best 338 win mag ammo for brown bear

Luke likes when his clients bring .338s or .375s because they allow a little more room for error when it comes to shot placement. Forget the fat, tame grizzlies you see lumbering around in movies. Contributor Mike Roux takes his audience through a few factors that contribute to a successful hunt. Weatherby has developed several rounds by necking down their awe-inspiring .378; the .300-378 and .338-378. As yet, no one offers a 250 grain AccuBond in factory ammo for the 33 Nosler, and it would have scored closer to the .338 RUM with a 250. The .375 H&H also ranks up there, or used to at any rate. Mag. Question: I'm curious why you chose to use different weight bullets for each cartridge? Yes, momentum is the poor step child of ballistics. Then again, why complicate things? If you want factory ammo, try the Federal loaded with 300-grain Trophy Bonded bullets. Mag. Weatherby loads 250-grain Partitions, which is what you want, and if you go for the .338 RUM, you want Nosler ammo with the 250-grain Partition. It was chambered for a cartridge called the .35 Mashburn Super Magnum, and fired a 250-grain bullet at 2700 fps. Rugers current Hawkeye Guide Gun in 338 Win. Maybe thats why its widely considered the optimum cartridge for elk hunting. SAAMI specifications for 338 Win. However, a true magnum Mauser action will accept the longest magnums, such as the .416 Rigby which is 3.75 inches long. Developed for military snipers to bridge the gap between .300 Winchester Magnum and .50 BMG, at first glance, the .338 Lapua seems to define over kill in a hunting cartridge. Muzzle energy of the 338s 225-grain at that top end 2,944 fps is 4,331 f-p. Never, ever, shoot a large-caliber bear just once. The .35 Whelen, .338-06 A-Square, 9.3x62mm Mauser and .375 H&H all make worthy brown bear cartridges, and there is nothing wrong with a lower .40 or .458 caliber cartridge. Mag. They have the powder capacity to launch them at impressive velocities and thus use those bullets high BC and SD advantages. border-width: 1px; Snow is Shooting Editor of Outdoor Life, where he oversees the publications firearms and shooting coverage. A-Frame bullets. has a well-deserved reputation as a charge-stopper. .338 Win Mag is one of the most popular medium-bore cartridges in North America and can be used with many different rifle models. Mag. Bottles & 12-oz. Mag. font-family: Arial, sans-serif; The .35 Whelen, .338-06 A-Square, 9.3x62mm Mauser and .375 H&H all make worthy brown bear cartridges, and there is nothing wrong with a lower .40 or .458 caliber cartridge. The disadvantages are that the recoil is not for the faint of heart, and you need a rifle that weighs 10 pounds. Mags 210-grain load. Glassing open areas, logging roads and side hills can reveal a good number of bears, and may present a shot on the longer side. It comes close to .338 RUM performance but fits into standard (.30-06) length rifle actions. Online shopping from a great selection of discounted 338 Winchester Magnum Rifle Ammunition at Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore. Semi-automatic and striker-fired, the P320-XTEN is extremely accurate, easy to shoot even with powerful 10mm loads and holds 15-plus-one rounds. Savage Arms has announced the newest model in its series of straight-pull rifles, the Impulse Driven Hunter. The .375, because of its considerable case taper and gentle shoulder angle, can be made to feed like greased asparagus in a properly set up rifle. Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Grizzly Or Brown Bear Hunt. border-width: 1px; Over the decades, several cartridges have proved themselves as worthy against the nastiest bears North America has to offer. We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. I am getting excellent groups (1 -1 1/4 inch) with a muzzle velocity of 2875 ft/sec. It too needs a magnum length action and few companies other than Weatherby chamber rifles for this powerhouse. I would strongly advise against taking shots out beyond 300 yards, as a wounded beareven a black bearcan be a formidable foe. Luke likes when his clients bring .338s or .375s because they allow a little more room for error when it comes to shot placement. Recoil has a direct effect on most shooter's accuracy--the more recoil, as a general rule, the less accurate the shooter. A handgun is worn on your person, however, and is invaluable because it stays with you, whether youre answering natures call or stopping to field dress a game animal. As yet, no one offers a 250 grain AccuBond in factory ammo for the 33 Nosler, and it would have scored closer to the .338 RUM with a 250. The .338 Winchester Magnum is one of the most popular bear hunting cartridges on the planet today - when loaded with our 225-250 Grain BEAR HAMMER ammo it is capable of killing any of North America's largest bears with a single