Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Best Bullet for 340 weatherby mag

RULE #1--Shot Placement.

Never changes, eh?

BMT

Nope, it never does. Good ol' .0-'06 with 150 Hornadys is poison ... still is, but the boys don't know it. Same with the .308.

I gotta say, however, that it was a great deal easier to kill our own elk. Some of our nimrod paid hunters couldn't shoot worth crap and prolly one-third of the elk were wounded. It was then the guide's job to clos the deal.

However fun, I'd just as soon that the client came in good physical condition, knew his rifle, zeroed perfectly with the ammo brought and, most importantly, could have placed a single killing shot in the elk.

A great paid hunter was a wonderful thing. And there were some really fine ones.

This experience made me a much better guided hunter because I knew precisely the problems that the guide was typically faced with. By knowing this, I arrived fit, knew my rifle and load intimately and worked as hard in camp as the guides did. You can never give without receiving ten-fold in return and I can honestly say that my relationship with many, many guides has been fabulous.

Steve

I know several people who have decisively whacked Cape buffalo with the 250-grain Nosler Partition from various .338 cartridges from the .338 Winchester Magnum up. There were no "failures." I would say that qualifies it as a dangerous game bullet.

No arguement from me there. Bears, unlike most ungulates, grow throughout their life and the upper size limits are a long way from the typical/average sizes.
Here in AB, I'd guess 90%+ of the black bears taken are under 250 lbs but there are also some 600+ lb bears out there.

DZ,

Oh yea, I know . Rifles (and cartridges) for whatever intangible emotions we attach to them are first and foremost a tool. Each tool has an application. I took my 340 this winter elk hunting but also my 30-06 loaded with 165-gr TSXs and my plan was/is to use each according to how and where we'll hunt that day. I do not want to carry more than necessary nor endure more recoil than necessary. In fact to carry that out to it's logical extension, I also took a GG in 45-70 in case we'd be ghosting along esconced in timber. The fact that I forgot almost all my ammo at home is beside the point .

For the most part however, the country we hunted dictated the 340 (not me) and it was about perfect for the shot and kill I finally got. But I love my genteel 30-06 too.

Some would say, you confuse yourself with mutliple rifles. How many mechanics do you know who only carry a pliers in their tool box so they won't get confused?

By the same token I am a bit conflicted about a favorite bullet for the 340. I've always looked upon the bullet as a tool also; to be chosen for the work to do and so have tried many. Admittedly, though, many premiums are redundant as to application. If I was forced to pick under penalty of a spanking, I'd probably compromise on weight but pick a great penetrator such as the 225-gr TSX.

Gdv

Jim Carmicheal was one.

I remeber reading that in OL. Seems to me it was a top five Roland ward buff.

Based on this statement, I'm guessing you found the 210gr Partition more than enough for shots an any angle? Though I'm using a 338 Win Mag instead of Roy's version, I've yet to catch on of the Nosler's though most of the game has been sub-elk sized.

Craig Boddington did it with a 338 RUM, I still don't consider 338's Thick-Skinned Dangerous Game cartridges.

I would not use anything less than a 375 H&H with a 300gr bullet,but to each their own.

Yeah, when putting down an elk that is wounded and trying to leave the country, often you don't have anythign close to a perfect shot. Often, you have to spine them from the rear or ding them the best way you can.

I never recovered a 210-grain Partition. They always penetrated the entire elk, no matter what the angle or position. Sometimes I wonder why heavier Partitions are made, but that is not my call to make. Some guys just like the extra recoil and the compromised trajectory, I guess.

Anyone here who has hunted Hell's Canyon will tell you it is the ruggedest imaginable terrain. Sometimes, if an elk runs for an extra thrirty seconds, it can cost you an extra day getting the critter out on mules. Sometimes, the extra thirty seconds even results in an unrecoverable kill ... it happens.

I swear, I never ever wanted to shot another man's elk, but there were times that it was totally unavoidable. And sometimes the paid client would yell, "I can't put this bastard down. WILL YOU KILL IT???"

Yup, happily.

Bang-Flop.

Steve

A .338WM or a .340 Weatherby with a 275-grain A-Frame or a 300-grain Woodleigh should be very potent cartridges. The .338WM is quite popular in Alaska, as well as the .30-06, and the .300WM. Quite a lot of our dangerous game in Alaska fall to these three, and I imagine that a .338RUM or .340 should also be plenty.

358mag,

Just curious: What is your line between the 250/338 and 300/375 based on?

Thanks for th info! Bob Hagel talked quite well of the 210gr Partition in The Game Rifle as well. I've yet to stick an elk with one, but deer and pronghorn can seem to stop one. This was a northbound buck that got a southbound shot. Full penetration and two leaps later and he was 'to hand'...

I've got a custom .340 on its way. I stocked up on 225gr Partitions, A-frames and the TSX, but now you've all got me seriously considering that 210 grain Partition.

Pointer - great buck! Specs on the rifle/scope?

Nice buck pointer.

Just my personel mininum, that's it.

Factory Ruger MKII SS/Lam which at the time had a Simmons Aetec 3.5-10X44 scope.

Thanks for the kudos. I imagine it'll be tough to get one bigger than my first one...

I've used the 340 a fair bit, and for bullets in the 225-250 range I've used 7828, R22 and R25.

IMO the 225 TSX is an excellent choice as would the 210 TSX. The 210 shoots into tiny lil bug holes, I've no doubt it or the 225 would do you just fine.

Dober

I shoot a .340wby and use the 225gr Barnes TSX exclusively. I would not hesitate to use this combo on a big bear. In fact I hope to get the chance to do so some day.