Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 338 Win mag

...........Imo for elk and larger game, the 338 is one of the most versatile, if not the most versatile big game caliber on the planet. The only con is if you couldn't handle the recoil and subsequently would be unpleasant to shoot from the bench. If recoil isn't an issue then go for it.....ABSOLUTELY.......

For my 338 so far, I have only loaded up 225 grainers. Haven't taken any game with mine yet.

When it comes to the 338 Win Mag, I think you can be rest assured, that as long as you do your part, your end result in the field will only come to one outstanding conclusion........

smallfry, I'd like to shake your hand. Excellent post. I'm with you on this one.. JMR has obviously never shot an elk with a 338 win mag. Coming from someone that has shot elk with both cartridges, I'll take a 338 win mag every day of the week and twice on sunday... His mileage must vary on this...

You might want to get your quotes right before you start "quoting" people. I didn't write "Too much recoil", I wrote "you can control recoil by loading down to .338-06 or even .338 Federal levels but still have full power when you want" and then went on to enumerate - without judgment - just what I meant by "full power recoil" with "Full power recoil is around 32 foot-lbs". Whether that is "too much" for someone is not for me to decide.

When I bought my .300 WM the first loads I developed were at .308 Win and then .30-06 power levels, not because I couldn't handle full power loads but because I didn't have either one of them and knew that full power loads .300 WM were rarely necessary. While I don't regret developing those loads, once developed they were never used again because I soon ended up with multiple .30-06s and a .308 Win and used them instead.

By the time I built my .338WM I felt no need or desire to develop reduced power loads for it due to the other options available to me. What I ended up with was a 225g AccuBond and SST running 2742fps and 2707fps respectively. Not quite max loads but very accurate and not much different than you would expect from full-power loads in a 22" barrel like my rifle has.

Here's a photo of some of my options. From left to right, .338WM, .300WM, .30-06.



And here are some of the results of using those rifles:

.338 WM, 225g AccuBond, 487 yards, my longest shot on game



.338 WM, 225g AccuBond, 265 yards



.300 WM, 180g Barnes MRX, 400 yards



.300 WM, 180g North Fork, 260 yards


.30-06, 150g AccuBond, 282 yards


Is it "acceptable" to load a .338 WM down to .338 Fed levels? Of course it is, and it is still a very viable option for elk out to at least 400-450 yards. Recoil is far less (with a 180g bullet at 2728fps about half a full power 225g load at 2882fps), case life is longer, powder costs are reduced by about 35%, they still make big holes and animals will still drop dead. And no, loading .338 Fed-level loads doesn't prohibit a person from using full power loads when desired. While I'm not recommending buying a .338 WM , loading it to .338 Fed levels and using it for elk in open country, it would be a fine choice for a variety of other purposes.

For example, the recoil of some of my .45-70 loads are over 51 foot-pounds and make the heaviest .338WM loads look like pussy cats in comparison. The loads my daughters and I like to shoot most, however, are 300g and 350g hardcast over 13.5g HS-6, at 1167fps and 1091fps respectively. Both of these loads will penetrate 12 one-gallon water jugs, have the trajectory of a .22LR and, at about 7 foot-pounds, generate about half the recoil of a .30-30 factory load. And they cost about $3 per 20 to build. If hunting deer in close cover I would grab these loads long before I would grab my high recoil "Rhino Blaster" 460g/1812fps loads. All told I have developed 19 different loads for my .45-70 using bullets from 300g to 500g and velocities from 1091fps to 2247fps. Most of them, including my preferred elk hunting loads, are in between those extremes in recoil.

No paranoia, no guilt.

When I wanted more than a 30-06 my choice was to buy a .338WM or 35 Whelen. I bought the .338 because it was the one I came across first and I'm glad it was.

I've used mine on moose, black bear, caribou, deer and hogs. I've got a lifetime supply of the original .225gr. Barnes X bullets that I use over RL19 and Fed. 215 primers.

I did end up with 35 Whelens and use them more than the .338 now. However, my .338 will not be going anywhere.

Holy buckets. You don't have to convince me. I have no need for a 338wm at all in Pa. In fact my 300 win is over kill and I could easily kill my big bear and whitetail with my Montana 308. I like rifles pure and simple. I would love to own a 338WM if I found a good deal on a M70 or Kimber. I have taken advantage of my 300 win with 180 grain bullets in thick brush shots. A 338wm would be even better for that use. I say go for it.

