First kill with the 338

Filled the 2020 cow elk tag this morning. On the ground at 8:30 and in the cooler before noon.
225 grain AccuBond. About 100 yards broadside through the ribs. Bullet ended up against the hide on the off side.
I was surprised she didn’t drop at the shot. She made it up a 25 foot embankment with the rest of the herd but couldn’t go further with them. Rolled down to the trail so the tractor made the process easier.
Recovered bullet retained 185.5 grains of weight.



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Congratulations! I know you’ve been looking to make good use of that gun!

Nice performance on the bullet and recovery!


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Excellent report! Man, using a tractor to bring her in is just too easy. Truthfully, that's the way I believe all hunting should be.

DrMike":2ms6rk8y said:

Excellent report! Man, using a tractor to bring her in is just too easy. Truthfully, that's the way I believe all hunting should be.

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The tractor saves a lot of wear on a worn out back for sure. The little Kubota doesn’t quite have enough lift height but still beats skinning on the ground and wrestling them around by hand.
I’ve got some other rifles I’d like to try on elk but the 338 is really a pleasant one to shoot.
Maybe a 375 H&H next year.

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Congratulations!
Which 338 was that?
Ah, edit - just saw it on the target.
The AB looks quite beaten up for a rib shot with the jacked almost torn open down to the base.
Never saw that before and surprises me, because jacket is rather thick down there.

Still - did what it is supposed to do

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Wow, doesn't get any better than that! Looks like a big cow and you just can't beat the location so close to home. Having a tractor to do the tough work is really nice to have. That bullet looks like it tumbled a bit but did quite well anyways. Congratulations on filling your freezer.

Elk bone is the densest of any animal in North America and is tougher on bullets than most realize...and if she was an older cow, her bone would be denser than that of a young cow.
Elk also have more tenacity than other game, and of the two dozen plus elk I have harvested over the years, an elk that covers ground after the shot is the norm compared to those that are DRT, even with good bullet placement.
To guarantee DRT, one must hit the brain or hit/sever the spinal cord at the front of the shoulders or forwards.

Having any large animal fall where you can get to it easily with equipment is a bonus that can only be appreciated after one has busted their butt getting a large animal out of the thick and nasty! LOL
Congrats!
Love the effectiveness of the 338's on elk!
And the performance of the AccuBond! It performed as it was meant to...a quick, clean harvest!

Congratulations on using your hand load to harvest a fine cow. It appears that the hunter, the rifle, the hand loader, and the bullet ALL performed very well. I use my Kubota to retrieve the deer that we shoot on the farm. It sure makes life easier. Dan

Congratulations on the elk with your 338 buddy. That AccuBond looks excellent. A Partition would look at about the same just with the front blown off.

I am pretty jealous of the danged tractor recovered elk. I’m going to need to speak to my outfitter and see why we don’t ever get to use a danged tractor!

Congrats again! Well done.

Also a big fan of .338/AccuBond/elk/tractors. I have yet to experience elk with tractors. [emoji16]


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Congrats! That looks to be a fine shooting rifle. And excellent performance from the nosler AB.

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Looking good. I have never had the opportunity to hunt elk but have killed hundreds of white tail and it sure makes it easy if you can get a vehicle of some sort right up to them for extrication. Where I have done most of my deer hunting was in east NC on a big farm and most of the time I could drive the truck right up to them out in the fields or at least close enough to use a game cart easy if the fields were muddy. Those 338s will put the smack down on things. I have an acquaintance that has killed a good number of elk and that is his choice of caliber. That AccuBond looks about like the only one I ever recovered out of many that I have shot with them. All the others were exits. Mine was from a 130 gr out of my 264 Win mag at 3350 fps which was placed on the front edge of the left scapula of a big buck at 111 yards as it faced me with a slight left shoulder toward me angle. Bullet was found against the smashed right ball joint in the right ham. Weight was 87 grs. BANG FLOP.

Congratulations on your elk and the tractor recovery.
Looks like you have it down to a science.
Well done!

JD338

OUTSTANDING!

Congrats on that big cow. Ya, I was surprised that the big bullet looks so beat up, but it sure did the job.

Cow elk meat is delicious. I was delighted after I dropped mine a few years ago to hear the putt-putt-putt of a neighboring landowner coming up the hill to help out with his ATV... We pulled the whole carcass down the hill, maybe a half-mile or so. Easiest danged elk recovery I'd heard of until reading this one!

A hearty congratulations! I hope you enjoy elk roast for Christmas dinner.

Guy

Congratulations! Nice elk and bullet performance

Congratulations A. on a successful hunt and “initiation” of your 338.
Duane