely involved shoulder muscles rather than bone. Both were fired from a 340 Weatherby.)

I've only used the 338-06 on deer and black bear. Don't think either new the difference between the 200 gr. Speer or 210 gr. Nosler Partition. If I was to go for elk or moose the price of the bullet would be a major concern. Lately I've been loading 210 gr. Partitions because the price was right at SPS. Just don't tell the bear that the bullet was a second.

I have an AI. I've only shot the 215 SGKs from the bench. (Although I carried them on an unsuccessful elk hunt.) They shoot like a house a'fire over Re-15. The "too hard" info is news to me. I believe it, but I don't think it'd discourage me from carrying them again on a hunt.

That said, I have recently been getting the rifle ready for a high country muley hunt. Bucks are hard to come by, but, if you see one, it's a pretty chance it'll be a good-sized animal. I bought some 200 NAB blems from SPS and was blown away by how good they shoot over Re-15. I might be hard pressed to go back to the Sierras.

Good info. ^^^^^^


Lots of good stuff here guys. Thanks.

If I were running a 338-06 again for elk or moose I'd use either a 200 NBT, 200 NAB or 210 NP.

Any of those will work on any beast alive.

The 210 gr NP is a great bullet in the 338-06.

Bigswede,

I'm not trying to be a smartass but why not use a premium bullet?

The bullet is cheap compared to your other hunt expenses and is a whole lot more important than most of your other gear.

For the confidence that comes from experience, perhaps? I have a couple of rifles that perform better with premiums and one or two that you can run just about any old slug through and get good accuracy and results. My experience is limited to southern (read small) whitetails, hogs and coyotes so take that into account.

Why not a premium? Because I find it hard to justify spending almost double the money for the same effect. I've mostly shot Sierra Gameking, Hornady Interlock, and Speers, both hotcor and grandslams.
I was asking about premiums because every game animal I've shot with the above bullets died like it was suppose too. I have had little experience with Accubonds, used them on a deer about 10 years ago out of a rifle I no longer have. It was a small test being one animal, so that is why I was asking how people liked them, especially at moderate muzzle velocity.
Fortunately, SPS has the 225 on sale, so I bought some to try.

For $.40-.45 per blem bullets via SPS (when in stock), affordable premiums are within reach.

Yup, SPS is about the only time I purchase Nosler bullets.

210 gr Partitions at 2800 fps are worth it to me, the extra peace of mind should an odd angle shot have to be taken is plenty alone, not to mention the outstanding accuracy.

Higher end anything is never necessary. Considering bullets, I have filled the freezer annually using CoreLokt's or InterLock's in .284 or .308. That is Elk, Axis & Whitetails.

Premium is a matter of choice. It's your money.

Don't you mean >2900 fps for plain janes? Yer arrow is backward!

I've used premiums, and have largely gone back to PJ - as they do the same job under the same circumstances I use them for.

I will say that if I stick with the factory '06 150 gr Superperformance Hornady for caribou beyond 300 yards, I will likely go to the GMX, a less expanding bullet via reputation.. The SST leaves BIG holes! Which is fine, if a bit messy.... I do like their accuracy and flatter trajectory, which the GMX should match tho a bit more expensive.

Last weekend, at 20 degrees and little wind, the SST gave me a 3-shot just under 7" group 20 inches low to center of group at 500, thru the 10X of the Leupold VXIII, across Bog-Pod for rest, with a 300 yard zero. I kinda like that! MOA at 100, so it's on me, not the rifle or ammo.....

I like to know what a rifle/load will do on bench, and what we together are capable of in field conditions... and I've reached MY limit!

"Never" is a long time, especially when you've been exposed to a broader set of conditions which exist in some places. I agree that plain old cup and cores will work, and can be made to work adequately most of the time. I have been exposed to enough situations where I realized later that 'luck' might easily have dealt me a completely different set of cards - and life could have sucked seriously had that happened. Good bullets are expensive...... until lesser ones go bad for you.

(BTW, that picture is a 145 Grand Slam which contacted a caribou after a 150 yard - or so- clear air trip. A smallish caribou's shoulder stripped and stopped it. Muzzle velocity was less than 2700 fps from my 7mm-08.)

By "higher end",and "premium" do we mean bullets that expand when they are supposed to,and penetrate deeper than they might sometimes need to, instead of flying to flinders when they hit something?

I'm trying to recall when uniform expansion and penetration became bad things(?).We've been trying to achieve both since we first wrapped lead cores in alloy envelopes so they'd withstand high velocity trips down a rifled bore. 100+ years later, we're still doing the same things.

