Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Need 338-06 load recommendation for black bear

Any bullet/load recommendations for black bear under 75 yds. Probably under 50 yds.

225 TSX 51 gr RL 15 +-2600 fps and will never break up @ close range.

Swift 210 gr Scirocco with Rel 15 or Hod 4350

210 TSXs over 54.0 grains of Varget in formed Federal '06 cases with WLR primers gave me about 2,700 fps in my old Ruger No. 1.

H4350 and a 225 Partition. Best shooting bullet in my -06, just not as good of longer range performance as the Accubond. What you are looking to do screams Partition or A-Frame to me (although I haven't shot the A-Frames). Maybe even a 250gn just for kicks!

I'd start with esomething in .338". After that, I don't think it matters much...

The long fur and fat can plug entrance holes that may be high in the body if hunting from a elevated stand. So you will want an exit hole. I had a good friend hit a big bear with a 30-06 and TBBC in 165 gr. Pretty good hit but no exit hole. The bear exited the bait going right but looped back left and we just about didnt find it. so for exit hole I would reccomend Barnes tsx or ttsx, or nosler partitions. Lots of other bullets will work most of the time as bears are not that hard to kill. Just sometimes hard to find if heavy cover and no good blood trail.

200 NBT and R17 would be the first place I'd look. It's the combo I use the most in my 338/06. 2nd choice would be one of the 4350's and the 250 Noz at 2500 or so.

But, most all 338 bullets will do you very well. I'd just stay away from the Original X's and the Fail Safes.

Dober

I know i want an exit hole but i don't want something that's going the exit hole the same size as the entrance hole. Under 50 yards will most likely be the case. I know they are on somewhat of a soft target. I first was a bow kill through the hart at 12 yds and never went another 12 yds.

Yeah that pretty much sums it up.

I have a bunch of 250 gr Barnes O bullets that my '06 LOVES and I'd run those, but not because blackies are exceptionally difficult to kill but just because...

The 215 gr Sierra Game King is the Rodney Dangerfield of the .338 cal crowd IMHO. That thing is tough a nails and would certainly be up to the challenge.

Exit holes are always a plus, but in working on bruins hard since 82 I've seen exactly two that bled enough to follow the trail well. One was with a 416 and one with my 22/250.

Point being, hope for it but it may well not happen.

I've been around a couple arks full of game taken with the various 33's and for the most part you just can't go wrong.

200 NBT
210 NPT
225 NPT
250 NPT
Accubonds
225 and 250 Horn
250 Sierra
210 TSX
250 GS

Tons of good bullets to choose from!

Dober

And although it rarely gets much press these days, if you have some IMR 4320, it produces excellent results with bullets up through 210 grains.

once you hit the 338 bore, the bullet doesn't really matter.. you don't need a premium, but they certainly don't hurt..

if I was loading for the parameters you mentioned above, my choice would be a 250 grain RN, fueled with a 60 grain charge of H 380 ( out of several manuals) for an MV of 2650 fps out of the 24 inch barrel on my model 70...

Oh yeah a 250 Horn RN would work like a charm!

You are talking 2650 out of a 338 right? (not a 338/06?)


Dober

That is immediately what I thought when I read the title.

Personally, I would probably use a 210gr TSX. Simply because that is what I have loaded right now.

Go with the 250 gr Hornady RN. Its a perfect bullet for shooting Black Bear over Bait. Or anything else.

Naw Mark, that is what the old 338/06 chronographs them at using H380...and cases that have had that load 10 times still have tight primer pockets... Win or Rem 06 Brass.. large rifle primer..

Mark,
Questions on the .338's always puzzle me. It would be more difficult to name a .338 bullet that would not be good.

John

Amen to that John! The other John or Royce mentioned that to me a while back and I thought dang...these guys are smart dudes..grin

Dober

2650 with a 250gn out of an -06? I have to stoke the fires to get a 225 to that in a 22" 338-06. That's with H4350 or RL17. Maybe there are better choices out there.