Best deer and NE Black bear amo for 338 mag

[piton]

I'll be picking up my new Savage 338mag in a few weeks and was wondering what would be the best amo for white tail and NY blk bear. Next year we'll be moving to the north west (Washington), very excited for Roosevelt elk and NW Blk bear. So what should I go with this year on the east coast to put them down quickly but have the exit hole of a golf ball rather than a grapefruit? I'll be doing some hunting in open fields but primarily in the woods.

 

[Chuck Would]

I'm sure you can hand load them down to lessen the distruction of the meat and hide.

But from where I sit you'll be using too much gun for both.

YMMV.

 

[piton]

I definatly agree that the 338 it too much for deer and NY BB but I only had money for one rifle so I went with the 338 since I'm moving west in June. I haven't got into reloading yet but, I was thinking of using a 200 or 210. Is there any particular brand I should look at?

 

[Patriot]

Anything above 150gr is overkill for whitetails and black bear. 180gr for moose will do fine.

 

[piton]

is 150gr available for 338mag? I thought the lowest I could go was 200gr?

 

[Patriot]

is 150gr available for 338mag? I thought the lowest I could go was 200gr?

Barnes X- Bullets go down to 165gr (I think) for the .338. What I should have said is the a
.338 is overkill for hunting whitetails.

 

[jkelly]

So what should I go with this year on the east coast to put them down quickly but have the exit hole of a golf ball rather than a grapefruit?---piton

I don’t think bullet weight/construction really matters in any of the typical .338 Win Mag commercial ammo as thin skinned bullets are not the norm (I think). Your major consideration might be finding a load that you’ll practice enough with to be comfortable shooting. A .338 Win Mag is a real good way to develop a world class flinch, especially so if you’re shooting off a bench.

If you’re hand loading you might try a heavy bullet and slow it down as you can drop 1/3rd of your muzzle energy and still have a powerful white tail round. I instinctively like higher SD bullets for any given caliber, but penetration is unlikely to be a problem with most any bullet from a .338 Win Mag.

That’s a lot of gun you’ll be hunting with, good luck.


Respectfully,

jkelly

 

[Patriot]

I don’t think bullet weight/construction really matters in any of the typical .338 Win Mag commercial ammo as thin skinned bullets are not the norm (I think). Your major consideration might be finding a load that you’ll practice enough with to be comfortable shooting. A .338 Win Mag is a real good way to develop a world class flinch, especially so if you’re shooting off a bench.

If you’re hand loading you might try a heavy bullet and slow it down as you can drop 1/3rd of your muzzle energy and still have a powerful white tail round. I instinctively like higher SD bullets for any given caliber, but penetration is unlikely to be a problem with most any bullet from a .338 Win Mag.

That’s a lot of gun you’ll be hunting with, good luck.


Respectfully,

jkelly

I guess I don't know enough about what effect the bullet size has vs the load. What I
am familiar with is the difference between a 150gr and a 180gr Remington factory fodder
in a .30-06. The 180gr bullet made venison burgers a necessity while the 150gr seemed
like the optimum load for preserving the majority of the animal while still providing a more
than ample clean kill. Bullet shape might have been an issue as well as the 180gr was a
RN and the 150 a SP. I stopped using 180gr all together for hunting whitetail so I am not
able to tell if a 180gr in SP might have done less damage to the carcass.

 

[Adam_MA]

Which 338 mag?
338 Ruger Compact Magnum?
338 Winchester Magnum?
338 Remington Ultra Magnum?
338 Lapua Magnum?
338 Weatherby Magnum?

Actually, which model Savage are you getting, I just took a quick look at their site, and I didn't notice 338 as an option for the caliber on the rifle models I looked at.

 

[jkelly]

I guess I don't know enough about what effect the bullet size has vs the load.---TBP

I’d surprised if I know any thing you don’t. A rule of thumb in commercial loads is that the lighter the bullet, for a given caliber, the faster the bullet initially. I know you know that, but I wanted to state it as I walk through this.

The higher the velocity of a bullet the more likely that bullet is to come apart explosively on impact. And I know you know this too.

In that he's over gunned and will be hunting at short ranges, a light fast bullet has little chance to dump velocity before impact and is more likely, given the same construction of a heavier bullet, to come apart explosively causing blood shot meat. Or so I think.

Hunting White Tails at short range with a Win .338 Mag would be really extreme.

The two bullets you compared were not of the same construction and may have impacted different structures at different velocities.

If he hunts like I do his ammo won’t matter all.


Respectfully,

jkelly

 

[piton]

Adam, here's the link to the .338 winchester mag that I'll be getting. http://www.savagearms.com/116fhss.htm

 

[Adam_MA]

Cool, I missed that.

As for the Savage I have one in 308, and one in 17HMR, and have found both of them to be amazingly accurate. For my hunting ammo, I have tried dozens of different factory loads, but I have found the most accurate, consistent, and cost effective ammo to be the Remington Core-Lokt.

 

[piton]

THanks Adam,
I was just reading the reviews for that amo on Cabellas yesterday and it gets great reviews. It's crazy how much some ammo cost and then it gets bad reviews, sometimes we get what we pay for and sometimes we dont.

 

[Adam_MA]

THanks Adam,
I was just reading the reviews for that amo on Cabellas yesterday and it gets great reviews. It's crazy how much some ammo cost and then it gets bad reviews, sometimes we get what we pay for and sometimes we dont.

Aint that the truth!

 

[livnreklis]

.338 seriously no matter what load your using is going to take down almost everything in North America. I would find out which loads are plentiful in the area your moving to. And find out which loads your rifle likes best.

 

[piton]

Thanks for all the feedback, I'll post some pics after my first harvest with it.

 

[jkelly]

piton,
I can't help but wonder what your long gun shooting back ground is. I ask because the .338 Win Mag is such a beast.


Respectfully,

jkelly

 

[Patriot]

I have found the most accurate, consistent, and cost effective ammo to be the Remington Core-Lokt.

+1. Very good ammo at affordable prices. Keep an eye out this fall as Rem usually does a
rebate deal with their hunting ammo. I usually pick up a couple of boxes to keep around
with the reloads.

 

[piton]

this will be the first rifle that I've owned but , I've shot .30-06, .300 win ultra mag and of course the .338 win mag. For me personally, after the initial holy crap of the first shot, I knew what to expect and from then on was really no big deal. I'm still young and in very good shape.
Check this video out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE2msO1Mqyw
my guess is his bullet came apart and all the shrapnel caused the huge hole.