Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska .338WM your favorite powder?

I'm asking all over several forums, ha. I hunt from as high as 90 deg in our early Fall to zero in the Late Season ( depends on what I draw for tags, of course) I want one powder to do it all for the 225 TTSX. I have never used any 225 in any 338 (340W and 338 RUM either) but I am interested in what you guys use up there? I don't shoot at unwounded game past 375 or so, end of my comfort zone, ha. If you use factory loads, how does it work for you?

H4350 with the 225 gr. TTSX's, very temp stable and great speed.

What was your load and speed pard? I promise not to blow my face off (as one guys said)

Blow your bubble>> Its very intro to me that the hv bullets that made the 338 win mag are gone and it made it so great. > get a 300 weth and a 200ger and enjoy.

MMMM do they still make a 308 220ger MMM

IMR4350 with 250gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claws. I still have a good supply of Jack Carters originals. Loaded with 67.8 gr. For 225 of same bullets, 69 gr of IMR 4350. Developed these loads late 80s and still work. Have not tried TSX but I do used TSX in 300 win mag and other rifles.

I use RL17 for the most part in my 338. Fits nice and does well with the 200-250 grain Bullets. Haven’t ran into issues with temp extremes but I’m mostly a 20-90 degree shooter. No experience outside of those. RL16 might be real good since it’s touted to be more temp stable?

H4350: Here's how the cheap 225's shoot in my rifle:




If I were going to try a 225 gr. TTSX, you can bet your ass I'd be using H4350.... I've tried the powder and bullet game with the 338wm since the 90's and H4350 is at the top of the list now. It used to be IMR4350 with 250's and RL19 with 225's.

Very good information bsa1917hunter. I have a 338wm that I haven't shot yet but will soon. Have some H4350 too! Thanks

I've always have had a special spot in my heart for .338 guns. Not sure why. I just like them.

Me too.

H-4350, haven't tried any of the newer wonder powders yet.

Lots of powders work well in the .338 Winny and H4831sc is a great place to start. I used RL19 for many years and about 3 years ago I switched to Hunter with the 225 TTSX bullet after trying H4831sc and H4350. I shoot a custom Mod. 70 "Classic Stainless" .338 that still wears the very accurate original factory barrel that I had chopped to 23".

There are lots of powders to choose from, H4350, Big Game have a rep for handling temp swings. I like the Hodgdon Extreme series of powders, but other companies are now making powders that handle temp swings better then powders from years ago. I think about any powder that works in a 30-06 with 180 grain or heavier bullets will work in a .338 with 225 to 250 grain bullets. My Ramshot Hunter load gives my .338 about 2,836 fps mv with the 225 grain TTSX and if I do my part it will cover about any thing near or far.

I only hunt Alaska and an informal survey I do every year on the AOD forum shows the average first shot distance at an Alaska big game animal is averaging well under 200 yards. At that range I don't think it matters much what powder is used or how that powder handles temp swings.

After making my own ammo for close to 50 years I have become a bit lazy and find myself saying "good enough" in load development sooner then when I started out. I run H4350 in my 30-06 and 6.5 Creed and could easily use it in my .338 and no moose or bear would know the difference. But, like others my eyes are drawn to the velocity charts and chrono readings and the little voice always says, more faster more better! LOL

I'm not a long range hunter either Pard. I have 'averaged" 190 yds for my 3 cow elk, and about 150 yds on mule deer. I do have about a 225yds average on pronghorn. In East Texas, my "average" on whitetail and hog was right at 65 yds. "One time" I killed a buck at 276 looong steps down a pipeline ROW ,ha. I have made my longest shots on exotics in Texas and in Namibia. Both were right at 375yds. When my fubar happened with my 338/185XLC/R19, my groups had opened up to about a 5 inch pattern. Now, I love to hunt in and on the edges of dark timber, so being able to be accurate enough to "thread a hole" on the brush is my threshold. Speed not so much. Even if a 250 Partition had slowed down to 2200fps, at woods distances, I'd still shoot all the way through most of the shots. At least, I'd like to "think it would", ha.

Imr 4350 for the 338, and my 375 H&H>hands Down!

67 grains IMR 4350 250 grain nosler partition Federal 215 primer. I've used it 41 years without complaint. I use the 338 for moose and elk and I've shot a few white tail deer with it as well when on a moose or elk hunt. The people that use the 338 all seem to like it. It's the only magnum cartridge that I have owned.

IMR 4350 powder. I use it in many cartridges

When I shot my .338, I used Re 19 and 210 Nosler Part... That or 4350..

I used WW760/Sierra 300 (close to 2600fps) in a .375 H&H one year. I killed a medium sized cow elk right at 200yds. When it got colder that year I clocked it almost 100fps slower, but zero ( at 100 anyhow) wasn't changed.