shot using a controlled expansion, high velocity bullet. Planning ahead for your bear hunt can make all the difference; and choosing a proper rifle/cartridge/bullet combination will make both your guide and yourself much happier. The .338 Winchester Magnum derived much from work done by ballistics pioneer, Elmer Keith, among others. Brilliant writing. The beauty of the .454, however, is that you can practice with .45 Colt rounds and save yourself a bit of recoil trauma. Check out the following articles: 3 Rifle Cartridges to Hunt the WorldWhy My Cartridge is Better Than YoursTop 5 Handgun Hunting CartridgesAn Ode to the Ruger Model 77Top 5 Hunting Cartridges of the21stCenturyTop 5 Deer Bullets for 2018An Ode to the .30-30 Winchester5 Reasons to Book a Spring Bear HuntAn Ode to the Ruger Mini ThirtyBoattail vs. Flat-Base BulletsHow to Build a Custom RifleChoosing a Cartridge for North America's Big GameTop 5 American-Made Hunting RiflesHow to Choose a Buffalo RifleAn Ode to the .223 RemingtonTop 5 Coyote CartridgesThe Ultimate Long-Range Hunting CartridgeThe Greatest Whitetail Cartridge Ever DesignedAn Ode to the Browning BARTop 5 Bear BulletsDo You Really Need a Magnum Cartridge?Why the Ruger No. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. of energy, while the 10mm has about 728 ft.-lbs., both with a 180-grain Buffalo Bore bullet. Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online. of energy from the muzzle. The AccuBond is a good all-around hunting bullet with high ballistic coefficients (BC) and terminal performance similar to the time-tested Nosler Partition. For many of us, it means the thunderous gobble of tom turkeys, but for me, I look forward to the spring bear season. has 780 ft.-lbs. was inspired by big-bore aficionados such as Elmer Keith. So why choose a 338 Win. The more energy and penetration the better, provided you dont select a firearm thats too powerful for you to adequately manage. Near the end of a stalk on other game, switch loads. Answer: In a way, they are. Read on for his take on this Thai-inspired fusion dish. .tg .th-lmno { Both of them fire 250-grain bullets at a real-world velocity of 2,850 fps. All of which you hit dead on. Mag. In fact, while shooting eland and oryx bulls, I felt no recoil that I can remember. Federal 338 Win Mag 225 gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claw Vital-Shok 20/Box $94.99 ($4.75 / round) . Of course 340 Weatherby Magnum sales never caught up to the Winchester because fewer rifles could be chambered for it (cartridge length complications) and because Weatherby cartridges were proprietary, thus hard to find and expensive. Winter is finally drawing to a close, and spring brings with it new life, and most importantly, a new hunting season. On Wednesday, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) sent a notice of intent to sue to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), due to the hunting of gray wolves in Wyomings Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. X bullet out of a .338 Win. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions. As a wildcat cartridge, it hasnt seen the widespread use of other rounds on this list, but that hasnt stopped many guides and hunters, Nelson included, from converting Marlin lever guns for its very effective use. .45-70 GovernmentFirst adopted by the U.S. military in 1873, the .45-70 Government has been one of the longest-standing big-game cartridges of all time. 250 gr. That is a pretty good benchmark. The .338 Win. All the others mentioned here will continue to get the job done as well. It scored just behind the .340 Weatherby and has the least recoil among the cartridges tested. Mag. Heres how to avoid the poseurs and choose the right one. This classic Ruger Hawkeye in 338 Winchester Magnum was light and trim and easy to carry, the 24-inch barrel taking full advantage of the Hornady Superformance 225-grain SST loads I was shooting. 338 Winchester Magnum, 300-grain AccuBond Long Range. Thats 1,000 psi LESS than those two smaller cartridges. If you handload, get 200-grain Swift A-Frames. The '06 has been the big-game king forever. The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet. The heavier the bullet you shoot in any cartridge/rifle loaded to maximum pressures and MV, the greater the recoil. Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in grizzly or brown bear hunting. .50 Alaskan Taking a .348 Winchester case and necking it out to accept a .510-inch, Alaskan Harold Johnson was able to successfully convert a Winchester Model 1886 rifle into a .50-caliber, bear-killing machine. That is to say, we assume the grizzly or brown bear being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). KISS. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .338 Winchester Magnum. It is recommended that you use a bonded bullet without a thin jacket. border-collapse: collapse; is an accurate cartridge, shown by this group fired with Swift 225-gr. