Hunting round advice for savage 111 in 338 Lapua

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Tonybuell

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Hello gents!
I got a question for all the 338 lapua guys or reloading guys.
I'm not new to hunting but new to the 338 game.
I'm looking for opinions on the best hunting
Round for my savage 111. It's got 1:9 twist.
I bought 2 boxs of Hornady 250 match grain
For it just to relize it's no good for hunting.
I wanna get a couple different types and see what
Shoots better. After I find something she(and I) like , I plan on
Copying it. (New to reloading too)

Any advice would help!
Thanks guys!
Cheers
Tony
 
If you plan to reload there are several good hunting bullets. Nosler Partition or Accubond, Hornady Interbond or GMX, Barnes TSX or TTSX, Matrix bullets, Woodleighs, Swifts and several others.

These would be considered premium hunting bullets. Often bullets meant for long range accuracy, even those labeled hunting, will work for hunting, but have poor weight retention and penetration. AMAXs, Berger hunting VLDs and Matchkings fall in this category.

I find Nosler accubonds give a great balance between accuracy, ballistic coefficient and performance on game at all ranges. I have shot game at 30 yards and up to 440 yards with them and found they do very well.
 
Last edited:
tigrr said:
Hunting round for what animal?
Click to expand...

And the other really important question is at what distances?

" If you plan to reload there are several good hunting bullets. Nosler Partition or Accubond, Hornady Interbond or GMX, Barnes TSX or TTSX, Matrix bullets, Woodleighs, Swifts and several others.

These would be considered premium hunting bullets. Often bullets meant for long range accuracy, even those labeled hunting, will work for hunting, but have poor weight retention and penetration. AMAXs, Berger hunting VLDs and Matchkings fall in this category.

I find Nosler accubonds give a great balance between accuracy, ballistic coefficient and performance on game at all ranges. I have shot game at 30 yards and up to 440 yards with them and found they do very well. "

Agreed at that close a range these work well.
Out beyond the 800 yard mark however the 285 gr Amax, 300 gr SMK or Bergers will work better as they are very fragile bullets so literally come apart inside the animal creating massive damage, hence very quick kills. The "Premium" hunting bullets, especially the bonded 1s will tend to only slightly deform due to the loss of velocity as distance is increased and in most cases "pencil" through leaving you to spend a lot of time tracking.
 
Plain old 250 grain Sierra gamekings are very accurate and quite tough. I have not used them in .338 Lapua, but I can tell you that in .338 win mag with max loads, even at point blank range, they hold together well on heavy bone. They've got a good BC as well (for a 250 grainer), and don't cost anywhere near what partitions do.
 
alberta tactical rifle said:
And the other really important question is at what distances?

" If you plan to reload there are several good hunting bullets. Nosler Partition or Accubond, Hornady Interbond or GMX, Barnes TSX or TTSX, Matrix bullets, Woodleighs, Swifts and several others.

These would be considered premium hunting bullets. Often bullets meant for long range accuracy, even those labeled hunting, will work for hunting, but have poor weight retention and penetration. AMAXs, Berger hunting VLDs and Matchkings fall in this category.

I find Nosler accubonds give a great balance between accuracy, ballistic coefficient and performance on game at all ranges. I have shot game at 30 yards and up to 440 yards with them and found they do very well. "

Agreed at that close a range these work well.
Out beyond the 800 yard mark however the 285 gr Amax, 300 gr SMK or Bergers will work better as they are very fragile bullets so literally come apart inside the animal creating massive damage, hence very quick kills. The "Premium" hunting bullets, especially the bonded 1s will tend to only slightly deform due to the loss of velocity as distance is increased and in most cases "pencil" through leaving you to spend a lot of time tracking.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with you experience. I've never shot game past 500, but at those ranges the match type bullets perform well from all that I have heard. At more modest ranges they are poor performers, even the Berger bullets labelled hunting.

If he is asking the question and just starting to reload he most likely needs a bullet to perform at closer ranges.
 
cam1936 said:
I'd agree with you experience. I've never shot game past 500, but at those ranges the match type bullets perform well from all that I have heard. At more modest ranges they are poor performers, even the Berger bullets labelled hunting.

If he is asking the question and just starting to reload he most likely needs a bullet to perform at closer ranges.
Click to expand...

Agreed!
The challenge with the amount number of guys wanting to do the LR thing now is educating them that not 1 bullet is capable of all possibilities.
Not knowing the OPs plan makes it hard to deal with, but I see where you are going regarding the starting to reload part.
The "match" type bullets are terrible choices for close but work well at distance, the "premium" hunting bullets work better at close in than at a far.
Realizing the differences is the key.

Having guys paint a better and more complete picture with their questions would help us to help them better.
 
Clarification

You guys are right. A more complete picture is key.
I am hunting ( if the stars are aligned) Roosevelt Elk and for sure Moose
and maybe Grizzly.

I'm comfortable 600 yard shots on paper. Will I take that shot on a animal with out WAY more
Practice? No. I'll go out to 400 and be cofident I'm making a kill not injuring.

