Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Good 338 Federal loads

Finally got out to shoot some 160TTSX over TAC. I loaded from 50 to 51.5gr the best group was 50.5 and just a hair over 1" @2455fps. Worst was 51.5 at just over 1.5"(never chronoed this load)
I also took along my Benchmark load which is 48gr @2425fps and fired 3 quick shots with front rest only (this is normally how I shoot while hunting) and put them into 1". The 50.5gr TAC load is nice but I like the consistant accuracy of the Benchmark load and that 25fps vel loss means nothing. So I guess I will see what a 160TTSX @ 2425fps does to a whitetail this fall!

Is that velocity a typo?

Okay. Got to the range this morning, and despite some rain and a 12~15 km wind, I have some interesting results from my Benchmark 8208 test loads. They pretty closely mirror what some of you blokes have obtained. Here goes. I only shot groups of 3 with 200 gr Woodleigh, Federal cases, Fed 210M(match) primers, 8208 powder. 22" bbl
45.5 g = Ave 2599 f/s ES 28 f/s 1.9" group @ 100 yds
46.0 g = " 2646 f/s " 22 f/s 1.1" "
46.5 g = " 2654 f/s " 4 f/s 0.84" "
47.0 g = " 2689 f/s " 19 f/s 1.5" "

I'm pretty pleased with that result, and would happily go with 46.5 grains, but being a compulsive "fiddler", plan to see .2 of a grain either side makes any difference. I have my doubts . . unless that really low ES was just random. We'll see.
Cheers,
John

good information, all. Thank you.

Yep, a case of fingers working faster than the brain! Anyway, the vel is 2825 and 2855fps

AussieJack,
You're results are interesting. Thanks for sharing. The accuracy pattern matches mine exactly. Your velocities are a tad bit higher, but well within reason given a bullet with presumably less bearing surface than an Accubond and the variability of barrels and chronos. I am debating about playing around with seating depth and maybe a couple tenths more/less powder around 46.5. Even if i don't touch it (which I will because I'm obsessed with fiddling) I would have an elk load I'm quite comfortable with.

prm,
Mate, thanks go to you for instigating this thread. I'm having a lot of fun and have learnt a hell of a lot from other peoples experiences. I now think I'm at where I want to be with the .338 Fed, and will shortly post some of my conclusions . . for what they are worth. They might just help others to appreciate what a fantastic little round this is!
cheers,
John

Come on Jack, don't be shy. Let's hear it. powdr

I'll put my 2 cents in. I think the 180-200gn bullets are the prime range of bullets given the velocities, BCs, and purpose of the cartridge. Federal brass seems fine, however Lapua brass offers a bit more volume if you want it. For powder, TAC and 8208 XBR are the standouts in my experience. I get a tad more velocity with TAC. However, 8208 is truly temperature resistant whereas the information on TACs temperature resistance seems more anecdotal. It may be, but It is a ball powder so I have my doubts. Someday I'll actually test them.

Now, I'll contradict myself... If I had to have only one load for all game from small game though elk or moose, it would be the 160 TTSX with AA2230. It is the most accurate load I have, after probably ten 3-shot groups the largest group it's ever shot is .8", and that .338 160gn does massive damage when launched at over 3050. All out of a 5lb 14oz rifle.

The furthest I've shot anything is just under 200 yds, but I'd have no problem shooting out to 400 at sea level and 500yds at elk hunting elevations. It does everything I want in a hunting rifle

