Thanks for all the feedback, guys.
Maybe I'm more of an oddball than I thought, but I always felt the .338 Federal was a smart little round that does a whole lot from a small package.
I don't get the recoil gripe that some maybe have. It's like a 22 - 23 pound kicker. That's a far cry from .338 Win Mag territory. But, I can see where most people don't need anything bigger than a mild 30 cal, or thereabouts.
The problem with 338 Fed is that the 30-06 shoots all the same bullet weights faster with about the same recoil, flatter trajectory and much more energy downrange. A 308 will shoot 200 gr bullets within 50 fps of a 338 with 200's and shoot 180's faster than the 338 will shoot 200's. At the muzzle the 338 shows a slight edge, but the 308 is faster, flatter shooting and with more energy with equal bullet weights past about 100-150 yards. The .003" greater bullet diameter is of no advantage on game and actually hurts the ballistics.
The 338 works, but I don't see it offering any advantage over 308, and it's a step down from 30-06. It is just a cool round for guys who want to be different from the crowd.
