Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 338 Win Mag Pros & Cons

I built one about 6 or 7 years ago after hunting for over 30 with an 3006. Hard to argue that I needed it, suffice to say I wanted it.

Nothing much to complain about.

Through good planning or good fortune the rifle turned out to be, by my standards, very accurate. I bought a good scope, a good rangefinder, and then practiced a lot.

Last year I took a grizzly at 80, a moose at 165, an elk at 100, a deer at 240, a deer at 365, a deer at 505, and a coyote at 397.

The grizzly is the first critter that has stopped a bullet.



That is a 275 grain Swift AFrame that now weighs 269.5grains.

That bullet entered on the right side around the third floating rib, traversed the thoracic cavity generally tearing the crap out of his lungs, smashed through his left shoulder blade and came to rest under the skin of his left shoulder.

I searched around a bit and have now settled on 250 grain Swift Aframes with H4831. I use these for everything.

I do find that the 250 grain bullets don't seem to blood shot meat as much as the fast 7's, 30's or even my old 3006. Not sure why, just what I've found over a couple of dozen critters.

I can't say with certainty it kills faster than a 3006 though...sometimes it does and then you get ones like last years moose. I crept up on him and shot him in the lungs, he just stood there looking at me, I shot him in the lungs again, and he still just stood there. I took really careful aim and shot him once more in the lungs, this time he jumped and ran into the bush. I thought now that's a lung shot moose.

I thought holy cow, how can I miss like that.... When we skinned him out it turned out that all three had gone through his lungs but the first two had somehow threaded their way through his ribs on each side while punch a neat hole through his lungs. The last shot caught a peice of rib on entering and obliterated the that part of his lungs. That's the one he felt.

The first moose I shot with my 338 dropped like a sack of hammers...go figure.

Anyway, up here in central BC it is my goto rifle.

Thanks for sharing. Your last sentence says a lot.

I bought my pre-'64 Model 70 in .338 Win. Mag. 'way back in 1961 to use as an "all-around" big game rifle... and did so for about 40 years.

In 1964, I shot a huge bull moose on a fly-in hurt to a remote lake in northern Canada... took the shot from a cargo canoe at 125 yards at the big bull as he ran out of the water after feeding on under-water vegetation near the shore-line using a 210 grain Nosler Partition bullet in front of a maximum load of IMR4350 yielding a tad over 3,015 fps.

He "slammed down" as if the Hammer of Thor had hit him when the 210 grain Nosler Partition bullet broke his spine shattering a fist-sized vertebrae, then turning and ending up just under the skin on the off-side shoulder.

The bullet retained 71% of it's original weight and mushroomed perfectly... I still have the bullet.

I killed a nice mule deer buck in 1962 at 425 yards using a 200 grain Hornady Spire-Point, boat-tail bullet up around Rifle, Colorado with, again, a single shot that broke his spine as well. Like the moose, the buck went down where he stood and never moved.

The .338 Winchester Magnum is a truly great big game round with just one flaw... RECOIL! Off the bench-rest (while checking it's zero each year), the caliber "punishes" you, even out of my 10� pound Model 70 with a 26-inch barrel, sling and full magazine... it's not a caliber you can enjoy shooting just to be shooting. It is a very serious cartridge that definitely gets your attention when the firing pin "drops". However, it also kills big game cleanly and with finality as long as the hunter does his job and puts the bullet in the game's "kill zone".

Since I now only hunt whitetails out of my huntin' buddy's cozy cabin up on the High Plateau among the mountain laurel in the Moshannon State Forest in north-central Pennsylvania, I "retired" the big Winchester 10 years ago to an honored place in my gun safe in favor of a lighter-recoiling rifle/caliber combination... a pristine 1953 Savage Model 99 (EG) in .300 Savage. It's recoil is less than HALF the .338's recoil and it's fun to shoot at my gun club off the bench-rest all afternoon and not have a sore shoulder.

I've read in various threads that others who supposedly own and use .338 Win. Mags. claim the recoil isn't bad at all and "poo-foo" my claim that the .338 has a heavy, uncomfortable recoil.

Well... to me at age 76, it does have a pronounced, uncomfortable recoil... and I felt the same way when I first shot the .338 when I was in my 20s... and it hasn't gotten any less "noticeable" during the past 50 years.

Agreed, standing up shooting it off-hand isn't bad... but that "puppy's" recoil really comes into it's own when it is being shot off the bench-rest where the recoil tends to get a bit of a "head-start" on the shooter.

The caliber definitely is NOT for the "recoil-shy"...

Jus' my 2�...


