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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 4,685
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 4,685 |
I've always been a little intrigued with the .338 Federal, and have been halfway looking for one since the round was introduced. Oddly enough, I've never come across a used one (or new that I can recall) in any of the local shops, so I kind of gave up. Well, Midway has been running a sale on their 185gr bonded soft points, so I ordered 5x boxes. Now I just have to find a rifle, brass, and dies! I'll probably end up ordering an Encore rifle barrel, but I have been considering rebarreling a short action 700.
Looks like it uses all the typical .308 powders, and seems that forming brass from .308 is relatively straightforward. Doesn't look like it would be hard on brass, and recoil should be tolerable at around 2600 fps. A 20" Encore would be a very compact setup, especially with a 1.75-6x Leupold or Burris!
For those who have experience with the .338 Federal, how do you like the round?
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Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 5,508
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 5,508 |
I don't own one, but I have made 7 of them for customers and all of them report very good results. 3 of them were made on AR10 style auto-loaders. Very good accuracy and the effects on game are very good.
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 4,685
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 4,685 |
I really hadn't considered the AR option, but would be an easy conversion...all you'd need is the barrel.
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 591
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 591 |
I have a close friend who is an outstanding hunter and who has at least thirty hunting rifles for different cartridges. The .338 Federal is his favorite rifle of the lot and he has it suppressed with an 18" barrel. With it he has killed many large red deer stags and they grow big in my neck of the woods (New Zealand) and numerous sika stags as well.
"The 257 Roberts, some people like to call it the “.257 Bob.” I think these people should be hung in trees where crows can peck at them." - David Petzal
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,831 Likes: 19
Campfire Savant
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Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,831 Likes: 19 |
I’m having a 99 made into a 338 Federal, can’t wait to get it back. I have some 160 Barnes waiting on it to try. It should be fun to shoot.
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,055
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,055 |
Jason, The "History" of the 338 was in an AR-10 platform, guy in AK sheep hunting with a 308, taking the sheep out and saw a bear (or suspected a bear), he would feel more comfortable with something larger than 30 cal, thus the 338 Federal. So why not a 358 Winchester, because he worked for Federal and I guess decided to create a round that was already a wildcat and put Federal's name on it?
It's a great round, one of those that performs much better than the paper ballistics says it should. I've never seen a used one anywhere, Thinking of buying a 308 and having it re-barreled.
Like the 350 legend, I don't NEED one, but I really WANT one,
Hanco, Who's doing the work for you?
And these zombies line up and eat from the media’s trough
Cowards CANNOT be free. Nor should they be.
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 239
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 239 |
Great round! If your getting into hand loading for it the 160ttsx and the 210 partition are great bullets for all your hunting. I use benchmark for the 160ttsx and LVR for the 210. Performance on deer and elk have been excellent.
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Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 4,680
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 4,680 |
Pre-panic, how available was 338 fed at brick and mortar stores? I know it's easy to find online, just curious how "mainstream" it's become.
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 594
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 594 |
Great round! If your getting into hand loading for it the 160ttsx and the 210 partition are great bullets for all your hunting. I use benchmark for the 160ttsx and LVR for the 210. Performance on deer and elk have been excellent. I have a Kimber 84 and these are the two bullets I load for my .338. I have shot a few deer with the 160s and they went right down. I loaded the 210s for bear but have not had a chance to use them.
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,227
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,227 |
I bought a .338 Fed in a stainless Ruger from someone on this site back in 2017 and really like it.
It is one of my picks for assembling a set of 3 rifle cartridges to cover the contiguous 48 States, the others being the 223 and 6.5 CM.
I have 3 stainless Rugers chambered for those 3 cartridges set up about the same, all three bedded in McM Hunter stocks, but with different scopes. The idea being that if they all have the same ergs, that they feel the same, moving between them won't cause any decrease in performance. It is a lot less expensive to practice with the 223 than with either the 6.5 CM or 338 FED.
