338-06

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roberti11

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I will be working up loads for my 338-06, 24 inch bbl.

Looking for recommendations on 338 bullets that will work well at the relatively low velocites that this cartridge will develop. Rifle will be used for deer, moose and black bear.

Thanks
 
IMHO, some 225 grain Hornady SST's would be the cats meow in that rig. You ought to be able to stoke it up to around 2725-ish FPS, which is both low enough to keep them from coming apart on impact, and fast enough that that .515 ballistic coefficient will give you some excellent long range hunting capabilities.
 
The 225 grain Hornady SP is perfect for this cartridge. With your 24" barrel you should see velocities right very close to 2750 fps using H4350, IMR 4350, or IMR 4064.

The 165 grain Barnes TTSX is a screamer at ~3100 fps if you ever want a long-range deer/sheep load for your rifle.
 
I use the simple 225 gr Hornady SPs,they work great. The word on the 210Partion is that it's a bit softer than the 225,so it should be perfect for 338-06. The Interbond or Accubond have wide impact velocity windows,again should work great. We found in testing the 225 SST,they didn't hold together.

Try Ramshot Big Game(I use),IMR-4007,VihtVouri N-550,or RL-17.They are casefilling without much compression.
 
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As mentioned above, stick with the tried and true Hornady 225gr SP bullets. They're well made, accurate and do everything you want them to do, even at extreme ranges, out to 500 yards. At 300 yards with the above mentioned loads they will go all the way through both shoulders on a moose or elk. The 225gr bullet is the ideal weight for the 338-06.

IMHO, the 338-06 is the cartridge I would choose if I were told I could only have one cartridge. If lighter bullets are used, expect to get some blood shot meat. With the 225 Hornady SP, you can eat right up to the hole with 0 meat loss.
 
Thanks guys, this has been a lot of help. I have some Hornady 225gn SP, and Nosler 225gn accubonds as well as RL17 on order, I will work up some loads and see how it goes

Thanks
 
roberti11 said:
Thanks guys, this has been a lot of help. I have some Hornady 225gn SP, and Nosler 225gn accubonds as well as RL17 on order, I will work up some loads and see how it goes

Thanks
Click to expand...

If you are working loads up with RL17 for the 338-06 please post your results here.
 
Hi guys, just to add another load, I use the Barnes 210 gr TSX BT bullet. I use R-P 30-06 brass, CCI 250 primers and 59.0 gr of H380. This out of a G33-40 with a 23 inch Pac-Nor SS barrel gives an honest 2750 fps and groups around an inch (not that it matters for critters with vitals the size of a garbage can lid). Although to be honest I have not killed anything yet with this rig, they are expensive to play with but they they do have a reputation for easy opening at low velocity. A great cartridge, good luck!
 
Out of a 23" Douglas heavy sporter barrel, I'm getting 2750 from a 225 gr Speer and over 2850 with a 210 TSX using H414. Lapua '06 brass and a CCI200 standard LR primer. Loads are both 1 full grain over max, something worked up to and not something I'd normally consider doing, but they're both under an inch @ 100 with absolutely no measureable excess pressure indications - and they both kick much harder than any 30-'06 I've ever fired. Ask my forehead...
 
You could also give the 180 gr Accubonds a try. I have used them in a 338 Federal with some very good results on moose and bear. You should get a bit more velocity with the 338-06 than I am getiting in the Federal
 
With a 24 inch barrel I am using Lapua 30-06 brass and Hornady 225 grain. My Oehler 35P chronographed one load at 2800 f/s with high pressure signs but I settled on a load at 2700 f/s. It shoots accurately and no high pressure signs at all.
 
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