Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 338 Fed, 358 Win performance?

I like both but yeah, the 358 is just a cool caliber.. Not that cool kills anything, it does cut a heckuva swath with the right bullets.

I bought a SS model seven 308 plan was to rebarrel to a 358 but after some reading/research I left it alone . Shooting a 208 amax - no hog has takin a step , haven't shot a deer with the combo but of coarse I know what will happen .
Easy to love the 308win. IMO but the big fat 358 bullets can lead a man astray .

Indeed!

My .358 is a Sako Forester full stock rebore. It was originally a .243, which just didn’t fit with my idea of the handy carbine. I wanted a quick pointing, hard hitting, public land elk hunting rifle and this really did fill the bill nicely.

I’ve killed several elk with it now, most at less than 100 yards. All with either the Nosler 225 pt or the Sierra 225 bt. Both worked very well, with the Sierra being noticeably softer. The longest shot was on a big Roosevelt cow elk at 257 yards. She died within feet of where she was hit with the Sierra - complete penetration.

If I were hunting in grizzly country, I would definitely be packing that rifle and the Nosler combination.
There’s lots of other Bullet combos to play with, such as the pistol bullets, but I haven’t bothered. I just run the Sierra for practice and they would get the nod for deer and the Nosler for elk.

The paper ballistics are interesting and hard to argue with, but the big hole and confidence of the 35’s is compelling.

My thoughts exactly. A 200 grain Partition would be a start. I buy the old semi-pointed version at gun shows for the conditions described by the OP.

I have hunted with a 358 winchester for over 15 years, always by canoe and more recently by dog team. I have taken my biggest 2 moose with the 358 Winchester. I'm very pleased to see the cartridge discussed and the great praise given to the cartridge. It is my hope, that more hunters will put away their 30 caliber and 7 mm magnums and grab a 358 for ANY hunt they have planned in North America. Over the years, I've seen a bunch of "theoretical thinking out loud" and marginal information written on the internet about the 358 Winchester. Lotta these guys are posers who think they're important. Elmer Keith once said the 358 Winchester is suitable for any North American big game with 250 grain bullets. Not much has changed. Lookey here:

Yukon254 downed North America's largest animal with a 250 grain partition:

"Mainer, I was following your posts on the 358 right from the beginning over on the AOF. Early on a lot of guys were of the opinion that the 225 grain bullets were about as heavy as the little 358 could push reliably. You were going heavy for caliber, and if my memory is correct worked your way up to 300 grain bullets. I stopped at 250 grain NP. I would have gone heavier but the 250 NP was almost flawless on large game. The bison here are pretty spooky and quite tough to hunt. Our season runs in the winter months so a guy can do a lot of snowshoeing. Anyway I got up on a small herd that were feeding in a big slough, but they got my wind before I was where I wanted to be and busted out for the hills. Luckily I found an opening an shot a big bull that was bringing up the rear. I wanted to anchor him so held right in the middle of his shoulder. The bullet broke both shoulders and I found it perfectly mushroomed under the hide on the off side. The distance was about 90 meters and that bullet lifted that bull right off his feet. Anyone who has ever butchered a big bull bison will know that they are the biggest heaviest boned animals in NA."

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...ridge-for-alaska-moose-hunt#Post13231558

Of the three moose I've shot with the 358, my two largest bulls were shot with the 275 grain woodleigh. Not because the 275 woodleigh was needed, but simply because I could. The kills were immediate. I like that, as I solo hunt rivers, I want them anchored right where I hit them, not 3 seconds later in the cold water, or 3 seconds later, dead in a swamp hole:





I am not interested in a 358 as a bolt action. If I wanted a bolt action, I'd grab a 9.3 mauser carbine. The 9.3 mauser carbine, from it's very beginning as a bolt gun to compete with the fancy british doubles used in Africa, cannot be outdone. To extract as much advantage from the 358 as possible, it needs to be light in weight and fast on the repeat shots. Make my 358 a Savage 99, Winchester 88 or Browning BLR carbine. The 358 gets it's magic, from a 250 grain bullet. I hunt winter caribou by dog team in open, windy, treeless country. My winter clothing is very heavy, and shots get out there to 400 yds, like this past weekend:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...78682/3-caribou-by-dog-team#Post13278682

No more scoped bolt action, walking through crusted snow. Time to go light and fast with an ultralight 358 with 200 grain TTSX blazing through the 30-40 mph winds. It's only a matter of months, before I figure out it they will also work on Spring grizz:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...ralight-blr-358-win-project#Post13260417


I'm very reluctant to go any lighter, but if you must, the 200 grain TTSX would be my first choice. At least with the light-weight TTSX, the things have an actual shank for decent penetration after expansion, unlike the 200 grain Nosler Accubonds.



Here's some of my older load development:
http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com...ta-200-grain-Accubond-and-200-grain-TTSX

I like the 358 myself and the 35 Whelen too. Only used them on feral hogs and deer but they are deadly fast killers that leave good blood trails. I have used the 308 a bunch also and fine it deadly also. For night hunting feral hogs I would be happiest with a 358 and 250 grain Speer bullets.

