Caliber Selection

[Vince]

As some of you know I've picked up a 6.5x284 Norma that I intended to use for my upcoming coues deer hunt that is less than twenty days away.

For some reason my load in the 6.5x284, previously proven very accurate, has started showing signs of excessive, read dangerous, pressure. That has placed me in a quandary of sorts. Since I have less than three weeks before my hunt I'm going to reach in the safe and select my .338 Win Mag as my rifle for this hunt.

The load I worked up, for the .338 Win Mag, is not showing signs of dangerous pressure and having shot it last week to confirm my zero I feel confident that it's ready to go. I don't think I have time to work up another load for the 6.5x284 this late in the game.

My concern is more with bullet selection but not much I can do about it at this stage of the game. I'll be pushing a 210 grain TSX BT at 2900 fps. That, according to Barnes, should work well out to 500 Yards based on the velocity needed to guarantee expansion.

When I selected that bullet I did so with the intention of selecting an all around bullet for almost anything I may desire to hunt. I guess I'll really be putting my theory to the test this year.

I've been doing some reading about the .338 Win Mag as an all around caliber and think I may have made a good choice. Bullet selection, around here, is somewhat lacking but I wanted to run one bullet for all game so I never considered a softer bullet for this rifle.

We will just have to wait and see how the story unfolds.

Vince

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[Thebear_78]

Don't mean to alarm you but your bolt appears to be on the wrong side of that rifle [emoji6]


That 338 should work just fine for your cous hunt

 

[DrMike]

Don't mean to alarm you but your bolt appears to be on the wrong side of that rifle [emoji6]

Good catch; can't let a fellow shooter overlook something as important as that.

Vince, the 210 TSX will serve you well. The pressure signs on your 6.5X284 would be worrisome. What, exactly, were you seeing? While the recipe was something you had shot before, were the loads newly made? Or were they from a previous batch made up?

 

[1Shot]

Just something I have learned over the years about smaller deer like I have run into in parts of coastal NC. With these small deer and big calibers or any bullet that is not a really quick expander these lite frame deer usually will run off a ways even when hit perfectly. Their dead but they don't know it for a bit. They don't have enough body mass to get the shock effect from heavy constructed control expansion bullets. A fast moving 100 to 117 gr cup and core Sierra from a 25-06 usually drops them in their tracks. I feel your problem. I learned a long time ago to work up my hunting loads from the same batch of everything and do it in as close weather conditions as to what I will be hunting in.

 

[SJB358]

Run that 338 Vince. If they run, they won't go far. Seems like your confident in the rifle, that'll count more than any bullet. As Mike says, you have some mass, even the smallest amount of expansion is going to make that deer bleed. Deer don't take a whole lot of killing, put the bullets on the ribs and you'll collect the buck, guarantee the blood trail to follow to the buck will be visible as well.

 

[Vince]

Don't mean to alarm you but your bolt appears to be on the wrong side of that rifle [emoji6]

Good catch; can't let a fellow shooter overlook something as important as that.

Vince, the 210 TSX will serve you well. The pressure signs on your 6.5X284 would be worrisome. What, exactly, were you seeing? While the recipe was something you had shot before, were the loads newly made? Or were they from a previous batch made up?

Blown primers and sticky bolt lift. [emoji20] [emoji36] [emoji35]
Conditions were much the same with less than a 20 degree variance in temperature.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[DrMike]

Definitely pressure signs. I question because I wonder if there had been a change in lot composition or whether the problem was for certain temperature sensitivity.

 

[OU812]

Run that 338 Vince. If they run, they won't go far. Seems like your confident in the rifle, that'll count more than any bullet. As Mike says, you have some mass, even the smallest amount of expansion is going to make that deer bleed. Deer don't take a whole lot of killing, put the bullets on the ribs and you'll collect the buck, guarantee the blood trail to follow to the buck will be visible as well.

I agree 100% with what Scotty and Mike said.

 

[Divernhunter]

The 338 will do the job. It is one of the best all around cartridges.
Personally I try to shoot any animal in a way I take out one or both shoulders. If they run it will not be far and usually they go no where but down when hit.
I have shot ground squirrels to Kudu/Wildebeest and it has always done the job quickly. Ranges from under 100 yards to 480 yards. Bullets used 210PAR Nosler and Swift 225gr A-Frames mostly with a few 200gr BT Noslers thrown in for good measure.

 

[Vince]

The 338 will do the job. It is one of the best all around cartridges.
Personally I try to shoot any animal in a way I take out one or both shoulders. If they run it will not be far and usually they go no where but down when hit.
I have shot ground squirrels to Kudu/Wildebeest and it has always done the job quickly. Ranges from under 100 yards to 480 yards. Bullets used 210PAR Nosler and Swift 225gr A-Frames mostly with a few 200gr BT Noslers thrown in for good measure.

I'm starting to come around to shoulder shots.
Tracking can be nigh impossible in this dry, rocky, god forsaken, drought prone country and I'd rather lose a little meat versus losing a whole animal.
I've seen too many animals and people stay on their feet for too long after a heart / lung shot to like it.

Vince

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[Vince]

Got the .338 dialed in.
Knocking the steel ram at 500 meters, the 400 Meter turkey, and the 300 Meter javalina.
I'm on and ready to go.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[SJB358]

NICE! That's a great feeling huh Vince. Pretty sure the 500 meter Coues buck won't like it!

Something that makes a guy smile about a great shooting 338... Sort of like the cape on Superman!

 

[HOGWILD338-378]

I got a couple 257's if ya would like to smoke one Vince , point at hair to 400 and letter rip
I really do not think a Barnes TSX would stop inside a Coues deer or the 1 standing next to the 1 you hit :mrgreen: even if it was a shoulder hit!

 

[Vince]

I've smoked a lot of stuff back in the day but never a 257.
If you want to bring one out to hunt coues with next year I'll give it a toke.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[HOGWILD338-378]

I was smokin Ducks over at Bayou Meto on weekends with and old 870 Remington back in the 70's before they made it pay to play walk in flooded timber! Had loads of fun cuttin green heads and wood ducks and the were looking for a rice patty to feed on as Mahatma Rice owned a Lotta property in that area a ways east or The Skatters as that's what we called it back in the day! So what kind 6.5X284 you got that you are having pressure issues with? That caliber is on my bucket list as well !
http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/65x284/

maybe some info in the article above on load data ?

 

[Vince]

Savage Long Range Hunter.
I had a load worked up that was shooting good with the 130gr TSX FB but over the summer the pressure spiked and I started blowing primers. I'm going to work this powder and bullet combo again.
I was getting some minor pressure signs initially but no more than what I was getting in other rifles with a little primer flattening.
I've pulled bullets and weighed powder charges, made another run of ammo to see if I accidentally used magnum primers, and still getting the blown primers so it's back to the drawing board for me.


Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[HOGWILD338-378]

Sounds like starting over is in order? Long shots just means ya gotta pack meat further have ya tried factory ammo to see what it does?