338-06 info

[dwa]

I just bought a 338-06 barrel and dies. I'm now looking for bullet weight and design input. I live here in texas so at the lease we have free range exotics and Aoudad. Looking to be able to shoot around 400 with authority so bullet construction has to be able to perform at the velocities. but most be around 150. Thanks in advance.

[CharlieNC]

I had a 10 twist that liked 225 gr Hornady Inter bond and Interlocks; great hunting bullets. It was not picky about powder type. Great round and regret selling it.i

[dwa]

What kind of killing range did u have?

[CharlieNC]

Very similar to my 300 Win Mag shooting 175gr; 1600 ft-lbs energy at 500 yd. The larger bore bullets efficiently harvest higher velocity for the same amount of powder. Dropped a moose at 225 yards, doing massive internal damage. **** I wish I still had that barrel!

[pk01]

I have an ER Shaw barrel in 338-06. It is very accurate with 225 grain Barnes Triple Shock. I also life in Texas and have used it on hogs and whitetails in addition to elk out of state. Everything I've shot has been within 200 yards. Great performance on game, accurate and not hard on the shoulder at all. Highly recommend!

[taylorce1]

Well the good thing is that a .338 bullet is going to perform with whatever you connect with as long as you stay around 225 grains or less. My suggestion from owning two .338-06 rifles not to try and make them a .338 Win Mag. Since the .338 Federal came out there has been some pretty decent sub 200 grain bullets come out as well. I'd look at Barnes and Accubonds if you want lighter than 200 grains. I have one rifle that stacks up Hornady 200 grain SP at a respectable MV of 2880 using 46.5 grains of RL-15 and have taken one pronghorn doe at 200 yards with it. Unfortunately I haven't been able to use any of my .338-06 rifles on anything larger.

[thomae]

If you are going to go with the lighter weight bullets for caliber, (i.e. below 225grain for .338), why not then use a smaller caliber chambering? Generally one gets better SD and BC with the same weight in a smaller diameter.

[dwa]

I've read that's where the 338 shines. 180-225 you find this to be true? I've read that u should leave the 225> bullets for the 338 mag

[CharlieNC]

Look up the data to do a comparison vs other calibers that you are interested in; for example the Hodgdon site has loads for a wide range of bullet weights and nearly any caliber. You will be a be able to confirm that weight range is a sweet-spot; however you will also see that lighter bullets also will have a velocity advantage over smaller calibers when using roughly the same amount of powder. The disadvantage is the BC of the 338 in a lighter bullet will be less so if you are taking "long range" shots there will be a point where the improved velocity is overcome by the BC. Do a similar comparison for 338Fed vs 308 and the story is the same; larger bore bullets will have higher velocity than similar smaller cals which hold a little more powder for bullets at the heavy end. It's all a balancing act of BC vs velocity vs weight and the key is finding the best compromise that works for your primary intended use.

[taylorce1]

If you are going to go with the lighter weight bullets for caliber, (i.e. below 225grain for .338), why not then use a smaller caliber chambering? Generally one gets better SD and BC with the same weight in a smaller diameter.

One way to look at it is, it takes 500 yards for a 180 grain bullet with a MV of 2700 fps (standard factory velocity) out of a .30-06 to overtake the 200 grain .338-06 load I quoted above. So any animal shot inside of 500 yards I'll get there with less windage, elevation, and with more energy. 165-185 grain .338 bullets are easily going to be above 3000 fps with the right powders and 225's will go over 2600 fps. So tell me what advantage SD and BC are going to give the average hunter shooting at average hunting ranges?

While the .338-06 certainly isn't necessary for deer and smaller it makes an excellent elk, moose, and even big bear rifle. For those animals I'd stick with bullets in the 200-225 grain range. Most of these animals aren't shot at long range anyway, my longest shot to date on elk is 250 yards with a .270 Win.

[yobuck]

If you are going to go with the lighter weight bullets for caliber, (i.e. below 225grain for .338), why not then use a smaller caliber chambering? Generally one gets better SD and BC with the same weight in a smaller diameter.

a very logical question in my opinion.
whats the point of a 338x06 if bullet weights are the same as the standard 06?
the 06 has been known to kill a few moose also as well as a few grizzly.
fact is there are a couple hanging here where im sitting right now.
a 250 gr 338 with 06 velocity would be a very good cartridge. but to dumb
the thing down for the sake of velocity is pointless.

[thomae]

Reading back through the thread, I see that my rhetorical question (post 7) has hijacked the thread. I apologize.

I didn't mean to start an argument, and we can certainly restart the discussion (I like learning things) in a new thread.

However, in fairness to dwa, let's get back to his original question and help him figure out some possibilities, in his chambering of 338-06, that will be effective at 400 yards.
:focus:

[dwa]

No derailment here! I gotta here opinions and logical ways of thinking. That way with all the information given i can form my own opinion. Thanks guys for taking the time I thought it was going to go down in history as one of those threads with * cough* zero replies.

[CharlieNC]

Friendly debate with varied opinion is good; at least you know you are not getting the same old regurgitated BS with no meat or thought. Did I mention I wish I never sold that 338-06 barrel!:rant:

[Monkeymaster]

A&B 338-06 barrel, Stevens 200 25-06 donor, millet steel bases and rings, Burris 1.5x6 signature scope, Duramax stock.
IMR 4350 61 grns, Rem 9 1/2 primer, Rem 30-06 brass resized to 338-06, 200 grn Speer spt AND 215 grn Sierra spt.
Both shoot honest 3/4" groups at 100yds and 1" at 200 yds off sand bags.
I have been told, and have read, where the Nosler 210 grn partion, will also work with the above coponents with little or no point of impact change.
I have not tried them, but I plan too if I ever get out elk hunting.
I also tried 180 grn accu bonds but had to seat them out farther than I was comfortable with, I was getting close to not enough bullet to case contact "seating depth/tension". The accuracy was not as good as the Speer and Sierra, plus the Speer and Sierra were a lot more economical.
215 grn Sierra took a small mule deer buck at 80 yds, double lung, dropped like hit in the head with hammer.
Good luck

[pighunter284]

I bought a A&B ( pretty sure ) 338-06 barrel off a member here. got sierra 215 and 250 and barnes 210 TTSX with it. Put it together for an elk hunt last year( old 110 flat back, boyds thumbhole ). didn't load any 250 but the 215 and 210 were awesome. at 100 the 215 with 52.5 of H4350 (my rifle only) put in at 1", about the same with the barnes. when I sighted in in Colorado they did 1.25 at 200 yards, very strange. I could shoot that all day very comfortable to shoot. never got the chance to crony it, still curious. but a great round. just wish I got something in the crosshairs. smacked some steel with extreme authority

[BobT]

My absolute all time favorite bullet in the .338/06 is the 210 grain Nosler Partition, don't have my data in front of me right now but I was using W-W cases, IMR4350 powder and WLR primers. My barrel was a 26" #3 Shilen and shot like blazes. The lightest bullet I tried was the 200 grain Ballistic Tip and it shot great also but the 210 penetrated better and shot almost as well.

Bob