Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Any good 338 Federal - .225 Nosler etips loads

Looking for a good 338 Federal - .225 gr Nosler etips load, the 225 gr e-tip with it's BC of .611 looks like a great load if I can find a 2450 fps load.

Not many sources for .338 Federal 225 grain loads.

I have loaded the 225 AccuBond up to 2450 fps in a 22" barrel with 44.0 grains of Ramshot TAC, but Nosler does not list the 225 E-Tip in their .338 Federal data, probably because it results in higher pressure than lead-core bullets of the same weight.

44.1 grains of TAC is the max listed by Ramshot for 225's in the .338 Federal, but Nosler lists 42.5 as max with lead-cored bullets.

I would also be a little skeptical of the .611 BC at such low velocities. Generally BC in highest in plastic-tipped boattail spitzers at higher velocities.

On a related note--I always thought the 338 Fed would be perfect in the Remington Model 7.

The e-tip will be a challenge since it is sooo long. It will take up a lot of powder space. A 200 e-tip is about the same length as a 225 AB. Leverevolution will get you 2500ish with a 225 Partition. Hodgdon lists 48gn with a 225 Hornady for 2518. I got 2450 with the 225 Partition at 46.5 and a 22” barrel. At 48 it was a little over 2500 but I felt that’s probably a little stout. 2000MR would be the other powder to try in my opinion.

thanks MD and others, I will lower my expectations on the .611

I have 200 gr etips and 160 gr t-tsx's on the shelf I will try first.

The 160 TTSX may be
The 160 TTSX could prove to be an interesting 338 Fed bullet.

It is a good one in the 338-06 at 3K+ fps.

DF

old willys,

My experience with the .338 Federal (and similar cartridges, such as the .358 Winchester) is that high BC doesn't help much. They're still moderate-range rounds.

Higher BC does help a lot as the same cases are necked down to smaller calibers. Not so much when they're necked up!

If you’re looking for a relatively good BC vs. velocity bullet, consider the 180 AB. Bryan Litz tested BC values are better than the Nosler published value. There are many great powders that will get you 2775-2800. Seeing your in CA and perhaps needing a mono, both the 185 and 160 TTSX shoot very well IMO. For the 160, try AA2230. I was told X-terminator was the exact same powder, yet published data is different. Check out Barnes load data, but work up. I’ve never settled on their max as they seemed a little too stout for me.

I just got in some 180 NAB's from SPS and MidwayUSA. Midway was higher, but I got free shipiping, which made SPS slightly more expensive.

In the 338-06, I should get pretty good speed, maybe in the 2,900 range with H-380. Reportedly it's a good bullet for general use. Will compare accuracy with that powder and Nosler's accuracy powder, Vv n-150, burn rate close to H-4350, StaBALL, RL-17 and H-100V. I have them all, probably won't try every one. Will go with mag primers with ball powders.

I'd like to see 338-06 data with StaBALL. In other rounds, such as the 7-08, charges are about the same as H-4350. I may need to work up loads with my chrono, starting with H-4350 load data. Start low and go slow, for sure, let the chrono do the talking.

DF

DF,
In my 338-06 with 180 Accubonds,I was able to get 3020fps with 58.0grs of Varget.60.0gr of Big Game gave me 2940fps,so yes 2900fps is achievable.

Good info. 3K is moving that sized bullet.

H-380 is another good one in the 338-06.

I like Varget with the 160 TTSX.

DF

So from what I've learned so far working with the 338-06,with the same case,going from 30cal up to 338cal it looks like you may be able to push the same weight bullet around 150-200fps faster out of the 338cal.So I would think in the case of the 338 Federal,I would think the 160 TTSX Should be able to get around 2900fps or maybe even a bit more.A 180gr Accubond should be able to around 2800fps or maybe a bit over.The difference between the 338 Federal and the 338-06 still looks to remain about the same difference between the 308 Win and the 30-06,giving the velocity edge to the larger 06 case.Powders that work well in the 308 Win look to be the powder choice in the 338 cases.

Yep.

Fed version should like faster powders than the ‘06 version.

As with the .308/30-06 comparison, there is less difference with lighter weight bullets. The ‘06 pulls away with heavier bullets.

DF

Check the Western Powders reloading guide for a few loads using their powders (X-term, 2230, TAC) with the Nosler 225 accubond. Alliant has loads for the A-bond and for the Speer boat tail 225 and one for the flat base 225. Overall, I think, you will do better with a shorter, lighter choice, like a 200. I like the Speer flat base 200 as it will hold up well at Fed. velocities. Its BC of about .45 isn't so impressive today but higher velocity with it vs. the 225s help offset any BC advantage of the slippery stuff at lower velocities. Additionally, you most likely won't use a 338 Fed for those 600-800 yard shots so the BC isn't critical.

baldhunter,

Due to the larger bore in a smaller case, the .338 Federal is capable of just about the same muzzle velocities, with the same-weight bullets, as the .30-06. Which is why I wrote in the first GUN GACK book that the. 338 Federal (like many other cartridges) approximates the .30-06. Of course, .338 bullets of the same weight as .308 bullets have a lower ballistic coefficient, when of the same make/design.

The .280 Remington Ackley Improved also does the approximate -30-06 thing with smaller-diameter, higher-BC bullets. The big differences between the .338 Federal and the .280 AI are BC and recoil: The .280 AI kicks harder but with the "right" bullets shoots flatter and drifts less in the wind. Which is also a general principle of ballistics, when necking various cartridges up and down.

So it depends on what you want. Out to about 250-300 yards the .338 Federal provides ballistics about like the .30-06, with somewhat less recoil. Of course, this is judged by muzzle velocity, but I have never found the magic killing power in .33-caliber bullets over .30 caliber bullets that some other hunters claim.

I wouldn't overlook the 200gr Silver Ballistic Tip or 200gr Accubond.Both of these bullets are very tough.I'm running both these bullets at 2800fps out of my 338-06 to take a couple of red deer.
200gr Accubond exit neck

200gr Silver Ballistic Tip Red Stag at 200yds

Entry

Inside entry

inside exit side

outside exit

Nice.

BTW, that background looks like a cowboy action range...

DF

baldhunter,

Among other animals taken with the 200-grain .338 Ballistic Tip/Ballistic Silvertip (they are the same bullet with different colors) lengthwise through a 450-pound bull gemsbok, which have 1" thick hide on the shoulders and heavy, tough bones. The cartridge was the .338 Winchester Magnum, and the muzzle velocity around 2950 fps. The bull was standing quartering toward me at 150-175 yards, and the bullet not only broke the near shoulder but the spine, ending up under the hide of the opposite ham, retaining a little over 60% of its weight. Yes, they are pretty tough bullets....

I had a 200gr ballistic silvertip shed it's core out of my 338-06 on a mature mule deer buck this past season. Tremendous damage, tough is not what comes to mind. Example of one.

I had tried it specifically because MD stated it was tough. Going to try some 185gr mono's this weekend. I think a 200gr AB would be better.

I have always thought a 338-06 is pretty close to like a 300 magnum.

I have Combined Technologies, black 200 gr bullets (NBT's) that shoot really good over a warm dose of H-380. Not quite a gunner500 dose, but pretty close.

I'm thinking those would be good for WT's. I try to stay out of shoulders to save meat. Where I hunt, we can find them if they run a few yards. Most don't go that far, often leave a blood trail that Ray Charles could track at night...

I have excellent 160 TTSX and 180 NAB loads ready to go. But you know how a Loony thinks...

DF


Edited to add, a good 210 NPT load, too. All three loads sub MOA.