Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 338-06 & Barnes 160’s

I normally hunt elk with a 338 win mag and 225 Barnes, Nosler partitions or Accubond. I like the 225’s. A buddy of mine mentioned using a 338-06 and 160 grain Barnes TTSX for his young daughter to hunt with this upcoming season. He said velocity is over 3100 so it should penetrate, or so it would seem. I just thing a 185 might be a better choice even though it’s slower, but the issue is availability. He said shots will be less than 300 and it’s his opinion/choice. What do you guys think about that combination. I know elk are being killed with 6.5 manbuns, but I just have a hard time thinking it’s fair to the animal. I want a clean humane shot and a quick kill if possible. I prefer too much ‘gun’ as opposed to just enough. I wanted to hear some thoughts from this group to see if maybe I’m overthinking it.

Just me but I wouldn't sweat the 160 myself. They're going to hold onto most of their weight during penetration and open reliably in the speeds you mentioned.

Lotta dead elk from 160gr cup and core 7mm bullets. A 338 mono should be just fine.

We're never fair to them. The 6.5 creedmoor and 6.5x47 kill them just fine thanks. And funny, past 300 yards too.

Yea, sure.

I use them in a 338 Win mag. Accurate, kills hell out of pigs. I’d think they would be fine.

A guy I used to work with uses the 160 Barnes out of a 338 WM in his Browning. I know he's killed at least three bull elk and several mule deer with this combination. All one shot kills. At under 300 yards I'd be confident. Please report back after the season with results.

Physics being physics, a 160 grain bullet shot at 3100 fps may be a little rough on the young daughter. But some are tougher than others for sure. Hope it works well.

This is a premium 6.5 bullet shot at 2700 fps. Recovered after busting both shoulders on a bull elk at 400 yards. There was no blood trail needed.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the feedback. I think he’s putting a brake on it for her, not sure. She is pretty good about recoil, or has been up to this point with a 20 gauge shotgun. I am impressed. With the 6.5 bullet, I know the Swedes have been killing big game for a while with the 6.5x55. I just wanted to stir the pot a bit, lol. Each hunter knows his limitations and I know guys who can hit further out then me with their rifles. My limits are 400 yards with my 338 win mag and that’s self imposed.

She'll do well I am sure. Good to get the kids out.

The 160 TTSX was my fav .338-06 bullet.

No longer have that rifle. But that bullet made a great load, fast and deadly.

DF

I think it was written back in the day Coni Brooks of Barnes Bullets used a 160 Barnes out of a 338 for darned near everything.

Am I the only one that thinks over 3100 fps with a 160 gr TTSX bullet is really fast from an '06 case? 26" barrel?

Nosler shows a 180 doing 2990 out of a 24". Guessing you can push one that fast. I tend towards slower and sleeker but I've been told it doesn't work.

I’ve got a box that I had loaded up with 160gr TSX at 3150 from my 20” 338wm. I don’t know why since I’m not a speed freak and I generally prefer heavier bullets but I don’t think there’s many animals alive that can survive a well placed 160gr TSX doing 3150. I’ll have to give it a try sometime on a Blacktail.

I load the 160 TTSX in my 338 Federal for elk, never shot one though. But I have done a lot of reading online before I decided to use that combination and all the reports were positive that it had no problem putting down elk. It should be fine in 338-06, just have to watch the distance as the low BC will bleed off energy faster than a sleeker bullet.

I get 2900 fps from a 200 grain Hornady SP and RL-15 from my .338-06. The Barnes manual has 3100 fps with the 06, and 3000 fps with the Federal. Hogdon doesn't quite show 3000 fps with the Federal, but has several powders 3100+ in the 06. The .338-06 isn't a slouch with 225 and 250 grain bullets either.

I am not trying to make an argument here, just asking...but for many, many years the old hunter/writers seemed to credit high sectional density bullets as necessary factor in cleanly killing big game. Not many years back the thought of using, for instance, a 130 grain bullet in the '06 for big game would have raised eyebrows. A 160 in a .34 also seems like an awful low sectional density (haven't looked it up). Has SD been discounted as a factor in killing power?

I’d like to have a 338-06, be a fine pig killer

I think mono metal bullets have changed the game with 100% weight retention. They'll penetrate as well as higher SD bullets, that shed mass on impact.