Loading down .338 Win Mag

Q: I am interested in purchasing a .338 Win Mag rifle. Can you tell me if this cartridge can be loaded down for use on smaller species of deer and up to, say, red stag? Of course, I’d use full-power loads for sambar. 

I think the .338 is a great gun that can be used on everything from buffaloes down. Later, I intend using the .338 on a hunt in Alaska.

I don’t want to buy a different rifle for each size game I hunt and am content to be a one-gun man.

Sam Harrison

A: Certainly you may load the .338 Win Mag down for use on small deer. This is a better course of action than buying a light-calibre rifle and attempting to use it on heavy game. 

I think you’ll find the Hornady 200gn SST bullet an excellent choice for small to medium deer. 

A modest charge of 68gn of AR2209 will produce about 853m/s (2800fps) with this bullet in most .338 rifles of standard 600mm barrel length. 

This is sufficient velocity to give a reasonably flat trajectory and the bullet is still traveling at about 700m/s at 180 metres (2300fps at 200 yards). 

To drop the velocity any lower than this will result in poor bullet expansion. 

For an all-round load to be used on all Alaskan game I like the 225gn Barnes TSX FB ahead of 67gn of AR2209 for about 838m/s (2750fps).