Maybe if I were culling does by the hundreds, or 500 donkeys in 10 days in Australia I'd be concerned about the price of bullets;but for most hunting we get to do,worrying about the cost of a bullet fired from a $2000 rifle, under a $1000 scope,on a hunt taking your time and/or money (or both), seems to me to be like Obamanomics.



What skews the conversation is that some animals end up dead even when hit with shiddtt bullets. (See Kliks post above). This leads to false and deceptive conclusions because eventually you will run out of luck. YMMV.

I shoot 200 grain ABs and 210 grain Partitions in my 338-06.

Well we all don't have $2000 rifles and $1000 a scopes. I have said it before but will repeat it. Using a Premium bullets when not needed is like getting a $5 oral sex job from a $500 hooker.You feel the same when done, but just spent $495 for nothing.

Saddlesore,

What's it cost a year to feed your two or three mules? Saddles? Tack? Truck and trailer? Vaccines? Fuel?

Yet the only object that actually does the killing you want go cheap on? The bullet is the only thing that actually touches what we want to kill.

If you wanted to save money I would think there are better ways.

Dink

It is not about saving money, it is about throwing money away. I'm not rich by any means, but if I were, I would still have the same opinion. I have enough elk kills under my belt to know I am not going cheap on the bullets.

As for my mules for an example, I buy the vaccines and give my own shots, for about $18 each whereas a vet charges $30. I shoe my own for about $25 in cost where as a farrier charges $125.

My mules are a necessity for me to keep hunting. Expensive bullets are not. Not to go into it deeply, but if I didn't use them ,I would have to stop hunting or pay an outfitter $3-$4K to do a 5 day hunt whereas I typically hunt elk for two 10 day seasons each year. Plus I get to use them the rest of the year.

BTW. This year I will be using 180 GR Nosler Partitions because I bought then from SPS for $13/50. which is cheaper than Sierra GK's. However, I still have a good supply of Sierra 220gr RN that I will still use when hunting in the thick timber where shots are close

Careful there, or that's going to end up in someone's signature line.

As far as the cost of bullets, a lot depends on how many you shoot over the course of a year.

As far as choosing to use a "premium" more expensive bullet, I would never criticize someone else's choice to do that.

It seems that the reverse doesn't hold though.

Yea.I posted that quite awhile back with more descriptive words. JJHack PM'd me to tell me it was unsuitable for this site

Well, I was just trying to get you to change your current sig. line, I'm a backpacker and I find it offensive and unsuitable for this site.

As far as the other, sometimes more descriptive is better, sometimes not.

Given what's regularly posted on this site though, it hardly rises to the same level, and was an excellent analogy. Or so I thought.

It boils down to "you pays your money and takes your choices". Then you live with the results. I have done this, and I no longer shoot "affordable" cup and core bullets at elk. YMMV.

I have one 338-06 that shoots nothing but 210 Noslers over 53 grains of Reloader 15.
I walked into the smiths shop with a Remington 700 action and a dummy round and asked him to build a rifle for it.
The only recovered bullet went through about four feet of Elk and expanded perfectly. Several others have killed cleanly and exited.

I have two others that I use with different bullets, mostly federal Fusions but the 210 is my go to load. I'm near to having a lifetime supply for my Grandkids to use up.
Bullet expense are the least of my worries and the least expensive part of the hunt.

I scratch my head to figure out why so many think elk have some mystical kevlar body armor. I can see premiums if one is pushing bullets 3000 fps+. However I have killed elk with pure lead maxiball bullets. Copper coated Power Belts, 30-30 170 gr flat points,44 mag semi jacket FP, besides std C&C.

There must be a gazillion studies that prove it is not what you shoot them with, but where. Yet everyone of these threads about this that fact is somehow conviently ignored.

I don't begrudge those that spend the money, but wonder why so many that do look down upon those that don't.

The next post will be that you need a bullet that will do everything if things go wrong as we already had the "The bullet is the cheapest part of the hunt..

I guess things can go wrong, but in 48 years of elk hunting and not missing more than 3-4 seasons, I have lost two elk. The first was when shooting a 7 mag, double lung shot, but the elk was with a herd and doubled back. I couldn't find the tracks. Found that elk the next day ,but it was spoiled.

