Just bought 340 Accumark and set up for 225 barnes triple shock.
I am going brown bear hunting this spring and concerned that
the bullet will not transfer enough energy. Now I have had two
or three people tell me this was an issue with this bullet. I am
not much for hearsay or gossip, but maybe someone on here has experince with the barnes bullet or could recomend a better bullet
thanks
map

Your fist impression was correct.
Disregard completely, get some Rel 22 and enjoy the hunt. You have arrived.

JW

I agree that the 225 TSX is plenty of bullet for brown bear, in fact, it would be one of my top choices.

After your hunt is over, please post of photo of your bear and any recovered 225 TSX that you find in him........

AD

I've never hunted brown bear but if I did I wouldn't hesitate one second to use 225 gr TSX's in my 338 win mag. TSX's work well but they especialy work well in large, heavy muscled, thick skined animals like elk, moose, bison and brown bears. One of the best large big game bullets IMO.

If a 225-grain TSX works so well with a .338WM, how about a 250-grain TSX out of the .340? Also, how about a 275-grain A-Frame out of the .340?

Just curious.

+1. Hard not to lke the 225 TSX at 3000 fps (unless you are the bear).

I would not go with a heavier bullet in that chambering. Probably the only way to get "more deader" bear is to shoot a larger bore, like the 375s or 416s.

But the 340 + 225 TSX = Dead bear.

BMT

I don't have a 340 Weatherby,but my friend does and I've seen it at work on big bull elk; I can't imagine that combo with a 225 TSX won't kill a brown bear dead......pronto!

Good luck on your hunt!

The .340 Weatherby is one of the unsung ballistic hero's of all time. It is just like a larger scaled up .270 in that, it gives more velocity, more caliber, more bullet weight for those inclined and also provides flexibility with its trajectory and manageability which is quite easy to shoot in the Weatherby Mark V rifle and even easier with considerable reduction in muzzle lift if you have it magnaported.

With its genuine 4800 FPE capability and MOA and better accuracy potential, it will kill everything in this world with the right bullets but is a superb choice for a serious rifleman who would hunt much of the worlds game and leave aside the very few 3 or 4 of Africa's largest or dangerous game to a second rifle.

From deer on up, it is always competent. I could never sell mine, even if I never used it. It is always useful and is the right choice for anything in the continental US.

JW

Good choice. I purchased a 338-378 bee/ Accumark and haven't worked any loads up other than the 250 SMK so can't help but what works in the 340 will work for me also. TSX is probably a good choice from other fellas recommendations. You don't want bullet failure on them critters that fight back.

I have had good luck using RL25 with the 225 grain TSX in my 340 Accumark.
Sub MOA and 3050fps using FED215M primers.

I would also think the 225-gr TSX is an excellent choice. R22 also works very well in my 340 with the TSXs. Mule Deer has mentioned that R22 can be temp sensitive dropping vel thus changing point of impact in cold weather. I just took a CO bull elk in -25 wind chill and my shot was dead on so am concluding in this case anyway, the temp had no effect.

I also would add that I got fully 40-some inches of penetration out of the 210-gr TSX so would expect full penetration perhaps with the 225-gr TSX on your bear should you not hit bone.

Were I you and I would like to be I would consider the same combination for bear except that I've got two boxes of 275-gr SAFs on by bench just waiting for a chance.

Good Hunting,
Gdv

I don't know if "best" is the correct title, but they are good. The pre TSX 225 XFB was my 340 bullet for ten years or so, until I had a long distance problem with it. And since my 340 is the rifle I generally choose when longer distances are anticipated, I've decided to try other things for awhile. Regardless, bear hunting is not a long range type of hunting anyway, so use it with confidence.

I've tried a lot of stuff in mine and a 225 Barnes will surely do the job. IF you want to play with it, the only other thing I would try would be the 275 Swift or some 240 Northforks if you could find any.

