338 Win Mag Cow Elk Bullet?

[5gauss]

225 gr Accubond.....225 gr Partition....no worries. IF you hit broadside behind the shoulder meat damage is of no concern.....ribs are not much meat....but broadside shots may not be possible...enter in the partition, Accubond and other well built bullets. I would not use generic remington/Winchester bullets on Elk....I have seen them lost that way on shoulder hits etc.....quartering....

 

[5gauss]

One cow Barnes in the center of the chest, founder her a week later nearly a mile away, not a drop of blood and dry ground and we could stay on them. Hit looked decent just small wound channel.
Watched a bull take a half dozen of them before I finished him for the guy while he was fumbling more ammo. Small wound channels don't get it for me, I want the lungs to look like they snorted a grenade, the 250 Berger is like a light switch, I've seen very few bullets knock the life out of an elk but that's one of them.
I cut game for a long time and meat loss is a serious thing, that's why I quite shooting elk with Barnes, you can eat the hole with a Barnes but you will loose elk if you shoot enough of them, every elk we have dropped the hammer on after changing was dead within feet, it was the best change I ever made!!

Same w Accubond for me...big big hole....338 Win mag....will not go far with good shot placement..

 

[BigGrizz]

Partition and be done

 

[Dry Heat?]

This is either a crock of **** or you and your friends can't shoot. I've never needed a second Barnes Bullet in any animal I've shot and many I've seen shot. Elk, Sheep Antelope, Coues Bucks, Muleys etc. TTSX or LRX Bullets turn their lungs into soup.

One cow Barnes in the center of the chest, founder her a week later nearly a mile away, not a drop of blood and dry ground and we could stay on them. Hit looked decent just small wound channel.
Watched a bull take a half dozen of them before I finished him for the guy while he was fumbling more ammo. Small wound channels don't get it for me, I want the lungs to look like they snorted a grenade, the 250 Berger is like a light switch, I've seen very few bullets knock the life out of an elk but that's one of them.
I cut game for a long time and meat loss is a serious thing, that's why I quite shooting elk with Barnes, you can eat the hole with a Barnes but you will loose elk if you shoot enough of them, every elk we have dropped the hammer on after changing was dead within feet, it was the best change I ever made!!

 

[crkckr]

I have a difficult time worrying about blood shot meat when an animal gets up and walks off, wounded. Fortunately, this has not happened to me but I've seen it happen to others. Not all mono bullets are created equal so if you're using them, go with what the majority of others have experienced. I will continue to use Nosler Partitions, simply because they work... every time. Besides the occasional accuracy problem, the only complaint I've ever heard about them is they might work "too well" at closer rangers. A buddy shot a Coues at about 40 yards (270 Wthby) and it removed an entire shoulder from the 115 lb deer!

Any wild animal can be unbelievably tenacious when it comes to getting away after being shot, even with a fatal shot. Elk, especially so. I would much rather deal with "DRT" and some blood shot meat than having to chase after an animal I've shot and not 'killed enough.'
Cheers,
crkckr

 

[5gauss]

Partition and be done

Agree...time tested proven for years....not quite as accurate for the long range crowd but none the less proven to work over and over and over.....

 

[jjmp]

You've got a great selection there , the Barnes 185 , or the 210 partitions will seal the Deal !!! Congrats on that like New 338 magnum , I'd never trade mine for anything , good luck !, thks

 

[RevJim]

Thanks guys. I'll settle on whichever this rifle shoots the best. Whether 180 up to 250, I can live with any of them. I do not plan on using the 160 TTSx on anything but deer/antelope, and then only IF my rifle ends up being accurate with them. I see my 200gr NBT from 2700-2900 as more of an "all around" bullet.

