Perhaps this is premature. I had to send my 338 RCM in for repairs and it won't be back in time for elk season. I got to thinking the long term prospects for this cartridge are anything but certain. SOOOOO, naturally I got to thinking perhaps a new rifle may be in the offing. I have a pile of 338 RCM brass and bullets; I could continue to reload for quite some time. On the other hand, I would not object to a shiny new toy for elk. What do you elk killers like in the 338 flavor? 338-06, 338 fed, or 338 WM? I would like to hear your reasons for your choices!!

Cheers,
Doc

I take my elk each year with a 6.5 & the Barnes 120gr TSX , complete pass thru..I realize this is hard to imagine for some one who shoots a large bore. A hunting buddy & his son use a 270 with the Barnes 130tsx & take elk cleanly with complete pass thru. Another friend uses a 7-08 with the Barnes 140gr TSX. Same results . Dead elk , one shot kills. It's about a tough deep penetrating bullet properly placed. These above cal's work with the bullets mentioned. There are ton's of used 270's available at great prices. Try one & see for your self.

If I wanted to stick with a .338 caliber and with your concern about long term prospects, I'd go with the .338 Win Mag and be done with it. It will do anything you might want and brass should be available for quite some time. No .338 cartridge is a big seller these days, so I would think the Win Mag would be the last one to go away. I'll not try to convince you that you can go to a smaller caliber since I'm sure you already know that. Personally, I love the 338WM for elk.

And it is no big thing to load a 338WM to 338-06 power levels. Accuracy can be good and you don't have to spend the money for a custom. Used 338WM rifles probably don't have the bores shot out.

How soon is your impending elk season? If you are running out of time and don't have a backup rifle, I would keep it simple and get something like a 30-06, 300 Win Mag, or 7mm Rem. Mag (or anything else you like that is fairly common and you deem adequate). That way, you would be able to find ammo easily and locally. Was your .338 scoped? If so, did you keep it? If so, you could drop that on the new rifle. You already know this, but you would need to find ammo that shoots well in your new rifle, which sometimes involves some guesswork and trial and error.

338 Win Mag. Readily available, lots of great 338 diameter bullets out there and as JPro said, you can always load it down a notch.

I do have a back up rifle; my trusty Ruger 77 in 7mm RM. I took my first 2 elk with this rifle. I bought the RCM because I was looking for a hard-hitting caliber in a short package. I really liked the RCM but
I have a bad feeling I'm going to get bad news from Ruger.

I wouldn't give up on Ruger just yet! I have sent a couple of rifle back to them for repair and stock replacement. Took more time in shipping ground then at the Ruger repair shop. I stepped up in caliber. My main elk rifle is a 375 Ruger Guide Gun and my back-up is my Remington 721 300 H&H.

This.


Okie John

"Elk killer"? Since you asked: 338WM. Hands down...

As several have said.....338 WM. A common factory round, in various bullet types and weights. Plenty of power ....without excessive recoil. Easy to load, from .338 Federal velocities to near .340 Weatherby performance.....what’s not to like! memtb

338 Win Mag. Common, generally not fussy and still reasonable to shoot if built right. Somebody on this forum convinced me to cut the barrels down to 22” on my two 338s. 😂 One got the chop, the other is getting rebarreled in a shilen #2. Like the new length so far.

Well said & never look back......................at one time I had 4 338's. It's a great cartridge.

MM

And.....for deer, antelope, bear, moose! Not so great for waterfowl! memtb

Yeah, ain't a hard choice. Ammo is on the shelf and most of them will shoot well if you can handle them. If you load your own, a 200 Accubond or Ballistic Tip at 2900 will do alot of work and not pound the shooter much more than a decent 30-06.

My 7mm RM has killed more elk than all my other rifles combined. You already have one so you should be ready to go for elk season.

If getting another .338, I'd go with the WM and never look back.

Agreed. I've used all kinds of .338 caliber rifles, loved them all. Awhile back, I had to sell off everything I owned just to pay taxes...another story. I replaced my treasures with a 7x57 Mod 70 FWT and an older Ruger 77 tang safety .338 WM. I handload ( when I finally get some time/discretionary funds) and will do as JPro and others have done...I'll start out with a 200 NBT (or similar) going anywhere from 2800-2900 and go from there. I do "like to have" a heavy bullet crusher load for the timber and runaway circus elephants (breaks my heart to see them worried to death by 9mm Glocks!).so the 250 Noslers( both PT & AB) will get pushed hard for that. If you like to play around with wildcats, look at the .338 Sherman LA round! Have a ball dude!

Thanks for all the replies. JPro, I hadn't thought of reduced loads for a WM, thanks for the idea. I had some time to do a little window shopping (the internet is truly wonderful). I really liked the Montana Rifle Co's x3.
I"m still hanging on to the 7mm for nostalgic reasons.

Doc

The 7mm will make a good “doorstop”....though a little light! memtb

Yessir, and were I to start over with my 338's, they'd be loaded full throttle 2900+ fps accurate with 225 gr TTSX's for all game, including elk to 500 yards.

I would go with a .338WM and a properly fitted (to your LOP) McMillan classic stock with a decelerator recoil pad (the recoil pad should be included in the LOP). Load it with 210-225 grainers.

I like the .338 RUM and the .340 Wby. Both of them can shoot a 250 grain bullet at 2900+ fps or the 210 grain at 3100+ fps.

