Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles More .338 questions

I have over the years had a 338 Winnie a 340 Weatherby and a 330 Dakota. Hunted with all three, when I paired down my collection I kept a sako 75 in 338 Winchester. Its a hunters cartridge, The bigger 338 cases just give you a lot more recoil. And there is the other issue 338 Winchester Ammo is every were. I started shooting one about 35 years ago. Now a 210 gr Nosler Partition or Barnes X is about all you need. Thou I do like Blue Box Federals 225 gr loads for the white tails I hunt, when I feel like shooting the 338. Of all the 338 cartridges that can be had these days, I think the Winchester is the best of the lot.

My current .338 is a semi custom in .338 RUM. I use the 210gr TSX at a shade over 3300fps IIRC. It lets you know when you hit the go switch but is not uncomfortable for me to shoot even off the bench.

It do hit things with authority and then some. I love mine

I'm biased, but that screams 338 WM. Guess I've had five of them over the years. I've also had a 338-06, and have shot the 340 Wby and 338 WSM a bit.

The 338 WM is a great BG round that can be mastered far easier than the Wby, (and by extension RUM or Lapua).

Were I building a 338 WM tomorrow I'd use a Douglas no. 3 on an M70 action and put it in a McMillan Edge stock of some sort... I'd finish the barrel at 22" (I've done 3 at that length) or 23" at most. I'd put a 6x36LR Leupold on top in Talley Lwt X-Lows and add a Butler Creek Mountain Sling. Load up some 210 NP's and go hunting.

I started out hunting with 225's and 250's but eventually just settled on 210 Partitions for everything. Load them around 2,900 and you're good to go. You can load heavier, but I've never seen the need, at least on the game I hunt (antelope - elk).

That'd be a good build for sure Mac, thinking (scarry for me to do I know) that I'd go with a #2 Dougy cut to 23". The stock (Hunter Edge), scope, rings etc I'd go with as well but I'd do the Montana 1" for a sling just cause I like it so much.

Cause I hold a rig so lightly I'd give consideration to having it magnaported as it's worked well for me b4.

Tons of wonderful bullets for it, easy to set the dotz to 500 with most all of them. I only say most cause I've not done it with the 275's yet, and don't really care to. Though I do have a box of 275 SAF's I'm saving for the day that M'Bogo invades Boze........

Dober

M'bogo has gotta invade California first...they'll be in Boze next....

If Kali is invaded via M'bogo then I'll be buying the popcorn...

Dober

Its a nice fantasy to have...

thinking that once upon a time you told me it was one of your fav fantasies to have and that it ranked 2nd only to your fantasy of having a battery filled with .270's....

Dober

There's a fine line between satire and cruelty..I think you might have crossed it....

Had a wonderful mentor with that......U



Dober

True dat.....

Dober, you'd go no.2? (.600 @ 24")...

I'm shocked

In order to really answer this question, I'd first have to find out your recoil tolerance. Then how you hunt. Black Timber? Aspens? 800 yard shots the norm? Do you reload, or are you a factory ammo guy, shoot half a box before season, save the other ten and hit the woods?

I've got a Mcmillan .338 Win Mag, and a CZ 550 in 375 H&H for elk. Where I hunt 350 yard shots are the norm. My recoil tolerance for precision is right around 30-06 levels. I've braked both rifles, and their both right there recoil wise. I've started reloading, and am trying to find a load combo for the 250 TTSX in 375 H&H that will make it a 450-500 yard rifle. My .338 loves the Vor-Tx in 225 grains, but I've bought a box of 210 TTSX just to see if I can't get 2900+fps out of my 24 inch tube. Which will probably give me another 15-30 yards...

Lee-I'd not worry about another few fps, start thinking a scope with dotz and then things get real easy...

Dober

You're right Mac, maybe #2 is a bit slim for the project. You're wearing off on me a bit though..grin

Fat Bastard is about .65" and it's a touch heavy for me. But, it shoots well and is very user friendly.

Dober

The 338WM is a fantastic round, had one for a long time. I wanted a cartridge that impressed elk and that was it. Mine was a M70 from 1975 push feed, a bit a light weight that replaced a Ruger 77.
I used 250 gr in Hornady for practice and PT for hunting and found it impressed elk to just drop, but it also impresses on the other end in a lighter gun like mine. Elk and deer with a 308 would act like a hit was an annoyance, the 338 gave them the "this ain't good" look.
A good stock fit will go a long way to enjoy this round. You also will learn that everything you have learned about recoil management and general rifle shooting is needed to be effective. Learn to roll with it, you can shoot all day long and smile after with very little soreness.
My reason for using the 250's was that here everyone would buy out the lighter bullets before I got to the shelves and the 250s were the left overs, so just went with them. The 210 and 225 are very good though the few times I got my hands on them.
Trajectory is right there with a 30-06 but what it brings to the table is momentum which coupled with a good opening bullet is very impressive.

I vote 338WM, but everyone has their favorites. The 338wm gives great ballistics with a relatively small amount of powder compared to its larger brothers. It kills stuff very well and components (brass) is easy to find. I really have started to warm up to the 338 Federal though. I get about 2650 out of 200gr hornady spire points and it has dropped over a dozen hogs and deer without a hitch. Get what you want and get ready to practice alot to get used to the recoil! T.S.

A few years ago I would have said no. 2... you're wearing off on me!

Push to shove I might go no.2... prolly around .610" at 22"

Fat Bastard is a VERY fine rifle IMO.

You guys loose me when talking about building a rifle. I'm not a smith of any sort so I will need to settle with a manufactured gun. Care to start that war? What kind?

Dober, I've got the fancy Z6i with the ballistic turret. It works as advertised. For me the less in the scope is better. I just shoot the one dot. I've got a chart taped to the stock for clicks past 500 all the way to 1000 yards, but I don't have a place to practice those distances. I'd have to have a real nice set up with no wind to take a shot past 500, or of course have John Burns whispering sweet nothings in my ear...