338 Win Mag for plains game

[24on48hunting]

I have a Model 70 in .338 WM (1:10 twist, 24” barrel) that I plan to take to S Africa next August.
I’ve been shooting Barnes projectiles in most of my firearms for the past several years, so naturally that is what I began looking at for the .338. Swift A Frames will not be an option unless I get lucky enough to catch them in stock or load my own.
Kudu, Wildebeest and Zebra will be the largest animals on my list.
The factory offerings from Barnes (210 and 225 TTSX) aren’t very far apart, but Double Tap ammunition offers a 160gr Barnes TTSX that they claim is over 3000 fps and has 4100# of energy at the muzzle. Keeping in mind that these bullets perform their best at 2,000 fps and above, would the 160gr be a better choice than the 200+ gr projectiles, or am I overthinking this a bit too much?
Any input will be much appreciated.

 

[mdwest]

A 338 shooting pretty much anything you feed it will handily kill a kudu, wildebeest and zebra as long as you put the bullet where it belongs..

Ive taken all three of those species with a humble 308 shooting 168gr barnes at about 2700 fps..

If the zebra and wildebeest are the largest things on your list, you might want to consider something smaller honestly.. a 338 will absolutely get the job done, but its going to be WAY more gun than you're going to need for most of the PG that are smaller and less resiliant than the zebra.. and may be too much gun if you're planning on going after anything relatively small (steinbok, duiker, springbok, etc)..

 

[shootist~]

I really like the 210 TTSX and read somewhere it's designed for *up to* 600 pound animals. While you can increase kinetic energy with lighter faster, you need momentum and penetration as the animals get bigger. Especially if the angles are not ideal.

 

[19_A_CPT]

You are overthinking. Quality bullet and enjoy yourself

 

[TSIBINDI]

...Load 250gr NP or Swift and be done with it.

 

[JimP]

While it isn't a Winchester I've shot all my plains game with a 340 Weatherby and 225 gr TTSX bullets.

 

[glblanchard]

I used 338 mag, Remington Safari, 225 Swift A Frames. Eland, kudu impala, warthog, blue wiledebeast, zebra. Worked great! As others have stated, good bullet in the right place will do the job every time. I think a 3006 with 180's would be hard to beat.

 

[375Fox]

If it were me I’d choose the 210 or 225 gr TTSX whichever shoots more accurately in your rifle. TTSX is a good bullet. If you like Barnes no need to consider other options. Most shots I’ve taken in Africa have been between 100 and 200 yards. 300 yards is typically a long shot but should be expected. 160 gr is a little too light for me even for a mono bullet. The faster velocity has a greater chance of deflection on brush and the lighter bullet has a higher likelihood of not penetrating on a shoulder shot. The better trajectory isn’t really needed inside 300 yards so I don’t see any advantages to the 160 gr bullet.

 

[24on48hunting]

A 338 shooting pretty much anything you feed it will handily kill a kudu, wildebeest and zebra as long as you put the bullet where it belongs..

Ive taken all three of those species with a humble 308 shooting 168gr barnes at about 2700 fps..

If the zebra and wildebeest are the largest things on your list, you might want to consider something smaller honestly.. a 338 will absolutely get the job done, but its going to be WAY more gun than you're going to need for most of the PG that are smaller and less resiliant than the zebra.. and may be too much gun if you're planning on going after anything relatively small (steinbok, duiker, springbok, etc)..

Thanks for the reply. I have several rifles in smaller calibers that I could use and I agree that they should be quite capable if I do my part. There’s just something that has me wanting to take that Model 70 with me.
If I do decide to go after anything on the small side, I’d take my 308, 06’, 7mm or my compound bow.

 

[24on48hunting]

I used 338 mag, Remington Safari, 225 Swift A Frames. Eland, kudu impala, warthog, blue wiledebeast, zebra. Worked great! As others have stated, good bullet in the right place will do the job every time. I think a 3006 with 180's would be hard to beat.

I looked for Swift A Frames and there were none to be found.

 

[Labman]

I shoot 225 Gr. Nosler Partitions out of my .38 Win. Mag. I've used it extensively on African Plains Game with great results. I've shot everything from a Jackel to Eland with this combination. Either the 210 or the 225 Gr. Barnes TSX or TTSX will serve you well.

 

[24on48hunting]

I shoot 225 Gr. Nosler Partitions out of my .38 Win. Mag. I've used it extensively on African Plains Game with great results. I've shot everything from a Jackel to Eland with this combination. Either the 210 or the 225 Gr. Barnes TSX or TTSX will serve you well.

Good to know, thank you.
From what I’ve read, the 338 didn’t mangle smaller animals since the projectiles didn’t encounter enough soft tissue or large bone to make them expand completely.

 

[thriller]

I used a 250 grain ttsx on mine at about 300 meters last 10 minutes of daylight last day. It flattened him.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I load 225 gr Swift A-Frames for my 338 WM and it has worked great on several elk, nilgai and moose. I recently found a good deal on Norma Oryx factory ammo and plan to use it on leopard and some PG bait. Several years ago, I regularly used Remington Core-Lokt and they performed fine too.

 

[JimP]

Good to know, thank you.
From what I’ve read, the 338 didn’t mangle smaller animals since the projectiles didn’t encounter enough soft tissue or large bone to make them expand completely.

With my 340 all the smaller plains game impala down have been a bang flop with them being dead before they hit the ground.