Loving my Savage lightweight hunter in .338 federal but struggled with having it rebored to.338 federal or to.358 Winchester. The nice part is that I can always rebore larger to the.358. It’s a winner either way.

Excellent post by Mainer in Ak.

Here's my only concern with going the 358/250 route - recoil will be rather 'brisk' in a 6-6.25 lb rifle and max loads. I'm probably going the 338 Fed route and stick with 225s. I can always have it rebored to 358 later.

I would imagine 225's in a .338 bore will be indistinguishable in recoil from 250's in a .358 bore. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.😆

338 federal with 200 gr. federal trophy copper BB's is a hammer on hogs and deer.

I have some 160 TTSX that I want to reload for it also...

I've hunted a few years now with an E.R. Shaw MK VII chambered in 338 Federal. So far I've only taken deer but plan on using if for a Newfoundland moose hunt next September. I've taken deer with the 200gr fuston load and hand loaded with 200gr Interlocks, 185 TTSX and 160 TTSX. All worked like a charm. I'm planning on using the 185 TTSX for the moose hunt.

JCM
Redheaded deer are definitely cool looking animals!

I agree with other posts to consider 200 grain spitzers in the 308 Win.

With modern powders, you should be able to get a MV of 2450+ FPS with them. With a sectional density of .300 , and BC of near .500 of 200 grain spitzers, you get good down range energy, and great penetration. It should be easy to test/ evaluate, and a very low cost alternative to reboring.

There was a thread on Alaska outdoor forums about using this set up (.308 win + 200 grain bullet) for bison. You need to develop 2000 ft-lbs energy at 100 yards with a qualifying cartridge. The .308 Win / 200 grain / 2450+ FPS load met the criteria (2400 ft-lbs @100 yards, 2000 ft-lbs @ 200 yards). Should be fine for moose needs. Plenty of moose up here in Maine are taken with factory 308 Win and 30-06 180 grain bullets. The 308 / 200 grainer should be quite a thumper.

Just an easy, low-cost option to consider for a “bigger bullet”, instead of a rebore job.

Link to Alaska outdoors: 308 Win / 200 grain / 2500+ FPS
308 Win / 200 grain / 2500 FPS loading data results

Right. The old Winchester factory 250 gr Silvertips were very “brisk” out of my Savage 99. I have a box gathering dust....
Happy Trails

I have shot a few deer with .35s Never have used a .338 Federal. While smaller calibers will do the job I have never seen blood trails like my .358 Win or .356 Win leave. In thick cover that is a bonus. My loads consist of 225g NPT and Sierra's over book load of W748. Getting ~2450 FPS.

A friend of mine from Kentucky has a .338 Federal. While he hasn't shot anything with it yet he does say it hits steel targets with more authority than his .308.

I've not really noticed a difference between the .308 and .358 in killing deer. Certainly not a scientific study, but with exits on 200 grain cup/core bullets the blood trails from .358's seem to be all out of proportion in how much they increase over the .308 with exits on 150/165 grain cup/core bullets....and it's not that the .308 is lacking there. Of course shot placement/angle of exit/etc make a difference and taking out the shoulders can make this a null point.....

I'm especially fond of a light handy .358 when still hunting mountain sides on rainy days. A lung shot deer running downhill on a mountain side can cover some ground before it dies (...likely in the deep ravine....). On wet ground it's nice to follow a blood trail that looks like someone was pouring it out of a bottomless cup rather than a normal blood trail from spot to spot.

I have a 308 and the 338 Fed. Only shot one deer with the 308 but it worked well (180 Partition), the 338 Fed has worked with authority on lots of stuff. I know it doesn’t mean much, but when the 338 bullet hits there seems to be a more audible thwack. It’s kind of cool I think. I considered the 225s and did load some Partitions. It is a bit stout. I’d prefer the 210s as they don’t take up as much powder space. If I were to load one bullet for anything it would be the 185 TTSX. Massive damage, great penetration and, for me at least, the easiest bullet to get to shoot really well. But there are so many great bullets to choose from. If you want heavier I’d consider the 200 Woodleighs.
To your 225 argument, I will say the PH I hunted with in Africa really like the Fed, but said he’d load 225 A-Frames to 2400-2500 for a perfect plains game rifle.

When selecting a cartridge, I wanted the biggest bullet that didn’t really limit my personal range. I felt the 338 Fed was just right for me. The ballistics are better than some seem to think, especially when hunting at higher elevations.

I too have a factory 84M 338Fed barrel if you need one.

Edit: 48gr of Leverevolution got 2508 in my current 338 Fed with 225 Partitions.

Don't know about the 338 Fed, do know it best take it's vitamins and eat a chit-ton load of wheaties if it's going to top 200gr TSX/TTSX's at 2700+ fps, 1/2 inch groups, and brutal take no prisoners performance is all I've seen from my 358 hawkeye all weather, it's a hard, fast killing little SOB.

This post hit the nail on the head. Do not underestimate the penetration ability of a 200 grain bullet in the 308 Win. Awesome with the right bullet.