Recently picked up a Tikka T3 in 338 WM, looking to load 210 grain bullets (Nosler Partion,Barnes TTSX,Swift Sirrocco's) but this could change. I plan on using it to hunt elk and black bear hunt (dark timber).
Post your favorite bullet powder combo for the 338 please.
Thanks

180's 200's and 210's; 74 grains R-19.

225's [Work up. It used to be book max but they have cut back in some of them.] 76 R-22.

I would prefer using H4350 and H-4831 respectively but they are not nearly as accurate in my rifle.

I use a pretty stout load of RL19 and 200gr. Ballistic Tips for whitetails. Call me crazy.

The following load has given us good results in a couple of Remington 700's chambered in .338 Win Mag. As always, work up, perfectly safe in our rifles, maybe not in yours. Both guns give groups of about 3/4 inch and velocities of about 2900 fps.

Win Case
Fed 215 M primer
72 grains H 4350
Barnes 210 grain Tipped TSX

RP hulls
Fed 215
250 NP
73.0 gr H4831SC

Worked flawlessly for 15 years here in AK

No 210 loads here, and if they wont shoot for ya, you may want to try my load.

WW Brass
225 TTSX
70 gns H-4350
Fed 215
Vel 2825

Stupid accurate out of a Kimber walnut 8400 SA rifle.

Gunner

My favorite load for the 210 NPT is 74.0/H205 in WW cases behind a Fed Mag primer for 2959 fps. I've used this combo for over 30 years in North America for moose, caribou, black bear, grizzly, and elk.

My supply of H205 is getting low, and I doubt you'll be able to find any nowadays. I've also used 77/H450 for 2940 fps, 76/N204 for 2963 fps, and 75/R-19 for 2937 fps.

These loads are perfectly safe in my current .338, a Remington 700, but you should work up from well below.

dawaba, not to hi-jack but I traded into about 4 LBS of N-204 with only one container being opened.

Whats the 204 good for?

Thanks
Gunner

Gunner, Norma 204 and Re-19 are probably the same powder, being manufactured by the same company in the same plant. So, allowing for lot-to-lot variation, loads appropriate for Re-19 should work quite well with your Norma 204.

Based on my experience, I'd say you're fixed up with your N204 in the .30-06/165+180 gr, the 7x57/140 gr, and the .338 WM/210 gr. If there is just ONE load that is made in heaven, it is in the .30-06 and 180 NPT: 57-60 N204. In several -06s, it gives fine accuracy with top velocity.

Thanks Bud, have kept it stored in a CC room with the rest of my powder, it's in red and black metal cans w/ small screw off caps.

Have never noticed it in any RL manuals and didnt know what to do with it. I do now, Thanks

Gunner

My load for my .338 WM is a 225 gr. Northfork (sorry - no 210's here) and 73 grs. of Rldr-22.
Close to 1" groups which is plenty good enough for moose. I've found Northforks to be slightly more accurate than a Partition and they don't lose as much weight.
Bear in Fairbanks

Thanks for all of the great loads....anyone running 200 Nosler Accubonds?
How about anyone using IMR 7828 powder in the 338 WM ?

I can't get top velocity with the lighter bullets with IMR7828 before running out of case room. Save this powder for the heavyweights like the 250 gr.

Depending on the lot, RL15 should get you 2,950 or so with 65-66gr and a 200gr Nosler AB/BT. Accurate bullet in my 700. Recoil is not brutal.

Ever try Varget or Big Game with those 200's?

My favorite in several .338s for more than 30 years is:

73 gr/IMR 4350
Fed 215
210 gr Nosler Partition

Winchester or Nosler brass.

I've always used RE-22 with 225 grain bullets, somewhere between 74-78 grains depending...

Just recently I gave RE-15 a try with 210 TTSXs and been impressed with the accuracy...in mine 65 is great, but 66 is a touch warm.

That sounds like a load I'd try....How fast are those running? Probably pretty close to 2,900 huh......

70 gr/H4350
Fed 215
225gr Accubond ... shoots lights out in my Howa, afraid to crono it :P

That would make a very nice long slappin' Elk load SN.

Gunner

I thought that is what my load was for, but it slaps the hell out of them close too......:

I've seen those Bulls shudder real hard and fall over at 30 yards too. that chits gotta hurt.

Gunner

Speakin of LR BSA, I ran the numbers on my old Elk thumper, it's an old semi-custom 338-378 WBY MAG. w/a 28" Shilen and a 2.5-10 Zeiss with the Rapid Z-800 reticle, the new 300 gn Accubond @3000 fps coincides perfectly with the ups in that scope.

If the bullet will hold up [and it should] that will make the finest Elk hammer I could ever hope to carry out West.

The retained numbers add up to sheer devastation.

Gunner

My last bull was stepping over a log as I pulled the trigger (he was about 80 yards away) and that's where he stayed....I played hell dragging the sob off though .....Your long range 338 sounds like the bomb man.....Pure "devistation", I'm sure.....I just ordered (250) 286 gr. nosler partitions for my 9.3x62mm mauser so I can play around with it before season and hopefully tip one over with it. My 338 has been getting all the fun lately so Its time for the new "elk" rifle to step up to the plate.....

Sounds like a perfect solution, from what I hear, that's one European that wont let ya down.

Gunner

My best load in 338w/ 210noslers is75 .2 gr of AA3100. It is discontinued but you can find it. I shoot a KS 700 and a model 70 both lefthand. Both guns shoot in the two's with this load. I use WW cases.215 M primers crimped in Cann. I have and tried Federal cases and groups open to 1".

I always shot 275gr. Speer over IMR4350 in my .338 Magnum. Never required a second shot on mulies or elk, 3 shot groups were usually nice tight cloverleafs @ 100yds. Tagged a young mulie buck just behind the ear on a jump shot @ 30yds., cranial cavity was completely devoid of any brain tissue.

