Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 338 win mag or 338 Federal?

The .338 Mag would be my choice of the two if I wanted a specialty cartridge for bigger than deer.
It is a very easy cartridge to achieve factory listed velocities from and they can be safely exceeded much like the 'o6. It can also be loaded down. It performs very well in a 23 inch barrel and would likely work in a 22 in barrel just fine. It is much like a big '06. Boring and friendly.

The .338 Federal IMHO is like the .358 except loaded to a touch higher presssure. It is an almost cartridge. It will almost do what the Whelen or .338-06 will do.

I do have a Whelen and it is good enough I sometimes wonder what the .338 does it doesn't.

I have never had that emotion about a .358 I assume I would feel that way about the Federal. I actually prefer the .308 in lever guns to the .358. In fairness, Some of the guys with bolt guns get some pretty amazing numbers out of them.

The 2700 fps with a 210 Partition for a Federal out of a 22 inch barrel is a lofty ambition if you own a chronograph.

The 2830 fps from a .338 is achievable in my .338 with a load of only 74 gr R19. Some folks get a bit over 3,000 with that bullet.

Ever consider the 338 RCM? Fits in a short action/AI '06 type capacities and performance if you use handloads?

Hello Dancing Bear,Its that almost cartridge thing you speak of is what turns me on about it the lil 338 Federal,Im a big fan of the 338-06 as I have read in several places the 338-06 walks 100 fps behind the win mag and as another writing stated the 308 win with medium weight bullets and the right powders can walk with the 30-06 such as I would guess that the 338 Federal can walk with the 338-06 in the lighter bullet class,I shoot both the 338-06 and the 338 Federal and I really only shoot the 250 gr. bullets out of the 338 Federal and Im sure that out to 300 yards that lil 338 Federal with 250s will smack like a jack hammer,excluding the big bears Id surley choose the 338 Federal for any Big game that Id hunt out to 300 yards,from 300 yards on out well that is another chapter in the Book..............

What he said! Shoot 150's in the 30-06 for things smaller than elk and 200/210s in the 338 for things elk and bigger!

Doesn't really matter, because in 6 months you will be thinking you should have got the other.

There's no replacement for displacement.

Al

Agreed!!!

Since I already have a 338 WM I'll stick with it. It has worked so far!

[img][IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u258/elkhunter76/DSC00053.jpg[/img][/img]

I reckon it depends on the ultimate use/size of game... SA or LA... Recoil sensative or not... Range to target... Take your choice. I think the 338 WM fills more possible uses with a nice range of performance. Probably why I have owned 3 in the past and regret selling every one of them (financial needs at the time of the sale)...

+1 on aalf, I am looking now for another 338WM (after I buy my slab of land).

Be safe and shoot often

Patty

Why not both? That's what I decided. It's the rifle loony way.

The term "rifle looney" is a polite way to say "I need to seek out a twelve-step-program"...

Ah yes, the 12-step program

22 rimfire
.224
.243/6mm
.257
.277
.284
.308
.323
.338
.358
9.3
.375

and .416, .458 for especially bad cases...(pun)

Vic has the solution! Like that.

They are both good rounds perhaps for different setups, but same size game, just different ranges, it's the BULLET that does the killing, not the cartridge. Only thing I'd say, is make sure what bullet is used in the 338 Federal, the range used is within the velocity envelope for expansion. Energy IMHO is very sufficient to 300 yds, the 338/06 another 100 yds, and the Win mag, perhaps to 450 or so, assuming the bullet is steered correctly and that goes for any round. Any shot most normal cartridges start dropping fast after 300 depending on sight in range, So range estimation, wind dope, and shooting skill/conditions i.e. rest all come to play as much as choice in cartridge. Cup core will do fine at 338 Federal speeds but I would be very interested in seeing what the 185 x does in it, vs 210-225s as far as wound channel and penetration as the wt. retention is so high, a mono bullet is not apples to apples w/CC bullet, and it may compare very favorably to heavier conventional bullets w/better trajectory. That said, IF I were standing down a run in with a bear at close range, I'd be happy to have a heavier partition in chamber. And of all 338 rounds, I would choose the 338/06 because I had one, and can shoot it well, and it holds 1-2 more rounds in the gun....so why not in bear country! Give me a claw style Winchester 70, nice Mauser, MRC, or a Sako i.e. L61R and I would be very happy for hunting anything anywhere in the US. 225 partitions using a 4x or a low end variable no more than 6-8x on top end in solid mounts in good synthetic stock, I'd be set.

If I wanted a nice deer/black bear round that is used occasionally on elk, and esp. in timber, a 338 Federal would suit me fine.

On the other hand, if my hunting was largely elk and bear and I roamed alot of open country, one might enjoy the longer range versatility a well loaded 338/06 or 338 Win Mag can provide.

Just have to ask yourself, what hunting style do you have?

I don't hunt as much as many of you, but my solution was to acquire the 338/06 for its milder recoil. .338 Winchester magnum is very punishing. If I want to shoot a bullet of more than 225gr I have a .375.

Thanks JB for confirming my problem. I have both too! Mine are really are different animals in recoil and rifle weights. It is a tough choice and like someone already wrote, six months after you buy one, you'll wish you had the other...Good Luck.

RH

See, guys always start out with the light stuff and end up with the heavy stuff...

The 22 lr really is a "gateway gun"... once you get the smell of gunpowder and Hoppes no. 9 in your nose your done...

himmelr,

That's exactly the difference between mine. My .338 Winchester Magnum is a custom rifle on an FN Mauser action with a Bansner synthetic stock, with a 1.75-5x Burris in Talleys weighing just about 8 pounds. The .338 Federal is a walnut-stock Kimber 84M with pretty decent walnut thast weighs 6-1/4 pounds with a 1.4-4.5x Nikon in Kimber mounts.

Generally I use 200-grain bullets at close to 2700 in the Kimber and wouldn't pass up an elk at 300+ with it. But the .338 Winchester will get the same velocity out of a 250--or 3000 out of a 210. It is less fun to carry and shoot but definitely more suitable when the power is really needed.

I think the two cartridges are distinct enough to merit owning both. The 338 Federal for most shooting, the 338 Win Mag for shutting up caliber braggers

!!!!

I think that many here would agree that there is little difference between the two out to roughly 200 yds. Beyond that the .338 would give you an edge.