The other was a few years ago. About 40 yards, Powerbelt out of a muzzle loader. After the shot the elk stood there dying and I could see blood pumping out of both sides of her chest. A bull she was with had run up the mountain, but came back down, passing her about 3 feet away. She took off with the bull thru weeds about 3 ft tall. Blood trail for 100 yards and then nothing. Three of us hunted for 3-4 hours in every direction. I spent another 4 hours the next day. The way she was bleeding. It surprised me she even went 50 yards. The elk was never found.

Neither one of those lost elk could be attributed to poor bullet performance.

I have never shot and elk at an angle and have never shot an elk in the butt.

The obvious was missed, or I missed it.....
I expected someone to ask "For what?" as that may influence some, as to which bullet choice but secondly, the .338 bullets made are largely big game bullets designed for the .338 Winchester. Sending them on their way a little slower only turns them into premium performers anyway.

Generally, I don't worry too much about bullets in this caliber until I get to .340 or .378 cased options where the stress on a C&C's designed for the Winchester velocities may be stressed a little more.

For the '06 case, I'd likely pick Hornady's in 200 or 225grains. at around $33 per 100 bullets, you never hear any complaints about price or performance.

I only buy the Noslers when can get seconds from the pro shop, their prices can compete with the retail for the cheaper bullets.

The four feet of elk I mentioned was a brisket shot, got the heart and liver, broke one rib, turned and scored two more and ended up in the left hindquarter.
I don't do ass shooting.

Was that a "new" or old style GS? I still have a good supply of old version and have been reluctant to try the newer ones.

On topic, my son and I are going moose and B-bear hunting in Newfoundland this fall and we will be packing a .338-06 with 210 PT's and a .356 Win with 220 Speers.

That was an "earlier" one; you can see the remnants of both hard heel core along with the forward soft, smeared core. That bullet really suffered an odd malady, and it was hard to figure out just what happened. AS near as I was able to determine however, the side of the bullet was torn open shortly before it 'skidded' against another bone (in the shoulder/leg area). That is perhaps the biggest fault of C&C designs; edge impacts with hard, heavy bones can compromise them even at lower impact speeds. That is one of the reasons I like to have a second shot ready to launch. Of course a second shot means the price- if that is a concern- has now exceeded that of a premium used in the first place. Of course even premiums have 'anomalies' from time to time as well; they are just a way of minimizing those problems.

FWIW & IMO, your bullet choices in those two rifles would seem to leave you largely with the burden of responsibility for the outcome of your hunt this fall; good choices IOW. Good luck!

Thanks!

Another silly-azzed thread. Go buy a box of 50 210 gr Partition's and dial in said rifle and shoot deer, elk, moose and bear and, assuming one can hit, kill 30 critters with said box. Save a nickel otherwise.

Not gonna buy the 210, SPS don't have them on sale. I guess the 225 Accubonds will have to work. I mentioned a ways back in this thread that I was getting some to try out.

Smart man.

Thanks Ed

Superb post! makes way too much sense for any of us to hear it. Should be permanent because this subject regularly comes around.

All the critters I shot with my 338-06 using 200gr Hornady, 210gr NP, and 210 TSX ended up dead.

Are premiums necessary? No, Yes, sometimes & maybe.

A gentleman and his daughter both successfully used 180gr BT's out of a 338-06 on their Bison.

I was duly impressed when a 210 TSX shattered the front ball joint on an elk, continued through the lungs and liver and exited.

Shoot what you like, like what you shoot, and remember shot placement typically trumps.

I know I have had more rodeos due to shot placement than bullet failure.

And remember that the best safety net you've got if a shot isn't perfectly placed is the bullet's performance. Anyone who has killed a few big animals under a variety of conditions can understand why John Nosler came up with "a better bullet". The reality of shot placement is the only reason the 223 isn't recommended as a "do all" rifle for everything in North America; it can- and has- worked on everything. I've never used too much gun or too good a bullet however.

Amen!

Bob

www.bigbores.ca

Can you elaborate? I was just playing with some launched at just under 2800 and they performed really well. Have not read much about actual on game performance. I also have some 180 ABs on the way from SPS.

I used that bullet in my 338-06 on grizzly and a blackie a handful of years ago with complete satisfaction.

This was more than a few years ago. Close to 15.

I wish I would have asked more question when I ran into the gentleman at my taxidermist shop.

I was more intrigued with the two huge hides and skulls on the shop floor.

I asked him what he used and told me. This was all before I was a true looney and simply chalked it up to a mental note that it obviously worked because of the critters laying on the floor.

^^Thanks. Obviously worked!