Okay powdr, seeing as how pmr has beaten me to the draw I'd better trump up!
Keeping in mind that some of the components you have in the US are not so readily available here in Oz, and others may be hard to get most of the time, my choices may sometimes be 'second best' only. Also, where I hunt mostly, along the Great Dividing Range of south-eastern Australia, I may be presented with a shot at a 100 lb fallow doe or a 600 lb Sambar stag in habitat ranging from dense wet sclerophyll forest, to lightly forested fringe country, as such, I need a bullet that will hold together and penetrate the heavy muscled and strongly boned sambar, but still open-up reliably on the lighter-framed animals for quick/humane kills. A long-shot for me would be 250 yds, but I love to get in 'close and personal'. I guess you might say I'm a hunter rather than a 'shooter' ( not a moral issue, just how I get my rocks off I guess!).
I've had my Ruger Hawkeye blued/walnut .338 Fed. c/w 22"bbl since early 2010, so I've fiddled with lots of different loads and components. When I bought it I also bought 2 boxes of factory ammo- 1 ea of 180 NAB and 210 NPT, mainly for the brass. I later bought a box of blue-box 200g Unicore. The first 2 shot very well at around 1~1.25 MOA, and chronographed 2839 f/s and 2627 f/s respectively . . pretty close to advertised. The blue box stuff didn't group well, at around 2.5 MOA and was clocking about 2720 if I remember correctly.
In short I think I pretty closely concur with what prm has said above, and I would suggest he's probably more methodical than I am, and hence offers sound advice. I tend to favour bullets of 200/210 grains in the Fed. ( for no good reason, other than they seem about right when comparing SD,s and BC,s) If I think I may need a bit more reach I'll take my 7RM or .30-06 with lighter faster bullets. Having said that, let me say that there is no flies on the 210 Scirocco II in this regard and if I was to again hunt moose and elk in BC, I would elect to use this. At 2690 f/s ahead of 43g of Benchmark 2 it shoots inches flatter, and is far less effected by wind than any other 338 bullet I've tried. I fired 12 shots at a steel gong at 410 ranged yards that I thought was the size of a bread and butter plate, and was surprised when I hit it 9 times. I was even more surprised when I walked up for a look, and found it was only the size of a CD! ( If I sound elated by this, it's because I'm a pretty lousy shot most of the time).
I have found the 200g Accubond to be a very devastating and reliable bullet on deer-sized game, and pushed along by a stout load of either Benchmark 2 or Win 748 I get good accuracy, and 2670 f/s is easily obtainable. Both the afore-mentioned bullets are however, sleek and long, and tend to gobble-up a lot of powder space. More-so since I find they both tend to be more accurate with a good bit of jump.
I hate mucking around with highly compressed loads, and have almost always found flat-based bullets shoot more accurately (in my rifles anyway), and all those sexy sharp points and boat-tails really only start to show gains beyond 250 yards. So I've tended to edge back to the more conventional bullets. I've tried 200g Speer Hotcore, 200g Hornady Spire Point ( and SP-RP version ). All shot very accurately, and all bar the SP-RP, would be fine for my purposes. The "recoil-proof" version of the Hornady shot very accurately, but didn't open-up on light framed deer unless heavy bone is hit. No doubt they'd be okay at magnum velocities. However, the "do-all" bullet I have adopted ( for the mean-time), is the home-grown 200 g Woodleigh Weldcore PP. As stated in a previous post, I'm loading this bullet in Fed.338 head-stamped cases with Fed 210 m primers and 44g of Benchmark 2 for an MV in the mid 2600's. What I like about this load most is that the MV and POI seems to be the same every time I drag the rifle out of the bag whatever the ambient temp. Something that I couldn't say for the Win 748 loads though they produced significantly higher velocities ( 2751 f's). Significantly the Woodleighs are designed for .338-06/.338 Fed velocities with a thinner jacket towards the nose and being bonded, will retain about 80% or more up close, and open reliably down to 1900 f/s.
As I'm nearly out of BM-2, I'm currently swapping to Benchmark 8208 which, so far,is proving to be just more of a good thing as others have found. Velocity and accuracy are excellent with the added benefit that it appears to be very clean burning. So for the mean-time, I think I'll be staying with the 200g Woodleigh and 8208!
. . . but, I haven't tried any of those Barnes monometals yet. Some on here seem to be singing their praises. Maybe that should be my next project!!
Sorry for the looong post.
Cheers, John

Has anyone given any thought to the 200 grain Hornady FTX bullet? Brought to market to support the 338 Marlin lever gun. I'm wondering how it would perform at 338 Federal velocities. Any thoughts?

