Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Rebore 308 win to 338 federal

Don’t neglect to try the following bullets to n the .338 Federal. All have shot very well for me and performed superbly on game:

160 TTSX
180 AB
200 SST

If you can't do it with a 180gr 308, I'm sure a 180g 338 is really gonna knock the snot out of it

Now there you go, ruinin' everybody's fun!
But your point is well taken, despite the fact that the 180 will go a bit faster in the .338. And of course it'll slow down a little faster too. And make a little bigger hole, but maybe penetrate a little less. Oh heck, who cares. Let's all just get our Looney on and have fun!

Rex

For those who commented on my buck, thank you. For those who asked about the load, it was a factory federal fusion 200 grain.

I tested several loads last year in preparation for an elk hunt. It shot several loads very well. But then I concentrated on another JES rebore in 338-06 and kinda dropped the ball on getting this rifle fully ready and loads loaded. I did however remember it shot this factory load very well and I had purchased 6 or 7 boxes of it. ...So, that’s what I took hunting.

I recovered the bullet under the skin on the off side after traversing the heart and lungs on a slight quartering away shot. He staggered maybe 10 or 12 yards and was down.
Les

Okay, range day...
I'll just start out saying that I do NOT reload, yet. I plan to and I really like the 165gr Accubonds in my 308 and look forward to the 338 versions, whatever weight they may be. Just as I don't reload at the moment, I am also at the mercy of my local public range. I didn't think to ask for the targets back and measure them for the most accurate of results, but I was able to take pics of the displays of the targets. Apologies for the grainy photos.

1) The rifle: the 338 Fed was a joy to shoot. Really not much of a difference from some of the 308 165gr loads I've shot. As this was a rebored barrel, I figured to go through a break-in session before I got to the ammunition selection process. This proved easy enough and the rifle quickly came into its own after about 20+ rounds and a few cleaning breaks.

2) Soft points 200gr Vital Shok: I had a grip of these so they were my "plinking" break-in rounds as well as a test round. I was not impressed... at first. After the break-in session I shot these again and had a remarkable 3 round group for me. 3 shots at just about 1MOA, before I got greedy and sent 2 fliers (pic below). Still very accurate. I was able to repeat groups with stacked shots twice more. This will continue to be my practice round and a deer round. I also wouldn't hesitate to take this in the field for elk, unless those of you here have strong reasoning or objection to this. I figure at 338 Fed velocities and 200gr, the cup-n-core bullet can't be a BAD choice. I know there are better choices and I have one, but a decent second choice.

3) Trophy Copper 200gr: Really wanted this bullet to work out. It didn't. 2.5" groups at 100yrds was one of the better groups. Rifle didn't seem to like it, this will not be my load.

4) Trophy Bonded Tip (TBT) 200gr: The group pictured is right at 1MOA. I shot 4 more confidence groups, identical results, 1 of them was sub-MOA. To be clear, I am not what I would call a MOA-shooter. Not with any regularity at least. This will be my primary load until I find the courage to get into reloading.

Overall, Bergara makes a great and accurate rifle, minus their appalling bluing job. The IOTA Krux stock stiffened this rifle up considerably and provided for more consistency. Reboring the rifle to 338 Fed from JES Rebore made this rifle more accurate than it ever was from the factory. Finally I have the rifle I wanted with a load (200gr TBT) that gives me confidence for mule deer and elk, so long as I do my part within my comfortable ranges.

In my opinion it worked out well to have the TBT shoot the best. Nothing in North America you can’t hunt with that round. I’ve chrono’d a decent number and they are close to what they advertise. FYI the 200 Trophy Copper was much slower than what the box said when I tried those. Look forward to hearing how it all works on an elk!

I have not used the TBT, but it’s predecessor the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw killed like the hammer of Thor. Happy Trails

That 200 TBT shooting well might give me pause on trying to load my own. It’s a really great hunting bullet!

Sadly, the late season elk hunt didn't pan out. Got my hopes up too high. When it connects on meat in '21, I'll post results.

I have a Rem 722 rebored by JES. It's a fantastic shooter but keep the copper solvent handy. It's the only rifle that I shoot factory ammo in, and it prefers the cheap Federal Fusion 200gr. Just not able to match the combined velocity and accuracy of that stuff. The most promising handload I've found uses the 200gr Woodleigh and 8208XBR. I also tried the Nosler 200AB and Barnes 210gr but they are long for weight and eat into the powder space quite a bit. Next up is the 185TTSX, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Yes...

160 gr. TTSX is a monster on meat within all reasonable range for that cartridge (300 yards)

8208 XBR is good with the 185 TTSX. AA2230 for max velocity. TAC is very good too. FYI, the 160 TTSX is just the 185 without the boat tail. For what ever reason that 160 has always been the easiest to get to shoot very, very well. AA2230 will get you well over 3k FPS. I’m currently using H322 which shoots the same in very cold temps (2940s).

I’m having a 99 rebarreled to 338 Federal. I’m hoping the 160 TTSX will shoot well it. It should be hell on the Whitetail and pigs where I hunt. An occasional Aoudad comes out once in a while too.

Would a Winchester 670 243 make a good 338 Fed rebore?

I couldn’t bring myself to rebore a Rem 700 243 with young hunters in the family.

It was just a “fun” project before with no hunting need. Now I’m not even sure ammo could be located or the components very easily obtained mainly powder and primers .

I don’t know how a rebore will work since I never had one. Seems like most people here think they are great. I can tell you that the .338 Federal is one great round. It hits hard and is very accurate. Mine is in (what used to be cheap) a Savage that I bought on sale. It became my go to rifle. Your .308 is no slouch though unless it’s shot out.

Rebores work very well!
I trust the process enough that I sent a brand new model 70 to Jesse for reboring to 338 federal. I ordered a nice swirly from McMillan and later added a wrap around front sight with a detachable peep.
It shoots like this.





And kills like this.

One other thing worth mentioning.
Those groups were shot at 100 yards with a Weaver Fixed 4.75 power scope!
Les

Not sure there is any real separation in the field from a 308 Win and 338 Fed. In general most .33 spitzer bullets are built for magnum velocities and expansion. Typical jackets are thicker for the .33s than a .30 so range and impact velocities make a difference regarding expansion at 338 Fed speeds and distances. With a 308 Win in hand already better separation in use/performance would be a 358 Win or a 375 Raptor IMO. Best of luck on whatever you decide.

That’s a heckuva GREAT buck! Congrats and cool 338 Federal.

Yeah sorry, I realized I already posted pictures on this thread before.
Oh well, he is a nice buck. I just picked up his European mount Thursday.