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A lot of talk about the fierce recoil of the 338. 12 gauge slug guns are actually worse in that department. And a sizable portion of the country uses those.

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Buy both, sort them out later.

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Originally Posted by Coyote_Hunter
tzone -

Regarding .338WM rifles...

1. They aren't necessarily heavy, as has been pointed out. Mine has a fluted 22" barrel and weighs no more than my .300WM or 7mm RM and not significantly more than my or 280 or others.




Thanks for chiming in. I was thinking and hoping a 22" barrel would work out. If the budget will allow, flutes will be part of it. If not, that's ok too.


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Originally Posted by tzone
Originally Posted by Coyote_Hunter
tzone -

Regarding .338WM rifles...

1. They aren't necessarily heavy, as has been pointed out. Mine has a fluted 22" barrel and weighs no more than my .300WM or 7mm RM and not significantly more than my or 280 or others.




Thanks for chiming in. I was thinking and hoping a 22" barrel would work out. If the budget will allow, flutes will be part of it. If not, that's ok too.


Keep in mind that flutes are 90% aesthetic - and the barrel must be of a certain contour or heavier in order to get that done....which negates any 'weight savings', for the most part.... And it runs anywhere from $150-200 to boot... FWIW.


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Originally Posted by Redneck
Originally Posted by tzone
Originally Posted by Coyote_Hunter
tzone -

Regarding .338WM rifles...

1. They aren't necessarily heavy, as has been pointed out. Mine has a fluted 22" barrel and weighs no more than my .300WM or 7mm RM and not significantly more than my or 280 or others.




Thanks for chiming in. I was thinking and hoping a 22" barrel would work out. If the budget will allow, flutes will be part of it. If not, that's ok too.


Keep in mind that flutes are 90% aesthetic - and the barrel must be of a certain contour or heavier in order to get that done....which negates any 'weight savings', for the most part.... And it runs anywhere from $150-200 to boot... FWIW.


The fluting does require a larger diameter barrel but the large diameter provides stiffness and the fluting keeps the weight down.


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if you did buy both ? which might be the best way for you to figure out? i bet you end up using the 257 Wby. alot more. reason is less recoil, better long range cartridge for deer with handloads less guess work for quick shot.i own 338 Win. and a 257 Wby. believe me the 257 Wby. is a assume cartridge for deer out too 600-700 yards with lite recoil off a bi-pod in the prone position ,my 338 Win has plenty recoil in the prone position.if your short on money and can only own one rifle get the 257 Wby. resale is better too and easier to sell.


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Originally Posted by bsa1917hunter

I'm also wondering why there's such a big gap in choice here? Kind of funny question, "help me choose 257WBY or 338WM"..... I'd just buy both and be done with it...


A few people have mentioned that.

There big gap because I have the gap filled between them. 22's, .223's, .243, 6.5, .280, .30-06.


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Originally Posted by Coyote_Hunter
Originally Posted by Redneck
Originally Posted by tzone
Originally Posted by Coyote_Hunter
tzone -

Regarding .338WM rifles...

1. They aren't necessarily heavy, as has been pointed out. Mine has a fluted 22" barrel and weighs no more than my .300WM or 7mm RM and not significantly more than my or 280 or others.




Thanks for chiming in. I was thinking and hoping a 22" barrel would work out. If the budget will allow, flutes will be part of it. If not, that's ok too.


Keep in mind that flutes are 90% aesthetic - and the barrel must be of a certain contour or heavier in order to get that done....which negates any 'weight savings', for the most part.... And it runs anywhere from $150-200 to boot... FWIW.


The fluting does require a larger diameter barrel but the large diameter provides stiffness and the fluting keeps the weight down.


I agree with Redneck and do realize they're mostly for aesthetics. The ounces you're saving on a rifle like this won't matter. Also why I said if the budget allows. smile


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Double Post

Last edited by tzone; 02/21/20.

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Originally Posted by pete53
if you did buy both ? which might be the best way for you to figure out? i bet you end up using the 257 Wby. alot more. reason is less recoil, better long range cartridge for deer with handloads less guess work for quick shot.i own 338 Win. and a 257 Wby. believe me the 257 Wby. is a assume cartridge for deer out too 600-700 yards with lite recoil off a bi-pod in the prone position ,my 338 Win has plenty recoil in the prone position.if your short on money and can only own one rifle get the 257 Wby. resale is better too and easier to sell.


There won't be shooting anything to 600-700 yds except maybe targets that aren't living. I can barely see that far, let alone shoot a deer that far away. It would be fun, I just don't have the eyes for it.


