338-06 bullet choice

I would even look a little more at the 225gr AccuBond. I use the same bullet out of my 338 Win Mag and it is very accurate and shoots very flat. I would think you could get 2600-2700 out of the 225 AccuBond out of the 338-06 without any issues, still have a great, flat flying bullet with alot of Sectional Density. I would be very confident using that set up for encountering a big brown at close range. Scotty

I finally got around to ordering ammo. I went with the old standard PT's over the AB's. I have had good luck with the PT in the past. I also like the 210gr. bullet over the 200 and 225. I am sure all of he above would have worked fine.

Steve

Good choice. It will do just fine.

I would say at most use the 225 grain AccuBond or Partition. I also want to say that I must agree with your philosophy on gun selection. It doesn't make you a wimp to not be infected with magnumitis, a condition that gives pandemic a new definition in our times. A man with a steady aim with a rifle in which he has perfect confidence which shoots properly constructed bullets will bring home as much if not more meat than any bazooka-wielding greenhorns that we often encounter. That is not to say anyone who shoots a magnum is an amateur but I just want to pat you on the back for being man enough to buy the gun you want, not the one that will sound awesome or impressive as you brag on its numbers in hunting camp. Hoorah for you good sir, the 338-06 will serve you well!

Love my .338-06 with 210 grain partitions behind R15 powder!! Mine is built on a Sako action and is capable of taking down any big game in NA except large bear IMHO. I am looking forward to trying the 250 grain AB's to see how they shoot (thanks Jim), but doubt there will be a better combo for this cartridge than with the 210 PT for moose and elk.

257 Ackley":3q3hkypr said:

Love my .338-06 with 210 grain partitions behind R15 powder!! Mine is built on a Sako action and is capable of taking down any big game in NA except large bear IMHO. I am looking forward to trying the 250 grain AB's to see how they shoot (thanks Jim), but doubt there will be a better combo for this cartridge than with the 210 PT for moose and elk.

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Joel, I think your 338-06 wants to be a Whelen when it grows up!!!!! Just kidding with ya..

I like them both alot. Very capable cartridges and much stronger than most give them credit for. Scotty

Scotty -
It was really a hard decision when I decided to have that rifle built, whether it would be a whelen or the .338-06. The final decision came down to what caliber had a better bullet selection and at that time the .338 had a better selection of bullets. Maybe in it's next life it will grow up and be a big boy's caliber .

257 Ackley":1b9k8p02 said:

Love my .338-06 with 210 grain partitions behind R15 powder!! Mine is built on a Sako action and is capable of taking down any big game in NA except large bear IMHO. I am looking forward to trying the 250 grain AB's to see how they shoot (thanks Jim), but doubt there will be a better combo for this cartridge than with the 210 PT for moose and elk.

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Joel,

You are welcome.
IMHO, the 210 gr PT is just about the perfect bullet for the 338-06.

JD338

That 338-06 is a sweet cartridge. I know Scott Spencer just built one also. Really looking forward to seeing what he does with his. Seems like a really great cartridge. I would think that 210 PT would be dynamite. Those 200gr AB's sure do look pretty sweet though. Scotty

beretzs":1ap6e9kb said:

That 338-06 is a sweet cartridge. I know Scott Spencer just built one also. Really looking forward to seeing what he does with his. Seems like a really great cartridge. I would think that 210 PT would be dynamite. Those 200gr AB's sure do look pretty sweet though. Scotty

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The little bit I've shot it I am very impressed with the 338-06! I've been dealing with some medical issues personally and shooting has been on the back burner the past couple of months. I hope to get with it this summer a little bit more and see what she'll do with some Nosler bullets.

I finally got a hold of some 210gr PT and I really hope that becomes my all-around #1 load. I have some 200 gr AB and 180 gr BT that I want to try as well.

Hope you feel better soon Scott! Wanna see some targets and load work with that 338! Scotty

Scott,

Get well and pop a few caps. The cartridge is underrated. Loaded with appropriate bullets, there is little in North America it won't handle.

In my Weatherby 338-06 I use Nosler 200gr E Tip and 53.0 of IMR 4320 in WW Brass with Fed 210M primers.........sure does shoot sweet.

G'Day Fella's,

YakAk, I have a a Brno ZKK-600 chambered in .338-06, it one of my favorites!
It used to be a 7x57 but I had the barrel re-bored and then chambered to this.

I have mainly used Hornady 200grn Spire Pt and Hornady 250grn Round Nose bullets, in this rifle.
As some one else has already mentioned, IMR-4320 (or equivalent) powder, is the pick of them!

