Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting All hail the wonderful and mighty .338 Winchester Magnum

I think I found your answer... guess you can actually have too much of a good thing.

Nothing wrong with a 338; good cartridge, but...As an elk cartridge(moose,African PG,etc) I'd rather have a 300 Win or Weatherby. Those animals are killed just as neatly with a big 30(or for that matter a big 7,etc,etc,) as with a 338.For anything bigger, I'd rather have 375....JMHO.

Opinions make horseraces...a lot of the 338's popularity is predicated on the notion that big game animals are hard to kill,which, at least in North America, is untrue...

Years ago, a trapper, Harvey Cardinal, was out on his trapline on northeastern B.C., working away when a nasty Grizzly attacked and killed him very dead. This brought the Fish and Wildlife guys into the situation and the bruin was tracked down and shot as per government ( and commonsense) policy.

I knew the guy who did most of the shooting and, much later, know some of Harvey's cousins on the Alberta side of the border. All of these people have LOTS of bush and Grizzly experience.

Well, the Grizzly took SEVERAL well-placed hits with a .375H&H rifle plus several with 12 Ga. slugs BEFORE he finally gave up and died. He weighed around 1200 lbs. and, IMO, there IS a difference between a .338WM-250 NP and any .308 bullet under these circumstances. The great .375 H&H, well, of course, BUT, it kicks MUCH harder in rifles of equal weight, at least I find this after owning/shooting 12 .338s and 7 .375s.

So, SOME North American animals ARE damm hard to kill and this is where the .338WM REALLY shines. Living among these bears alone where you MUST be in isolated places to earn your living tends to make one VERY conservative about cartridge choices and mine is the .338WM. However, I NEED my two .375 H&Hs, three 9.3s and could use a nice .358NM with 280 SAFs as well.........

Bob, there you go not hailing again. "All Hail!" Buck up, trooper! Toe the line!

I'm joking of course. My only comment, because I don't have any killing experience with 30's bigger than 30-06, is simply that the .338 Win Mag is pleasant to shoot, while the big 30's are often considered to be a bit on the "sharp" side.

I can only say that, indeed, 338 Win Mag is pleasant to shoot from a sporter-weight rifle. Did 20 rounds from field positions, mostly prone, just a couple days ago and could have done 50 more; it's a pussycat.

That might be equally true of the big 30's; dunno.

-jeff

The 338 is a true pleasure to use to me. The recoil is acceptable. I did have to learn how to hold it as it was my first magnum rifle.

I find my 300 magnums kick worse especially woth 200's as do 7 mags with 175's.

My light shotguns are much worse in my opinion.I use an Ithaca 37 Lightweight 3" 12 ga pump for a turkey/goose gun. It is no fun to sight in.

Not surprisingly I don't think of a 338 as kicking as badly as that does.

I dunno, Jeff; I've had a few 338's myself and with 250's those suckers kick.....they kick with anything but I get your point.One reason the round is not tough to handle with 210-225's is that it does not really go fast. It's a big 30/06,and there's nothing wrong with that!

Yes, Kute I do not disagree that once in a while,an animals' ability to absorb punishment can be pretty baffling; but hit correctly with a good bullet, they fold pretty quick.

We are fully and adequately armed with any number of cartridges and there is no doubt the 338 is among them! Seen how quick those pre 64's fly off the internet when one shows up for sale?

By the time brown bear enter the picture, I am ready to put up with the recoil of the 375H&H.I can tell you like 'em both!

Jeff
I know you have a 325 Montana and you say the recoil isn't bad at all. I have a 270 WSM and a 300 Win Mag in the Montana and the recoil isn't bad with either. My question is if you have had a chance to shoot a 338 WM in the Montana and if so how did the recoil compare? I have had several 338s over the years and am thinking of getting one in the Kimber Montana or waiting on the new Winchesters.

Bob, big annual two-day gunshow here today, I am NOT going to avoid temptation as I am saving for a new Toyota 4x4. But, the P-64 Alaskans in .338 NEVER appear for sale at these shows, I have seen only 4-5 in 25+ years of attendance.

They sell for premium prices and by "word of mouth" here and this is often to hardcore, very serious bushmen who KNOW their schitt after years of experience. I have a lot of guys asking when I will sell mine, well, maybe about the time that the Hillabeast embraces gun freedoms!

