Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Thinking of a .338-06

My favorite Elk bullet, the Partition, was available.

In Finn's test:

338-06 - 210 NP went 16.8" Penetration.
338-06 - 250 NP went 19.5" Penetration.

30-06 - 200 NP went 21" Penetration.

Have seen 700-pound animals dropped on impact with 100-grain .25-caliber bullets, and go 200 yards with 300-grain .375 bullets put in just about exactly the same place--with both bullets recovered under the hide on the far side. As a result, am not convinced of the magic in any cartridge/bullet.

What I've discovered in 30+ years of gun writing is many (if not most) readers want to read about stuff they use, and if the author writes about their favorite stuff then they feel justified--and a kinship with the writer. If the author praises their choice, then he's a blood-brother. Which is why gun writers who try a lot of stuff and report it all works on some level, for some purposes, are often considered blood-brothers.

In the past couple years I've done articles on rifles and cartridges from the .33 WCF to 6.5 PRC, after considerable dinking with rifles made more than a century ago and modern "customs" made a couple months ago. Have also shot a bunch of big game animals over 52 years, and been standing beside hunting companions as they shot at least as many. Have performed and observed a bunch of big game autopsies, and tested a lot of bullets in various media.

I'm still a rifle loony, but have yet to see major differences in how widely similar cartridges kill stuff, given bullets that penetrate and expand sufficiently, within certain broad parameters. Am still learning stuff every month (or week), but would be very surprised if somebody develops a bullet or cartridge that kills big game noticeably "better" (whatever that means) than similar rounds/bullets. Have seen 700-pound animals dropped on impact with 100-grain .25-caliber bullets, and go 200 yards with 300-grain .375 bullets put in just about exactly the same place--with both bullets recovered under the hide on the far side. As a result, am not convinced of the magic in any cartridge/bullet.

But we all love to bat such stuff around endlessly. In the past week have seen posts asking about whether the Nosler AccuBond is adequate for "big deer", or the performance difference between the Barnes TSX and Tipped TSX, despite all those bullets being around for more than a decade.

Yeah, there are differences in cartridges and bullets, but the biggie is shot placement by a considerable margin, not 1/2" smaller groups, 20% more bullet weight retention, a few 100ths of an inch in bullet diameter, or even twice as much initial bullet weight. If the bullet expands and penetrates sufficiently through the vitals, the animal will die quickly. If the bullet doesn't penetrate the vitals, the initial diameter or weight doesn't make much difference, despite the belief in magnum magic. Have seen this over and over again, as have others including Finn Aaagard, who I knew pretty well.

That doesn't mean I've quit "experimenting." But it does mean I no longer believe in magic..

Mule Deer, I know nothing about the 9.3 x 62, but I assumer It won't fit in a standard long action?

I'm not too wild about recoil, but I've successfully cleanly killed moose and bears with my 338-06 and even enjoyed shooting it at the gun range.

It was easy to load and quite accurate which is a necessity for me and most hunters.

Steve