Best bullet weight for big hogs/elk in 338 Federal?

[preacher]

I have a great load for the Barnes 160 TTSX and a friend of mine has used the Barnes 185 TSX factory load on a medium sized elk just fine. My SIL used the 185 TSX on mule deer up close, no bloodshot meat (lung shot). I have a bunch of Speer 200 HotCor that I have plans to load/use for practice, but I also have some Nosler 180 Accubonds. I've used the older 210 XBT in a 340 BEE and the 185 XLC in a 338 Win. I have read good things about the 210 Partition and while I'm sure its very good, is it really any better than the 200 speer at 338 Federal speeds?( I loaded this bullet for a friends 338 Win and it was very destructive on little Texas deer.) I can load to 2.87" in this Hawkeye, so the 210 TSX should fit OK, but will it really do any better than the 185 TSX or, for that matter the 160 TTSX? My future holds a better promise for big hogs more than bull elk, but late season cow elk are still on the menu. All opinions welcomed. ( I must mention that my Whelen AI is always first up for me, so I know there are better calibers, but the 338 Federal has got to be a good one under 300 yds for about anything, IMO.

 

[wildgene]

...honestly, on paper a 225gr. AB will retain the same velocity, deliver 13-30% more energy than the lighter, lower BC bullets, w/ 3-4" more drop, but 2-3" less drift @ 400yds.

 

[BretN]

If your gun shoots those solids well, I sure wouldn't hesitate to use them on hogs or elk. However, one of the best things I have learned from this site from the bullet test pages is that the traditional cup and core bullets hold up and perform spectacularly at standard 308 and 30-06 velocities. So if you have a bunch of those Hotcors, or just want to use them instead, I would imagine they'd hold up just fine. Maybe test them both out on hogs an pick the one you liked best for elk.

 

[tjen]

With the case capasity of the 338 fed I would not go over 210grs. And the 210gr PT is simply perfect for Elk out of a 338 fed. It is really bullet length but use the 210 gr as a guide so one do not use up the space needed for powder.

Hogs well I have only shot one a 200lb feral hog male, and a 200gr CLRN went through both shoulders and dropped it in its tracks from a 35 rem @2188fps. Complete pass througth at about 20 yards.

 

[Anonymous]

I'd load the 210 Partition or 180-200gr AB and never look back. I'm not sold on the mono-metals in standard rounds... they require impact velocity to work right and you just don't have much to work with over distance.

Nothing wrong with cup and cores are 338FED speeds... nothing at all. For an economical option- Speers or Sierras would do fine too. I'd steer clear of the tougher bullets like the TSX, A-Frames and the like- just no benefit and lots of downside.

 

[DrMike]

I've shot only one head of game with my 338 Federal. I used a 200 grain Trophy Copper bullet (I'm told it is an E-Tip produced for Federal, and I'm inclined to believe that is correct). The animal I shot was a moose. I did recover the bullet. It performed quite well. I wouldn't hesitate to use the monolithic bullets on moose/elk/hogs. I'm also comfortable using 210 grain bullets at the velocities generated by the 338 Federal.

 

[Darkhorse]

I have shot lots of hogs both small and large, up to very large. The sows and younger boars are basically a soft game affair as they don't have the shield. Now the really big, mature boars have a shield like a flak jacket.
Of my 2 largest, one was shot with a 7 mag. with 154 gr. hornady soft points which penetrated one side but didn't even touch anything on the other. The other was shot with a round ball from a .54 longrifle with the exact same results. Those were a couple of really tough shields.
From your 338 Federal I think I would shoot the 210 PT's. That bullet should penetrate very deep without two much meat damage I would presume. The 180 AB should work also but I think there would be a lot of meat damage with that one.
The vitals on hogs are different than on a deer. The hog's vitals are more forward and you have a smaller target area to shoot at.

 

[JD338]

210 gr PT would cover every thing from mice to moose.

JD338

 

[Gunner46]

"Best laid plans"...so the story goes.....My 338 Fed project has been put on the back burner due to hunt obligations already committed to > $$ available to tinker with.