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

I now have my 3rd 338, my experience is long but thin. I have had two Sako Action customs and a M77. Shot one deer with the Ruger back in the 70's. I built a custom, backyard custom, with a piece of walnut I liberated from Germany. A bud traded me out of it and killed a Grizzly in Alaska with it. My current is a Gentry Custom with brake and a 7 1/2# go to weight. I m 67 and don't like recoil much any longer. I loaded up some 160/185 Barnes and 180 Accubond's this week with WW748 powder. All 9 loads shot within 1 1/2 inch and recoil was like a .270. The 160's were especially nice. On other forums folks would say why, I say why not? I have a 7mm Mag at 3000 with the 160's and a 300 H&H with the 185s. The Noslers need a different powder. It is easy to shoot and I was none the worse for wear after 27 rounds. Now if I need to hunt grizzly I ll just load up some 250 Barnes/Noslers and go. For deer and hogs I need go no further than the 70 rounds I have loaded with the 160/185 gr Barnes. My two cents.

Estacado

The .338 was my choice as the one large caliber to own, and I've had it for over 30 years. It's a Ruger 77. My over-riding decision for the .338 was that it would be used in North America.
I may have chosen a .375 (or larger caliber) if I was going to use it in Africa. Still, I believe it is my best choice in NA.
I've shot - Brown bear, grizzly, musk ox, nilgai (Texas), walrus (Nunavut), bison, caribou and plenty of whitetails with it. Over the years I've used many different bullet styles and weights - from 210 to 250, and all have performed well.
My point is that I needed a large caliber for anything I would ever hunt in NA, so I let that dictate my .338 choice.
Best of luck.

I Think it is an excellent elk round out to 600 yards. I killed a black bear in Maine with mine, ran 15 yards and fell. It might be a little over kill for a 300 lb. bear but its in your best interest to try to drop them on the spot up there.

The .338 Win Mag with 250 NP's has been my go to hunting rifle for 30+ years. Gale McMillan helped me build it with an Arg.'09 action (yes JB, I am one of those guys...)in the early 80's and it has hunted all over the west, Alaska and Africa.

Taken everything from bear to Kudu ( no big five yet ) and has always worked with one shot - if I have done my part.

Only time I felt under-gunned was walking a tight, alder choked stream in Alaska with my buddy; we both had .338's, 250 NP's, safety off, fingers on our triggers and an unseen, yet very close bear (2-5 meters)woofing and jaw snapping at us. We are both combat vets with more than a few gun fights under our belts, but both of us were wishing we had an RTO to call in arty and air support right then.

As to recoil; guess I am blessed as I have never experienced too much of a problem. I can shoot 40 rounds in a range session and not really feel it. Even wifey likes shooting it, but that has caused somewhat of an issue as she used it in Africa for her eight head of plains game and now she thinks it is HER go to rifle.

I have really enjoyed the .338 in that rifle; however, I am now working on loads (200 NP's) for a new to me pre-64 in .300 H&H to go with my .375 H&H (300 NP's- yep, that is all I shoot) and yes, I guess I tend toward the Elmer end of the spectrum. But, from my experience, if I shoot, I really, really want my target to flop right there, or as much as possible.

Good luck in your .338 endeavors. I have really enjoyed all mine.


RLTW

I had always wanted (not needed) a 388 WM since I started messing with rifles back in the 1960's. I finally found a used M70 Supergrade several years ago. The previous owner had done some rather poor tinkering with it that needed a good bit of experienced "untinkering" to fix. It all finally came together to produce a very accurate, safe, and shootable rifle. The recoil is right frisky and can be fairly uncomfortable on the bench.

It does not seem to be too finicky when it comes to bullets. I have shot a fairly wide range of weights and brands from it with good results. I finally settled on 210 Barnes TSX for an elk hunt. The elk died very nicely at just under 300 yards. That is about as far I like to shoot anything and frequently practice at that distance at my range.

I am glad I got the 338WM. It is accurate, manageable, and speaks with authority. I do not, however, need that much power for most of my hunting. I will probably even try another one of my rifles if I go after elk again. A very pretty 30/06 or a nice Mauser in 35 Whelen come to mind.

about ten years ago i shot a young elk at basically point blank range using 210 grain partitions about three times as he stood there and looked at me. I think they were just pencil holing through. My understanding by the way, is there isn't much difference between a 300 win mag with 200's and a 338 until you move up to the 250grain bullets they were originally designed for. I do have to say mine is accurate with just about anything i load for it. I put a decelerator pad on it and recoil is not objectionable. One that i did find bad was a ruger lightweight plastic stock rifle i was sighting in for a guy, loosened my teeth. And I do think it has a sharper recoil than the .375

PRO: It kills stuff

CON: Then you gotta haul it somewheres

Leighton, that wood is very old cypress, it darkens with age.

