Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 338 Federal - 160 gr vs 210 gr

Also, the 200-gn Accubond. Though those plastic tips can be a be-atch in a short action ( due to length). This I know from the .358. Then again the copper bullets can be " too long" as well, and a TIPPED copper bullet could get darn near unusable. You give up too much case capacity.

All that reloading gack aside, the 200 AB should be on the short list for a 338 Fed, in my opinion...

How much? Which powders? FPS??

R-Loco,

I was advised by a popular gun writer to take a look at the 200 AB and TAC powder in the 338 Federal. 2700 FPS should be a realisitic number.

my work with 358 doesn't support 2700 with 200's in a less efficient cartridge (338 fed), but then I'm not a famous gunwriter <g>.

2600 maybe... Either way, a POTENT load methinks...

My work with 200s in the 338 Fed support 2690fps very easily, comfortable loads. Factory 200gr Fusions have given me 2660fps with one lot # and 2705 with another lot#.

I'm not that famous either, yet.

I remember you mentioning those speeds before, and I remember we were excited about JB's article... Me for the .358 part. What you seeing is exciting for what it says for the .358 <g>. I like it!

I am in "no man has gone before" territory with RL7 and 200's in my 358. With RL7 the case capacity is a non-issue. I lobbied JB to mess with that powder, but he didn't. I intend to try some of that there TAC asap. I'm still searching for the perfect load but in my M7 action there's real limits to a guys max OAL... So the heavier tipped or copper bullets lose their luster fast for the speed they cost you. 2500 fps with a 225 Partition is pretty cool.. Knock off 100 fps or so (est) for the 225 Accubond stings a little.

Sorry! Back to 338 fed... Got on a .358 tangent, my bad. :-)

Have you had any luck with H4895? I tried it in my 35Wh with good acc but poor speed. Went to IMR4064 and found good speed and acc with 250gr. Have heard it works in 358Win also.
H4895 just continues to work well in both of my 338 Feds.

shaking my head again...

Ranchette,

Long bullets are a real problem for guys trying to max out a .358 or .338 Fed unless they've built it on a long action. TAC may or may not solve that; but at best it's a uncommon powder, might not agree with a given rifle, etc. In general long bullets are a bummer...

If you load for one of these, I'd be curious as to your experiences, since they seem contrary to what the rest of us have been seeing for a long time. If you DON'T load for one of these, then whataya doing?

338FED, I've not run H4895 but IMR4895 is my main powder with 225's. Case capacity, not pressure signs, is what always puts a ceiling on things for me in my M7... With 200's on down I have found RL7 to be magical. 2640 fps with 200's from a 20" tube. Others have reported good things with RL10 but that just finally showed up in my area and I have not tried it yet.

A gentleman I PM with reports almost 2600 fps with 225's using RL15, but in my rifle his load gave 2400 fps and pressure signs. Which is why my first reaction to 2700 fps with 200's was so immediate; with .358 at least, 2 different rifles, I have never even come close to "Internet" velocities <grin>.

One of the off- season goals is to mess with TAC in my rifle.

Always a pleasure 338Fed!

ooooh... making fun of a handle. what are you, 12 years old?

remember that pm you sent me? I replied how you could be taken seriously around here. you've obviously disregarded that advice.

you really act a lot younger than you are, and not in a good way.

RanchO,

What's you problem with what I've said here? Anyone who's loaded extensively for a short-action .358 runs into the case capacity/OAL problem. Can't imagine 338 Fed is much different. A tipped all-copper bullet of any decent weight for caliber is gonna be TOO LONG. If you have evidense to the contrary let's hear it.

Specifically, Mr. Shaker of Head, what is your issue here?

BTW, you get what you give, with me. You won't see me casting the first or even second stone. Follow me around taking potshots, though, and don't whine when they start coming back your direction. That's fair, eh? :-)

You taking potshots at me is the least of my worries.

Imagine that.

Please, man up and tell me how I'm incorrect in my comment that long bullets are a bummer in this case, and that a tipped all- copper bullet will be as long as it gets. If you are gonna cast the stink-eye at me, you owe me that.

In what way am I wrong?

Man up? <snicker>

I'll let your ESTIMATES get the last word in.. All 100 fps of them.

I've found that with 185TSX in the 338Fed that I run out of powder space with my favorite powder sooner than I run out of space with 200 Speer LedCor bullets. Haven't yet spent the scratch to try 210 or 225 gr all copper bullets. Fear they'll be TOO LONG and unusable. Then here I'll sit, a poor wretch of confused humandom with a partial box of expensive copper jewelry to look at.
Will someone else please try the long copper stuff in a 338Federal and let me know how it goes? Please?!

Now imagine adding TWO TENTHS of an inch to that 185 TSX, for a plastic tip, and you see where my comment about how potentially unusable a tipped copper bullet can be, if you are running something like a M7 especially.

That 2/10" comes directly out of your powder capacity, and it changes the calculus for the bullet choice some. Would you rather have 200-gn Bullet A at (say) 2700 fps, or 200-gn Bullet B at 2575 fps? With a velocity-challenged cartridge like .358 or .338 Fed, where we are using bullets generally designed for something faster (like a 338 WM or 35 Whelen), these things weigh heavy on the mind <grin>...

That 125 fps should be roughly right btw. Went and looked at my notes just for Rancho. At one time I was trying like hell to get the old 200-gn flat base X bullet to run in my .358. Just going from a 200-gn Hornady to the (longer) 200-gn X bullet cost me almost 100 fps... that's with no boattail nor plastic tip, which would add... gosh... pushing a quarter inch to the length of the bullet.

Can't speak directly to 338 Federal, but the very similar .358 will really teach you some new reloading techniques when it comes to figuring out how to fit the most powder in a case... how compressed a load you can run without pushing the bullet back out... etc. :-)

I think 338 Fed is a way cool cartridge and if I didn't already have a .358, I'd be running one for blacktails. And if ever there were cartridges where cup and core bullets shine, it's fat moderate-speed ones like .338Fed and .358.

IMO and IME...

Hey Rancho... have you loaded for a .358 or .338 Fed?

And yeah... "man up" is the exact right way to put it, because coming here and being a PITA just to be a PITA is a pretty wussy thing to do, especially if you got NOTHING to back it up. And I'm not talking about having a flame war, I'm talking about you having some sort of fact or even theory to oppose the FACTS that I've politely stated.

Hint: if someone is speaking the truth, and doing it politely, you should check and make sure you at least have SOMETHING before you take shots at 'em... at least if that someone is me.... <grin>...

If you want to shoot 160gr. bullets why not just shoot a .308 with 165's?

or better yet a 308 with 125's...grin

Dober