Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Recoil - 300Win vs 338Win

I'm not much on the big magnums. My case of magnumitis was cured by a 300Mag BAR. Currently my largest rifle is a 7mmRM and the only mag I actually enjoy shooting is a 257Wby. That being said, I have read on a few threads here recently where some people say the recoil of the 338Win is different from and preferable to the recoil of the 300Win.

What say those of you who have used both?

I don't figure I'll ever have any need for a 338Win, but I'd hate to pass one up because of recoil if I found a great deal.

In mine, the 300 Win's have a quick shove, where the 338 Mag seems to be more of a push...

Neither one will kill you;but both require another level of concentration and muscle tension above that needed for a 30/06 class cartridge.With top end loads,either will bite a bit.

Folks say the 300 kicks faster and sharper,and with 200 gr bullets,the 338 is gentler...generally this is true, but start cranking full house 250 gr loads through an 8.5 pound 338,and the 300 gets to feeling pretty good.

Yes, the 338WM is much more pleasant to fire. In fact, some years back I had a Brno 602 in 375H&H Mag and a friend had the identical rifle in 300WM (so they were about the same weight). I could shoot the 375 off a bench rest all day long, but would only have a few shots of the 300 before it became too unpleasant - due to the sharper recoil of course.

I tend to agree on the "fast" recoil issue and have now had only one .300 Winny, then I re-tubed it to .338WM.

I have or had rifles in .300 H&H, less kick than any .338 I have shot, .308Norma, the "best" .300 Mag. IMO and fine to shoot, the Winnie, not bad and hardly different from the Norma and I have shot a few .300 Bee rifles, which seem to me to kick harder than the .338WMs.

I think that the differences in rifles, tend to make more difference in perceived recoil than the difference between the .300 and .338 Win. Mags and I find little difference in the 180-200 and 210-225 weights in these rounds. However, my loads that give an honest 2800 fps-mv from my P-64 Alaskans 25" bbls. with the 250 NP, SGK and HIL slugs, are harsher than the .300s to my nerves, anyway.

A big variable is rifle fit and weight. A well fitted rifle in a larger caliber may well have less perceived recoil than a smaller caliber rifle that doesn't fit well.

Thanks guys. Appreciate the input. For my type of hunting, whitetails, I don't think I need to rush out and buy one. However, if a smoking deal comes by on one I might just have to give it a whirl.

I've noticed in my 300 Win Mags, that the 'sharp' or fast recoil, are at least eliminated in mine.. If I use powders such as 4895, 4064 or RL 15 with a load...same powders I burn in the 338 Mag..

on the flip side, with the comparison of shooting a 375 posted by our Australian member, if I run my 300 Win Mag load of H1000 ( over book load) with a 220 grainer, for some reason, the recoil doesn't seem as quick either...

so my personal conclusion, it isn't necessarily the cartridge or the rifle, but characteristics of the powder most commonly used, and the volume of it being used...tying in how that pressure curve works out at that volume...

nothing scientific, just speculation after working with it over the years..

Below is a photo of my Rugers in .300WM and .338WM. Although the stocks are the same, there are some differences:

1. .338WM has a 22� fluted barrel with iron sights vs. the .300WM 24� non-fluted barrel without sights.
2. The .300WM has an aftermarket, cushiony recoil pad vs. the factory tire tread on the .300WM.


I still find the .300WM more pleasurable to shoot.

FWIW, I don't notice much recoil difference between a 200gr .300 @2950fps and a 225gr .338 @2900fps. My .338 (a Sako AV Classic) is probably a half-pound heavier than my .300 (Rem 700 in a Brown Precision Kevlar stock).

I would agree with this. At one time I had both a Sako and Ruger 77 in .338WM. The Sako's stock design was different and didn't fit me right. It was very unpleasant to shoot. The Ruger, which I still have, is no problem.

I'm going against he general consensus here, as a 338 Win bothers me a heckuva lot more than a 300 Win. I had a 9 lb scoped 338 Win in a M70 Classic that was quite unpleasant for me to shoot. I currently have two 300 Win's (a 700 and a pre-64 M70) that both weigh right at 8 1/2 lbs scoped. The M70 is a joy to shoot, the 700 has a tad more oomph but the stock doesn't fit me as well.

Rifles are kind of like women, we've all got different tastes and there is no one-size-fits-all.

I always thought it was odd that so many people remark how the .338 is more pleasant to shoot than the .300 because the recoil isn't as "sharp"; and then so many also say that the .338 is much easier to shoot with lighter bullets- which basically turns it into a .300...

In my .338, factory Federal 180 Accubonds are a lot more friendly than factory Federal 225 Accubonds. I've never shot a .300.

Personally I can't tell the difference between the 338 WM and 300 WM.

I CAN tell the difference with a 300 WSM. Its the "mild-mannered-magnum."

A .338 was the was the first medium bore I ever fired and I was surprised how mild it was. I can't tell a whole of difference between a .338 and a .300 especially with heavier bullets in the .300.

The 338 with 200 grain bullets is one thing. However, loaded with 250 grain bullets at full pressures, it is a beast in an 8 lb rifle.

It's all relative. I spend a lot of time with my .375 Wby and larger stuff so a .338 is pretty mild to me. I know guys who think a .458 Lott is mild cause they shoot the really big stuff. I don't consider the Lott to be mild, BTW. FWIW though, a .338 with 250 gr bullets is closer to a .375 H&H than a .300 Win Mag.

I agree with Seafire's description. Here I am talking 180 grain loads in the .300 mags and 225 grain loads in the .338.

I find the .338 more pleasant to shoot.

I used to have a 300 win in Rugur tang safety-- easy to shoot with max loads 180's @ 3120fps...recoil was not bad at all. I have a rem 700 bdl ss in 338 win and with 225's nudging 2880-2900 fps it has a pretty good bite.

Gotta say after shooting many of both, both ill-fit and well fit, I find this to equal my notions as well, especially when compared to the 30/06 recoil class, which excepting blast, I feel the 7RM is in.