Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting .300 Win Mag or .338 for elk

How do you feel these 2 cartridges compare. Thanks in advance.

The .300 Win shoots a little flatter, the .338 Win can shoot a little heavier bullet. A bullet from either one IF PUT IN THE RIGHT PLACE will kill an elk, but so will a bullet from a .30-06, .270 Win, .308 Win, .243 Win, or ….

Either works fine.

You are splitting hairs to find any important differences, given accurate rifles, the right bullets, and a hunter who knows his trajectory, can dope the wind and knows how to shoot. Angels dancing on the head of a pin...

Are you choosing between two rifles you already own, for an upcoming hunt? If so I'd choose the one you're most confident with.

If you're trying to decide which to buy between those two, I'd go .300 WM. It's plenty for elk and with less recoil, most people would tend to shoot it more than a .338. And that's more important than the cartridge, IMO.

.300wm!!

The .375 H&H is far superior to either. I read it here on the Campfire.

I wouldn’t mess with either one. No one can handle the recoil. (Also learned on the fire)


Or, you could read smokepole’s post.

If you can shoot them equally well, then the larger heavier bullets definitely won't hurt.

But always depends on the projectile, although the 338 is definitely good elk medicine even with plain bullets.

My preference is the 338wm, but either will work just fine if you use appropriate bullets. As far as recoil, I tend to prefer the 338wm over the 300wm.

Most bullets made for the 338 are made pretty stout too. I remember reading it in one of the gun rags that this is because bullet manufactures know the 338wm will be used on animals from elk on up, so the pills they use are made with that in mind. Be it thicker jackets etc... According to one of our newer authors here, he wrote this 20 years ago: "If there's a quintessential modern elk cartridge, the .338 Winchester qualifies"... Very true, even by today's standards...

338 win mag every time.

And don't believe all the keyboard commandos, shooting a rifle chambered in 338 will not loosen your fillings.

338 WM. 250 gr. NP.

My other choice for Elk is my 35 Whelen. 250 gr. NP.

I’ve killed nice bulls with both. Both will get the job done in fine fashion, assuming good bullet placement. But the 338, as expected, will be a little more “dramatic”. My bulls I’ve shot with my 300 were taken with 180 grain Partitions, 180 grain TBBC’s and 200 grain AccuBonds. I have taken elk with my 338 using 210 grain Partitions and 225 grain North Forks. That last load with NF’s...just flat impressive. All have been DRT’s from 150 yards out to 360 yards. It just packs a wallop, subjectively speaking.

378 Wby is the ticket. Why muck around with weak stuff like the 300 and 338 WM’s...

I've used a 270, 30-06, 300 Win Mag and 9.3x62. The ones hit with the 270 were just as dead and many of those were hit with old cup and core bullets. I know people that have taken them with a 243, again with cup and core bullets. I've seen a 270 harvest a bison. Hit them in a good spot with a decent bullet and mission accomplished. Either of the 300WM or 338WM are more than plenty and nothing wrong with using either or a 378 Wby if you can shoot it well:)

378 is too fast, the bullets just pencil through.

Me too. I have two identical rifles in .300 & .338 (M70 Classics). The .338 somehow seems less harsh off the bench than the .300.

I think it depends a lot on the bullet you choose. ie, your charged by a huge grizzly. You wand the 300 win with a 200gr bullet or the 338 win with a 250gr bullet? That's not to say the 200gr bullet probably won't work, I'm sure it will but I also think a 338 dia 250 gr bullet will work better. On an elk at even 200yds, results will be the same if you do your part.

I guess that's true. And I forgot about those charging grizzlies.

I'm going to amend my answer... 416 RM is the ticket.

Then it just comes down to whether you want a 350 gr mono or 400 gr Partition. But that's an entirely different 12 page thread...