Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Recoil thread has me thinking: Tell me about the .338 WM

At my local shop somebody has traded in a Ruger 77 synthetic/stainless 338 WM. Now I have little to no use for one (yet) but I feel it would round out my rifle battery. I've never given recoil much thought before. Largest centerfire rifle I own is a m700 30-06. I've shot it exclusively for deer since I was 14-15 years old. After 15-20 rounds through it on the bench I admit, I can feel it.. (I'm about 150#) doesn't give me the flinches or anything but my shoulder does start getting a bit tender.

Skip to the 338WM- I feel I can get this rifle for a decent price..around 4-450. I would like to work up a load for it and shoot it a bit but never having shot anything of this size before, I wonder if buying it would be a waste of $ die to recoil and not shooting it much.

For those that shoot 338s regularly, how do you feel the recoil is compared to ..idk a 30-06 slinging 180s?

I'd hate to maybe have an unexpected brown bear hunt fall into my lap and not have the rifle

I hated the one I had, and that's the only reason I haven't bought the pre-64 338 in the classifieds. On the other hand, I love shooting 300 Win's.

Each person/gun is different. See if they'll let you take it to the range for a test drive if you buy a box of ammo from the store.

In my experience it recoils a lot more than a .30-06 throwing 180�s in same weight rifles, particularly if you go up to 225 or 250 grain bullets. I�ve shot Model 700 BDL�s in .30-06 for close to 40 years, that was my mainstay rifle for decades. For a while there a 180 grain Nosler Partition at 2750 fps was my go to load for everything big and small. It was fine to shoot. 50 rounds in a day's shooting session was pretty normal. It wasn't like shooting a .22 all day, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't painful or overly tiring.

Got a Model 700 BDL in .338 Win Mag so comparing apples to apples, and it flat out kicked. Not an insurmountable amount, but I did not find it pleasant or easy to shoot from the bench or from standard field positions. 15 to 20 rounds was more than enough practice. I was 5� 11� and around 175-180 for comparison. Lots of folks do shoot them well, depends on their physique, rifle weight, stock fit and all those other mitigating factors. And lots of folks will say, �hell, I shoot mine in shirtsleeves 500 rounds per day�, but they�re not you. You seem to like to shoot a lot, I do too, and based on your description of shooting the .30-06 I think you will find a .338 too much for real volume practice.

Besides, if you ask Phil Shoemaker I believe he would tell you your .30-06 is just fine for bears in case one happens to find its way into the garden.

Love mine. It's my go to rifle for African plains game. I've shot everything from Jackel to Eland with mine. I shoot handloads pushing a 225 Gr. Nosler Partition and it plain just hammers game. Recoil is a step up from a 30/06, but it certainly is less than my 375 H&H. Mine is a Rem. 700 BDL stainless/synthetic. It's on the light side for a .338 Win. Another nice thing about my gun is it shoots 225 gr. Hornady Interlocks to the same POI as the Noslers with the same powder charge.

My 338 weighs 8.5lbs and fits me well. I run 200gr bullets over 65gr of RL15 and recoil is not horrible. With a towel or sissy pad on my shoulder, it is no beast from the bench. I also worked up loads and sighted in my fathers M77 .338WM with 210's at 2,900fps. His is not bad either, especially after I had a Limbsaver installed. We have no need to run the heavier bullets and look at the 338WM as somewhat of an overgrown 30-06, making similar speeds with about 40-50gr more bullet.

Yep! My Ruger definitely needed a new pad, but that R15 recipe works and IME kicks much less than the 4350 loads I was using previous (65gr. vs 72gr). Don't know how fast mine's going, but it definitely gets a critters attention more with 200/210gr Noslers than my 30-06 with 165gr bullets. While it does recoil, I don't think it's as bad as 3" 12ga turkey or waterfowl loads. YMMV...

This may be a Mr. Obvious epiphany, but I think people have a certain recoil threshold, be it ft lbs of recoil energy, recoil velocity or both, with each person having a different limit. Up to that threshold, recoil is �not bad�, then suddenly you cross that threshold and it �kicks like hell�. For some, an 8 pound .375 is still below the threshold, for others a .30-06 might be over it. For me that 7 3/4 pound Model 700 .338 crossed the threshold. A 9 pound .375 H&H was still below it albeit coming close.

