Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 338 Federal Rifles

Are there any manufactures currently making rifles in 338 federal ?
Like the Savage hog hunter, but no longer making it in that caliber.

There was a Savage in 338Fed in the classifieds not too long ago. I do not know of any manufacturer chambering in this cartridge at the moment.

Every 308 or 243 is about 250 bucks away from being a great 338 Federal!

http://www.35caliber.com/

I have been interested in the 338 fed since it came out... wish I would have bought one. Still might get one, one of these days

If I was going to send one to jes, would probably go to a 358 win.

E.R. Shaw would be an easy button if you're willing to wait a little while.

As a gunsmith, in the last 20 years or so the most popular request for the 338 Federal from my shop have been builds on the AR type rifles.

I have made 5 bolt actions in 338 Fed, but probably 12 on the larger AR actions. Every one that I have made a 338 Fed for however has been very pleased with the cartridge's performance in the field. It's a shell with real merit, but one that never caught the attention of the shooting public. Too bad. It truly does a good job in the field on every type of game from antelope does to moose, and it does so with a shorter barrel and less noise them many of the more popular belted magnums and the big shells baes on the 404 Jeffery shell. In the AR10 style guns it makes a rifle not any lighter then any other cartridge, but still it's been a rifle/chambering that has had some degree of demand. And it's as accurate as any other in that type of rifle with MOA results being normal.

All cartridge's that gain a big portion of the market are "fad shells" at one point or another. Some like the 338 Fed (and the 358 Win) never even hit the fad stage. Yet real usefulness and true merit as a game killer is not enough to gain entrenched popularity. I am guessing that timing is the most important thing.

Some cartridge's gain that standing. Cartridge that WERE a fad at one time that are now part of the conversation by which most other shells are measured are (as a few examples) 30-06. 308 Win. 270 Winchester, 30-30, and 375H&H. All old enough that few are alive today that remember when they were fads. But if you read writings from the 1900 to 1930 ear you'll see how they too went through the fad stage. Today we see many that fail to achieve the fad stage and some that are gong thought it now (most notable the 6.5 Creedmoor) I for one believe the 6.5 Creedmoor is here to stay because it's extremely close to the ballistics of one of the world's best and most balanced cartridges, the 6.5X55 Swede. (run at the same pressured in equally strong actions)
But cartridges that came and never caught the eye of the 'buying market' include the 338 Fed and the 358 Winchester and several others too. That's not to say they were commercial failures for any reasons in their performance, but just that the timing of their "birth-days" was not what the gun buyers were wanting for the most part around their introductions.

Time, hassle, shipping expense 2 ways and shipping risk as well no?

You have to pay shipping to him. His price includes return shipping.

So make it 350 bucks.. Still a good deal unless you have a smith you can drive to and a good barrel is going to minimum 300 bucks along with at least that much, if not more to have a smith screw it on.

I sent one of my rifles to http://www.35caliber.com/ .It shoots great and I don't think you will get a better deal anywhere else.It was a fast turnaround.Sent barreled action from Texas to Oregon and had it back to me in 10 days.

I am on the verge of selling my custom 338 federal again. I say on the verge because I still like it and it is a great shooter. I say again because I advertised it a year or two back and didn’t sell it. It really is a great setup but I have many nice rifles and need to thin down some.

Anyway, it started life as a new model 70 in 308. I had JES rebore it then shortened it a bit and added a barrel band front sight and matte blued it. It is in a custom McMillan stock that I purchased new but could be put back into the factory synthetic shadow stock. Also has a peep sight to fit the rear scope base if you remove the scope.
I spent a lot to get it setup the way I wanted and it shoots most excellent.

That's a cool rifle TJ!

A Ruger Hawkeye currently on Gunbroker

I saw that ruger, more than I'll pay for one. Guess I'll stick with my marlin. 35 rem. & 444 for short range deer rifle.

Thanks, I just listed it on the classifieds.
It really is a nice rifle but I really need to thin down the herd.

I have a Kimber Montana in 338 Fed and I love it but age has discouraged me from sitting in a tree stand fighting mosquitoes while waiting for a damned bear that Ii really don't want very badly.

If I were younger, I'd seriously think about reboring a Savage 99 EG 308 to 338 Federal. Install a nice peep sight for a very handy rifle for my extended canoe and fishing trips. A great little rifle to have in the truck should Leighton draw another bison tag.

A 30-06 loaded with 200 gr bullets outperforms 338 Fed in every measurable way with about the same recoil. A 308 with 200 gr bullets equals it. A .338 bullet is about 1/2 the thickness of a dime greater in diameter than a .308 bullet. The 338 won't make a bigger hole and it won't penetrate any deeper.

That's why nobody is buying or making them.

I having a 99 rebarreled to 338 Federal. I can’t wait to get it back, see how it shoots. It should be a great piney woods rifle.

A few years back I either spoke to or corresponded with Mr. Ocumpaugh, don't remember which, about having a Savage 99 rebored from either 243 or 308 to 338 FED and he said that he had done some and that their owners were reporting high pressure signs with factory ammo. I don't know the particulars, or if I did, I don't remember them, but his words discouraged me from having him do the job. That was then, this is now, and things are always changing, but it might be worth a little investigation if you ever get around to contracting for this work.

In 2017 I bought a stainless Ruger Hawkeye in 338 FED and rather like both the rifle, now that the barreled action is bedded in a McM Hunter stock, and the cartridge. I have three more or less identical rifles chambered in 223, 6.5 CM, and 338 FED that I feel would do a good job of covering the full spectrum of varmints and game that are hunted in the contiguous 48 states.

When you introduce a new caliber that nobody really needs, there is always the chance that nobody really needs it.

Unless you call it the 338 Creedmoor.