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338, load it down a little.

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Originally Posted by tzone


There big gap because I have the gap filled between them. 22's, .223's, .243, 6.5, .280, .30-06.


If I had a good 30-06 that I liked, I'd probably skip the .338WM loaded to .338-06 levels. Run warm 180's in the 30-06 and you are right there anyway. The .257wby is a whole different animal from the other chamberings you already have. A fast-twist 264WM would be also, as you'd still have the option of approximating the .257wby, as Barnes makes the 6.5mm 100TTSX, should you want to try warp speed. Should you want to launch heavies, a fast twist .264 would do that too. I only have a .257wby because I found a restocked Vanguard SS for cheap. If I were building, I'd likely lean 6.5 and take advantage of the bullet selection.


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If deer was the largest intended game for the rifle, there's no way I'd be considering a 338. (plus it sounds like you have legit elk rifles if you ever want to hunt elk) It sounds like you have a donor picked out with a mag boltface. There's no real gaps in your caliber list. I'd pick something I already like or just want to try. I assume you reload. Maybe a 264/7STW/7RM? 26 Nosler? But you're right, there's nothing wrong with a 257Wby, just expensive brass.

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My donor Savage action was a 7mm RM before I removed the barrel and put it in the "resource pile" of scrap metal n the barn. So long action, mag bolt face (which can be changed for about $25 if I choose - one of the things I like about the Savage floating bolt head).

My original intent was to put a match grade 6.5PRC barrel on it. A number of others make sense as well, including a .264WM and 26 or 28 Nosler. I already have rifles with high overlapping capability for those, however. One that keeps popping into my brain is to go where I have much less overlap - a .375 Ruger. Don't "need" it, but don't "need"the others, either.

Last edited by Coyote_Hunter; 02/21/20. Reason: typo corrected

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Originally Posted by bsa1917hunter
I will say that they are not as fun to practice with shooting off the bench.

True.

I think that a lot of folks overlook the role of stock design in mitigating recoil. Even a fairly light 338 is manageable if the stock fits, doesn’t have too much drop, and has a good recoil pad.

Fortunately, the 338, the 30-06, and the 7-08 have almost identical trajectories with some bullet weights. Plus the 338 can push 225-grain bullets really fast with a 22” barrel, so it can be light, compact, fast-handling, AND powerful. The trick is to find a 338 load you like then match it with one of the lighter rifles. Use the light rifle for practice and hunting deer and save the 338 for stuff that needs to get pounded.


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If Montana had a standing army, a 270 Win with Federal Blue Box 130's would be the standard issue.
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If I were building another 257WM, I'd definitely go with a 26" barrel, 24" for the 338 but that's just me, I'm tall with long arms and don't care for compact rifles.

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I'm with you 257Bob...I've had both 24" and 26" and the latter just "felt right". 22" starts to feel like a 'carbine" to me, ha. I have waded into some thick stuff, with a 28-30" barreled shotgun and never felt handicapped. Shorter barrels are indeed "handier", but for what I always used a "magnum" for, the longer barrels made more sense...to me. Stalking out in the open or sitting in a box blind, barrel length means squat, may as well squeeze all the juice out of a round! smile

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I've had a .340 Wby, a 338 WM and a .257 Wby

My current .257 is a .257R M-700 LA with a 24" Brux in a Hunter's Edge. It'll shoot the 100 TTSX sub inch at 3,266 fps with H-100V.

My current .338 is a .338-06 FN in a B&C that I glassed and painted. It'll shoot the 160 TTSX over Varget at 3K+, MOA. Also likes 180 NAB's and 210 NPT's. Those three loads cover about anything I want to shoot.

I like what I now have more than what I had. If someone is shooting at very long distances, then maybe the bigger rounds would be useful.

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I would encourage anyone to try a 257 Wby ( or warm 25-06, 257AI,etc) on deer and exotics! They kill like a bolt from the blue, ha. I also highly encourage anyone to hunt a few years with a good Medium caliber. from 338 Fed to 375 something...its a wonderful experience also! Life is far too short ( for some of us experimenters) and opportunities too few, only way to be satisfying is either a. try lots of calibers or b. ty lots of different bullets in your chosen caliber. A sharp knife and digging in is a hoot!

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Originally Posted by mathman
I'll do the Campfire thing and suggest something you didn't ask about. Given your choice of cartridges I'll assume your donor is already set up for a belted mag diameter case. So how about a 264 mag with an 8" twist?

^^^ THIS


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