338 250gr Sierra SBT

[dakor]

Anyone use this bullet for Long or Short range on Elk or Bears and how did it perform? I am looking at ordering some from my 338 rum. I am currently shooting the 250 Accubond but I am getting a flyer now and then when I get out past 700 yards that I cannot explain? My other bullets seem to shoot fine and the Noslers seem to shoot reliably to 600 yards then after that I will have one drop low out of the group by as much as 8 inch's. I also shoot the 300 Berger VLD and the 300 SMK but those are so long that they are single feed only out of my rifle and I am looking for a bullet that will work in the clip.

 

[RDM416]

I have used the 250 SMK on several elk and dozens of whitetails with great success. You can try seating them deep enough for your mag and see how they shoot.

Why not just use as a single shot? I have hunted that way for years and have never considered it a handicap.

 

[dakor]

I am asking about the 250 grain spitzer boattail because with the bear encounters we had this year elk hunting in Wyoming carrying a rifle with a single target bullet in the chamber does not give me a warm fuzzy at all. The area I hunted in and I am hunting it again next year I don't think it is if a bear encounter will happen it is more like when a bear encounter will happen. I know some will talk about bear spray which is ok except when the wind is blowing 40 MPH then it is not the best thing to have in your hand. So I am looking for a bullet that can handle up close shots in the timber on Elk or what ever and that can be accurate to 1000 yards.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Why not consider the 265g TTSX then? Lots of good chatter from Fiftydriver on them, video on his site as well.

 

[RDM416]

dakor,

I realize you were asking about the SBT. I noticed no one had replied to your post which suggests that maybe no one on the site has experience with that specific bullet, I was suggesting the SMK as an alternative.

I used to live and hunt in the Pinedale area of Wyoming, so I understand about the bears, I want lead not bear spray too. However, I think you sell the SMK short. I have blown through both shoulders of a bull at almost 700 yards with one. Yes, the SMK is a fragile bullet, but keep in mind it is still 250 grains. That is a big chunk of lead and at the close range a threatening bear would be shot at would be quite devastating.

I'm not trying to talk you into something, or start an argument on the usefulness of SMKs for hunting. (that subject has been beat to death on this site) I was just trying to offer my experience with alternatives.

Another good one to consider might be the new Cutting Edge bullets.

 

[davewilson]

i went on an elk hunt a couple years ago in Wy. and shot the 225 ttxs because they were just as accurate as the SMK's and i though if we had an up close and personal with a bear it might work better.

 

[dakor]

RDM416 sorry if it came out the wrong way but do appreciate your information in your posts I just answered your question on why I wanted to switch and we all know matchking bullets work there are just to many guys out the and to many dead animals to say they don't. I guess if I was going to use a matchking I would stick with the 300gr as my rifle really shoots them well that being said I would not want to try drive one on a closer shot in the timber at a hard angle into the vitals either. I never really thought about Barnes because I have had hit and miss luck with their bullets. I have had couple rifles like them and some that I shoot their tsx bullets in them and I end up spending 3 hours trying to get all the copper out even using 50 BMG. I contacted Barnes about my 375 H&H and shooting their 300gr tsx and told them it would take me hours to clean it and they tried to blame the rifle and not the bullet. I explained that I could shoot Nosler, Speer, and Sierra bullets in this rifle and it never copper fouled. When I shot just a few tsx bullets in it I could see the lands plugged with copper and it would take me 3 hours to clean it. The conversation basically ended with they did not believe me so from that point on I never really consider their bullets.

 

[Pdvdh]

I've shot a couple of bull moose with the .338 Sierra 250 gr SBT at ranges between 120-250 yds. I was using the .338 Win Mag and they worked fine in that cartridge. I recall the lead core slid completely forward and separated from the jacket on one moose, but the cylindrical piece of lead was still very substantial in length and penetrated sufficiently well. I may have even shot more than 2 moose. Don't recall any bears, but it's possible I killed my first Alaskan black bear with this bullet also. I recall no bad experiences with this bullet. The most notable observation was the jacket separating from the lead core on that one recovered bullet. Which is not ideal by any means. It's not the bullet I would select specifically for Alaskan brown or grizzly bear. But I think it would work OK.

I used these for moose hunting from about 25 to 30 years ago here in Alaska. I have no idea if these Sierra bullets are manufactured identically today as they were back then.

 

[alaska]

The 250 SBT has a tad harder core than other Sierra bullets. I have had experience with the 250 SBT in the 338 Win Mag. At short range with vel high sheds a lot of weight.......but as the range gets longer it tends to shed less due to lower vel. Accuracy is also excellent.

In my 338 Rum had best accuracy with RL 25 around 3000 FPS. Suggest only use the 250 SBT bullet if long range is the norm.
Expansion is not controlled so meat damage is greater........

For my Alaska hunting mainly moose I use the Swift A Frame 225gr and 230gr Fail Safe and Reloder 22.
I have used 225 and 250 Nosler Part. with great success . I noticed in my custom Rem 700 it prefers flat based bullets.

I suggest the 338 RUM needs a bonded tough bullet.......it's a beast of a round.