180gr 338 win mag

[Joken]

Any opinions and suggested loads appreciated. I shoot 225 partitions for elk. Got ahold of 338 Sako and I'm thinking of trying some smaller bullets maybe for Mule Deer. Thanks, Ken

 

[buckfever]

The 180 gr bullets are fun for plinking the 200 gr ab would be a better bullet for hunting deer I had good luck with 76 gr of RL 19 with the 200 gr ab and the 180s I used IMR4350 good luck.

 

[JD338]

Joken

Welcome to the forum.
buckfever is spot on, the 200 gr AB would be a better choice over the 180 gr weight. RL19 is a very good starting point for powder selection,
If you wanted a single load for both deer and elk, consider the 225 gr AB. You will get plenty of expansion on deer and more than enough penetration on elk.

JD338

 

[Richracer1]

To add to the other posts, I have a 338WM and shoot 225 Accubonds. I load with 73gn of RL-19 and Fed GM215M primers.

My gun is a Browning Stainless Stalker with the BOSS. The above load groups really well, but I can alter groups sizes using the tuning capabilities of the BOSS.

Good luck with your Sako and start out low and work up.

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

I load the 225 AB for elk. I like the 200 AB for an all round bullet in the 338 win mag.
If I was loading for just deer and antelope, I'd go with the 180. I could probably buzz a 180 out of my 26" tube around 3200+ and the bullet would be less likely to under expand on the smaller critters.

 

[gunrunnerz]

I started loading 180 gr ballistic tips 4 years ago and absolutely enjoy the performance of this bullet. I use it on whitetails and mule deer in south west Texas, 400 pound feral hogs in the eastern side of the state, elk in Arizona,and it did a wonderful job on a 350 chevy motor. I'm loading 72.5 gr of IMR 4350 over a magnum primer. CCI and Winchester have both worked well. I use a Ruger MKII with the featherlite composite stalk and I have done some weight reduction on the rifle. It has a little kick to it but its tolerable. I zero at 300 yards and am comfortable shooting porcupines at 40 yards or muleys at 400. Two of my bros have gone to this load in their rifles, a Savage and Browning and they both have the same luck. I shot alot of 200 and 225 with it in the past, but for me this is the perfect 338 round.

 

[gunrunnerz]

I started loading 180 gr ballistic tips 4 years ago and absolutely enjoy the performance of this bullet. I use it on whitetails and mule deer in south west Texas, 400 pound feral hogs in the eastern side of the state, elk in Arizona,and it did a wonderful job on a 350 chevy motor. I'm loading 72.5 gr of IMR 4350 over a magnum primer. CCI and Winchester have both worked well. I use a Ruger MKII with the featherlite composite stalk and I have done some weight reduction on the rifle. It has a little kick to it but its tolerable. I zero at 300 yards and am comfortable shooting porcupines at 40 yards or muleys at 400. Two of my bros have gone to this load in their rifles, a Savage and Browning and they both have the same luck. I shot alot of 200 and 225 with it in the past, but for me this is the perfect 338 round.

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

Hey Gunrunner, got any pictures of what that AB did to the engine block?? :grin: :grin:

 

[gunrunnerz]

Hey antelope sniper, sorry didn't get any pics. The first round went through the hood, air breather, carb setup, angled right into the master cylinder and shattered it. The second round went in through the radiator, through a fan blade, into the water pump housing and exploded on the cam. We put another round through and through both doors with the windows down. If anyone had been sitting in the seat>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[Big Squeeze]

Hey antelope sniper, sorry didn't get any pics. The first round went through the hood, air breather, carb setup, angled right into the master cylinder and shattered it. The second round went in through the radiator, through a fan blade, into the water pump housing and exploded on the cam. We put another round through and through both doors with the windows down. If anyone had been sitting in the seat>>>>>>>>>>>>>

..................WHAT?? No Bonnie and Clyde???? :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

Very nice Gunz....Sounds like you guys were having too much fun!

I bet it flattens those hogs LOL.

Your load is very similar to mine. I load about that much H4350 with the 225gr, and a few more grains with the 200gr BST's. I'm sure either one would shoot through quite a few pick-doors.

 

[TBASTIAN]

To answer your specific question I've found the 180 BT to shoot really well with 72.0 grains of H4350. Usually shooting an inch at 100 yards. This should be fairly close to the AccuBond, and might be worth a try. Hope you find a good load.
-TB