yellowlabman

I will be going on my first Elk hunt this year. SW Montana, 1st week in November. My question is this. " What is your favorite factory elk load?/Which load would you reccomend?" I will be hunting w/a .338 and have been practicing with Winchester Supremes in 230 gr. Failsafe. Your thoughts?

ELKampMaster

YellowLabMan,
My thoughts? Great choice with the 338WinMag. Haven' t shot FailSafes BUT they are a step above Noslers so they ought to be great. Good choices.

My Favorites,
338WinMag - 250gr. Noslers
375HH Mag - 300gr. Noslers
416 Rigby - 325gr. Barnes X (2900 fps)
Hammer of Thor.

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

handloader1

Yellowlabman:

If that load groups well for you use it, it will do the job for you. Good luck on your hunt!

FL/GA Hunter

If you' re slinging around a .338, about all you need to worry about is placement, seeing as how a .338 would probably cause penetration if it were shooting baked beans.

oldelkhunter

Yellowlabman, how does that load shoot? I personally wonder why more people don' t use failsafes..they have shot very well out of any gun I have owned if the factory load was available...

ColoradoElk

Good luck on your hunt!

Federal HE 250gr Partition. I am assuming you are using a bolt action.

BareBack Jack

When I was hunting with a 338 win. mag I went with the 225 grn Hornady Heavy magnums.They work well and shot fairly flat.Where in the sout west part of MT are you hunting,Dillion,Butte, Beaver Head Nat. Forest.
Good hunting.

yellowlabman

Thanks for all the info guys...the Failsafes were grouping alright, but I had a problem with my scope coming loose. Fixed that problem w/loctite per the leupold factory tech reccomendation. The guy that runs the local rifle range loaded up some Hornady 200 grain Noslers for me. They shot better with not as much recoil, not to mention quite a bit less expensive. He will load some with what he called a " Combined Technologies" bullet for me to take to Montana, that way I will not have to re-sight in. So I may not be using the 230 gr. failsafes afterall. Only thing I need to do yet is find the proper sweetspot setting for the boss for that load. Any suggestions?

Thanks Again!

P.S. To answer your question BBJ, I will be hunting tn the Monument Peaks unit of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness in the Madison Range...are you familiar with that area?

ELKampMaster

YellowLab,

Started out strong, real strong. FailSafes are top notch bullets. 230gr is a good weight, 338 is a non-whimp cartridge and you' ve got it grouping well. The general rule on elk is to go " heavy for caliber" and for a 338 that would be 225 to 250gr unless you are shooting Barnes bullets.

Now things sound a little different. If recoil, especially with a muzzlebrake added is a problem, then you might consider something more gentle like a 30-06 with quality 180' s @ 2700 (22lbs/13fps), or better yet......

If you want to stick with the 338 (great elk caliber), then I' d recommend a quick session with a " big bore pro" to work on your technique and rifle fit, something must be out of whack, since 338' s aren' t really much of a kicker (250 gr @ 2700 is only 35/14).

Note: Compromising on bullets for elk hunting is penny wise but pound foolish. " Combined technologies" ? I don' t know the specifics there, but unless, theres been a corporate takeover that I missed, it is either Hornady (mediocre for elk) or Nosler (decent for elk) but it isn' t both, they' re seperate. Go with the quality bullet (Nosler or better), they cost only pennies more.

Note: Fundamental rule -- if you change your load or your rifle (muzzlebrake), then recheck the sight in -- you just gotta -- you owe it to the game.

Note: Regarding, cost of ammo -- have you fully budgeted your trip -- what' s the overall bottom line? Economically, the cost of ammo (for both practice and hunt) is a small item compared to the trip cost; come the moment of truth, learning the " virtues" of cheap light ammo may prove, well -- " priceless" . [Elk don' t " give it up" easy like deer generally do -- elk, as a rule, fight hard to hold onto life.]

Sorry, can' t speak to your BOSS/Muzzlebrake adjustment question -- I don' t use them -- yet.

Good luck with your hunt,

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

ColoradoElk

Yellowlabman:

I missed somewhere you were shooting an A-bolt. Seriously, take the gun to your favorite gunsmith and have him cut that Boss off and recrown the barrel. It shouldn' t cost much more than the box of ammo you will need to find the " sweet spot" , for that particular load. Everytime you want to try another load, plan on doing it all over. In all that shooting, you are going to have to replace the nylon bushings a few times also...

I have a few a-bolts and bought another with the BOSS. I love the rifles, hate the improvement, and when I have a spare Saturday, off to the ' smith it is going.