338win mag brown bear

[Cold Trigger Finger]

I cut my hunting teeth head shooting Sitka Blacktails with the 458 Win mag.
Yes shot placement is most important and great bullets is #2 . But just because it a large caliber doesn't mean it can't be shot accurately. A friend center punches clay birds at 200 meters offhand with his 416 Rem mag Model 700 custom shop rifle. He hunts deer with it. He got charged one time when packing out a buck. 1 shot, dead bear, 3 rifle lengths away. I got a message from him while I was working at a fishing lodge. It read " the 416 paid for itself today "

 

[257WTBY]

I went on a guided hunt several years ago for moose and bear I took two rifles with me I took my 300WTBY and my 338 win thinking 300 for moose and 338 for bears. We went after a moose first and on the stalk ran into a griz laying on a moose kill I shot him with the 180 barnes and had to shoot him again at 60 yds i hit him the second time in the head that did it. I often second guessed my first shot as the bear was sleeping on his side and we were on top of him and i could not get both lungs or break a shoulder so i spined him on the first shot. The guide said shoot again so i did where i knew would kill him barnes to the pumpkin did him in. Did i wish for more gun not on the first shot but i later saw how fast a bear ciould have covered that 60 yds and wished i had a cannon. I think the 338 will be fine but can u ever be over gunned on big nasty bears???? If i go again which i want to I will be shooting my 340 WTBY at minimum....

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

If I ever come upon a magnum bolt face, magnum length stainless Model 70 action. I will probably turn it into a 340 Whby.
The problem is that I Really like the 375 Whby.
It was Hal Waugh's favorite bear rifle. I had a Ruger #1 made up into that round.

 

[X-man]

Concur! But I'd add that very good bullet is also a prime requisite. Nosler PT is my preference. I'ven't shot many browns, just one 8'3" in the peninsular with a 30-06, griz in Yukon that got my guide Rick Furniss his silver buckle with a 270, and a Russian griz 8'10"with a 300win plus a NWT polar just over 9' with 300win. BTW I always hunt bear with guide. He can carry the cannon.

Sounds like you hunt a lot so a little heads up for you.
I live around and have hunted coastal bears for just under 4 decades. Big bears are my life long passion and despite that I have never managed to collect an honest 8 foot bear....Life goes like that I guess
You are a lucky man!

The Nosler Partition is a fantastic bullet, but I have twice killed brownies with 300Win 180gr "Partition Wadcutters" when the front core blows off in the fatnfur...Not ideal!
Both times was with a wet bear and steep shot angles....all I got was pinholes in the lungs and heart.

I also drilled an extremely large Bison with a 300Win 200gr Partition broadside with the exact same results. 8 times!

I'm not bashing the Partition, but I think you are better off with a bit less velocity with the 180 partition on very large game....Or a bigger bullet.
I have never seen this happen with a 30-06, 338, or 375.

To date the 300Win loaded with the 200Partition remains one of my all time favorite combinations for its unbelievable effect on game...I just dont use it on coastal grizz or Bison any more.

To the OP:
The 338Win is a good killer. Works fine on coastal brownies.
Be advised it is a killer, not a crusher.

 

[1dirthawker]

My experience with nosler bullets is similar in the calibers SMALLER than 338. The 375 noslers are Awsome. Probably because you can't over drive them, but maybe they are built heavier. Smaller calibers wash the front off the bullet every time unless a far shot. That leaves the shooter with less than 50% bullet weight to penetrate. Even really good bullets can be overdriven. Saw 2 diff 8.5 ft bear shot with300 ultra mags. Swift 200 gr. Bullets retained the wt but riveted out so far that they did not penetrate well. Bear needed some bullets from a larger/slower caliber to stop the bear in both cases in the ultra mags one needs a very tought bullet regardless of caliber. My 2 cents

 

[JASTECH]

Enjoying this thread. OP asked about Mfg. too, I bought the Browning .338 wm A-Bolt 10 yrs. ago but it's never had scope mounted or a round chambered. I was told it was the best they had and the best caliber. I don't read much at all on Browning here, is it not any good or what?
From what I've read Barns TTSX? is a good stopper for large game, I don't know about Bergers but need to read on them. I am thinking of switching to Lead-Free bullets for everything, anybody else?
>
Thanks, JASTECH

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

I'm not a fan of the ABolt. I've been around a bunch of them. Most had different problems
Like take a shot and the bolt won't open until the stock is taken off and the trigger group taken out. I know of 4 of them that has happens to. 2 while hunting bear or using the rifle for bear defense
1 while deer hunting and 1 while moose hunting.
The synthetic stocks break quite regularly. Their stainless steel pits, quite badly sometimes.

I like mono metal bullets. But I don't have anything against lead bullets.

 

[JASTECH]

Cold Trigger, So it's a bad choice they sold me, well that sucks! I will sell it instead of putting money into it. I think it was called the Stalker II w/BOSS. My only other 2 rifles are a Rem.700 .270 win. thunb hole wood stock and a Savage 06 spring. Here I wanted to make my .338 into a 1k meter shooter. Well thanks for the info, hurts a bit getting taken and my dreams to LRH and pass it to my son when i'm gone.
>
Thanks, JASTECH

 

[etisll40]

I bought a 475 Turnbull for Brown bear, haven't hunted them yet, anyone used this round on them? It's a lever action on a Browning 1971 action. The numbers looked better than a 45-70.

 

[swampshooter]

I haven't killed any big bears but have taken a lot of other large game with partitions. It's been my experience that at impact velocities over about 2600 fps they will invariably blow the nose off early in penetration. Then the rear end continues but kills like a bullet from a much smaller caliber. I do especially like the 338, 250 partition when impact velocity is under about 2550 it hits like a hammer.

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

Cold Trigger, So it's a bad choice they sold me, well that sucks! I will sell it instead of putting money into it. I think it was called the Stalker II w/BOSS. My only other 2 rifles are a Rem.700 .270 win. thunb hole wood stock and a Savage 06 spring. Here I wanted to make my .338 into a 1k meter shooter. Well thanks for the info, hurts a bit getting taken and my dreams to LRH and pass it to my son when i'm gone.
>
Thanks, JASTECH

For l.r. shooting it may work out. But they aren't a dangerous game rifle. I myself don't have any respect for anyone that hunts dangerous game at long range. If your looking for a 338 l.r. rifle without breaking the bank. I would look around for a 338 RUM in a model 700 . You could prolly pedal your Browning and come out about even. If the factory RUM barrel wasn't up to it a reballel job to the 338 EDGE wouldn't break the bank .

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

I bought a 475 Turnbull for Brown bear, haven't hunted them yet, anyone used this round on them? It's a lever action on a Browning 1971 action. The numbers looked better than a 45-70.

It kills about the same as the 450 Alaskan. Maybe a bit better. Which is good. I really like the 450 Alaskan. It has a good reputation. Just get to be good buddies with it so that it hit where you look and so you know all it's ways.

 

[JASTECH]

Cold Trigger, Don't think I need a RUM for north american animals. Maybe I need to keep reading here and asking more question before I sell my Browning. Planning to move to Texas this year so will consider the hunting over there.

 

[swampshooter]

Jastech, Nilgai is the only thing in Texas that could use a 338, and I know of a lot of nilgai killed with 280 and 30/06, although the bulls do have teal thick skin and are very tough.