Based on shooting large calibers in heavy rifles (.458 WM, .375 H&H) vs. smaller, faster calibers in lighter rifles (think .300 WM or .338 WM) I tend to think it is more recoil velocity related. The big caliber, heavy rifles certainly rocked me � that �slow push� everybody talks about � but did not unduly punish individual body parts. The lighter rifles hit me with a solid jab in the shoulder that just plain hurt.

I�d never dissuade anyone from getting another rifle, but if you get the Ruger you might want to invest in a really good recoil pad. The recycled tank treads they put on their butt stocks are not known for recoil reduction.

I have a 338WM in a Vanguard Sum-Moa (one of the old models) and love it. Granted, the Vanguard is a little heavy but I also download mine for the time being. If you reload, you can safely start at 60% max load of H4895 (per Hodgdon) and work your way up until you're satisfied with muzzle velocity and/or recoil.

contrary to what some may think, you don't need to push every bullet to the brink of light speed to kill safely/humanely. Just my humble opinion of course...

Two identical rifles one in .300 wm one in .338 wm I would choose the .338 everyday.
More of a push than a snap.
I know this for a fact.

If the ought-six "almost" gives you issues, the 338 Win Mag most likely will. Of course, it's all relative to weight of the rifle, weight of the bullet, how hot it's loaded, etc. To put it in perspective, an 8 lb. 30-06 slinging a 180 gr. bullet generates about 20 ft. lbs. of recoil energy. An 8 1/2 lb. 338 Win Mag slinging a 225 gr. bullet can generate up to 35 ft. lbs of recoil energy. For many people, that's approaching the upper limit of tolerance. Of course, you can always install a muzzle brake. I have one that came with a Savage that I can turn on or off as desired, which sure helps the shoulder at the range.

35 ft/lbs huh? I never bothers to look up how much it generated... I really wish I knew someone close by that has a 338wm so I could give it a test run. Maybe what cfva recommended is worth a shot. The store might let me do that.

My thinking is this. Even if it gives me hell on the bench, I'm thinking that in a hunting situation, off hand, standing, sitting, whatever the situation calls for I don't think it will be nearly as bad. Just speaking from experience with my 06 here. I know that in actual field positions (which is how I do 95%big my practice) rifles don't seem to hurt nearly as bad as when shot hunkered over a bench. So with a good pad (not a muzzle brake fan) and a padded shirt/towel or something I would only have to put up with it off the bench for initial load development. After load development it wouldn't be shot off the bench again unless checking zero or switching loads.

If I can score it for the right deal, I think it would be worth a shot.

I posted a similar question not long ago and got some very useful opinions.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...0/Re_Recoil_300Win_vs_338Win#Post7217790

You're right, of course, about perceived recoil when hunting versus the bench. I have some very stout recoiling guns that can punish you at the bench. When hunting, I'm seldom aware of their recoil because I'm so focused on the shot. This can get you in trouble, too, occasionally. I was once so focused on making the shot on a big bear, which was about to exit the scene, that I held a .338 a little too loosely, and the hinge of a stupid flip-up scope cover bit me. I don't know who bled more -- me or the bear (which fell to the shot)... Anyway, it was a classic brain fart moment. I've since relegated all flip-up scope covers straight to hell, and take a bit more care with my stock-to-shoulder mount with big kickers.

My iPhone is substituting in some goofy chit...I apologize if it's tough to read lol.

I appreciate all if the input thus far...Im going to see if I can't weasel my way into that rifle...

You can always load it down, and go from there. 160 grainers can howl from that tube. 180's can be loaded down close to 30-06 velocities.

R.

Well, you don't have to run the thing full bore either, you know? A nice rifle like a Ruger can be restocked into a nice McMillan with some cast to it and at 8.5-8.75 lbs all up could be a nice hunting rifle. You could start with some 210s and hunt everything you'll ever want with that or throttle back some heavies so long as it's still accurate and I bet you'd be fine.

