338-06 load development

*Update*

A little time has passed but it has been productive! I made a few trips to the range and got my load dialed in before gun season started. I went with the 200 Gr SST because I didn't have time to work with the Barnes I had hoped to.

Load:
200 Gr SST
56.7 Gr Varget
Lapua 30-06 brass (3x fired)
Win LR primer
3.32" Coal

I estimated it was around 2875 fps and the groups at 111 yards were nice. (.52 five shot group is best so far)

Second day of gun season found me in position before daylight with the 338-06 in my lap. Deer were moving around me and the wind was in my face so I just waited for a good shot. Took a cull buck that was on the tail of a hot doe at 150 yards through the woods three ridges away from my chair at the base of a tree. It was a very narrow opening but I threaded it in there through both shoulders. Buck staggered a few yards and expired in very short order.

My hunting buddy and his boy walked up and we worked our way over to my deer. As we were talking and trying to figure out exactly where I had been and how far of a shot it was and checking out the deer and its wounds, my friends eyes got big and he extended his hand and I knew a deer was coming up on us from my back side. I handed him my rifle and told him "one in the chamber, safety is on, & it's a hair trigger" he had taken a kneeling position and at 30 yards the buck stopped with a big clump of trees between it and us. He couldn't wind us but he knew we were there.. the hot doe trail he was following momentarily forgotten. He turned after a good 15 or 20 seconds and my buddy grunted, deer stopped broadside at 50 yards.

WHAM!!! The impact was enormous and the buck nearly flipped over, its side rippled and the impact pushed him back. He tried to run but his front legs folded up and he bulldozed a couple feet then smashed into a tree so hard it ripped hair off his shoulder. It died so fast and with such authority that we were all mouths agape eyes wide…

Today I ran my load over the chronograph….
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My buck (exit side)

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His buck (exit side)


There wasn't much in the way of a blood trail with my buck but it was only a few yards from the point of impact. We found blood spray 20 yards behind his and there was blood in abundance. His was also just a few yards from point of impact. The damage was limited to the ribs/lungs no trauma to the meat. It cracked three ribs on the impact side!!
 
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Nice!

My BIL shot a doe Thursday with my 338 Sherman. 190gr HHT. I'll save you the pictures as it was a quartering to shot and let's just say, greens are not on the menu for Thanksgiving...

Bullet did it's job though.
 
Awesome! That's all you can ask of it. I'm loving this round and my rig… as crazy as it sounds I was even thinking about selling some of my other rifles because they are going to be neglected children now! I'll probably come to my senses (if there's any left) but my wife can hope!!! 😆😅
 
Awesome! That's all you can ask of it. I'm loving this round and my rig… as crazy as it sounds I was even thinking about selling some of my other rifles because they are going to be neglected children now! I'll probably come to my senses (if there's any left) but my wife can hope!!! 😆😅
Me too. Have two in the classifieds now. This thing does everything I need. I don't need the magnums (can't believe I said that). 🤣
 
Nice!

My BIL shot a doe Thursday with my 338 Sherman. 190gr HHT. I'll save you the pictures as it was a quartering to shot and let's just say, greens are not on the menu for Thanksgiving...

Bullet did it's job though.
I'd like to hear more about the performance of the 190 HHT. This is the bullet I'm planning to use in my 338-06AI.

What velocity are getting?
Does the BC line up as advertised?
 
Nice! I keep most of my targets too. Got a stack of em in the barn. Here's the .52" group with my 338-06 load. (111 yards) Now to start the thinning process on the rest of the herd 🤔😢

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I'd like to hear more about the performance of the 190 HHT. This is the bullet I'm planning to use in my 338-06AI.

What velocity are getting?
Does the BC line up as advertised?
Velocity is 2953 FPS with 60gr Varget in Norma 280 cases. No idea on BC as I have only shot it at 100 yards.

This one was a slightly quartering to shot at about 40 yards. Entrance was typical smaller hole and the exit was a mess. Thought maybe he missed her no blood, but after following the trail it picked up with the bloody/guts mess. Followed that for a few yards and then the blood trail picked up pretty heavy right up to her. She went about 50 yards, but the shot was not good.

After seeing the 175 drop it where it stood last year, I was impressed. This one stopped her with a bad shot, so I am a believer.

Entrance. Didn't get the exit pic as it was a mess and getting her cleaned up was priority.
Definitely a little far back for that kind of angle. He is new to hunting (2nd deer) and was a valuable lesson about aiming for the off side shoulder.
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Had to dig this target out of the shed, but this load in my .Savage 338-06 (which I stupidly sold on here no less 🤣) sure did put down A TON of deer.
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I got a Savage 338 Sherman that could be made available…everythings got a price🤣

Even have foreformed cases and loaded ammo too...
 
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Thanks Shane. I'm hoping the 190 is closer to the advertised BC than what the 210 HHT was for me. Sounds like excellent performance from the 190 HHT.
 
Thanks Shane. I'm hoping the 190 is closer to the advertised BC than what the 210 HHT was for me. Sounds like excellent performance from the 190 HHT.
I don't put too much stock in BC for these as they are just close range woods guns for my area of hunting. Longer range hunting/steel would use a different cartridge.
 

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