Come next spring, I'm going to start my testing with good old 200gr Speers, just to get a feel of powders, published vs actual vol, etc. During the summer I'll be sticking to cup & core and finding whether the 200AB, or 210PT, will shoot better in my rifle, at the speeds I want. May even give the 225's a try. I'm not hunting where I'll not be shooting past 200yds, so I don't need a lazer beam, just a Thumper.

The Fed just doesn't have the zip to make those mono's work like they should, unless you go with light weight bullets, but then isn't that defeating the purpose of a 338 to start with ?

 

[preacher]

All good points guys, thanks. I will work up some loads with the 200 Speers , then try some 210PTs. I "normally" shoot any hog right behind the ear/base of skull. I say "normally" because real world doesn't always oferf that kind of shot, especially if they are running/trotting by, as you know. I shot my last hog, about 200# sow Eurasian ( best eating hog I ever, ever ate!! Like lean red meat!) with a 35 WAI/310 Woodleigh at 2400fps, ha. I just wanted to try it out and see if it would open up properly. I hit her tight behind the shoulder, not quite center and blew chunks of lungs 30ft out the other side, and no bloodshot meat! She ran 15 yds and rolled over, kicked a few times and died. So, comparatively speaking, a 225 Woodleigh RN might do the same in the Federal, but I digress. I"m starting off with Power pro 2000MR/Speer 200s, we'll see what happens, thanks again guys!

 

[SJB358]

200AB or 210 PT would be about perfect in my opinion. I love those two from my 338 Win Mag. Both of them will crush stuff.

 

[preacher]

Just saw the Woodleigh 200gr 338 Federal bullet on Midway's site. Seems its designed for that velocity threshold and has good reviews. I'm still not convinced it would "outperform" the Speer 200 or for that matter the 210 PT. I best get busy and put together a load for this thing before I go buying any more bullets for it, ha.

 

[SJB358]

The easiest way to see if the 200 Speer will do what you want is to line up some jugs Jim and see what it looks like. Throw a 210PT or 200 AB threw as well. I bet you'll get a lot of information from those three shots. It's always hard to judge performance since we shoot the same bullets from a bunch of different platforms.

 

[tim629]

I would use what you have, and look to see what is available so when you find something you can keep going with it.

I was in the boat of searching for a new bullet for my 338-06 and went with ttsx because of availability & price. $1/Partition with questionable availability for the next time I want them just didn't sit well with me at this point. granted it could happen in the barnes line too but I'm starting to question if nosler doesn't have too many sticks in the fire at the moment.

 

[preacher]

Just tried Power Pro 2000MR in the 338 Fed and Speer 200. 52 was book max and still moderate pressure, but accuracy was 2.5" The 51gr was around 1.5", so will try it again and 51.5 with bullets a tad deeper. I did get 2630 easily with the 51gr and 52 was 2680fps.

 

[Blkram]

Having used the 210 PT on several elk, and moose, plus bison and grizzly bear out of my old 338 Win mag, I have complete faith in the bullet. I plan on shooting it (or perhaps the 200 AB) out of my 338 Federal when I finally get it home from the custom shop.

I also like the performance of the 215 SGK in my 338-06. It would work just fine in the 338 Federal.

Having used the 220 Speer Hot Cor successfully for years in my 358 Win for bears, moose and elk,, I would not hesitate to use the 200 gr Hot Cor in the 338 Federal.

 

[preacher]

I think I am going to try TAC with these Speer 200s next go round. It sure worked swell with the Barnes 160 TTSX.

 

[2ndtimer]

I think I am going to try TAC with these Speer 200s next go round. It sure worked swell with the Barnes 160 TTSX.

TAC should work well. Another powder that we settled on for my son's Ruger Hawkeye .338 Fed.is IMR-8208XBR. It might be worth a try.

 

[preacher]

I've seen IMR-8208XBR but know nothing about it. Is it temp stable like Hogdon Extreme or similar?

 

[345 kv]

My 338 Fed with a 1/10 twist likes a 210 gr TTSX and W748. For some reason it hated a 200gr AB.