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selmer Offline OP
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My brother-in-law has too much spare cash and picked up another Ruger 77 stainless boat-paddle rifle. I do all of his reloading for him, he does my taxes. smile He has the same rifle in 7mm Rem Mag as well and we have that down to 1/2" groups at 100 yards. Anyway, he bought this .338 Win Mag for a song, and it came with a Timney trigger and lapped rings. We hadn't shot it yet, so he brought it out last time we were at the range. He likes to shoot his mags, but not the recoil, so he has a Caldwell Lead Sled. He shoots well out of it, and the 225 gr. Partition handloads that came with the .338 shot 4 shots and made one big hole at 100 yds. I wish I had the load data for those loads... Anyway, we got it sighted in and I asked to shoot it. I, being an idiot sometimes, wanted to feel the full recoil of the rifle. I shot the first three shots from a cross-legged shooting position. Not bad, 3 shots under 2" at 100 yds and recoil was tolerable, much less than anticipated, because I rocked with the recoil instead of my shoulder taking all of it. Then I wanted to see how well I could shoot it off the bench. 3 shots totaled up a .35" group, but the recoil was considerably more noticeable! I've had shoulder surgery from a baseball injury in my shooting shoulder, and I'm still feeling the effects of the bench shooting a week later, but I did shoot 10 more rounds from the bags. GREAT shooting rifle, I haven't been a fan of Rugers until I started loading my BIL's ammo for them. The .338 Mag recoil was still MUCH less than I figured it would be, if I needed a heavy rifle for NA game, that would be my choice. I've also done load development for a .338/378 Wby., but that had a brake on it and the recoil was quite mild, but the muzzle blast about took your cap off!
Selmer


Selmer

"Daddy, can you sometime maybe please go shoot a water buffalo so we can have that for supper? Please? And can I come along? Does it taste like deer?"
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I don't believe I have ever seen any marketing hype about how light recoiling the 338 Win. Mag. is. Personally I'd use the lead sled rather than my shoulder.


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selmer Offline OP
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Nope, no marketing hype about the .338 Win Mag as low-recoiling. The closest thing to a magnum that I personally own is a .30-06. I usually shoot a 6PPC or .260 Remington. I like low-recoil rounds. I just wanted to see how much more the .338 pushed back over the .30-06. It's plenty, but it is more manageable than I expected. Don't worry, I'll use the lead sled for load development, I'm not THAT stupid! smile
Selmer


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"Daddy, can you sometime maybe please go shoot a water buffalo so we can have that for supper? Please? And can I come along? Does it taste like deer?"
- my 3-year old daughter smile
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I am like you, I do like to see how different rifles recoil not just shoot them off of a lead-sled and then go hunt...

I have shot a few different 338WM's including a lightweight KS custom and have never found the recoil to be that bad. If you a looking for a lighter recoil load the 180 accubond is the bullet. You can get the MV to over 3100 and still have light recoil.


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It's not a "sharp" recoil; more of a big push, and that makes all the difference in the world IMHO. I find .338 to be a very shootable caliber and in fact my .338 is one of my favorite rifles to shoot, to the point that I have to force myself to leave it home many times, to keep from wearing that barrel out too soon <g>.

300 Win Mag is much "sharper", at least to me, and in the rifles I've shot. I've only shot (3) .338's and one 300 WM, so...


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I agree, been shooting my .338 WIN MAG quite a bit lately developing loads. I have the same rifle (M70 Classic) in the .300 WIN MAG and cannot tell any difference in the .300 WM with a 180 and the .338 WM with a 200. Now the 250 grain bullet in the .338 WM - then you start feeling the difference.


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The .338WM is a very popular cartridge in Alaska. Only the .30-06 and the .300WM are as popular. The .338WM is my favorite caliber, and what I use for all my hunting in Alaska. All the factory ammo is expensive lately, regardless of caliber. For example, around $62.00 for a box of Federal 225-grain TSX for the .338, and nearly the same for a box of factory ammo with 180-grain bullets for the .300WM. I will be reloading my own for a while:)

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alot of people are misinformed from the gun writers about the recoil of a 338. i personnaly have shot one for 24 years and it is my only hunting rifle.
a ex acuaintance of mine was misinformed due to reading hunting magazines untill i let him shoot my ruger. he then bought a 338 win mag and a year later sold it for a 375 rum.
my ruger m77 would consistantly shoot 1/2 inch or smaller groups from my reloads. i found imr 4831 and 4350 to shoot the best with cci or federal primers and nosler 210 partitions. i never tried the 225 partitions but suspect they should shoot as well

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I bought a .338 Win the month they hit the shelves and have used one ever since..It is my favorite elk rifle..I shoot the 300 gr. Woodleighs at 2400 FPS plus or the 210 Noslers at 3005 FPS.

