I built a Rem 700 BDL SS for Africa a couple years ago and it's been my go to hunting rifle since then. I'm currently using 225gr AccuBond's at about 2800 fps. I mainly hunt whitetail in MI, nothing too big. What would you guys recommend for a "better" deer round? Or should I just stick with the 225gr AccuBond? I hunted with is last year but ended up shooting my deer with a buddies .223 AR loaded with 55gr Barnes. Rifle has a brake, recoil is mild IMO. I'm planning to retire it in the next couple if years and build a custom, but until then it's going to be with me in the woods. Or, do I just buy a Tikka or RAR in 30-06

Ya can't kill 'em too dead, so there is nothng wrong with the .338. Definitely don't need all that horsepower for whitetails, though. Don't even need a 30-06 for whitetails.

If you take an occasional longer shot, why not a 260 Rem or a 7mm-08? Do you handload? If you hunt thickets and timber, why not a 260 Rem or 7mm-08?

O P
You can drop down to the 185 or 200 grain bullets and back off the horse power a bit. If you are going to make a purchase I'd suggest you look at the 6.5s or 7-08. You can pick up NIB pretty reasonable or go the " nu2u" on the cheap until you get the urge to build you can't overcome. m2c

I do reload. I was thinking 30-06 as I have dies, bullets, brass etc on the shelf. My long term plan is to go with a 6.5 or 7mm as my all-around hunting rifle. My precision oriented long range guns are 6.5's, I do like the caliber. I'm putting together pieces to build one but it won't be ready for this year. I was thinking of going the 185 route for the 338. I only have a few 225gr rounds left so I thought this would be a good time to move down in power and weight. What powder do you guys recommend for the 185's? I realize I should have dumped this in the reloading section, thanks for taking a look.

If the recoil isn't a issue stick with your current load.
Being familiar with the trajectory of one load that will work from small to big is a profitable thing.
If you want a better deer round I'd change cartridges rather than the bullet/charge.

338 WM----Deer?
Most anything will work.

Nosler Combined Technology 200 gr BT

A Tikka or RA in 7mm-08 is probably all you need. I have one of each, comparable accuracy using the same load. I've killed a truckload of deer, one antelope, and a 4x4 bull with the Tikka.


P

Don't have my load notes but I found a 200g Hotcor and about 56g of H4895 was very accurate, mild and very effective. About 2700fps.

This.

With 78gr of H4831.

bglimpse,

I hunt everything with my 338wm, this would include deer, coyote, elk, moose, grizzly, black bear, wolf, and anything else on my tag list. My load of choice is 250grn Swift AFrames, on top of 71 grains of H4831sc. I generally eat up to the hole with this load.

Dead is dead, I would just use what shoots well in your rifle.

160 ttsx does nicely. Leaves the 250's in the dust after out penetrating them as well.

Any .338 round on deer "way over penetrates"....

That said, those 250 gr Federal Premiums did a bang/flop about 3 seconds apart on those two roughly deer sized caribou out of Barrow some years ago. ( I had delusions of Polar Bear when I chose which rifle caliber to take..... )

Seconded on the bullet, but I use 65gr R15. Kicks a lot less and still works quite well up to and including elk so far.

225 hornady interlocks

Thanks guys. I'm thinking of trying the 250r A-Frame and Partition, maybe the GameKing or Hornady's. Thinking about it, I'd like one bullet for everything. I know the 225gr AccuBond is a good bullet, but I lost some confidence in Africa two years ago. I can't complain, everything from Impala to Kudu went down with one shot but I had no exit wounds on any animals? I don't believe they exited any animals, even the Impala. Ended up with 10 animals, so I can't complain too much - dead is dead. But, I want an exit hole in animals I shoot. Or, is that not really a problem and should stick with the AccuBonds. They are accurate.

I hear you. I also have a load with H380 that puts them all in one hole. I've also had good luck with H4350 and this bullet.

As for exit holes, never seen on NOT exit, and that includes some moderate quartering shots on elk. I imagine if you shot an elk the long way with one it would catch it, but i just a haven't had that opportunity yet.

On elk, they leave big holes and big wide blood trails.

One of the loads used in my .338 back when I was hunting with it a lot was the 200-grain Speer Hot-Cor and 60 grains of IMR4895. This got around 2700 fps at the muzzle and knocked the snot out of whitetails, but also shot to exactly the same place at 100 yards as my handloads with the 250-grain Partition, also at about 2700.

I used the 250 Partition load up in the mountains where elk lived (and maybe even a grump grizzly), and used the Speer down in the riverbottoms where whitetails lived. Didn't see any reason to shoot deer with expensive 250-grain bullets and still don't, the reason I used a similar pair of loads these days, though the 200-grain bullet and the powder are different. The Speer and 4895 would still work, though.

When I was toting an old M77 in 338 for PA whitetails,I stoked her with 72gr of Imr 4350 and a 200 gr Speer Hot Core. Shot them from less than 50 yards to 250. Same results across the board. Dead deader,deadest.

ANOTHER GUY PLEASED WITH the 200 grain speer.

http://www.speer-bullets.com/ballistics/detail.aspx?id=112

IF YOUR HUNTING DEER, try the 69 grains of WW760 over a fed 215 primer,seat the bullet out too the longest length that will fit and function thru my friends and my 338 win rifle's , I doubt youll find anything to complain about , I've loaded that for several friends for decades
http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/d...;type=Rifle&Order=Powder&Source=

I've never caught a BT, but have caught two 210gr Partitions (much larger sample size) using the same load. One in a 7X7 bull elk and the other in a buck pronghorn. The pronghorn was shot a 70yds through the sternum and the bullet was found in the ham after breaking the bones there. Needless to say he didn't go far...