Coyote_Hunter, wouldn't worry about it regardless if my quotes coincided with your post. I wasn't quoting you specifically.

bsa1917hunter, Thanks

The 300 wm is a great cartridge and catagoricaly the 338 wouldn't change that when pitted against North American game. However, like I said the fear and paranoia surrounding the choice of a 338 over a 300 is legendary. A lot of this probably has to do with how the 300 was marketed. Regardless, the choice amounts to being on one side of the fence or the other like so many other cartridge comparisons and nothing more ( cept when you are on the 338 side of the fence you're looking down ). A typical scenario on these forums is a guy has a 30-06 and wants a medium bore. He suggests that he is deciding between a 300, 338, & 375. Then people starting climbing out of the woodwork giving ever reason why not to own a 338 OVER a 300 (mind you the guy already has an 06) and if you choose a 338 over the 375 you'll never go to Africa. The 338 will be the biggest mistake of your life essentially.
The argument is flawed though because you will always be curious about owning a 375 so buy the 338 and eventually get a 375.
All kidding aside, there is nothing wrong with owning a 338 instead of a 300 and it's astounding to me how much people drop a duce over the notion of doing so.

The 338 Win Mag is one of my favorite cartridges. For my hunting,if I owned only one rifle, it would be a 338 Win Mag. I have killed a moose using 225gr TSX bullet and this my bullet of choice. Though the 210gr TTSX does have my interest. Several people I know use the 338 Win Mag for all there hunting in Alaska. To me it is the bigger version of the 30-06 as an all-a rounder cartridge.


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I've owned one for about 10 years now, mine is based off a New Haven SS Model 70 action and I have taken coyotes, wolves, whitetails, mule deer, black bear, elk, moose, and grizzlies with it. The game has been taken from between 30 yards and 525 yards.

I would not say there is a meaningful difference in ballistics or ability of a given cartridge to kill from say 280 Remington on up to the various 375's. It has been my observation that one's shot placement has far more effect on killing than the cartridge in the range of cartridges I mentioned. And for that matter you could include the 270, the 6.5x55 and a few others. I also think the term "flat shooting" with respect to bullet drop is over used and not understood that well. Out to 500 yards there is not a meaningful difference in bullet drop between the venerable 3006 and all of it's offspring, the 308 and it's kin, the 338wm and it's kin, and a number of others I won't bother listing but it would include all of the fast 30's.


I also shoot a bit with it through the year to stay sharp. Free hand to 200 yards and with a rest to 500. After some experimentation I settled on shooting only 250 grain partition style bullets for uniformity in POI. It has been my experience that using a 180 for deer, and a 200 for elk, and 225's for moose and 250's for bear, etc, is too much for me to keep track of - by using one good bullet I can be more effective at the ranges I have chosen to shoot at.

One thing I have found with respect to meat damage is that the 180's out of a 3006 or 250's out of a 338wm bloodshot meat a heck of a lot less than the fast 30's, the 7mmrm, and others in that velocity class.

In summary I would say one does not "need" more than a 3006 class cartridge for all of North America, but having said that if a guy wants a great all around rifle with a bit more wackem at distance the 338wm is a fine choice. And Model 70's are, in my experience, a uniformly fine rifle.

Hope this helps.

If you want it you probly oughtta have it.

Me? I bought one in a M70 S.G. some years back. Great shooter. But when I went hunting it never got picked up.
Eventually a buddy had to have it. Don't think that he has hunted with it either.

If I don't hunt with a rifle it's hard for me to find space to keep it.

A 338wm will put a groundhog down fast! LOL

I actually think my buddy shot that rifle more when it was mine...

If someone asked me what rifle caliber would be best for a single rifle to use for elk all the way up to big bears, (lots of time in Yukon/Alaska) I would recommend the 338WM, a tough 225 bullet, and never look back (given you can handle above-average recoil).

If you want it, buy it. I love mine loaded with 225 Hornady IBs.

"If you want it you probly oughtta have it."

That's it in a nutshell considering the other guns you own.

I've had a Ruger OM (tang safety) in .338WM for close to 30 years now and have used it on both moose and caribou. Carried it in Idaho for an elk hunt, but never got a shot. It's a bit heavy, but I like it, tho I often opt for a lighter rifle if much walking is involved. Bought it used (price was right too!) when I started feeling a little paranoid about those 6 quart piles of steaming brown bear scat I kept finding while moose hunting with my .30-06. Worked wonderfully too. Apparently word got around among the bears, as I've never had to use it on one....

I've killed a few more moose with the '06 tho. The two combined have taken 17 bulls between them, with another 5 using other calibers. Certainly more caribou by a factor of 10 to 1 or more out of the 60 or more of those things.. And the only elk I've taken was with a .260.

