Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Help From Those of You With .338 WM Experience

I'm trying to put together an elk rifle in .338 WM. I do all of my own reloading. I have owned one .300 WM which I couldn't get to shoot worth a crap so I got rid of it. I currently have a Sako .300 wsm that does a heck job shooting 200 grain bullets but this gun is to pretty and to heavy to take in the hills. I want something light in the big hills but something heavy enough to control kick on the .338 wm. I don't want a muzzle break as they hurt my ears and people at the range don't like em.

I want something in 70 degree bolt turn or less with a 23" or 24" barrel. I'm thinking of a gun that weighs about 7lbs + Scope + Shells when loaded I'm guessing that would get me to about 8 pounds. I'm only guessing that this would be a good weight but need opinions on this????

I could get a Sako Finnlight in .300 wsm but this gun weighs 6lbs 6oz's and I'm thinking this is a little little light for 200 grain bullets. Also I leaning toward .338 wm as I may do an Alaska moose / Bear Hunt in the future.

I can order a Sako Synthetic Stainless which weighs 7lbs and has a 24" inch barrel. It has to be ordered factory direct as Sako doesn't sell this gun in the U.S. so might take a while to get here if I order it.

What are your experienced opinions on this setup for big hills and big caliber???

Thanks

Adams

Get a good .300 and for get it.. Anything a .338 can do the .300 does better except shoot 250 gr. Bullets. If you go there, then get a .340 or bigger..

Bull chit. Get you that 338 and rock on. No need to go with the short necked 300wm if you can get away with it. You already have a good 300WSM that will do anything a 300wm will and recoil less to boot. Win win situation there... Guys that badmouth the 338wm, have never used one or can't handle one... Trust me, they put elk down in a hurry. Not a damn thing wrong with your choice or way of thinking. An 8 pound (all up) 338WM built right is a thing of beauty...

I would do another 300 WSM before a 338 WM personally, not a big fan of cramming the 300 Win Mag into a standard length action either. The 338 is good if you choose to go that route but I still think the 300 WSM is just as good in the real world.

I'm thinking you're going to have a tough time finding anything other than that custom ordered Sako that fits the bill. As far as rifles with short bolt lift I can only think of Sako, Browning, Tikka and Weatherby Mark V.

With the Browning you're going to end up with a thin 26" barrel. By the time you get it cut down it'll probably be around 6.5 pounds. The Tikkas are lighter yet and I'm not sure that they chamber the new T3X in a 338 win mag. I don't know if Weatherby chambers the Mark V in 338 win mag but I'm guessing not. You might be able to find a Sako 85 Grey Wolf over here but that's going to be closer to an 8 pound bare rifle.


Any other common short lift actions I'm not thinking of here? Besides Ruger American etc.

Taking my .300WM and .338WM elk hunting this year. 180 TTSX for the .300 and 225g AB for the .338.

The .338WM definitely makes bigger holes. Part of that is bullet choice.

The .338 also recoils more, although the two rifles are very similar (skeleton 'boat paddle' Ruger stocks, MKII actions).

If you start with a 7lb rifle, you'll likely end up at 8.5lbs or more with ammo and scope. My .338 is fairly light with a 22" fluted barrel and skeleton stock. Recoil with a 225g AB @ 2742fps is substantial. You either put up with more weight or higher recoil. I chose a somewhat reduced velocity for the .338 to help reduce recoil as well. It still works just fine.

I had a pre'64 Winchester M/70 .338 Winchester Magnum, I handloaded the long discontinued Speer 275gr. RN bullet. With a stout charge of IMR 4350 that rifle would put three shots in a nice tight group at 100 yds., it had a Canjar non-set wide trigger that broke cleanly at 3# that made it a joy to shoot. Never needed a second shot on elk or mulies with that rifle and load.

No, you don't want a braked .338. I used to have one and one time I forgot to put my ear protectors over top my ear plugs. Mind you, I still had plugs in. I fired that gun and my ears ring to this day. If I had tinnitus before that I never noticed. Now I can never forget. I gave up on the brake after that and kept shooting the .338 but it gave me heart palpitations each range visit so I had to part with it. Always wanted a .338 but when I got one I just couldn't make it agree with me. Awesome round though.

Just took a nice 6x7 elk two weeks ago with my Sako 338. As bsa says above, it puts em down in a hurry. I shoot 225 grain North Forks in it and the terminal performance on the multiple elk I've taken with it is a sight to behold.

The 338 with 225 grain bullets, bull elk....it's a match made in heaven. Go ahead and get ya one!

My .338 WM is in a Browning Abolt. I don't know the exact weight but guess it's approx. 8.5 lbs. with a Bushnell 4200 3-9x40. I've had it in a fiber stock but it's now in a factory hunter wood stock that's bedded. I use 225 gr. bullets at 2850 fps. I find this combo very comfortable to shoot. I've taken moose, caribou, black bear and whitetail with it. Nothing has walked off after being hit with it. My opinion on the 300/338 debate is if I need more than the 30-06 I want more bullet not a faster bullet.