I was just happy to find H4350 worked well so I didn't have to add yet another powder to the reloading bench Hunting season temps can range from +60 to -30 here, so I really like the H4350.

Smart man, I'm leaning on H more and more these days and slowly doing away with IMR 4350. Its a shame since IMR has been so loyal too........I have noticed a difference in extreme temps though......

Right at 2900 fps...I never really did a work up with H4350 because IMR4350 worked so well, but the Hodgdon's may be better yet. I just know that this load has worked in five rifles I had over the years, and the one that remains.

I wouldn't change a thing....I've made the switch to H powder in my 06's but my 338 load still uses IMR 4350...I don't shoot my 338 much in the heat or in the dead of winter, but during elk season I can generally count on it being around the same temperature during that time of the year....I don't think I'll be giving up my load of IMR 4350 and 250 gr. sierra gamekings too soon....I know it works and it works well, so why switch???? Now if I used my 338 win mag all through the year, I would probably consider switching to H4350, but that's not the case....I know guys that run the same load you do and it sure puts the elk down in these parts....However, my elk hunting partner has me hooked on the 250 gr. sierra gk ......He also runs a 6-18x40 scope but that's him......I'm pretty content with my 2.5-10x40 ...

Another vote for R15 and 200gr CT/Nosler ballistic silvertips.

75 grs. IMR4350 with a Nosler 180 BT

Why run such a light bullet in a 338?....You'd be better off in many ways with a 30 mag if you are only going to run 180's....The 338 shines with the heavies....

I don't have that particular rifle any longer and one reason was that it only shot good with 180's. Never could get anything out of 225's or 250's that were under about 2.5". The occasional group...but not consistently.

72.0 gr IMR-4350, Fed GM LR mag primer and a 225 gr Horn spire point or Barnes TSX. Groups 1/2 to 5/8 inch out of my Tikka most days.

Man, that's a shame...I see why you don't have that rifle anymore....Mine dotes on 250's...I've ran 225 hornady spire point interlocks with excellent results as well....Never had the money or need for the spendy 210 partitions though... This is the same load I pictured before with 250 gr. sierra gamekings and IMR 4350. This combo has shot very well in the last 3 338 winnys I've had:



I've had to work from 67gr. to 70 gr's to find the sweet spot for each rifle though....One rifle really liked the max load (70 gr's....). My more recent one likes 67 gr's which only runs 2,600 fps, but I know from experience that it takes the wind out of an elks sails pretty quickly.....

Got to agree with BSA. Shoot 180s in 30 cal rifles

Mine likes a stiff charge of R19 and 225 gn Hornadys

Mine likes R19 maxed out too with the 225's but it seems to kick harder than my 250 gr. load.......sure is an accurate combo in my 338 though...and that 225 interlock is a tough bullet too. That's my second choice load but it sure is a dandy...Like I said, many guys around here (my uncle included) use the 210 partition....I guess that's the real beauty of the 338, so many bullets work so well in it that you could pick just about any and get the job done...Really just depends on how much you are willing to spend..

I can't begin to add up the amount of powder, bullets, and range time I spent on that thing...even had it bedded twice. The stock was a good one, too. I had it in a Brown Precision...

Wasn't the stock or bedding...Probably a combintaion of barrel (in its entirety), bore, crown, chamber, throat, rifling, induced stress, rate of twist, etc....etc....Most all 338's I've ever loaded for have been tack drivers and not very finicky at all....You just had a bad one....

Mine sure is proving to be a pain in the butt. It's a Savage with a very long throat and a short(<3.5") magazine. The only load I have found that does under 2" consistently is a 225 accubond at 3.475" and about 2950 fps. The tips deform in the magazine at that length and it's way too hot, though, so I have moved on.

210 TSX's seem like they might stand a chance, and obviously won't have tip deformation, but I still need to dial in the powder/charge.

I'm also hoping that 200 grain ballistic silvertips will show some promise. It seemed to do better with federal's 180 accubonds than their 225 grain accubonds.

If I can't get either the tsx's or bst's consistently 1.5" or less, I might try 250 partitions or a different 225...

That's smoking for a 225gr :P . tsx and e-tips seem to like a longer jump on the lands, might worth a shot with a long throat.

Yeah, that's why I thought I'd try the TSX. I tried TTSX's too, but they have a more aerodynamic tip and the regular TSX is much closer to the lands.

Those 225 loads showed some shiny spots on the brass in higher temperatures. Like I said, too hot for comfort. I would have loved for them to be accurate at about 2800-2850 and a length that would not deform tips in the magazine...

RL19 has been my go to powder for the 338. It works well with the 200 AB's, 225 AB and 250 PT's and AB's. Runs the 200's a little under 3000 and the 250's at 2725 or so. I tried IMR4350 and H4831, just never got the speed and accuracy out of my Model 70 that RL19 gave me.

200 AB's









250 AB's





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Nice groups, I wish RL19 was not so temp sensitive.

Nice shooting there bud...You better hang on to that rifle..

I haven't found RL19 to be terribly bad, I shoot year round when I am home, usually in the high 90's or better in Va and the 30's in the Winter. Haven't found it affected my drop much at all, although, I only shoot them out to 600. I imagine it could be much worse if I was really trying to shoot long. Chronoing the loads from Winter to Summer doesn't have much more than 25-50FPS difference and much of that could be chrono set up and lighting being different from time to time as well.

BSA, that rifle is actually getting made over into a 338/375 this Fall. I am dropping it off to the smith on my way to Idaho. It has the BOSS on it and I would like just a little more out of it. Great shooting rifle and I like the 338WM alot. Can't ask for much more, but I am!! HA!