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338 bullet for elk? |
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ckk1106
Optics Master Joined: December/14/2007 Location: Arizona Status: Offline Points: 1439 |
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Posted: February/01/2008 at 19:40 |
Am new to reloading and deciding on a bullet for elk in AZ. Either Nosler partition 225 gr, Spear grand slam 225 gr. Any other suggestions? I know the nosler have a good reputation, but the spear are cheaper, and with that caliber does it really matter? I think sierra might have a 250 grain gameking and hornaday makes an interbond in 225, but haven't had any experience with any.
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pyro6999
Optics Retard OT TITAN Joined: December/22/2006 Location: North Dakota Status: Offline Points: 22034 |
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gamekings are fine the nosler accubond would work too, the whole high dollar bullet is a must for elk is a crock of sh*t, i have shot elk with everything from a 100gr .243 to a 225 gr .338, no need for you to spend $50 for a box of 50 bullets to go elk hunting.
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They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead" 343 we will never forget God Bless Chris Ledoux "good ride cowboy" |
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supertool73
Optics God Superstool Joined: January/03/2008 Status: Offline Points: 11814 |
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Agreed, between my dad and me we have killed 5 elk with 100 grain .243 rounds. 4 with one shot and one with a close range double tap to the chest. |
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Dale Clifford
Optics Jedi Knight Joined: July/04/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 5087 |
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agree here also, used everything from hard cast 44 mag thru grand slam in the 338, although it worked well, the velocity on 338 is not high enough to take advantage of the higher dollar stuff. better to reload extra rds. for practice!!!
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samspade
Optics GrassHopper Joined: October/26/2007 Status: Offline Points: 17 |
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If the new 180 TSX will shoot well in your rifle, you will find its higher velocity will give you a longer point blank range than a heavier bullet. It will also kill any Elk that walks and have a higher % of weight retention than any leadcore bullet. All that said, if you put any decent bullet behind the shoulder and get the heart or both lungs the Elk will die.
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CowboyBill
Optics Apprentice Joined: January/08/2008 Location: Nashville, Tenn Status: Offline Points: 85 |
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I understand there's another fella (Larry) here in Wy (Besides me) that uses Barnes, I asked, the neighbors and some local friends and they tell me he's a real jerk. Not too many of us Barnes fans here.
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A horse may be an outdated mode of transportation, but you don't buy hay by the gallon.
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pyro6999
Optics Retard OT TITAN Joined: December/22/2006 Location: North Dakota Status: Offline Points: 22034 |
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thats cause they are to expensive and to hard on whitetail, mule deer is questionable at best. save the money and buy a cheaper bullet and spend more on a scope or rangefinder.
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They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead" 343 we will never forget God Bless Chris Ledoux "good ride cowboy" |
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lucytuma
Optics Jedi Knight Joined: November/25/2007 Location: Wisconsin Status: Offline Points: 5389 |
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Sierra makes both 250gr & 215gr .338 bullets, I personally like to use the less expensive bullets. If you choose a heavy for caliber bullet, I believe you will have good results and will still shoot flat enough for most hunting range distances, 0 -300 yards.
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CowboyBill
Optics Apprentice Joined: January/08/2008 Location: Nashville, Tenn Status: Offline Points: 85 |
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Pyro brother, I'm not concerned about the money part. (338 mag aint cheap to shoot anyways.) They (TSX) work well for me, thanks to you, Cyborg and Rifledude giving me the advice for application, and helping with the reloading tips. Now if I could get y'all to get off my case about the bullets I choose. Like I said I think that I will be ahead of the curve when the lead mandates begin to really start taking effect. I've been on the road a bit, and am now back home for a week, I'll be working up some more loads. Thanks to y'all I'll be even more anxious to see what these can do.................. Cyborg phone call inbound.
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A horse may be an outdated mode of transportation, but you don't buy hay by the gallon.
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pyro6999
Optics Retard OT TITAN Joined: December/22/2006 Location: North Dakota Status: Offline Points: 22034 |
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actually loading the .338 isnt any worse than loading the 300win.