I like it in the thick dark timber of Idaho where all shots are at running elk going south and shots are up the keyster..It sticks their nose in the dirt and my 06 will not do that nearly as well...Best of all, they don't go to the bottom of the divide and die anymore and that saves me a lot of work...I shot a few Cape bufalo with it, most of Africas plainsgame from Duiker to Eland on several ocassions, Red Deer, Moose, bear, and plenty of elk and even a few deer...It is just one fine caliber. I also like the light recoiling rifles and do most of my deer hunting with a 25-35 Win or a 250 Savage, but he .338 is my "go to rifle" for serious stuff...My .338 is a Jack Hogue custom on a Mauser action. It shoots the 300 woodleigh on at 100 yards, the 250 Noser is 1" high and the 210 Nosler is 2.5" high, and all at the same setting and I have not touched the adjustments in 10 years!! and it shoots under an inch with about any load.. How you gonna beat that. It just doesn't get any better.


You just can't go wrong with a .338 Win. it is a perfectly balanced round, recoil is mild, noise is mild, and it does the job without all the blast bump of the larger .338 cal. magnums and it got on top of the sales charts the hard way, it earned it over the years and is still climbing according to Win reps.

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I have always thought it flattened elk like a .270 does whitetails, and that is saying a lot. It is quickly becoming my favorite for larger game, along with a .338-06.

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I've shot more than a few 338 in various flavors and in the Ruger 77 tang safety config, they aren't that bad because they weigh 9lbs with scope. I have a Win M70 that weighs right at 8lbs all up and it is a different animal than my 9lb Ruger with 250 Noslers. In a 338, I like a little weight.

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people can say what they want, the 338 win mag out does any other smaller caliber plus it will out preform any thing except its big brother of a 340.
to get the performance (and then some) of a 375 h&h to 200 yds and maintain a great velocity and energy to 500 yds from a std lenght action- thats just damn right impressive. i know there will be a few people disagreeing or saying you dont need a magnum or any thing but a 30-06 bla bla bla. ignorance is bliss especially since the 30-06 is a standard lenght action as well and only a .006 of an inch differance in maximum lenght between a 30-06 and a 338 win mag.
i enjoy shootin for fun and will shoot any thing. but i have only my 338 win mag for all my hunting in north america.


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selmer Offline OP
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I do use a .30-06 and a .260 Rem for everything I hunt, but if I went to Alaska, it would be the .338, probably THAT .338 Win. Mag


Selmer

"Daddy, can you sometime maybe please go shoot a water buffalo so we can have that for supper? Please? And can I come along? Does it taste like deer?"
- my 3-year old daughter smile
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Selmer,
No question the 338WM is one of the best choices for anything in Alaska even the Sitka Blacktails. Carrying one while hunting Blacktails would be real good insurance just in case a guy needed some if he found himself in the Alders and a little too close to a 9' Brown Bear.
When I had mine built (converted a 7MM RM on a Mark X in a High Tech) a buddy of mine told me to dip a W-W brass in H4831, stuff a 200gr bullet in it and try it. I asked him how much powder (in grains) and he said you couldn't put too much H4831 in it. It shot "lights out" first trip to the range.
I like shooting it but not off of a tri pod and a leather bag.

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rainyday,

I'm just wondering what "the gun writers" say about the .338. I know a few gun writers and generally they disagree as much as anybody else about everything.


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I've been shooting my .338 with 225 TSX's off of my lead sled since day 1. 2 weeks ago I had it at a friend's house with no lead sled. It was no fun. I still shot under an inch, but it would have been a 3 shot >.5" if I hadn't pulled the third shot. First two were touching, but the second shot hurt a little as I didn't have the butt in the shoulder socket correctly. I think I anticipated the recoil a little on shot 3. That being said, I have never felt any recoil of any rifle I have ever shot while hunting. That includes the .338, 3 1/2" turkey loads and .45-70's. Bench shooting is the worst.

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My .338 is a Howa 1500 which I restocked with a Boyd's JRS. Took a little fiddling to figure what bedding it preferred (full) and I added an aftermarket Sorbothane butt pad (can't remember which brand). End result: Mine will put three 250 Hornady's into an inch--loaded in front of a near max load of H4831. 250 Nosler PNs group just a hair larger. Best of all, the gun is pleasant to shoot, but it's no light weight.

The only thing I've taken with the rifle was an average sized whitetail doe last Winter. Ninety yard shot tight behind the near shoulder and angling into the far shoulder. Let's just say it was "enough gun". smirk

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When you shoot a 338, just hang on for the ride. I do not think it is even comparable to 300 Win mag recoil...now that hurts!

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If nothing else, in the lower 48 downloading a 338 can make it very useful for hunting without beating up the shooter...

powder like 4198, SR 4759, 3031, 4895, can slow down the velocity, and still give a round that is a real killer at 250 yds...

only because I do it with a 338/06, I don't do it with my 338 Mags, but a 200 grain FN Hornady, with an MV of 2400 fps, helps relive the nostalgia of hunting with the old 33 Winchester in a bolt action instead of a lever action...


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