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. The .338 Winchester Magnum is among the popular choices for large bearsboth my Alaskan guides carried a rifle so chamberedand I see the wisdom of using bullets of 250 grains. Sbt Sierra Game King 20-pack. }. 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You could carry it all day. Mag. The author analyzed six .338 caliber magnum cartridges (.338 Winchester Magnum, .340 Weatherby, .338-378 Weatherby, .338 Remington Ultra Mag., 33 Nosler, and .338 Lapua) for trajectory, effective range, and recoil with modern ballistic software available free online from shooterscalculator.com. 78.79 $. As the bear charge drill in his course demonstrates, the average bear attack will happen at 50 yards or less with an 800-pound animal moving at 30 mph. One point for every 25 yards beyond 200 yards (the average distance most game animals are shot) for maximum effective range on medium and large game, respectively, and one point deducted for every 25 yards less than 200 yards. of energy. Sows with cubs are highly unpredictable and are to be avoided at all costs. Ursine disputes are not always settled in three shots. Although, even the least powerful here (.338 Win. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below. These cartridges are also best when paired with the heaviest bullet weights. It hits the shooter the least, has proven itself in both Alaska and Africa for decades, and ammunition is available most places. You dont want to discover that your ammo is buried beneath four layers of clothes and your chest waders. 250 gr. These rounds do have one mission they are ideal for, though: Alaskan brown bears. Just dont expect those slugs to hold up if they hit a bull elks shoulder at fifty yards. (How good is their sense of smell? made its debut in 1958. Grizzlies smelled it, dug it up, bit the cans open, and had a party.). Its chambered in nearly every major manufacturers rifle and has a plethora of ammunition choices as well. He remembered thinking, Emma [his wife] is going to miss me. But the bear died before things got any worse. What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a grizzly or brown bear in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. .tg .tg-4q2i { But every potential 338 Win. shoots flat, hits hard, and fits in standard length actions. Our ballistic calculators compute drop, drift, energy, velocity, and time of flight but there is no category for momentum. Loaded with a heavy Nosler Partition, Barnes TSX, Hornady GMX, Swift A-Frame, or the like, the .338 Win. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Not surprising when you stop to consider this proprietary powerhouse has a case length of 2.905 inches and a 125-grain (water) capacity when compared with the .338 Win. Warren Page did more bear hunting than anyone I know, and had a dedicated bear rifle. You can also avoid using a muzzle-brake by selecting a cartridge that you can shoot comfortably and enjoy shooting enough to practice with frequently. Specifications & Features. These close to one-ton beasts are often shot at ranges beyond those recommended for other dangerous game animals due to the open terrain common to coastal Alaska and Kodiak Island. The ammo comes loaded with bullets ranging from 260 grains, which is suitable for ground squirrels, to 300 grains, which is the only weight I would consider. Our first client we had was shooting a 338 win mag and I thought nothing of it. besides a bigger caliber is useless if you dont hit where your aiming, do your part and come home with a nice trophy. As a general rule, more than 15 ft-lbsf is considered enough recoil to affect most shooters accuracy. .375 H&H Magnum (L), .338 Winchester Magnum (R). Id recommend a strong action, like the aforementioned Model 1886. . My dad loves his Browning Centennial 1886 in .45-70; with a premium bullet that combination will handle even the biggest grizzlies. Nelson says after about 20 shots, his wrist starts to swell and he can no longer shoot. I took a .404 Jefferyin a synthetic stocked Bansner & Co. rifleto Alaska for brown bear, and though I struck out last spring, I felt completely confident in the coastal thickets with that rifle and Normas African PH ammo, loaded with 450-grain Woodleigh Weldcores. Just $1 per month , Rounds you can trust when hunting North Americas largest predators, By If you, the hunter, need or want it, look no further than the .338 caliber magnums. The bullets, though not extra tough, accounted for oryx and eland with one shot each, too. font-family: Arial, sans-serif; I include it because Ive used the cartridge on a number of Cape buffalo, and it made believers out of them, and if it can do that for a 1,600-pound Cape buffalo, it can do the same for