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,227
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,227 |
Pre-panic, how available was 338 fed at brick and mortar stores? I know it's easy to find online, just curious how "mainstream" it's become. i have only occassionally seen 338 FED factory ammo on dealers' shelves since I bought mine in 2017. I have only bought it from on-line sellers.
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 18,934 Likes: 2
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 18,934 Likes: 2 |
Great round! If your getting into hand loading for it the 160ttsx and the 210 partition are great bullets for all your hunting. I use benchmark for the 160ttsx and LVR for the 210. Performance on deer and elk have been excellent. Why not the 160 for everything? Retained weight will be as good and most likely higher than the Partition.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,538
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,538 |
Here is one listed locally. I have no connections to the seller. Just passing on the information. https://www.theoutdoorstrader.com/threads/fs-tikkka-t3-win-338-federal.2656174/#post-11971142
“Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person” -Fred Bear
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,801
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,801 |
I have to say I like mine a lot even though I have only shot one deer with it so far. I had a new Winchester model 70 in 308 rebored to 338 and put it in a McSwirly stock. Have been almost too busy building a house to hunt this year, but last year I took a very nice buck on my new property. It shoots very accurately with hand loads, especially the 200 grain Hornady Interlock. Last year’s buck was taken with a Federal factory loaded 200 grain fusion bullet. Dropped him in about 10 yards! Do a little thread searching on the cartridge. There are a couple of very good conversation threads on here. Here’s mine.
Its not always easy to do the right thing, But it is always the right thing to do.
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,171
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,171 |
A 20" Encore would be a very compact setup, especially with a 1.75-6x Leupold or Burris!
I have considered doing the exact same thing for a great elk and hog setup. With a Silencerco 36M, it really has my gears turning to do it.
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,408
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,408 |
i have a ruger frontier in 338 fed. it is my go-to gun for foul weather hunting. the 200gr fusion factory loads are DRT for deer and really accurate even with the short 16.5" barrel. i've had it for probably 10 years when i was on a quest to have every variation of the 308.
My diploma is a DD214
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Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 4,680
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 4,680 |
I bought a .338 Fed in a stainless Ruger from someone on this site back in 2017 and really like it.
It is one of my picks for assembling a set of 3 rifle cartridges to cover the contiguous 48 States, the others being the 223 and 6.5 CM.
I have 3 stainless Rugers chambered for those 3 cartridges set up about the same, all three bedded in McM Hunter stocks, but with different scopes. The idea being that if they all have the same ergs, that they feel the same, moving between them won't cause any decrease in performance. It is a lot less expensive to practice with the 223 than with either the 6.5 CM or 338 FED. 260 - how come only lower 48? 210 partition seems Alaska capable?
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,831 Likes: 19
Campfire Savant
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Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,831 Likes: 19 |
Jason, The "History" of the 338 was in an AR-10 platform, guy in AK sheep hunting with a 308, taking the sheep out and saw a bear (or suspected a bear), he would feel more comfortable with something larger than 30 cal, thus the 338 Federal. So why not a 358 Winchester, because he worked for Federal and I guess decided to create a round that was already a wildcat and put Federal's name on it?
It's a great round, one of those that performs much better than the paper ballistics says it should. I've never seen a used one anywhere, Thinking of buying a 308 and having it re-barreled.
Like the 350 legend, I don't NEED one, but I really WANT one,
Hanco, Who's doing the work for you? ctw on the fire
Last edited by hanco; 11/21/21.
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 5,493
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 5,493 |
I have a Kimber Montana in 338 Federal with a 3X Leupold weighing in at less than 5.5 pounds. I started with the 210 NP as that was available and I've stuck with it as the performance on bears and moose is just great.
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 31,017 Likes: 3
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 31,017 Likes: 3 |
I really hadn't considered the AR option, but would be an easy conversion...all you'd need is the barrel. That's the only way I'd build one.
You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.
You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell
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