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

I have never owned a Browning Safari.....everytime I saw one I liked,I thought about the fact that I could have a pre64 for about the same dough,and the fantasy ended......

These must be built on something other than the A-bolt action, yeah?

-jeff

Bob-I well remember the lil gun shop in the town where I went to college had a "pencil barrel" 308 that I just simply lusted for. They had $350 on it but it may as well been 35K........

Made for a lot of good diversions from class to go and look at it however.

Someday, perhaps I'll still get one.

Dober

Mark:...or a pre64 m70 in 35 Remington for the same $350.00

Sucked being in college,except there were more women

Jeff: You are such an infidel sometimes....

Me? What'd I do? I'm just assuming that the older Safari-grade must be on a CRF action or else Kute wouldn't want one? I honestly don't know, it's a question.

Not trying to be an infidel... this time... :-)

College... women... mmmmmm....

-jeff

The Brownings from '59 to about '65 were fine CRF rifles, in two reciever sizes, standard Mauser and small ring. These were among the finest rifles of their time, superior in many respects to P-64s, but, of course, J'OC touted P-64s, so.......

Browning ALSO made a number of medium actioned rifles on Sako pf actions, these were OK, but, the QC was beginning to slip and then they brought out that abortion PF on the FN receiver and another great rifle bit the dust.

I have now had four Safaris, bought my first before I was 21 and used it as my "protection"for a three month solo stint on my first fire lookout in the Flathead over 40 years ago. It was an '.06 and I sold it for college money, I would pay a LOT to have that rifle back and I have an EXACT match to it, right to stock colour and grain, now. I traded a guy two old flyrods for that one, in near-new condition.

They are getting scarce, but, I would like a nice one of 1960 vintage in .338WM.....maybe next year......

Kute,
did you ever buy that Sako M85 in 338WM?
I am thinking hard about one(in 338WM), I have never owned or fired a Sako and they sound very nice indeed...

No, I decided not to as I wanted this .458 more AND I have a line on a very rare rifle I have wanted for years, so, am saving my money.......

I decided that the Sako-85 in .338WM is a tad too heavy for me, in that chambering and so won't get one.

I really am kinda a Mauser guy.

I see...
That 458 sounds like fun, Kute.
Enjoy!

Jeff: Asked and answered below......

338WM-vs-270Win, middlin' weight for the cartridge Accubonds, both rifles weigh the same 8# +/- ready to hunt. I'm liken' the Mighty 338WM. (please excuse the column offsets, c/p from my spreadsheet)

Rifle Tikka T3 Lite 24" BBL
Cartridge 338 Winchester Magnum
Bullet WT/BC Nosler #54357 225gr Accubond .550bc xxxsd
Load Data 75.5gr RL19, 3.34oal, -.150gage, WLRM primer
Muzzle Velocity 2810fps
Scope C/L 1.6"
Note: .63" Three Shot Group
Yardage Trajectory Velocity Energy
0 -1.6 2811 3949
50 0.6 2723 3709
100 1.7 2638 3480
150 1.5 2556 3263
200 0 2474 3058
250 -2.9 2395 2863
300 -7.3 2316 2680
350 -13.3 2241 2506
400 -21.1 2165 2342
450 -30.7 2093 2187
500 -42.3 2021 2041
550 -56 1952 1903
600 -72 1883 1774

Rifle Tikka T3 Lite 22" BBL
Cartridge 270 Winchester
Bullet WT/BC Nosler #54765 140gr Accubond .496bc .261sd
Load Data 54.3gr IMR4350, 3.34oal, -.108gage, Rem9 1/2 primer
Muzzle Velocity 2910fps
Scope C/L 1.6"
Note: .63" Three Shot Group
Yardage Trajectory Velocity Energy
0 -1.6 2910 2633
50 0.5 2812 2459
100 1.5 2717 2294
150 1.4 2622 2137
200 0 2530 1990
250 -2.8 2441 1850
300 -6.9 2352 1720
350 -12.7 2267 1597
400 -20.2 2185 1482
450 -29.4 2103 1374
500 -40.7 2024 1273
550 -54 1946 1178
600 -69.7 1873 1090

Nice!

-jeff

Jeff: I'm sorry, you really did not know what they were...I was yankin'your chain.... They were very nice FN Mauser rifles,some also on Sakos; nice wood stocks,attractively and pretty carefully assembled.Some were very elaborately engraved. etc.

Just had to bump this back up (is that allowed with your own posts?)... was shooting my .338 today after giving it a month or so off and DAMN!! Friggin' awesome, the only way to put it. Awesome accuracy, lets you know you just fired a HP rifle, and makes a real impression on steel plates to waaay out there.

All Hail.

You really need to fire up some 250 SMK's or Accu's for real steel whackin music!

Dober

Yeah! I'm shooting 225's, 250's would have to be mo' betta!

A little more of the "youch" factor though I imagine. Or, let's call it the Yee-HAW"! factor <g>.

In my elk camp there is anything from a .280 Rem to a .458. All get the job done( if the shooter does there part). I have a .338's in the past. But for some reason I still go back to the 300 Win. Not sure why. A good choice.

I'm a fan of the 338 and have shot some elk with 308's and '06's. Those both did fine and I would use them again.

I think one of the 300 mags would be dandy too. Especially with a 200 grain Nosler in it. I even own two. They are in the properly designed .300 short mag also known as the .308 Norma.

Heck I even have a Whelen.

It's just that when I step out of the tent my hand grabs the 338. I know how well it works and I am so satisfied I don't care to experiment I guess.

It gets a bull's attention like nothing I have used before. I would call that wonderful.

I've only seen two bulls killed with one, but both went down on the spot. I like that!

-jeff