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338 bullet for elk?

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ckk1106 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ckk1106 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: 338 bullet for elk?
    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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2008 at 19:42
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote supertool73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2008 at 20:58
Originally posted by pyro6999 pyro6999 wrote:

the whole high dollar bullet is a must for elk is a crock of sh*t, i


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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dale Clifford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/02/2008 at 10:48
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote samspade Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/02/2008 at 14:03
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CowboyBill Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/02/2008 at 18:00
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/02/2008 at 20:57
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lucytuma Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/03/2008 at 07:08
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CowboyBill Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/03/2008 at 09:49
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/03/2008 at 10:20
actually loading the .338 isnt any worse than loading the 300win.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 358hunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/04/2008 at 20:02
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/04/2008 at 20:19
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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375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cyborg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/05/2008 at 06:48
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bigdaddy0381 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/05/2008 at 06:59
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CowboyBill Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/05/2008 at 15:36
Well put Bigdaddy, It doesn't matter what you use if you miss the mark.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 358hunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/05/2008 at 17:45
Originally posted by Bigdaddy0381 Bigdaddy0381 wrote:

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.


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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dale Clifford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/05/2008 at 18:06
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 358hunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/05/2008 at 18:08
Originally posted by Dale Clifford Dale Clifford wrote:

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


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.  Big%20Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dale Clifford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/05/2008 at 18:13
sorry didn't catch the past tense.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/05/2008 at 18:46
Originally posted by 358hunter 358hunter wrote:

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.  Big%20Smile
 
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?Loco
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