Thing about these discussions is that many fail to acknowledge EVERY decision in favor of one cartridge/rifle over another is a compromise including the 338 WM.
It's all well and good to proclaim the 338 WM is a "Wonderful And Mighty" cartridge. I've probably got as much or more experience with the round as many expressing undying love here. However, the 340 Wby is all that and more... and the 338 RUM is all that and more squared, and the 378 Wby is more than any of them, and...
Using the logic of some expressed here, why not use the 338 RUM at least?
Course the answer is recoil and rifle weight. In that line of thinking, I'd also wager most of the 338's mentioned on this thread come in 8.75 - 9lbs all up. A 9lb 338 with a decent tube is a pussycat to shoot IME.
Were I inclined anymore to carry an 8.5 lb rifle it'd be a 338 WM since it seems pointless to use a heavy rifle in a "standard" chambering... might as well get a little extra thump for the effort of carrying it.
Since I like 7.5lb rifles and can't shoot a 7.5 lb 338 consistently well I make my cartridge compromise differently and use a 30-06. I just haven't seen enough real difference between the two. Wreck the lungs and chit dies. And, since a real hunting rifle is carried more than shot, I'll take the 7.5 lb 30-06 thank you!
Would add, the 30-06 is a Wonderful And Mighty round in its own right and really a lot more cartridge than needed for most of the game it's used for (WT deer).
It's nice to have choices, lets just be honest about all the variables...
Here, here! Too many people dismiss the .30-06 as old and weak. Not hardly.
Expat
"There are no dangerous weapons. There are only dangerous men." - Robert Heinlein