For most hunting situations it ain't what you hit em with, assuming a good bullet, it's where, as you no doubt know. So it's back to what john said....

I no longer use anything but a 225 or 250 grain in the .338, certainly not the 210NP, having had the first one I ever used blowing up on the shoulder blade of a moose, with the moose surging back to its feet when I was about 10 feet out in front of his nose. The second one pretty much up his nose did the trick tho. But I swore off the 210NP right there! Probably all right for deer and coyotes...... I don't do frontal approaches anymore either, and put an insurance shot into the back of the head from a few yards out. I can do without the excitement.

The 225 (I think is what I used one year) TB bullet in Fed Safari is great for penetration having once passed through about 3 feet of moose diagonally including a forage filled paunch, before exiting. I've largely gone back to non-premium bullets for all my rifles, having found no significant difference in the killing game. So far. I have one Sierra GK hand load written down somewhere that hovers right at 1 inch at 200 yards. Currently I have 50 or so junk-loads I threw together for target practice, without a work-up (as in the case of the GK), using 250 grain Hornady RN. At just under MOA, they were just too good not to keep for hunting moose, and I've only ever shot 3 moose in excess 100 yards, None over 165. Those Hornady RN drop like a rock at longer ranges, but who cares?

I glass bedded the receiver area and 3 inches of barrel, free-floating the rest after initial shooting proved not satisfactory. It now shoots virtually any factory or good hand load 5 shots into 1.25 inches, or less, and both the 225 and 250 grain loads to the same POI at 100 yards. I also tuned the factory trigger down to about 3lbs creepless. And some other stuff- Decelarator recoil pad, Mag-na-porting, low-base and low blade front sight with a V-notch filed into the scope base for emergency back-up sights (hate those high Ruger iron sights- and the rifle came without).

My improvised irons put 250s dead on at 100 yards. Never used em, but they are low profile and there if I need them.

I think I'll keep it...... :

How many elk have you killed with a 338 to come to that conclusion?

I own 2 338's- one a pre 64 Model 70 and one a stainless classic I bought when I got tired of worrying about the Pre 64 taking a bath every time I took it out. Both shoot equally well with the same load of 225 grain Partitions, Aframes, or Hornadies and no scope adjustment needed.

I've shot elk, moose, big black bear, and african plains game with them and the 338 always performs the same- bang, flop about 90% of the time, animals go a short distance ( 50 yards) about 10% of the time.

When hunting moose in Alberta a few years ago, my guide called in a good bull while I was taking a piss. I thought I had lots of time to zip up and get ready, but the moose had other ideas. he crossed our trail about 125 yards away so I had to snap a quick shot before he disappeared in the lodegpole on the other side of the trail. I swung up with the rifle, found the shoulder, and squeezed off a shot in a quick motion and the moose hit the ground like hit in the head with a sledgehammer. I'll never forget my guide behind me yelling "J##&* C#@##, what the hell are you shooting? I've never seen that happen before!" Made for a quick skinning job and loaded up on the ATV's as there were grizzlies in the area and came to a shot like a dinner bell.

IMHO, hard to go wrong with the good old .338 on just about any game, but there may be better choices for smaller game like deer, pigs, etc......

Bob

Thanks for all the replies I can see that I'm going to have a 338 Win. mag in the near future.

Just to set the record straight, let's compare one of the "better" bullets for the .300WM vs the .338WM. Since I have a Nosler Reloading Guide #7 in front of me and since it has loads for both the .300WSM and .338WM and since it uses 24" barrels for both, I'll use it as a reference. Further, I'll use a MPBR (Maximum Point Blank Range) calculated for a target 6" in diameter.

.300WSM, 200g AccuBond, B.C. .588, 2944fps
Zero Range/MPBR = 254/299 yards
0 yds = +1.5", 2944fps, 3843fpe
200yds = +2.2", 2641fps, 3097fpe
500yds = -31.2", 2222fps, 2192fpe

.338WM, 225g AccuBond, B.C. .550, 2882fps
Zero Range/MPBR = 248/292 yards
0 yds = +1.5", 2882fps, 4149fpe
200yds = +2.1", 2563fps, 3281fpe
500yds = -34.2", 2124fps, 2254fpe

In this case the .300WSM starts out about 62fps faster but at a 300fpe disadvantage. Trajectories are about the same and the .300WSM energy doesn't overtake the .338WM until past the 700 yard mark. Trajectories are very close, within 3" at 500 yards, and the difference in velocity is only 98fps at that range.