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They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead" 343 we will never forget God Bless Chris Ledoux "good ride cowboy" |
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358hunter
Optics GrassHopper Joined: February/02/2008 Status: Offline Points: 24 |
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I used the 230 grain Nosler Failsafes to shoot my elk. I shot it twice in the lungs at around 75 yards, neither shot exited the elk.
The bullets worked exactly I wanted. |
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pyro6999
Optics Retard OT TITAN Joined: December/22/2006 Location: North Dakota Status: Offline Points: 22034 |
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and likely it would have died after the first shot, but a wounded elk can run a mile with no lungs, so you did right.
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They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead" 343 we will never forget God Bless Chris Ledoux "good ride cowboy" |
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cyborg
Optics God Gaseous Clay Joined: August/24/2007 Location: North Georgia Status: Offline Points: 12288 |
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Cowboy, Pyro makes a point about the expense of hand loading the 338. It's pretty much a moot issue cost wise when compared to other magnums, the difference is only pennies per round from one to the next. The biggest difference is the brand of bullet that you choose.
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Bigdaddy0381
MODERATOR Georgia peach Joined: February/27/2007 Location: Georgia Status: Offline Points: 13682 |
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My uncle shot an elk last year with a 30-06 at 150 yards with a 150gr corelok(sp) (12$ from wally world)One shot it stumbled for about 3 seconds fell over DEAD.
So all in all good shot placement is the key. Edited by Bigdaddy0381 - February/05/2008 at 06:59 |
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CowboyBill
Optics Apprentice Joined: January/08/2008 Location: Nashville, Tenn Status: Offline Points: 85 |
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Well put Bigdaddy, It doesn't matter what you use if you miss the mark.
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A horse may be an outdated mode of transportation, but you don't buy hay by the gallon.
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358hunter
Optics GrassHopper Joined: February/02/2008 Status: Offline Points: 24 |
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Agreed. However, as an easterner spending $$ for a guided elk hunt, I wanted to maximize my chances for having the elk drop after I shot. Given that the increase in cost for my handloads for using premium bullets was a small fraction of the total cost, I was willing to go with the failsafes. |
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Dale Clifford
Optics Jedi Knight Joined: July/04/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 5087 |
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certainly relate to the once in a life time hunt point of view, but its still going at it from the wrong end--- if you want to max. spend the extra on practice and the bullets you will be using so that correct shot placement is not an assumption
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358hunter
Optics GrassHopper Joined: February/02/2008 Status: Offline Points: 24 |
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I like belts and suspenders. There was no problem with my shot placement nor with my bullet performance. For me, that's a win-win situation. |
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Dale Clifford
Optics Jedi Knight Joined: July/04/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 5087 |
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sorry didn't catch the past tense.
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RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
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I'm with you, 358. Yes, there are scores of people who have killed elk with .243's. So, does that then make a .243 an ideal elk round? I think not. Since I don't live in elk country, I don't have the luxury of having access to elk hunting in my backyard, where I can go as often as I want and still be home for dinner at night, thereby giving me more shot opportunities. When I use my valuable, limited vacation time and a drop a couple grand in expenses to go elk hunting every other year, what's an extra 50 cents per bullet when I'm bringing a whole 40 rounds of ammo for 2 rifles on the trip with me?
Nobody's claiming that only premium bullets will kill an elk. But really, what is the disadvantage to using tough, premium controlled expansion bullets? Why purposefully select lightly constructed bullets in marginal calibers if you don't have to? So, using tougher bullets designed for heavier game means you're out a whopping $20 extra on ammo. I'll spend more than $20 on beef jerky from convenience stores when I stop to gas up along the way! If I'm worried about spending such an insignificant amount of extra money, then I have no business going on an elk hunting trip to begin with.
Elk are tough animals that can be tough to bring down quickly. After packing out several elk up and down steep canyons in altitudes where oxygen is far more scarce than it is here in east Texas, it didn't take me long to discover that this isn't my favorite part of the hunt! Every step an elk takes after the shot in the opposite direction of camp is one more step I have to take in hauling elk parts back to camp. Why not use every equipment advantage at your disposal to ensure that your equipment will perform at the moment of truth when you may only have 1 shot opportunity, especially when the extra added insurance costs less than $50?
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Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
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