a brown bear. The .338 Winchester Magnum is among the popular choices for large bearsboth my Alaskan guides carried a rifle so chamberedand I see the wisdom of using bullets of 250 grains. That one should be churning out 3,887 f-p of energy at the muzzle. AccuBond at 2600 fps. With a Cerakote finish on all the metal parts and a Leupold VX-5HD scope in Talley detachable rings, this rifle gives me all sorts of options. Mag. proved good enough for old Elmer Keith, its good enough for me. The 8-pound hypothetical rifle above might be a tad light for the 338, although I hunted with one (Ruger Hawkeye) in about this weight class and didnt find it objectionable. You mathematically gifted physicists are free to more clearly explain and clarify any of this. Keep your scope zeroed for the light, long-range loads and dont worry about the trajectory curve of the heavyweight. It must be chambered in rifles with a magnum length action which means few rifle makers other than Remington offer a model for it. Sometimesunder some circumstanceshunting is hard to explain. .338 Winchester Magnum The favorite among Alaskan guides as a backup gun, the .338 Winchester Magnum was released in 1958 as belted, rimless cartridge. border-style: solid; Either a long-range bullet fired up close, or a close-range one used too far away can cause ineffective wounds and result in lost game. Mag. Question: Why would Recoil even be considered in a .338 caliber? Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor; Action: Bolt; Barrel Length: 22" Magazine Capacity: 5; Classic XT model with MAX polymer stock; Neutral cast for both left- and right-handed shooters vertical-align: top } My personal choice? 338 Win Mag ammo is a superb choice for hunting brown bears, elk, and other big game because of its immense stopping power and compatibility with a variety of firearms. Want to read more from Philip Massaro? The .338 Win. word-break: normal; Mag. Talk about stopping power. Some cartridges were handicapped by the fact the major ammunition companies dont offer the heaviest bullet weights, rather they offer the most popular or common. The 225barnes will take down a brownie. .tg td { for a balance of flat trajectory, maximum muzzle energy, highest bullet SD, and best momentum. As a geologist, Nelson has killed four bears in defense of life and property (DLP), including two black bears and two grizzlies. Ive used my old Ruger 77 in .308 Winchester for baited bears with good success, and for other hunts have taken along a 6.5-284 Norma, .275 Rigby, .300 Winchester Magnum, and even a .375 H&H Magnum, and for each of them I prefer bullets on the heavier side of the spectrum, relying on sectional density (SD) rather than velocity. The .338 Winchester Magnum became the iconic elk, brown bear, and moose cartridge, and it spawned competitors as the market demanded ever-faster velocities. My outfitter prefers the 375 H&H or the 338 Ultra mag, however, he said the 338 win mag will do. Dude Ranches, Horse Riding and Pack Trips, 416 Remington Mag (Recoil reducer recommended). maximum average breech pressure is 64,000 psi. It comes close to .338 RUM performance but fits into standard (.30-06) length rifle actions. And a hunter desiring flat trajectory and long reach along with best bear protection can load the magazine with 300-grain bonded bullets, then carry some 180- to 225-grain, high B.C. Both BC and sectional density (SD) are noted for each bullet tested. If, however, true long-range hunting is anticipated, they will all benefit from the specialized long-range bullets now on the market which expand well below 1800 fps. I could always load it with a controlled expansion 220-grain bullet at 2,800 fps to generate 3,830 f-p muzzle energy, right there with the 300-grain from the 338 Win. For shots well beyond 500 yards, consider the Nosler AccuBond LR, Swift Scirocco, Berger, Hornady ELD-X, Hornady SST, or Sierra Game King. In rifles weighing 9-pounds, the 225-grain 338 Win. .661) 2,887 fps has a MPBR of 329 yards with a 279-yard zero. Grizzlies are widely distributed, and have the decency to live in mostly open country, including mountains. text-align: center The big difference was Elmers 334 fired .333 bullets atop a full-length 375 H&H case, just like the 340 Weatherby Magnum that finally came out in 1962. Ive heard a lot of opinions on what it takes to kill a brown bear, and most of the cartridges I hear guys talking about would dislocate my shoulder. As Nelson has seen in bear defense training, many shooters have cycling issues with the 10mm due to the limp-wrist syndrome, something that isnt an issue with a revolver and is the last thing you want to happen during a bear charge. Based on the .375 H&H, the .338 will send a 300-grain Barnes bullet out the barrel at 2500 fps with a devastating 4,100 ft.-lbs.

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