I would love a factory round that I can shoot and then copy reloading.
But researching there is not a huge selection of " hunting" factory ammo.


Again thanks for your guys advice...keep it coming! I'm a sponge lol. This is a pretty amazing tool for new comers.

Cheers
Tony
 
Tonybuell said:
You guys are right. A more complete picture is key.
I am hunting ( if the stars are aligned) Roosevelt Elk and for sure Moose
and maybe Grizzly.

I'm comfortable 600 yard shots on paper. Will I take that shot on a animal with out WAY more
Practice? No. I'll go out to 400 and be cofident I'm making a kill not injuring.

I would love a factory round that I can shoot and then copy reloading.
But researching there is not a huge selection of " hunting" factory ammo.


Again thanks for your guys advice...keep it coming! I'm a sponge lol. This is a pretty amazing tool for new comers.

Cheers
Tony
Click to expand...


Hornady does make a factory load with a 250 grain interlock. The interlock is a cup and core bullet which works just fine for hunting at modest velocities, but it may come apart at closer ranges with Lapua velocities. Someone with more experience with that bullet in .338 cal could give you a better opinion.

In reality to get what you want out of any cartridge you need to reload. You can make more accurate ammunition and pick the perfect bullet for your application. Not to mention the cost savings.
 
Tonybuell said:
Hello gents!
I got a question for all the 338 lapua guys or reloading guys.
I'm not new to hunting but new to the 338 game.
I'm looking for opinions on the best hunting
Round for my savage 111. It's got 1:9 twist.
I bought 2 boxs of Hornady 250 match grain
For it just to relize it's no good for hunting.
I wanna get a couple different types and see what
Shoots better. After I find something she(and I) like , I plan on
Copying it. (New to reloading too)

Any advice would help!
Thanks guys!
Cheers
Tony
Click to expand...
the ammo you bought is fine for long range as other have already posted
 
I hunt moose and the occasional black bear from close to long range using 300win. I too have learned that its tough for one bullet to do it all we as the guys above have stated. I carry two rounds, 200gr Accubonds and 210gr Bergers. By using close to the same weight i am able to use the same zero for both rounds. I really enjoy the long range stuff, but when a nice animal shows up at close range i certainly wont pass it up. I shot a small bear through the ribs at about 25 yards with a berger and it was bad. The animal went down instantly but the amount of meat destroyed was unacceptable (talking soccerball sized exit hole). On larger game i would be nervous of close range shots hitting bone and not doing its job as well. I would take a look into the 300gr accubonds and if you like to push the limits the 300gr bergers(hunting bullets as the target ones are completely different construction) for beyond 500 yards or whatever, that is unless your after dangerous game then i would avoid the bergers all together.
 
Brian46 said:
the ammo you bought is fine for long range as other have already posted
Click to expand...

The 250 gr BTHP that Hornady makes is a VERY tough bullet that does NOT expand. Try hammer testing 1 and you will see what I mean. The Hornady BTHP is probably 1 of the very worst bullets to use for hunting.

I am not aware of any factory choice that has a decent hunting bullet employed.
 
I use a max load Barnes TTSX 210 gr fur an all around load ... good speed, great accuracy and BC for all critters western hunting.
 
alberta tactical rifle said:
The 250 gr BTHP that Hornady makes is a VERY tough bullet that does NOT expand. Try hammer testing 1 and you will see what I mean. The Hornady BTHP is probably 1 of the very worst bullets to use for hunting.

I am not aware of any factory choice that has a decent hunting bullet employed.
Click to expand...
gel tests show fragmentation and large wound channel, what have you experienced at long range?
 
The 300 gr otm berger is not a very fragile bullet.

alberta tactical rifle said:
And the other really important question is at what distances?

" If you plan to reload there are several good hunting bullets. Nosler Partition or Accubond, Hornady Interbond or GMX, Barnes TSX or TTSX, Matrix bullets, Woodleighs, Swifts and several others.

These would be considered premium hunting bullets. Often bullets meant for long range accuracy, even those labeled hunting, will work for hunting, but have poor weight retention and penetration. AMAXs, Berger hunting VLDs and Matchkings fall in this category.

I find Nosler accubonds give a great balance between accuracy, ballistic coefficient and performance on game at all ranges. I have shot game at 30 yards and up to 440 yards with them and found they do very well. "

Agreed at that close a range these work well.
Out beyond the 800 yard mark however the 285 gr Amax, 300 gr SMK or Bergers will work better as they are very fragile bullets so literally come apart inside the animal creating massive damage, hence very quick kills. The "Premium" hunting bullets, especially the bonded 1s will tend to only slightly deform due to the loss of velocity as distance is increased and in most cases "pencil" through leaving you to spend a lot of time tracking.
Click to expand...
 
If you want to make it fairly simple find a load using a 225gr X or 250gr X bullet that your rifle likes. Then your good from 10yds to 500yds. Practice a lot from field positions and your all set
 
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