Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 338 Fed vs 358 win

Yeah i think theyre both similiar but 358 has better cast bullets and more of them available. At 35 cal its probably at a point where cast starts becoming pretty effective.

358 with a Speer 220 fp. Still has some whoop azz in it at 250 yards. Probably get 2200 out of a 20". Kind of like a 35 Remington on steroids.

I am sure there are no flies on the 338, but the 358 pet round and you can use 357/38 bullets and cast bullets for you plinking. To my mind the 338 was a solution looking for a problem.

Oldpine,
From what I gather, you're a lefty. On top of that, you're in possesion of a left handed 338 rcm. I'm a lefty as well, but luckily I'm right-eye dominant. I do feel terrible for my fellow, left- handed bastards. You guys get very little in the way of left handed bolt actions.

You should be on cloud 9, to have a left handed 338 rcm. Theres no topping that. A custom 358 will be expensive and not worth your time. This is coming from someone who's favorite cartridge is the 358 winchester, having put away thousands of lbs of moose n caribou with a savage 99 and a blr both in 358 winchester. No finnicky, complicated lever gun will compare to your left handed 338 rcm carbine.

The Hornady 200 FTX is designed for 338 Marlin velocities and expands well in a .338 federal, they say.

I think a .358 Win. would be a great caliber in a BLR or a Savage 99.

I’ve had two jacket separations on the same deer from 220 yards with my Fed shooting the 200 grain Hornady spritzers. It’s anecdotal evidence but I won’t use those bullets anymore for hunting. In my mind there is no reason a 200 grain bullet at 2700 FPS muzzle velocity shouldn’t hold together on a whitetail. Especially at 200+ yards.

There are plenty of good bullets for the Federal.

Thanks for your input on this and your PM on the levergun issues. Your wisdom is correct in that my lefty Ruger 338RCM in its compact form factor is probably the perfect rifle. Plenty of power and reach, yet compact and easy to use and maneuver. Your right about im probably best served sticking to my left handed Ruger bolt rifles. Ive also got some 348 win and 348 Ackley rifles that are about in that same class of middlebore too. Thought it might be fun to play with a 358 but it might just be best to run what I brung so to speak.

Which 200gn Hornady? The old Interlock, SST, or FTX? The SST seems like a very soft bullet to me. Have not tried the others.

It may have been just the 200gr spritzer. I don’t recall if the boxes were marked Interlock or not but if they were any of the three it was the interlock.

I’m shooting the 165 SST out of a 300WM at deer and pigs this season. 3000 FPS. That is a soft and destructive bullet, at least at that speed and within a couple hundred yards.

The 200 SST is definitely not soft. It did better on elk for me than either the 225 or 250 NPT out of my 338 Win Mag.

Thanks!



Interesting! The ones I tested were very old, from when they first came out I’m guessing. They were weird. The core would disappear. I’ve read somewhere the core material was redesigned. They were accurate.

I just retested some North Fork 200s. Another 3-shot .6” group with a 2676fps avg using 8208, a nice temp stable powder. I have a couple great loads to choose from for elk.

I think much like bows... cartridges sell based on speed numbers. Neither of these chamberings excel in speed but with a big front bumper they are built for the impact. Probably why you don’t see a lot of volvos but those that own them love them.

I would bet that more critters are killed inside of 100 yards than over 150 yards... but nobody wants to buy a cartridge that turns into a rainbow after 200.

Hence why the 45-70 isn’t more popular but has killed everything on the planet and comes in lots of very compact packages.

About 15 years ago I had a buddy build a .338 lapua, pit a nightforce benchrest 10-40x scope on it or something absurd... shot it at 1700 yards had all his dope dialed in. Used it on an antelope hunt and ended up shooting an antelope at 68 yards line of sight almost straight down. The dude was a beast, and to hold that 20#+rifle in his shoulder at an 80 degree or so angle must have been hard...

He could have got him with a 20 gauge slug out of a youth shotgun or a 22 hornet just the same... but people buy the guns that fit their image of a hunter and it is what it is!

I have never played with the 338 Fed or the 358 Win... comparing say 200 grain loads; how would a 308 with 200s compare? Sure they might run a little slower but the sectional density and the BC or the .308 caliber 200 grain bullets is way high. The obvious frontal diameter increase adds value to the 338 and 358 bores but is it enough to make a difference in the effectiveness on game? I have hunted a 9.3x57 and regularly hunt a 9.3x62 but with 286 grain bullets... They are both effective, but in my experience, really not much than a 308 or 30-06 loaded with heavy bullets. I ask as I have always wanted a 358 Win and fawned over the 338 Fed...

I like what my Fed is chambered in. The Kimber Montana makes a great package for the cartridge. I don’t know that the 338 or 358 kills any better than a 308, but they are obviously better suited to a heavier bullet. The deer that I have killed with my Fed have all been impressed.

If you have other 35 caliber rifles and revolvers like I do, the choice for the 358 is easy. I cast bullets and have various 358 molds. True, I have a 338 mold also, but only one. I have 30-06's, what does the 338 Fed do that the 30-06 doesn't?

But in the theoretical possibility that one had to have only one rifle and didn't cast bullets, the choice would be less clear, maybe even make the choice for the 338 Fed..

Disclaimer, I'm on my second 358 Win and have not had a 338 Fed.

I enjoyed JB's article on the 338 Fed vs. the 358 Win.

You have it pretty well figured about all three cartridges. These are some pretty rough figures looking at the 2020 and 2021 Hodgdon Annual manuals using their barrel lengths and about five minutes looking at RCBS Load. Not really enough difference to matter.
.308 Winchester, 200 grain Swift bullet has a .444 BC.
Hodgdon in their little 2021 annual manual uses a 24” barrel.
It appears 2,420 fps is possible with several different powders.
Using an 8” target circle with a zero at 200 yards, point blank range is 246 yards
Bullet path is +2.75” at 100 yards.
0.00” at 200 yards - 1729fps.
-4.38” at 250 yards - 1717fpe.

.338 Federal, 200 grain Hornady spitzer has a .461 BC.
Hodgdon in their little 2021 annual manual uses a 24” barrel.
It appears 2,550 fps is possible with several different powders.
Using an 8” target circle with a zero at 200 yards, point blank range is 244 yards.
Bullet path is +2.89” at 100 yards.
0.00” at 200 yards - 2129fpe.
-4.68” at 250 yards - 1533fpe.

.358 Winchester, 200 grain Hornady FTX has a .300 BC.
Hodgdon in their little 2019 annual manual uses a 26” barrel.
It appears 2,550 fps is possible with several different powders.
Using an 8” target circle with a zero at 200 yards, point blank range is 244 yards.
Bullet path is +2.65” at 100 yards.
0.00” at 200 yards - 1779fpe.
-5.63” at 250 yards - 1524fpe.

Me too. Hope I run in to a used one at a steal of a deal. The 358 appeals because of the history and also I like the option of shooting pistol bullets. It is also a 90% of the Whelen but in a compact package. You will never run out of brass as the 308 is not likely to disappear anytime soon.

But it really comes down to the rifle as others have pointed out how similar they are.

The fed does it all the same but n a short action, smaller, lighter, less recoiling package.


I have 2 montanas one in 338 fed that has been cut down to an ultralight rifle and one in 30-06 that is mostly stock with a heavy scope. The fed kicks noticeably less and it definitely weighs less.

Yeah, yeah... Not a lick of difference between the two when it counts. I'd choose the .358, it's much older and I have an aversion to newfangled cartridges.