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#11970442 04/13/17
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I really thought this cartridge would be much more popular... with bullet weights from 180gr, 200gr & 225gr ... In a light 20 inch barreled carbine .. seems to be the ticket ..
for a Whitetail , Elk & Black bear .. medicine ..

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I get 3007fps with TAC and the Barnes 160TTSX out of my Hawkeye 22" barrel. That's 7mm rem mag territory!

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I know this fellow that has been a 338 Fed fan since its debut... He is a avid handloader .. And his new custom Savage with the accutrigger and accu-stock .. is a tack driver with various bullet weights .....


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It wasn't a 358, the end.

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Yeah I dont own one at the moment but if a rifle maker that i like would chamber this excellent cartridge I would be a buyer.....Im not a Savage fan and at the moment I cant think of another currently built rifle that is chambered in .338 Fed........Hb

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Yeah other than too-expensive Sakos there's aren't a heap of factory rifles in the chambering.

A nice Kimber 84M in 338 Fed shooting 200g bullets would be near perfect for my pig and deer hunting.


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I'm a fan. Don't know why, but I like the 338 Federal. I also like the 160TTSX in the cartridge.


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give it 20 years and it will be a cult classic like the 358...

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Originally Posted by shortactionsmoker
I'm a fan. Don't know why, but I like the 338 Federal. I also like the 160TTSX in the cartridge.
That's a nice combo right there...I run the 185TTSX out of my .338-06


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Federal factory loads are 200 grains "plodding along" between 2630 to 2700 fps... velocity sells... a 160 TTSX at 3000 is a hand loader with a passion for the bullet and the cartridge.

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Montana Rifle Company still lists it.


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I'm a fan. Shocker, I know! I will say the 160 TTSX zipping along at 3050 or so is a very effective killer. I am surprised there isn't a Federal factory load with the 160. Maybe Federal not loading Barnes as much?? That may have had more consumer appeal. Hard to say. It certainly is not a commercial success, but being Federal's cartridge I think ammo will remain available. Note to Federal: a 160ish Trophy Copper or Trophy Bonded Tip at 3000fps would be pretty cool!


I have a pile of 180 Accubonds I hope I can get to shoot well in a new PAC NOR barrel that is on the way. Those at 2800+ should be good medicine.

Each year I struggle to pick a bullet for hunting. This year I'd like to get the 180 or 200 ABs to shoot really well. Elk have failed to cooperate when I had 210 Partitions chambered, but the 185 and 160 TTSX did exceptional and the 180 BT worked.

Last edited by prm; 04/13/17.
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I'm a fan and am likely to have a Ruger Hawkeye (LH) rebarreled to the 338 Fed.

BTW, there's a great thread in the reloading section on the 338 Federal. Lots of discussion about different powders and bullets. Worth a look if this is a caliber you plan to load for. In the meantime, the Blue box Federal 200 grain classic and the Federal Fusion ammo, also 200 grain, are both extremely accurate.

Last edited by OSU_Sig; 04/13/17.

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I'm another that wonders why the .338 Fed isn't more popular.

Seems to me it would be a great choice game in areas where ranges are under 350-400 or so.

At 300 yards, with a MPBR zero for a 6" diameter target, a 2950fps 160g TTSX is down only 4.5" with 2206fps and 1728fpe.

At 400 the same bullet is down 18.3" and retains 1985fps and 1399fpe.

The only reason I don't have one is I have so many other choices. If starting from scratch it would be on my list of top 10.


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A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
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The 338RCM appealed me as a near perfectly balanced, big game cartridge for a short action rifle. Perhaps for the same reasons as the 338Fed, it never did a good trade either...?

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They work great! I shoot 160 ttsx bullets in my latest one but haven't scored with it yet.


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Same bullet weights can be fired to same speeds in 30-06 and roughly 100-150 fps faster than 308. The difference in .03" greater bullet diameter is roughly the same as your fingernail. In other words it doesn't make a hole enough bigger to matter.

But that .03" greater bullet diameter means much worse BC's in the same bullet weight.

The 30-06 beats it at all ranges, 308 is slightly behind at the muzzle, but passes it at around 100-130 yards.

Quote
At 300 yards, with a MPBR zero for a 6" diameter target, a 2950fps 160g TTSX is down only 4.5" with 2206fps and 1728fpe.


I'm loading 178 gr ELD-X's in my 308 at 2650 fps. At 300 yards I'm only 32 fps slower, but with 1869 ft lbs.energy. I don't know how the drop at 300 compares to 338 fed. But I do know that if zeroed at 100 I'm hitting perfect POA with the 200, 300, and 400 yard dots on my scope. I'm not concerned about flat trajectory with a BDC scope. And I'm doing it with less recoil than 338 Fed.

I can't think of a single reason to choose one over a 308, let alone a 30-06.


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I have a Sako Hunter in 338 Federal. I love the 358, but factory ammunition for the 338 Federal is available and cheap. I like to stick to the heavier bullets...guess I'm an Elmer Keith type :-)

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It must be a regional thing. I have never seen 338 Federal on the shelves.

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I like the 338 Federal, but my passion lies with a 338-06.



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