The single most accurate bullet I have ever tested in mine that ISN'T a Match bullet is the 225 Hornady. I wouldn't recommend this bullet for dangerous game however!

The rage with 340 Wby and the similar 338 RUM is to use 250 and 300 grain Match kings for 1000 yd hunting. That tells you the kind of power you are dealing with here.

Good luck.

You might want to try 250 grain Nosler Partition.

I use IMR 7828 in my 340 Wby and get 2925 fps with a 250 NP and it will handle anything short of dangerous game.

If your friends are referring to the 'lack of energy transfer' because they think it may blow through without enough transfer, not to worry. You are using a heck of a powerful chambering (have one myself) but a brown bear is unlike any animal most people hunt. The bone and muscle density and volume is something to behold. Remember, these bears can go 1500 lbs!
I hunt black bear with my .338 Win. I've had 250 gr partitions @ 2700 fps fail to exit on a 350 lb blackie.
Not to worry, those bullets, tough as they are, will not penetrate without putting a whole lot of energy(damage) to the bear's vitals.

??? "short of dangerous game"?

I'm curious about that comment. Technology advances; that doesn't mean previously very adequate technology has declined. I would venture that the 250 .338 Partition is equal to or better than the 260 .375 Partition and that both have successfully been used on many big bears. It seems to me they have proven their worth on dangerous game many times over.



I've had the 225-X stopped by even small and certainly lighter caribou that run less than 300 pounds. I'm not sure either incident proves anything. Any bear over 1000 pounds is a very large specimen and certainly well above average or typical. IOW, the majority of hunters coming to Alaska to hunt bears would go away disappointed if breaking 1000 pounds were a criteria. Fortunately, very few bears get weighed.

I meant Thicked-Skinned Dangerous Game;Cape Buffalo,Elephant etc.

now I know guys won,t want to hear this but IVE been reasonably pleased with the standard HORNADY 250 grain bullets performance on ELK for 30 plus years, It may not be the latest and best design but those ELK are just to lazy to protest, and fall over after being hit correctly each and every time
I load them over a 215 federal primer and a stiff load of IMR 4831 (the most accurate/consistant combo in all MY 340wby rifles)it lumbers along at a miserably slow 2850 fps or so, but it just seems to work in spite of the absurdly low velocity

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000033335


yeah, no glitz and no super double secret constuction, just a plain old fashion bullet that KILLS ELK if you do your part and place it correctly on the anatomy, against all odds it seems that getting into about 300 yards or closer (much closer most of the time) and placing your shot exactly where you want it seems to have an effect most guys don,t understand, THE ELK DROP DEAD within seconds of bullet impact in spite of it being a 30 plus year old design, if you destroy those arteries above the heart with your first shot, the results are remarkably and borringly consistant

358, Gotcha. I'm with you on that.



I like that bullet in my 340 and trust it on moose beyond 200 yards when it has had a chance to shed some of its vigor. I am sure it would kill any bear most of the time when used well. I would be concerned however with using it at the high velocities one would surely encounter when using it on a bear hunt since ranges tend to be quite a bit less than 200 yards. I do think it is pretty easy to justify a better bullet when using a cartridge of the power that the 340 delivers and especially when the quarry is inclined not to give up as easily as an ungulate and may even fight back. Even though I would use them again on moose, I have had a 250 Interlocked come apart on a moose and it wasn't very confidence inspiring.

One year, when I was guiding for elk in Hell's Canyon, I just had to have a .340 Weatherby. The Weatherby rifle ended up being too ungainly for horse use (personal opinion only), but I killed a few elk with it that year.

The 210-grain Nolser Partion did a splendid job of simply knocking previously-wounded elk right off the ridge. I also killed our two elk with the rifle and it did dandy. If memory serves, every bullet gave total penetration and it was strictly bang-flops all season long with the .340.

The next year, I went back to my old .30-'06 with 150-grain Hornady Spire Points. It was easier on the horse, easier on me and easier on the elk. Still bang-flops, but gentle bang-flops.

Steve

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.