The story on that elk was....after two wilderness pack in hunts with no elk to show for it in Idaho (DIY) and in the Madisons (guided, poorly) in Montana, I hunted out of Wheatland WYO, after a stopover at Cheyenne's house.

very civilized, cabin with stove and fireplace....beats hell out of a tent. drove to different ranches every day, sometimes pulling horse trailer, sometimes just walking from the truck.

we were afoot in the foothillls of the Laramies when we bumped this bull and his herd in a driving snowstorm....they winded us and moved across our front down from some rougher stuff into rolling brush about three or four feet high. We saw them but they didn't see us and slowed down after a while and we were able to get the wind right and follow them, bent over so we didn't stick up above the sage.....they all sat down except for a couple of cows on the far side from us. This old boy had a buttload of cows, and two ambitious looking 5x5 hangers on, and they were spread out in the brush. Well, of course, I nearly stepped on a cow who jumped up and hollered and then elk started springing up out of the brush every where. It had stopped snowing so you could see better and I was desperately looking for the bull....the right one....because we knew when they ran this time that would be all she wrote.

He stood up, I had to shoot from these folding shooting sticks because of the brush, guessed it at 300, wind in my face, shot him and he fell. Pulled out the rangefinder and lasered it at 330....long ass shot for me not off a rock.

while we're high fiving, the horns start moving above the brush and damned if he doesn't stand up...wobbly but alive...at this point the cows and his two former lieutenants are headed for the tall uncut and he tried to follow. Wouldn't have made it far, but I shot him again and finished him.

spent the next two days getting an antelope and a couple of 'yotes. and yes, the .338 way overpenetrates on coyotes.

What DDan said.

Been using one as a go to for many years. I've never used it out of state but my personal list of critters bagged keeps growing

Brown bear, Sheep, Moose, Caribou, Sitka deer (may have left that door open for someone ) Coyotes, Wolves, and a bus load of Black bear.

It will take a 180 grain pill to 3,250 and a 275 grainer to 2,600. Not too many critters that will stand that range of bullet offerings. It is a very accurate round for the most part and I have never had to fiddle around overly much in working up a decent load.

I have never felt under gunned while carrying it in thickets or in the open...

It is not the "perfect" rifle for a sheep or goat hunt, nor would it be an "absolute stopper" for critters weighing as much as a school bus.

It does "kill stuff" with regularity...

eh76,

My goodness, you've shot some very nice elk! Thanks for sharing.

heh....that's kind of like saying Dale Jr. drives fast.

I bought my Ruger M77RS 338 WM in 1983. I wanted something with more diameter and weight than the 270 WCF M77 to cover the larger animals I hoped to hunt in North America.
At the time, the only larger "mid bore" on the market was the Winchester M70 in 375 H&H. Those were significantly more money than the Rguer.
Articles by Jim Carmichel and the Guns& Ammo "Big Bore Rifles" special edition helped convince me that the 338 was the cartridge to fill that spot.
Admittedly I've only used it on a half dozen or so deer, and a bull elk in Cuba, New Mexico October 1994. One 225gr "X" bullet over 74gr IMR 4831 and CCI 250 dropped the bull attmpting to make his getaway.
Dad's bull taken the next morning took a 225gr. "X" through the heart/lungs and when he turned Dad put one from stem to stern dropping him right there.

The only drawbacks are the weight of 9lbs all up, which makes it less appealing than my Kimber Montana in 300 WSM. Those 2lbs. make a lot of difference after a number of days.
I'd like to try an 8400 Montana in 338 Win Mag.

I bought one because I looked at it as a slightly overgrown 30-06. It seems like a well-balanced chambering that doesn't need a lot of barrel length to make reasonable speeds. As most of what I hunt includes deer and hogs, I was looking mostly at the 200-210gr stuff with the notion to run things somewhere between 338-06 levels and full-house 338WM levels. I was also able to find a good stainless 700 barreled action and a factory laminated handle that fit me well. With the longer magazine box of the 700, I have a lot of room to play with seating depth and am currently running RL15 and 200gr bullets at 2,850fps for 338-06AI +P performance from my cut-down 22" factory barrel. It's pretty easy to shoot and should impress the stuff I plan to hit with it.

Way cool. Man, one of these days I MUST chase elk. Thanks a bunch for the story, Mr. Man. And that cypress is pretty stuff indeed. Wonder how many years of pipe and cigar smoke have helped it age/mature along the way. If walls could speak, right?

it's got 112 years and counting on it.

My experience with the .338 has been Africa,I had the gun in my hand for 8 days....kilt stuff fine,from Impala to Kudu with several Zebra thrown in.The 225 NP is your bullet.

Any more .338 bear stories out there?