Light or heavy bullets for 20” 338 win mag

I just got done cutting down the barrel for my Winchester m70 in 338 win mag, and installed an Alaska 360. Topped of with a night force 2-20. I will be hunting moose in Alaska with this rifle. I am not expecting to take a shot much over 300 yards. My question is bullet weight. Should I go a lighter bullet because of the shorter barrel? I have a handful of 225 grain and 250. I have loaded 250 for it previously because I found that the 225 fell behind the reloading bench and I forgot I had them.

I am using a 338 Sherman (338-06 improvedish) with a 22" barrel. I am using a 190 mono at 2950ish. It has been used on WT with a 175gr mono at 3200ish. Very impressive.

I think light and fast is the way to go with these shorties, expecially with your range limit of 300 yards.

A heavier and longer bullet will allow a more efficient powder burn in a short barrel because it puts up slightly more resistance at ignition. Hence you don't "lose" as much velocity.

I agree with Lite and Fast.
Around 180 to 225.
Varget, N-150-540 maybe H-4350.
My 2-cents.

cabelasken said:

A heavier and longer bullet will allow a more efficient powder burn in a short barrel because it puts up slightly more resistance at ignition. Hence you don't "lose" as much velocity.

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And this will work.

Unless a mono…..I don't think light in a .338 for Alaskan Moose is a good direction to go! I wouldn't go less than your .225's…..but that's just me!

That said……I'm not a fan of light for caliber bullets even with monos. We're running 225 grain TTSX's in my wife's .338…..I think that it's a great combo! memtb

I would lean toward the 250 grain, but it depends on what your rifle likes. 225's will certainly get the job done.

J_V_Berry said:

I just got done cutting down the barrel for my Winchester m70 in 338 win mag, and installed an Alaska 360. Topped of with a night force 2-20. I will be hunting moose in Alaska with this rifle. I am not expecting to take a shot much over 300 yards. My question is bullet weight. Should I go a lighter bullet because of the shorter barrel? I have a handful of 225 grain and 250. I have loaded 250 for it previously because I found that the 225 fell behind the reloading bench and I forgot I had them.

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I prefer the heavies on any of my chamberings. I have loaded both 225s and 250s in NABs in my .338 WM. Both will serve you well. However, at 300Y, I lean towards the 250. Your 250 should be perfect for the 300Y; there's no need to complicate it unnecessarily. Good luck and happy, safe hunting.

J_V_Berry said:

I just got done cutting down the barrel for my Winchester m70 in 338 win mag, and installed an Alaska 360. Topped of with a night force 2-20. I will be hunting moose in Alaska with this rifle. I am not expecting to take a shot much over 300 yards. My question is bullet weight. Should I go a lighter bullet because of the shorter barrel? I have a handful of 225 grain and 250. I have loaded 250 for it previously because I found that the 225 fell behind the reloading bench and I forgot I had them.

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Heavy.
You need a 20x scope to shoot a moose at 300 yds?

1wildcatfan said:

Heavy.
You need a 20x scope to shoot a moose at 300 yds?

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I'd rather have the 20X capability and do not need it than the other way around.

I think that the 225 class of bullets is just about perfect in the .338 unless you really need the extra BC and SD for longer range shooting.

213 hammer. Can get 3k I bet , low bearing surface. Try h-4350 maybe or 4831

I find several ways to look at this:
Maximize MV, so lighter bullet to "make up" for the slower speed from the shorter barrel, which I would not do, or,
Seek the maximum bullet weight upon exit, which could be either shooting a mono of whichever weight or to shoot the heaviest bullet you are most comfortable with, or,
Use a bullet that you know will perform at any distance you would use it. This is my preferred approach. I am not a mono guy, so I use the 250 Partition in the 338 win. It is soft in the front and stays together, and it mostly penetrates straight and deep. The 210 partition is too short for me; I found it would almost always turn and shed the rear core. The 225 Partition is a good bullet, but I have found notably better penetration with the 250s. That could be both higher SD (if you find any value in oddball statistics) and the lower speed of the heavier bullet, or maybe the jacket is thicker in the 250.
Either way, I would use the 250 Partition with a 16" or a 26" bbl in the 338 win mag. The animals cannot tell the difference.

Thank you all for your replies. I guess I will just see what shoots the best and go from there.