Let's just say the comment that " Beyond 200 yards or so the better BC's of the 30's will translate into more speed and energy than a 338" was a little too optimistic in the energy department.

In my experience the Nosler velocity data is also overly optimistic compared to what I get in my rifles. In any case I prefer Hodgdon data because it lists pressure as well as velocity. So let's look at the same AccuBond bullets using current Hodgdon velocity data for bullets of the same weights (albeit different bullets).

.300WSM, 200g AccuBond, B.C. .588, 2827fps. IMR 4350, 63,700PSI
Zero Range/MPBR = 245/289 yards
0 yds = +1.5", 2827fps, 3459 fpe
200yds = +2.0", 2531fps, 2845fpe
500yds = -35.4", 2123fps, 2001fpe

.338WM, 225g AccuBond, B.C. .550, 2832fps, IMR 4350, 52,000CUP
Zero Range/MPBR = 244/287 yards
0 yds = +1.5", 2832fps, 4007fpe
200yds = +2.0", 2516fps, 3163fpe
500yds = -36.1", 2082fps, 2166fpe

In this case the .338WM actually starts out faster with an energy advantage of 498fpe. At 200 yards the .300WSM has just barely overtaken the .338WM in terms of velocity but still lags in energy by 318fpe. At 500 yards the .300WSM still lags in the energy department by 165fpe. There is less than an inch difference in trajectory out to 500 yards and the difference in velocity at that range is only 41fps - not much there to get excited about.

So again it would seem the statement about the.300WSM catching up in the energy department beyond 200 yards was over optimistic rather than fact-based.

The real question is whether or not the differences in retained velocity, energy, momentum or trajectory give either cartridge a significant advantage. While I've found my .338WM to be potent elk medicine, elk haven't always dropped faster than those I've shot with my 7mm RM, .30-06 or .300WM. The difference for me is I trust the heavier .338" bullets to penetrate further and be more destructive when heavy bone is hit. I also like the bigger holes the .338 makes. That said, the 6x5 bull I took this year was at 411 yard and went 4 steps and down after I shot it with my hunting buddy's 7mm RM and a 160g Grand Slam. Placement trumps cartridge.

Coyote hunter,

I would only add this comment to your post.

The 338wm does even better with 250grn bullets. IIRRC the bc and sd step beyong the .308 200grn bullet.

Ive had an equal number of 338 WM's and 300 WSM's... I think 5 of each. I have never seen any difference on big game between the two, and have killed mature (6pt) bull elk with both.

If you want something truly more than the 300 WSM, go with the 375 H&H and be done with it. The 375 can be built as light as the 338, and like the 338 WM, works well with a 22" barrel (most of my 338 WM's and both my 375's were cut to 22").

I've always viewed the 338 WM as a 30-06 on steroids... ie, it pushes bullets of similar SD/BC to nearly identical velocities/trajectories, and both are perfectly at home with 22" barrels. The 338 WM smacks big stuff a bit harder than the 30-06, and perhaps stuff dies 10yards sooner, but a 338 WM really isn't "necessary". Except of course unless you think it is.

Owning and loading for firearms is a hobby and you might as well do what all the rest of us have done, which is experiment with as many different rounds as possible. What you'll find is cartridges are more alike than different, and at the end of the day might come full circle as I did, right back to moderate stuff like the 308 and 270 Win. Both kick a little and kill a lot.

Good luck on your quest

I've been shooting 270, 7mm, 3006, 300 mag, 338 win, 375 h&h, 416 rigby, 458's. I don't have any experience hunting anything but deer with these calibers. I've reloaded for all and have come back to the 338 win mag. Think of it as a scaled up 30-06. It has the same trajectory as 30-06, if you can handle the recoil of a 300 mag, the 338 will be no problem. There is a good bullet selection. The deer I took dropped in place with this caliber. The deer I shot with 375 h&h ran 50 yards.
The nice thing about the 338 is it can reach out there better than the 375, has the power for every north American game animal at close range or long range. The recoil is manageable, and it launches heavier bullets for better penetration and less meat damage.
Plus if you ever get curious about the big bores, it will give you an excuse to skip over 375 and go to a 416(great caliber)
The truth is, anything 270 to 458 Lott will have the same effect on deer size game but my understanding is that the 338 will shine on the bigger animals. Like I said, after messing around with so many different calibers, I just have a sweet spot for the 338 win mag.

If you've never tried anything bigger than 30 cal, I'd defiantly say try it out. You may find the bigger bores addicting once you try them