Good luck!

Many good comments and opinions in this thread.
My personal findings are:

First time I shot a centerfire hunting rifle was my friend's Ruger M77 tang-safety .30-06. OUCH! Must've been the factory stock.
Same day, a sporterized .30-06 Springfield with a metal buttplate. Hmmm. Not too bad!
Same day, my brand new 1989 Remington 700 BDL-AS 7mm Rem.Mag. WOW! I LIKE IT! The recoil was exactly what I wanted! It felt GOOD, no, GREAT!

Later I tried my other friend's same RUGER M77 in .338 Win.Mag. OUCH! It wasn't the recoil...as THAT actually UNDERwhelmed me. Now I knew it was the wood stock on those M77 tang-safety models.
Followed that with a 3" Magnum Slug by Winchester in my Beretta 1201FPG3 M&P semi-auto shotgun. YEAH! Now THERE'S some RECOIL~! Much more than the .338 WM.

Always wanting a .375 H&H, but never getting one, I traded off the Remington 700 BDL-DM .338 that I'd bought and was UNDERwhelmed with...for a Remington 700 BDL .375 ULTRA MAG.
HEY! This was like the Beretta shotgun with the slug...BAM!
Yes, Sir! I found my .375 with what I'm sure is a PAIN at BOTH ends! This rifle will let you know you fired a hard-kicking, fast-moving projectile.
I'd venture to say I'm one who actually ENJOYS recoil.

The .338 WM vs. the 7mm Rem.Mag. really puzzled me, as I didn't seem to notice a big difference.
There's a HUGE difference between those two and the .375 RUM, however.
ALL THAT SAID...the .338 Win.Mag. is one of the finest cartridges ever devised for hunting. I just don't like the idiot that introduced it to me. We're no longer friends, and that's pretty much why I gave it up, besides its UNDERwhelming recoil factor ( to me ).

I really should try the .375 H&H someday...I think I'm missing something of a legend there.

Good shopping & shooting!

That outfit may just be the PERFECT Alaska rig......impervious to weather and sufficiently powerful for the big bears.

That said, the .338 WM's recoil will get your attention, especially with the heavier 250-gr bullets loaded hot. In actual hunting conditions, I doubt you'll notice the recoil, but you can wear a PAST recoil shield under your jacket to mitigate the kick. In addition, the 210 Nosler may be the most useful bullet for the .338, and it kicks noticeably less than the 250 and works as well IME. Many have spoken favorably about the Barnes 180, but I can't say, as I've never gotten around to trying them.

I would jump on that rifle to fill out your battery for North American hunting.

I recently acquired a Winchester Model 70 classic sporter in 338 win mag. Having never shot one I was a little concerned with recoil but it was to good of a deal to pass up. I have shot a lot of 300's however my main hunting rifle is a Winchester Model 70 30-06. With that being said I thought that the 338 had no more noticeable recoil than my 30-06. I might also add that the 338 has the thin, red recoil pad supplied by Winchester. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised and found it to be a very shoot-able rifle.

I agree about getting the rifle.
Stock selection may be a consideration.
Light and fast(er) in a .338 WM may be a great solution to mitigating the recoil, if you're sensitive to that sort of thing.
My 'ex-buddy' used the 210-Nosler ( soft 's' in pronunciation, BTW ).
( This is the guy that blew up a RUGER Redhawk .44 and almost blew up a 1911 with his handloads...I NEVER shot his handloads!
His technique of reloading to save powder is well known to be the reason many guns and cannons have blown up...the primer shoots its spark over the top of the underloaded/low-powder charge and gives a 'shaped-charge' effect to your hand-held firearm.
OOPS.
Dangerous idea. Mike Venturino wrote a couple of articles about this, including smokeless poweder in a black powder rifle...if you didn't tamp the load down...your barrel ended up looking like a flower. )

I would look for the BIGGEST bullet and slowest powder, or whatever gave a nice, long, pushing BOOM!
Or, a .375 RUM. For a punishingly satisfying experience!