Brinky,
I own both a 336 in .35 Remington and an XLR in .338 Marlin Express. I have killed moose with both. IMHO the .338 was tailor made for moose; I don't plan to tote another lever gun during moose season for the foreseeable future.
I know the .35 is an established cartridge while the .338 may or may not have a future- I won't spend time here speculating about it. I have purchased the necessary materials to be able to reload for it once my factory ammo runs out. Also, I know there are crummy guns out there, depending on where it was actually made and by whom after the Cerebus/Remington buyout. My rifle shoots very well, and its a joy to shoot.
The moose I shot was not large- perhaps 750-800 pounds on the hoof- and the shot wasn't far. (120 yards) But it was pretty much a bang/flop kinda thing, with his first step after the shot (broadside to the chest) wobbly and headed straight down. The wound channel was impressive. Range shooting has done nothing to dispel me of the belief that it will be a very good cartridge for moose at much longer ranges, should it ever be needed for such. It was for that possibility (over the .35) that it was puchased.
Could I simply hunt with a bolt action? Sure; I have a mighty fine M77 in .300 WinMag that has many, many kills to its credit. But I really like hunting with a Marlin type lever gun. My .338 ME comes to the shoulder so easily. Also, though the numbers may suggest a slight bump in felt recoil over my .35, I honestly can't tell much of a difference at all. (using the Hornady factory ammo) I could shoot it all day (in a perfect world with unlimited funds and ammo) and never notice.
So that represents my two cents... and I signed up for this site to be able to pass them along. I am a big fan of the cartridge, and I have big plans to do a whole lot more hunting with it. It will be my go-to moose gun from here on out, and I'd like to tag a brown bear with it sometime in the upcoming year, whether during the spring season or the fall season.
Best of wishes to you; Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