Adams, Continue to do your research on the rifle that fulfills your wants.....and certainly go with the .338 WM! A muzzle brake is certainly “not” needed (unless you have some sort of shoulder issue) on a rifle weighing in at 8.5lbs ( scoped,loaded and slung). I’ve watched my wife do some pretty darn work with a .338 for over 20 years ( without a brake). On game from antelope to moose, at ranges from around 30 yards to a measured (after the shot) 400 yards. IMHO, there is not a common, factory produced round than can surpass the .338 WM as a “do it all” cartridge. She uses ,one rifle,one bullet type ( Barnes 225 only...started with the X and progressed through to the TTSX) zero for all of her hunting, and has no desire to change. When you have confidence and comfort with your firearm, your generally more proficient with that firearm! memtb

Of course this isn’t personal experience, I only do the handloading....she and the rifle do the job!

I've had 5 or 6 338 WM's, three of which had 22" barrels, my favorite length for the round. I've taken several bull elk with the 338, including a good 6pt, and always used 210 NP's at around 2,950.

I've had 5 or 6 300 WSM's, one of which had a 22" barrel, one a 23" barrel, and the rest 24" barrels. I've taken a fair bit of game with the round, antelope to bull elk, including a number of good 6pt bulls, most everything with a 180 NP at 2,980 - 3,030.

My own somewhat limited 338 WM experience leads me to believe it's really not any different than the WSM, while kicking more doing it. A 22" barrel is the main reason I'd choose a 338 over the WSM. I believe the 300 WSM is at its best with at least a 23" barrel. I doubt there's anything a 338 can do that a 300 WSM can't do, and I've found the 300 WSM a fair bit more accurate generally, while kicking less.

My current 300 WSM is an M70 EW. With its 30 oz factory B&C Stock, PT&G Al Bottom Metal, a 3.5-10x40 CDS Leupold, Talley X-Low Lwt's, Butler Creek Mtn. Sling, and three rounds it weigh's 8lbs 4oz's. I'll put it in a Bansner to get it to an even 8lbs, which is perfect for a round of this power. It's the most accurate rifle I own.

Course I generally just use a 308 Win or 270 for the game you describe...

Thanks for all the great feedback. I didn't expect this much good information. I am a big fan of the WSM's. I think they are a great cartridge, offering many advantages over similar cartridges especially in the the .300 caliber. So after listening to all of you and being very familiar with reloading for the WSM's I have decided to get a Sako 85 Finnlight in .300 WSM. Getting a great deal on a new riffle for $1386.00 also changed my mind a little bit. This gun maybe a little light for the 200 grain bullets I want to shoot, if so I can probably make some stock adjustments to increase the weight a little bit. Also reading this article helped me in my final decision. The below article is great information on calibers and bullets. Most calibers are out there to read about and I encourage people to read this information if they find this kind of stuff interesting. Very well written and thought out backed with very good science.

http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.338+Winchester+Magnum.html

Also making this decision give me an excuse to buy another gun if I someday make it to Alaska at which time I will be buying the .338 WM.

Again I greatly appreciate all your input and time you put into answering my question.

Thanks,
Adams

Get a fierce carbon fiber stock for that 85.

I have a 338 Win Mag in a Nosler Model 48 TGR with Leupold VX6. It is a sweet set up for brown bear and bison but I haven't bloodied yet.

I have a .338 WM built on an early 1950's Win M70 action by Stuart Satterlee. Swaro V6i scope. Very fine rifle. Killed a few dozen head of African game, including a leopard. For sale. PM me if interested.

Otherwise, unless you intend do do a lot of long range hunting, consider a Sako 85 Black Bear in 9.3x62 Mauser.

The short neck of the 300 win mag ever caused you grief? I sure haven't had any issues with it.

When Inthink light rifle I don't think magnum. I'd look at a 270, 280 or possibly a 30-06 if you want to go sub 7.5 lbs all up.

I've killed a whole lot of Plains game (and seen killed with the same rifle used by others) with a Mod 700 classic 300WM and the older Barnes 180xbt. I see no need at all to use a 200gr in a 300WSM. In fact, the 168TTSX will do everything you could want of your 300WSM! But...if I used a 200, I'd use the Partition so as to get all the powder room I could. But no kiddin...try that 168TTSX!

No offense meant, but why would I consider taking a 270, 280 or 30-06 when I have a .300 wsm. If I want to tone loads down to those calibers I could. But if I want to put a whoppin on a Bull at 400 yards those are calibers I would not choose (just my opinion). The 30-06 is a great round for elk up to 300 yards but there have been many great rounds produced after 1906 that will well out perform the 30-06 at longer ranges. On one of the guide site's I visited they did not want .270's and they said if you're bringing a 7mm caliber use heavy bullets as they lost 3 bulls over 300 inches with 7mm bullets last year. I don't think they were referring to the 7mm magnum guns as we all know they are great short to long range calibers to kill big elk with. If they lost elk to 7mm magnums I have to believe it was either very poor bullet selection or bad shot placement.

Your talking about light weight rifles. IMO light weight magnums are a step in the wrong direction.

As for the guides. That's a bunch of BS. Hit them wrong with a 375 and you will have a rodeo, hit them right with any of the -06 based rounds and it's feet in the air. IME most guides a pretty clueless to ballistics..