Having lived in upper-northwestern B.C. coastal wilderness solo, right where the largest Grizzlies roam, I like the .375 as well, but, I got tired of packing my "work gun" which was one, with Recknagels and a Clifton handle and went back to the .338s in Brown and Borden stocks. But, NOW I have ANOTHER .375, a chopped P-64 in a Micky stock and it is my FINAL backapcking rifle for Grizzly country.

I like 'em both, too, don't want to live with ONLY one rifle, gawd, that would be torture!

I have not, rdd, sorry!

Folks say the long action Kimbers are a little clunky, and while I think that's taking it a little too far, they certainly lack the "sprite" that makes the SA and WSM-action Montana's so special. So I'd say handle a LA Kimber if possible before ordering one.

I sure like my XCR in .338. That stock is fugly, but it sure handles recoil well, and is easy to hang onto when things get icy, and the XCR coating is for real...

-jeff

Now THATS what I'm talking about!
........and thats going to leave a mark.

JD338

Either works fine, but the .338 RUM will crush you (weight or recoil). The .338 Win Mag is easier on the body and just as much fun!

Kute: I tried to live with one rifle; can't be done
I WILL concede that you can only hunt with one at a time...

I KNOW, on my last post, 08/03/08, I SAID that my custom .375 "shorty" was my final Grizzly rifle and I MEANT it, as much as one of we "gunaholics" can.........

On 19/03/08, a mere ELEVEN days later, a buddy dropped by my house to show me a '64 vintage Browning Safari in .458WM and, YES, I did it! I now need the dropped mag, Recknagels and custom synthetic stock as well as a bbl. chop to 22" and there is ANOTHER Grizzly gun............

Do I need help??????

Yes, you do. There is a fella from MT that can provide good back-up for you, with his G33............

MtnHtr

Uh, actually, this rifle will back up my partner in NW B.C. on his/my Grizzly hunts when we get our draws. How we do this is each guy brings one rifle, with two scopes and each scope is sighted for one of us, so, both can use each rifle.

He will likely bring his custom .338RUM re-barreled with a sts Llija from an original Dana Campbell sts Mod. 70 in 7STW, I will bring this .458 with the custom additions. So, I will back his shots and he will back mine depending on whose tag we are trying to fill.

Both of us have a fair bit of experience in NW BC and this is not a place to pizz about with small bores or light bullets, especially in the coastal rain forest with bears that will weigh almost 3/4 of a ton in autumn condition. My buddy has hunted in Africa, Iran, Europe, various areas of North America and is a fine shot, but, he is pretty cautious around Grizzlies and so I found this an excuse to buy a rifle I have wanted for years.

The help I REALLY need is a HUGE bank account to buy MORE!!!!!

Kute: You are depraved and utterly hopeless.....welcome to the club

Warped, totally bent, what can I say.....I have looked for a reasonably priced, solid Safari Grade for YEARS and always find these $1500.00+ pristine specimens at gunshows or the hated short extractor ones.

THIS is 95+ % on the metal, VG stock and has this muzzlebrake, SO, I can trim the tube to 22"and do the other stuff W/O a problem, kinda like re-tubing a worn P-64 Fwt.-.264 to a 22" .338 that is of some actual use in B.C. Yeehaw, ya only live ONCE!!!

You couldn't exactly pass that one up, Kute! We'll vouch for you.

Heck, it's money in the bank, really. You'll sell it for more than you paid for it... or close... someday. And you get to use it in the meantime.

I think it's cool to buy guns that a guy has a real, pressing need for. I've put the brakes on HARD personally, because I have everything that I have a real, pressing need for... and a backup for each of them... and then a couple spares <g>. But quality HUNTS are calling me and I need to put my $$ in that direction.

You guys who lust after things like P-64 .338 WIn mags and Browning Safari Grade's have it tough. If one pops up you really have no choice in the matter. Gotta buy the sucker. When I was heavily involved in the vintage guitar and amp trade, and had a nice collection going (still do), it was the same way... something I've wanted for years and years comes up, pretty much gotta grab it because it could be years before another one pops up!

-jeff

Aha, you must be speaking about the fella who runs a G33 in 22/250.....gack gack gack gack

Dober