338 wni mag for white tail

JohnX · Member Joined: Nov 05, 2013 Posts: 49 Location: Virginia

Newbie here so pardone if in wrong area. Might be a 338 section somewhere. Anyone here do white tail with this caliber? East coast white tail around VA or there-a-bouts. I would like to pick your brain about rolling my own.
Thanks in advance,
JohnX

slimjim · Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 9:38 pm Post subject: Re: 338 wni mag for white tail

JX, welcome to HuntingNut! The guys DownUnder will offer you a stump and a beer. Some might think .338 is a bit on the heavy side for deer. However, when you roll your own you can tune it down if you desire. There are lots of .338 rounds that cover the gamet from mild to intense. What round are you planning to reload? Bolt, Lever, Semi-Auto?

Elvis · Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 2:20 am Post subject: Re: 338 wni mag for white tail

welcome indeed. and Ive been reading very good things about the larger bores as there are some crash hot projectiles out there for the larger bores. have a look on balistic research web site.

Vince · Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 7:13 am Post subject: Re: 338 wni mag for white tail

Welcome aboard John...as Slim indicated, grab a beer and pull up a stump mate.

Ad Slim said mate...the .338 might be a tad heavy for deer, but that doesn't mean it is the wrong calibre to use. I'm sure there will be some pet loads on Point Blank, so have a look through the database. If you don't find something then it's time to delve into the most satisfying part of hand loading...load development. Good luck mate, and go hit that deer.

SingleShotLover · Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 7:33 am Post subject: Re: 338 wni mag for white tail

Welcome!
Check back issues of Handloader magazine. Some time back there was a great article about loading what they called "medium" calibers - .338 through .375. There were some really interesting loads as well as comparison loads that generated less recoil, did the same job and shot to the same point of impact as the "full-house" loads and might save you a lot of research. Nothing says that deer can only be shot with .30 calibers or less. Might start a small war with those who use hot-loaded .45/70s! I even know a guy that uses his .375 H&H quite successfully. Use what you can shoot well and enjoy.

Bushmaster · Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 9:08 am Post subject: Re: 338 wni mag for white tail

I would have thought that the 338 Win Mag to be a bit of an overkill for deer, but upon reading the above posts. I will have to sit back and get educated.

The people on this sight are among the best. Grab one of Vince's beers, grab a stump, pull it up to the fire and join in. If your stump has a doily on it. Don't sit on it as it is Suz's stump and she has a rather large stick (bordering on club size). Gets a little pissy if you mess with her stump.

Welcome aboard.

slimjim · Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 11:10 am Post subject: Re: 338 wni mag for white tail

Bushmaster wrote:

I would have thought that the 338 Win Mag to be a bit of an overkill for deer,

See, I told you some would think that!

JohnX · Member Joined: Nov 05, 2013 Posts: 49 Location: Virginia

Wow!!! Thanks everyone...quite a warm welcome indeed. Had a fuzzy feeling about the group here from reading bits others posted. Well, till about 2 weeks ago, I was with Bushmaster. I have a 243 that I really was hoping to use this season till a "well seasoned" friend suggested I reunite with a 338 win mag I thought I'd never shoot again ( at least not here in VA ). When I bought the rifle 18 years ago all I could find were 225 and 250. Rattled my brain every trigger pull. It's a Ruger, M77 Mark II in stainless. Switched out the skeleton stock for a heftier one w/a nice foam butt pad. New 2lb trigger. Scope is on the way as we speak. Has a nice older Simmons wideview on it now that works pretty well. I have a box of Hornady 185gr GMX to try but think I want to tweak down some. I understand the 185 Hornady with RL17 will go 3000fps. Still beginning but feel speed & recoil can be brought down some. What turned me around to rethink a 338 was the kinetic energy my friend reminded me of. I have shot from mountain top in AZ across the valley to another mountain top at targets and I know this thing slams with 225 & 250's. So for white tail, worst it could do is flip em over backwards or drop them where they stand without tearing anything up.
Guys, gotta get back to the drawing board but I'll be back and by the way, I gave a glass of something here, SOLUTE!!
John

slimjim · Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 2:33 pm Post subject: Re: 338 wni mag for white tail

JX, now we are talking. 338 WM bolt action! Hornady GMX is a great bullet. That's my go-to bullet for elk in my .270 - only a lowly 130grs though. Took a cow elk from a ridge across a valley at 400 yards last year. Very reliable expansion and penetration.

Ominivision1 · Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 2:46 pm Post subject: Re: 338 wni mag for white tail

Welcome John X

I also hunt with a .340 Weatherby Mag when not packing my sidearm for deer, I use Nosler Accubond 180gr bullets ahead of 85gr to 86grs of RL22 to slow the bullet down to 3000fps which is near (but slightly above) 30/06 speeds. All 6 deer shot with the 340 were bang flop dead!!

JohnX · Member Joined: Nov 05, 2013 Posts: 49 Location: Virginia

SJ, Works well does it? I have to try them in mine. Traded a guy a new M77 7mag for this 270 Hawkeye last year after moving to this area. Bought 2 boxes of 130's / 1- Winchester HP and a box of Hornady SST's. I will make a note about your elk. Gees I like those animals. Great flavor without all the wild taste. Shot a 267 pounder up in Phoenix a few years back. Got lucky actually. Game warden found it wounded, asked me to finish it off. Would love to get back out West for another. If anyone tells you there are no moose in Tucson, correct them. I hit one with my car. He was looking out over the desert, turned and darted in front of me. I had slowed down to about 25 when we connected. Picked hair out of the headlight lenses for a week.
Thanks Ominivision 1 - That's where I think I want to get but slightly below 30/06 for around here. RL22 is good stuff. I have it in a 6.5x55 mauser from a master who worked up that recipe. Bang, flop, dead is very humane.
John

Suzanne · Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 4:45 pm Post subject: Re: 338 wni mag for white tail

Telllya what there are no elk in Phoenix unless it got there dead and the same for moose. Matter of fact there are no moose in Az at all, period (probably not even dead ones). It's not called the Sonoran desert for nutin!

You just met
Suz
Howdy!

JohnX · Member Joined: Nov 05, 2013 Posts: 49 Location: Virginia

Guess your gonna tell me theres no mountain lion either...haha...I figured you'd enter through that door. Tonto Nat. Park above Phoenix...ELK my friend, javalina, lion & who knows what else. The moose was actually in Vail, 11 miles south of Tucson on Wentworth Rd.2 miles off I-10 were cows cross and die from traffic occaisionly. Figured the moose was a pet maybe who wandered. Didn't have happy hour that day so it was real.

And you just met JX

If your doily gets soiled, I have a collection from my past...happy to send one.

JohnX · Member Joined: Nov 05, 2013 Posts: 49 Location: Virginia

I'll take a look at that SSL, thanks for the heads-up.
Just got Hornadys 9th edition. I know Barnes offers a 160 that loads to 3295fps but we thinks the 185 is heavier / longer = more kinetic energy.

Suzanne · Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 8:52 pm Post subject: Re: 338 wni mag for white tail

Well you have to admit Phoenix is not the Tonto National Forest. If you have evidence of the moose, I'd be interested.

I lived in Arizona (Tucson, Yuma, Sierra Vista, Gila Bend) for 30yrs. Born on the Tohono 'O odham reservation so actually I know about mountain lions, javalina, jaguarundi, coatimundi but not moose. I should have asked if you hit it during moose season. Very Happy

Wonder how it survived in that heat anyway, you probably did it a favor.

Don't pay any attention to my doilie getting soiled, Bushmaster washes it for me.

Suz