 

[Tony Formicola]

I have never seen a Barnes fail to kill with a good hit on elk or deer. The bonus is you can put it through a shoulder as well. The elk in my avatar took one Barnes 168 grain ttsx 30 cal through the lungs and was found dead 30 yards from impact. I also like some other bullets like the Nosler AB and Partition, Swift Sirocco, etc. I just think people like to blame the bullet for poor hits or improper caliber for game. I'm not a big poster here and don't want to dis anyone but there is no way 6 well placed Barnes are going to fail to drop an elk.

 

[5gauss]

I have never seen a Barnes fail to kill with a good hit on elk or deer. The bonus is you can put it through a shoulder as well. The elk in my avatar took one Barnes 168 grain ttsx 30 cal through the lungs and was found dead 30 yards from impact. I also like some other bullets like the Nosler AB and Partition, Swift Sirocco, etc. I just think people like to blame the bullet for poor hits or improper caliber for game. I'm not a big poster here and don't want to dis anyone but there is no way 6 well placed Barnes are going to fail to drop an elk.

shot placement is the priority but if moving/running and you choose to shoot, a well built bullet is what you should have and like Tony said, a good one will go through anything....bones included while cheap bullets WILL blow up and not penetrate a shoulder bone and a wounded animal goes off to suffer...would ruin my hunts for a few years if that happened...so far...never has....

 

[TopPin]

Most people kill cows with smaller calibers than a 338WM here in Utah (at least the ones I've talked to) and usually to save meat. I want to know what you 338 Mag guys have used on elk; light/fast or heavy/slow or medium/fast/slow ( ha) that did not bloodshot a lot of meat? The last elk I killed was with the old Barnes 185 XLC going fast from a 338WM. It was perfection. I like how the newer TSX & TTSX shoot, but never used one on game. I won't be shooting past 300yds ( chip shot for most of you LR hunters!) but will be picking one out of a herd I'm sure. Love that elk meat! I want to hear from you guys! Here is my choices I have on hand: 160TTSX/185TSX/225TTSX, 180NAB/200NBT/200NAB/210PT/250PT/250NAB. I will even tually end up playing with them all, I like to work both ends against the middle in load workup. I have loads ready to try with the 160TTSX , the 200NBT and the 250 NAB.

The one thing that makes me chose a 225 gr over a 180 out of my 338 is if your shooting past 300 yards the 225 performs much better. If you sight them in dead on at 100 yards the 180 is 7 inches low at 300, vs 4 inches with a 225. Speed is great but the 225 perform ballisticlly better than 180. I've also noticed the 225 hits way harder. Weight is a beautiful thing in a 338. My belief is if your shooting a magnum you shoot them for bullet weight and knock down. You cant go weing with either but the 225 is my perferd go to.

 

[ericbc7]

I didn't read all the responses, but if you are planning to donate any wild game to food shelves or whatnot You might need to use non lead bullets.

 

[Bravo 4]

If you sight them in dead on at 100 yards the 180 is 7 inches low at 300, vs 4 inches with a 225. Speed is great but the 225 perform ballisticlly better than 180.

Huh???
Can you explain why a bullet going several hundred feet per second faster will drop almost double that of a slower one at such close range? Personally I would go the other way with that, and the 4" drop at 300 with the 225 should probably be double (or more).

 

[RockyMtnMT]

The one thing that makes me chose a 225 gr over a 180 out of my 338 is if your shooting past 300 yards the 225 performs much better. If you sight them in dead on at 100 yards the 180 is 7 inches low at 300, vs 4 inches with a 225. Speed is great but the 225 perform ballisticlly better than 180. I've also noticed the 225 hits way harder. Weight is a beautiful thing in a 338. My belief is if your shooting a magnum you shoot them for bullet weight and knock down. You cant go weing with either but the 225 is my perferd go to.

Nothing against the 225g in three 338wm, but I don't think the 225g bullet will make up for its disadvantage in vel with respect to drop and drift until about the 500y mark. Energy will catch up much closer than that, but it is only a small part of the equation.

I'll have to run some numbers when I get a chance, I have been wrong before. I don't think so this time.