Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, I used 225 gr. and 250 gr. Hornady bullets a great deal in the 338 Win. Mag. Most of the time, they worked very well on mule deer, elk, bison, etc. But sometimes they didn't, and I found that if the jacket developed a verticle split that extended past the cannelure, the 'Interlock' band would not always hold the jacket and core together. If the jacket didn't split past that point, the bullets would usually stay together very well, and I have a collection of recovered Hornady's that included fragmented specimens, as well as bullets that look like textbook-perfect mushrooms.

In no way have I found that Hornady 338 bullets are anywhere near as reliable and consistent as Nosler Partitions, Swift A-Frames, or Barnes Triple-Shocks. Those are my favorite 338 bullets to date, and my next 338 bullet venture is going to include the 225 and 240 gr. North Fork, which should be stellar performers.

Bullet weight in and of itself means very little. A strongly constructed premium 225 gr. 338 bullet that stays together can totally out-perform and out-penetrate a poorly constructed 250 or 275 bullet that comes apart.

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