.338 Federal...what do you think?

you don't need premiums with a mv at 25-2600 fps. some speer or hornady 200's will work fine on deer moose elk and bear. if you wanna shoot 180's get a 30 cal
 
I have a new appreciation for smaller cased larger diameter cartridges I have been working with a T/C Contender carbine in 375JDJ this year and have come to appreciate the killing capabilities of rounds like this.

Basically before I started shooting/loading the 375JDJ with 220gr to 300gr bullets with 260gr Accubonds @ 2300fps being my prefered bullet/load I would never of guessed how well they knock down animals.

If I were to ever get a 338 Fed I would never load it with lighter than 200gr bullets and would stick to a bonded core bullet design due to how much easier they expand at the lower velocities of these case designs and they still retain weight/penetration.

Actually here is the bullet I would load

338 Cal 225gr Spitzer AccuBond®
Part #54357
338 Cal, 225 Gr. Spitzer

Specifications:

Ballistics B.C. .550
S.D. .281
OAL: 1.450"


The high .550 BC's of this bullet will give you an amazing tragectory and retained velocities and still expand at just under 1800fps.
 
its a pretty long slug, I think it would be seated extremely deep in a 2.8" long mag box. I know a 210gr TSX is about as long of a bullet as Id stick in a 338F personally...........185gr is ideal IMO. Great balance of velocity, trajectory, and penetration
 
I have made up a couple dummy 225 gr accubonds just to see how deep i would have to go, and to see how they feed. They definetly gobble up alot of case capacity in an already small-for- caliber cartridge.
 
Wrong Way said:
The Fusion would do for now (just deer and B. Bear for the next two seasons anyway), although I'm wondering if the TSX would be a better way to go....? I prefer to have just one load for each rifle, rather than switch up between seasons...but that's just me :)
Click to expand...

Hey. You had better be careful about using the Triple shocks on deer. I just knocked over a little 3 point whitetail the other day at 200 yds, and that bullet just zipped on through, lucky that I dead centered the heart or I would have had to do some tracking. There was a very small entry hole and about the same size exit hole. You could not even tell where they hit until I skinned it . Then you could see that there was a lot of bloodshot stuff around the holes, way more than with a .30-06 and deffinately more than a 7Rem mag. I think the Barnes Triple shock is a bit too much for deer and probably the same goes for black bear. Accurate as all get out but I will be looking for a smaller gun to dedicate for use on deer , probably a .243 or a 257 Bob in the near future.
 
todbartell said:
51 grs Benchmark, OAL was 2.93" which helped get a bit more powder in there. I think the 160gr TTSX are running around $60 per 50
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Thanks , man. I will be saving the 185's for use on elk, moose and grizzly. I just shot a 3 pointer whitey th other day for meat , and that 185 Barnes just zipped on thru and did not do much internal damage , small entry and exit holes, could no find them till I skinned it out. Lots of bloodshot materiel , but I would like to see abit more destruction to the vitals. Heart had a dime sized hole in it so there was definately some bullet expansion (200yds, quartering away). Deer dropped in its tracks , but I have seen 165 .30 cal Nolser Partypoopers pretty much explode the lungs and heart on whitey's and mulies and that is what I want for that weight of game. I will be putting your info to good use.
 
todbartell said:
its a pretty long slug, I think it would be seated extremely deep in a 2.8" long mag box. I know a 210gr TSX is about as long of a bullet as Id stick in a 338F personally...........185gr is ideal IMO. Great balance of velocity, trajectory, and penetration
Click to expand...

I agree but there are a couple of reasons I would give them a try the bonding process and that Nosler used the J Bullet technology when designing these bullets.

J Bullets were designed to expand as low as 1400fps and being bonded they would still hold together.

In other words they will expand at a far slower velocity than almost any other 338 bullet available and due to the extremely high BC will retain their velocities and tragectories better than just about any other bullet out there.

I understand the magazine restrictions but if you can get 2400fps with this bullet you will be amazed at the retain energies and how flat it shoots.

My 375JDJ is a 444 Marlin case necked down to 375 that only gives slightly more case capacity than a 308 case and I am able to load 260gr bullets in a weak actioned T/C Contender carbine to 2300fps I see no reason why a bolt action 338 Federal can't handle far higher pressures producing a very respectable velocity.

I also have an issue with Barnes bullets not being able to expand at the lower velocities in my search for the perfect bullet for my 375JDJ I talked with almost every bullet maufacturer about the slowest velocity that their bullets will expand and Nosler were the only ones that would say that their Accubonds would expand at the lower velocities I was working with.
 
Yes they do but the BC's aren't very high.

338 Cal 180gr Spitzer AccuBond®Part #57625
338 Cal, 180 Gr. Spitzer

(50 count)
32.95

Specifications:

Ballistics B.C. .372
S.D. .225
OAL: 1.240"

and

338 Cal 200gr Spitzer AccuBond®Part #56382
338 Cal, 200 Gr. Spitzer

(50 count)
33.95

Specifications:

Ballistics B.C. 0.414
S.D. 0.250
OAL: 1.340"
 
inside 300-350 yards, the lighter 180-185gr slugs retail plenty of velocity and energy for any game you'd point a 338F at. If I wanted to shoot further, Id be packing a different rifle like a 300 Mag, 8mm Mag, etc
 
Camp Cook said:
I agree but there are a couple of reasons I would give them a try the bonding process and that Nosler used the J Bullet technology when designing these bullets.

J Bullets were designed to expand as low as 1400fps and being bonded they would still hold together.

In other words they will expand at a far slower velocity than almost any other 338 bullet available and due to the extremely high BC will retain their velocities and tragectories better than just about any other bullet out there.

I understand the magazine restrictions but if you can get 2400fps with this bullet you will be amazed at the retain energies and how flat it shoots.

My 375JDJ is a 444 Marlin case necked down to 375 that only gives slightly more case capacity than a 308 case and I am able to load 260gr bullets in a weak actioned T/C Contender carbine to 2300fps I see no reason why a bolt action 338 Federal can't handle far higher pressures producing a very respectable velocity.

I also have an issue with Barnes bullets not being able to expand at the lower velocities in my search for the perfect bullet for my 375JDJ I talked with almost every bullet maufacturer about the slowest velocity that their bullets will expand and Nosler were the only ones that would say that their Accubonds would expand at the lower velocities I was working with.
Click to expand...

I spoke to Nosler as well and they told me that their Accubonds are designed to expand reliably between 1800fps and 3100fps.

Don't get me wrong, I use Accubonds extensively. In fact, I shot a moose at 504yds with a 200grs AB over 80.5grs H1000 in a 300WM last year.

Check their website for technical data on expansion, here's the link:
http://www.nosler.com/index.php?p=3&bullet=5
 
Moosetracker said:
I spoke to Nosler as well and they told me that their Accubonds are designed to expand reliably between 1800fps and 3100fps.

Don't get me wrong, I use Accubonds extensively. In fact, I shot a moose at 504yds with a 200grs AB over 80.5grs H1000 in a 300WM last year.

Check their website for technical data on expansion, here's the link:
http://www.nosler.com/index.php?p=3&bullet=5
Click to expand...


Is this why you go by moose tracker instead of moose killer?:D
 
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