I have considered the FTX bullet. What I have not been able to find out is whether it acts more like a 200 SST or the 200 SP. if it's like the SP I would try it.

As mentioned before, I have a free range Axis hunt first week of June. Been playing around with 6.5x55 and 7mm-08 because they seemed like ideal rounds for Axis. I've not found a top notch load for either. Found this thread again recently and decided to bring the 338 Federal out.

Done with load development with range one session. Looks like I will be taking my 338 Federal on the hunt. Shot 3 groups and the worst was MOA. This one was the best. POI was very consistent.

Scott,
Looks like you've got a good load there mate! Now looking forward to your trophy pics.
John

I wrote to Hornady to ask their guidance on using the FTX in the 338 Federal. I was told that the FTX would work but was designed specifically for the 338 Marlin Express and has a velocity ceiling of 2,800 fps. I was also told I would likely be better served using the SST.
I'll find the reply from Hornady and post is here.

From Hornady:

Thank you for contacting us. That particular bullet was made specifically for the 338 Marlin Express. Therefore, the bullet was designed to operate at an optimal muzzle velocity of about 2500fps; not to exceed 2800fps. Personally, I feel a bullet that would be much better suited to your needs would be the 200gr SST #33102. This projectile will easily withstand the higher velocity and give reliable expansion at impact velocity as low as 1800fps. The SST will also offer a better ballistic coefficient when compared to the FTX projectile. Thanks again,

Funny, because the 338 Marlin is only about 100 fps behind the 338 Federal (essentially the same velocity range). I remember seeing an FTX sectioned and the interlock ring was right next to the cannelure which is very far forward. Seems like this would override the ring and cause core separation. Ring should be closer to the heel.

Personally, I prefer 200 Ballistic tip because the jacket is about 60% of the total weight. Even with core separation, you get 60% weight retention.

Did some bullet "testing" today. I made a target of 1.25" of particle board, ~12" of damp magazines and then ~6" of dry magazines. The damp magazines were soaked in a bag but I drained them and they just damp. In the end, I think it worked very well and the recovered bullets looked just like the few I've recovered from animals. It was interesting to peel the magazines apart and see the different channels produced by each bullet. The 180 BT produces a noticeably larger channel. One very pleasant surprise was the 200 SST. In previous tests it failed miserably in dry paper. But in this one it did very well. It came out looking just like two 180 .30 Cal SSTs I've seen recovered from a very nice, and dead, 6x6 bull elk. The SST even penetrated a tiny bit more than the 200 Accubond and retained a little more weight, that was a surprise. Roughly grouped in the order of depth of penetration.

Bullet / Vel. / Retained weight
185 TTSX (2735, 2744); (184.2, 184.4) Narrow frontal area
200 Trophy Copper (2550); (199) Average frontal area
210 Partition (2647, 2626); (152.1, 152.1) Narrow frontal area

200 Hot Cor (2631); 132.9) Narrower frontal area
200 Trophy Bonded Tip (2658); (186.1) Average/wide frontal area
210 Scirocco II (2552, 2553); (194.6, 199.1) Very wide frontal
160 TTSX (3064, 3077); (158.8, 159.3) Very wide frontal area
200 SST (2675); (149.7) Wide frontal
200 AB (2621); (139.2) Narrow frontal area
180 BT (2784, 27779); (94.4, 93.5) Not incl. partial core, which was separated, but right there with jacket (~30gn)

180 Soft Point (Federal Factory); (119.9)

All of them penetrated to within a couple inches of one another.Some, like the 210 SC II and SST opened very wide which limits penetration, but can cause a lot of damage. Bottom line, based on this, except for the 180 Soft Point factory load, I would use any of these against elk.

Awesome stuff PRM. Thanks for doing the work. Makes me feel even better about my 338-06 shooting those 210 sciroccos at nearly 2800 fps if you are retaining 93% or better at 2550ish.

BTW an ES of 1 is quite impressive on your two shoots with the SSII!!!

Nice - thanks for doing that and sharing the results!