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Which factory available cartridge would you own and why?

None, the 338's I know of kick too hard.

The old 30-06 using state of the art bullets and powders is so good that the 338-06 and 338 Win offer no significant gain. The giant 338’s are just too difficult for portable hunting rifles.

Righto, let the howling start...

I dropped down to the 280 for deers and elks out of state for my hunting rifle. The bullets made me do it.

A dialable elevation turret is the best way to reduce recoil.

Blasphemy!!!! Darn you Rick! Always trying to make sense and stuff simple... I'll keep shooting my 1970's/80's era BBC's out of my 338 and knocking stuff flat! HA!

And I'll take a 338 Win. Easy enough to shoot out of a portable rifle and plenty of power for anything I am hunting..

I doubt I'll have a 338 other than the 338 Win Mag (Ruger SS/LAM) that I have now. This rifle has a lot of sentiment attached and I'll never get rid of it. 200/210gr Noslers have worked on everything from doe pronghorn to bull elk and cow bison for me.

'Twer I looking for a new rifle I'd lean towards something that shoots lighter/sleeker bullets. I'm convinced that nothing I've shot couldn't have been killed as cleanly or as well with something smaller. I can shoot the rifle well enough, but don't really see the reason to put up with that much recoil.

I have a Model 70 with a B&C stock that only weights 8LB 2OZ with a Leupold 3X9 in talley steel mounts, so not really a heavy rifle, settles nicely in your hand when its time to shoot. MOA shooter, with Nosler 210 BT's or 225 Partitions. ( If they don't crack the MOA mark they go away.) Haven't really shot much game with it over the last 30 years, but the deer, elk, and antelope shot with it were DRT. There was less meat damage them with the 270 class rifles. Never really noticed the recoil that much, but I was young and tough. I don't need that much HP these days but it hit hard and shot flat enough to really be an all around North America rifle. A lot more rifle than the beloved 9.3 X 62!

Without knowing what you want to use it for, I would recommend a .338 Win Mag. It can be downloaded to .338-06 and can chase the .340 Weatherby a bit.

Common ammo in local stores makes it an easy choice for me..

They are versatile, I have used mine with 180, 200, 210 and 225 grain loads. I have varied the performance level from around 2700fps with the 180's to over 3K, with the 225's I have been from 2740+- to 2850fps. I have used mine on small does up to bull elk. It would have worked on the antelope, bear and sheep if I had chosen to use it.

I bought mine for elk when I thought I needed more than an '06. It remains my choice for bull elk. I also wanted it to hunt moose in grizzly country (I no longer plan to do that).

I would caution against hitting much in the way of bone if used on a deer with 225 grain cup and core bullets......

Gary

I use a 338 Win Mag and never felt the need for anything "bigger". Never had a problem with the recoil on my Model 70's, but I've shot other rifles of the same cartridge that could be painful after a few shots. Always used the 225 grain bullets- NP, Aframe, and Hornady and always had exceptional accuracy and knock down power, which I couldn't always say for some of my other cartridges before. Fine for long range IMO. I've shot at least 2 elk past 525 yards and they were DRT.

I've studied the ballistics of the other .338 rounds available and the small amount of gain in the bigger ones never really seemed worth putting up with the extra recoil, noise, and cost of loading. The 338-06 seems interesting, but frankly it would be a handloading only affair and you couldn't go down the street to the nearest sporting goods store and buy ammo if you needed to. Also, you would lose a bit of the long range edge I believe the 338 WM is good for with the reduced starting velocity. And, to top it off, you can load the 338 in a standard length action and mag box with almost all the bullets available for this cartridge. And it comes in reasonable weight rifles. What's not to like?

Bob

BIL has a 338wm that tags him pretty good, previous owner had shortened the stock, so I load the 250s down to about 2450fp, he is happy the deer bang-flop....

This one is mine, there are likely a few like it, McMcillan stock, decelerator recoil pad, and it fits me....... the wifey shot it at the bench and did NOT complain..... 5'4" about 120#

They don't 'have' to thump you..............

The .338 Federal is a nice one. Check out the numbers using a 200 gr bullet against the .338 mag, 7mm mag, 30-06. You'll like it.

Bullets have advanced and evolved, I get that, and it is now common knowledge that if you shoot anything bigger than a 7-08 or 308 you're laughably over gunned for anything from groundhogs to grizzlies. Old ideas die hard so I like more substantial calibers however unneeded. I have no need for any 338 yet own a few. I mainly hunt deer and black bear by geography, and dreams of chasing elk or hunting alaska will remain just that. I don't own any customs, but a 338 RCM, 338 Win, and a 340 wby. My favorite (right now) actually is the RCM due to the ruger compact rifle platform. However ammo will probably difficult to find if travelling. The obvious choice seems to be the most common round the 338 Win.

I've had 3 338 RUMs, a 340 WBY and now have 3 338 Winchesters. Like them all.

If I was looking for one now, I would get a Win Mag, load it with 225 Barnes and go kill stuff.

I "started out" with my 358 Savage 99F in 1966 at my 'camp' in VT. That was my big game rifle!!!

A 338 Federal would kick about the same as the 358.

"Check out the numbers and find that they all kick hard."

I kinda like the .338 bore. It's one of my favorite calibers.

.338WM. Fitted with the proper stock recoil is not an issue.

.338-06 would be my second choice, but for me the .338WM is it.

The 338 Fed makes things rather dead. Can't imagine a win mag making an elk more dead, or even dead any quicker. Longer range, yes. But there are other calibers I'd look to for long range short of going to a 338 Lapua.

I'd go with a .340 Weatherby. I had a .338 RUM which duplicates it. I had it ported and recoil wasn't bad at all. It absolutely hammered deer and elk and was a tack driver. Wish I hadn't sold it. Brass for the .340 can be made from several other cartridges so that would give it the nod.

I have had several .338's, but rebarreled a 700 to ,340.. I like it better than the shorter case.. Recoil is not a problem.. you are shooting prairie dogs with it..

Most of these guys are puzzies huh Scotty... My choice is, and always has been, the 338WM.... As I've stated before, my 338 weighs 7 pounds and it's very easy to manage. Off the bench, off a pack, off my hind legs, I don't give a fu ck.. It's not hard to shoot and knocks the snot out of elk...:

Picture proving it's easy to shoot: