Barnes VOR-TX LR 338 Rem UM 250gr LRX BT – Proven Elk Load

Description

The Barnes VOR-TX LR 338 Rem UM 250gr LRX BT is the heaviest hitting load in the Barnes long range lineup. An all copper LRX leaves the muzzle at roughly 2910 fps carrying about 4702 ft-lbs of energy. That is more muzzle energy than a 458 Winchester Magnum produces, delivered by a bullet built to stay aerodynamic and to keep expanding out where most bullets have quit. Each box holds 20 rounds.

• Barnes VOR-TX LR 338 Rem UM 250gr LRX BT Overview
• 250 Grain LRX Boat Tail Performance
• Why Hunters Choose 338 Rem Ultra Magnum Ammo
• Specifications
• Range Notes For This High BC Copper Hunting Bullet

Barnes VOR-TX LR 338 Rem UM 250gr LRX BT Overview

The LRX is the long range member of the Barnes copper family, and the difference from a TTSX is not cosmetic. The hollow cavity beneath the polymer tip is deeper and shaped to open at considerably lower impact velocities, down around 1600 fps rather than the 2000 or so a standard copper hunting bullet needs.

That matters because the whole problem with monolithic bullets at distance is expansion, not trajectory. A bullet that arrives at 700 yards is travelling far slower than one arriving at 100, and a design that will not open at that speed simply punches a caliber sized hole.

250 Grain LRX Boat Tail Performance

At 250 grains this is the heavy standard weight for 338 and exactly right for the case. Heavy enough to carry energy an enormous distance, and long enough with a boat tail and secant nose to hold a high ballistic coefficient. Barnes does not publish a BC figure for this particular loading, so build your drop chart from your own chronograph data rather than a number from a forum.

Barnes machines relief grooves into the bearing surface of the Barnes VOR-TX LR 338 Rem UM 250gr LRX projectile. With a bullet this long bearing on the rifling those grooves matter, lowering pressure in a case already running near its ceiling and reducing copper fouling.

Why Hunters Choose 338 Rem Ultra Magnum Ammo

The 338 Remington Ultra Magnum is a beltless case with enormous powder capacity, and it pushes a 250 grain bullet roughly 200 fps faster than a 338 Winchester Magnum manages. For elk, moose and big bear at distance, that extra speed is not about trajectory so much as about arriving with enough velocity left to open the bullet and enough energy to matter.

What this 338 Rem Ultra Magnum ammo is genuinely good at is the long shot across a canyon on an elk, or a bull moose standing in a bog at 500 yards. It is more cartridge than anyone needs inside 200 yards, and exactly the right cartridge when the distance is not negotiable.

The costs are real. Barrel life is short, often 1000 to 1500 rounds. Recoil is heavy enough that a brake or a genuinely heavy rifle is close to mandatory for practice, and ammunition is expensive per shot.

Specifications

Range Notes For This High BC Copper Hunting Bullet

Chronograph your rifle before you build a drop chart. Published velocity comes from a test barrel, and at the distances this load is intended for a modest error at the muzzle becomes a large miss downrange. This matters more here than usual because Barnes does not publish a BC for the loading.

A high BC copper hunting bullet is long, so check twist. Most 338 RUM barrels run 1 in 10, which handles a 250 grain LRX without trouble, but confirm with a group at distance rather than inferring from a 100 yard target.

Zero with this exact load and foul a clean barrel with a round or two first. Let the barrel cool between strings, because this case generates a great deal of heat and throat erosion is the limiting factor on its life.

Lead Free Long Range Elk Ammunition Availability

Western elk and moose hunters, guides working open country, and anyone hunting where non toxic projectiles are required will get the most from this lead free long range elk ammunition. Full product details for the Barnes VOR-TX LR 338 Rem UM 250gr LRX are published by Barnes Bullets.

Compare it with our Barnes VOR-TX 338 Win Mag 225gr TTSX, shop more rifle ammunition, or browse the full ammunition selection at MAG5 Firearms.