Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 338 replacement suggestions

I would go with a .338WM and a properly fitted (to your LOP) McMillan classic stock with a decelerator recoil pad (the recoil pad should be included in the LOP). Load it with 210-225 grainers.

I like the .338 RUM and the .340 Wby. Both of them can shoot a 250 grain bullet at 2900+ fps or the 210 grain at 3100+ fps.

Yeah, but not all of us are built like an armored personnel carrier. ; ]

I favor the 338/06 over all the rest. And I have owned the 338 Win mag and the 340 Weatherby, and over that, I have made several 338 Laupas and one 338/378 Weatherby. None of them fit the bill for an elk rifle (to me) as well as the 338/06 let alone better. I have owned several. And I have killed elk with that cartridge. I have no complaints at all. I like the 2 rounds more the magazine holds, the fact that I can get top velocity from a 21 inch barrel, the gun can weight less and still not kick very hard, and the accuracy has been excellent.

I have a 338 Win Mag, but if I didn't I would have a 35 Whelen hands down (sorry not a .33 per subject request) . That cartridge hits like a sledge hammer. Makes a big hole and would in my opinion be a better all around large game medium bore for all of North America and anywhere else for that matter.

That one's all yours Brudda.

I’m surprised that the .338/06 wasn’t brought out as a factory cartridge prior to the .338 Federal. As suggested, the 338/06 crowds the WM in performance, while gaining a round in the magazine! memtb

Doc,

I also have a 338 RCM.
I made the choice for the rifle based upon the ergos and the way the rifle is set up, open sights and all.

Before I made the purchase, I did have some concerns about brass availability myself. Therefore, i had some owners of the little Ruger test the fitment and cycling of the somewhat larger WSM brass with the thought that if the RCM brass was ever an issue I could simply rechamber to the 338 WSM Wildcat and carry on.

Since then, I've acquired nearly 500 pieces of 338 RCM brass and for me availability issue is a non issue.

If in the future, those who inherent this rifle need brass, then the WSM brass will still be a very viable option.

I'll also add, as far as I know, Ruger is still chambering their Guide Gun rifle in 338 RCM, so being that's the case, I believe that there won't be a shortage of available brass anytime soon, if ever.

I'd be curious as to what the problem is concerning the RCM Rifle that it is at the factory with potential bad on the way.

A 225g AccuBond at 2742fps accounted for a nice cow at 487 yards. In and out.

NICE, congrats, and thanks for the info.

My 338-06 might be the only gun I own that will be buried with me. Shooting 210 gr partitions, I'm confident in facing down anything I'm likely to come up against, and it's excellent on elk

Sounds good CH. Good luck this year. My season starts in 12 days!!!!!!

My 338-06 might be the only gun I own that will be buried with me. Shooting 210 gr partitions, I'm confident in facing down anything I'm likely to come up against, and it's excellent on elk

bsa1917hunter, Best of Luck on your season! May it be a memorable and successful one! memtb

as has been suggested by many buy a 338 Win. Mag. easy to find ammo and is a great accurate cartridge.good luck,Pete53

I’d not get rid of my .338WM for any other .338 chambering. If it won’t do it (assuming proper bullet placement) it can’t be done. Ammo is available everywhere and it’s got the staying factor considering it’s 6 decades old already.

358wsm,
My rifle always shot <1 MOA with my handloads up until July, I noticed the groups were closer to 1.5-2" at the end of a shooting session. I cleaned the barrel with copper solvent and tried an old batch of ammo a few weeks later. To my horror, the groups were 5" at 100 yd. I had a friend look at it and he found the main lug screw had come loose. He tightened it back up to factory specs. I took it shooting and the first group was ok but opened up afterward. Factory ammo was even worse. I had the rifle checked again and the screw had come loose. Retightened it, used lock tite red this time, but still no luck. I sent the rifle to Ruger almost a month ago and have not heard anything.

I read on an earlier post the RCM's can have problems with the stock cracking if not bedded properly. I did not think to check the stock, but I'm guessing this may be the case. I have put about 700 rounds through it in the past 4 years just playing around with it. Who knows, it may just be worn out.

I am sitting on a large cache of 338 bullets, thus my interest in staying with that caliber. In addition, the midbore size allows me to take shots from pretty much any angle with predictable results. OTOH, I can completely understand the appeal of something smaller, provided it will get the job done in a humane manner.

I don't get to go elk hunting often, but when I do I don't want to worry about having enough gun.

Actually............I would keep your money in your pocket and load up some 175grain Partitions to near 3000fps using Reloder 26.
My rifle likes 68 grains for 2990fps and tiny groups. Please work up from below.
Then, think Bob Hagel when you align the cross hairs.

John