Hope that helps

Doh!
Homer

After years of 338-06 shooting with IMR 4320 and 210gr Part

Reloader 17 is my new powder with 225gr Part

61.0 of RL 17
225 Part
WW cases
WLRM mag primer

2700 FPS in 24"

Alaska":lvoigthz said:

After years of 338-06 shooting with IMR 4320 and 210gr Part

Reloader 17 is my new powder with 225gr Part

61.0 of RL 17
225 Part
WW cases
WLRM mag primer

2700 FPS in 24"

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That's a serious hitter. I always wondered how RL17 would work in the 338-06 and 35 Whelen. It is very good in my 338 Win Mag with 225's.

I have a custom lefthanded Rem 700 built in the 338-06. Love shooting this gun. It really likes the Wby factory load with the 210PT, but also shoots 1/2" groups with the SGK 215 gr bullet over 62.0gr of H-414 and WLR primers @ 2751 fps.
I've mostly used the Federal Premium 338 Win Mag load with the 210 gr PT ammo on a variety of game for moose, grizzly, elk and bison and was never disappointed!
But having done the ballistics for the 215 gr SGK load, it apparently carries more energy past 300 yards than the 338 Win Mag load with the 210 PT, due to its' higher BC (0.485 vs 0.400). I found this somewhat surprising at first as the 338 Win Mag load starts off 80 fps faster.
So, if this math is true, I would not feel under gunned with the 338-06 over the 338 Win Mag! As the muzzle energy between the two is only 115 ft/lbs less for the 338-06 and the 215 SGK load. Not enough difference for any brownie to tell the difference when the bullet is placed properly!

Enjoy your new rifle!

I have used the 210 Partitions on elk with a .338 WM. I also shoot them with my .338 Federal. They are very accurate and kill elk really well.

I used the 180 AccuBond in a 338 RUM on a big aoudad in '07. It was going right at 3500 at the muzzle, sheep was at 250, blew through both shoulders. It seemed just like a Partition to me. If I had 338/06 I's have to try it. I bet it would work on big bear also. Of course, if I had a 338/06 I'd have to have it rechambered to a 338/280AI, ha. I used the 210XBT in a 340W and it was also a gem so no flies on any 210gr. I favored the 185XLC in a 338WM for elk. I used the 180XBT in a 300Win also, and the 185XLC/338 cut a bigger hole. My 35 Whelen AI with 200X cuts an even bigger hole. I sure do like a medium caliber for the bigger critters myself also. Good luck, Jim

Hello YakAk,

Your 338-06 is a sound choice, and will serve you well for its intended use.

The 210 Partition is a great bullet and I have used it with great success for years in the 338 Win Mag, as it shot well, didn't beat me up too badly and performed excellently on elk, moose, grizzly and bison.

When my shoulders went bad, I found the 338 Win Mag painful to shoot and sold the rifle, and built a 338-06. I've loaded both the 210 Partition and 215 Sierra GameKing for it. The rifle shows a preference for the SGK, shooting 1/2" groups at velocities that most 338-03 AI owners are jealous of (at max load a from the Sierra manual). When I ran the ballistics numbers for the velocity, I found that at 300 yards, it outperformed the 210 Partition as loaded by the Federal Premium ammunition. The 338 SGK also has a thicker jacketed than other SGK bullets, as it was designed to provide for better performance and penetration at the 338 Win Mag velocities. (I am trying to get that rifle back as we speak, and with the LimbSaver pad on it now, it is a joy to shoot, even off of the bench.)

In the 338-06, it has worked well to date on a black bear. I just need to hunt with this rifle more to give it the respect that it deserves.

The AccuBonds are an excellent bullet choice for your intended game, and I would not hesitate to use them against brown bears either. I've found this bullet to be the most accurate bullet in all the rifles that I have loaded them for to date, and have taken wolf, black bear, whitetail deer, mule deer, caribou, elk, moose, and bison over the years with this bullet, and where I did recover a bullet under the hide on the off-side of an animal, it has retained 90-95% of its original weight and expanded 2 to 2 1/2 times its original diameter. 200 or 225 gr, your choice, and whichever shoots better in your rifle.

So, you won't be that out-classed by anyone with a 338 Win Mag, you will shoot it better, can carry five cartridges in your magazine, should you get into a pickle with a brownie, and it will still give you the power and performance to deter them from making you their next, snack, and still have the performance for moose and deer that you desire.

May your adventures be memorable and your aim be true!