Yeah, but not all of us are built like an armored personnel carrier. ; ]

I favor the 338/06 over all the rest. And I have owned the 338 Win mag and the 340 Weatherby, and over that, I have made several 338 Laupas and one 338/378 Weatherby. None of them fit the bill for an elk rifle (to me) as well as the 338/06 let alone better. I have owned several. And I have killed elk with that cartridge. I have no complaints at all. I like the 2 rounds more the magazine holds, the fact that I can get top velocity from a 21 inch barrel, the gun can weight less and still not kick very hard, and the accuracy has been excellent.

I have a 338 Win Mag, but if I didn't I would have a 35 Whelen hands down (sorry not a .33 per subject request) . That cartridge hits like a sledge hammer. Makes a big hole and would in my opinion be a better all around large game medium bore for all of North America and anywhere else for that matter.

That one's all yours Brudda.

I’m surprised that the .338/06 wasn’t brought out as a factory cartridge prior to the .338 Federal. As suggested, the 338/06 crowds the WM in performance, while gaining a round in the magazine! memtb

Doc,

I also have a 338 RCM.
I made the choice for the rifle based upon the ergos and the way the rifle is set up, open sights and all.

Before I made the purchase, I did have some concerns about brass availability myself. Therefore, i had some owners of the little Ruger test the fitment and cycling of the somewhat larger WSM brass with the thought that if the RCM brass was ever an issue I could simply rechamber to the 338 WSM Wildcat and carry on.

Since then, I've acquired nearly 500 pieces of 338 RCM brass and for me availability issue is a non issue.

If in the future, those who inherent this rifle need brass, then the WSM brass will still be a very viable option.

I'll also add, as far as I know, Ruger is still chambering their Guide Gun rifle in 338 RCM, so being that's the case, I believe that there won't be a shortage of available brass anytime soon, if ever.

I'd be curious as to what the problem is concerning the RCM Rifle that it is at the factory with potential bad on the way.

A 225g AccuBond at 2742fps accounted for a nice cow at 487 yards. In and out.

NICE, congrats, and thanks for the info.

My 338-06 might be the only gun I own that will be buried with me. Shooting 210 gr partitions, I'm confident in facing down anything I'm likely to come up against, and it's excellent on elk

Sounds good CH. Good luck this year. My season starts in 12 days!!!!!!

My 338-06 might be the only gun I own that will be buried with me. Shooting 210 gr partitions, I'm confident in facing down anything I'm likely to come up against, and it's excellent on elk

bsa1917hunter, Best of Luck on your season! May it be a memorable and successful one! memtb

as has been suggested by many buy a 338 Win. Mag. easy to find ammo and is a great accurate cartridge.good luck,Pete53

I’d not get rid of my .338WM for any other .338 chambering. If it won’t do it (assuming proper bullet placement) it can’t be done. Ammo is available everywhere and it’s got the staying factor considering it’s 6 decades old already.

358wsm,
My rifle always shot <1 MOA with my handloads up until July, I noticed the groups were closer to 1.5-2" at the end of a shooting session. I cleaned the barrel with copper solvent and tried an old batch of ammo a few weeks later. To my horror, the groups were 5" at 100 yd. I had a friend look at it and he found the main lug screw had come loose. He tightened it back up to factory specs. I took it shooting and the first group was ok but opened up afterward. Factory ammo was even worse. I had the rifle checked again and the screw had come loose. Retightened it, used lock tite red this time, but still no luck. I sent the rifle to Ruger almost a month ago and have not heard anything.

I read on an earlier post the RCM's can have problems with the stock cracking if not bedded properly. I did not think to check the stock, but I'm guessing this may be the case. I have put about 700 rounds through it in the past 4 years just playing around with it. Who knows, it may just be worn out.

I am sitting on a large cache of 338 bullets, thus my interest in staying with that caliber. In addition, the midbore size allows me to take shots from pretty much any angle with predictable results. OTOH, I can completely understand the appeal of something smaller, provided it will get the job done in a humane manner.

I don't get to go elk hunting often, but when I do I don't want to worry about having enough gun.

Actually............I would keep your money in your pocket and load up some 175grain Partitions to near 3000fps using Reloder 26.
My rifle likes 68 grains for 2990fps and tiny groups. Please work up from below.
Then, think Bob Hagel when you align the cross hairs.

John

Thanks Doc,

It'll be interesting to learn of what the folks at Ruger discover.
Seems to me that there is a workable solution in the mix somewhere.
I'd like to know what happens in the end concerning this little RCM.
I doubt that 700 rounds wore it out, but what a perfect candidate for a rebore and rechamber to 358-WSM.

Were it me, and I was starting over trying to choose a rifle for Elk size game, I would lean heavy toward a Winchester Model 70 FWT Classic in either 270 Win or 30-06 and have that baby rebored (or rebarreled-depending) to 338-06 and dropped into an McEDGE stock.

You'd never have to worry about having enough gun if going with the 338-06 (but I do hope everything works out with the little RCM).

Seeing as you have all that brass, I have a SS 338 RCM Compact Magnum that I might be talked into selling if things don't work out with your rifle. Mine's even sitting in a McMillan Sako Classic stock.

This! Great choice. Mine really likes the TTSX 225gr..

Well, I heard from Ruger last week and it looks like I am getting a new barrel for the RCM. No word on the main lug coming loose. We'll see how it goes.

338-06 & RCM are identical.

Good luck.. With the new barrel.. I have fooled with the .338WM it didn;t do much for me.. Too much drop with heavy bullets and my .300 shot 200 grains faster.. I did try a 340, and still have it. Suppose I always will.. I like it better than the .338, but as some one said, the 7mm Mag. and 160 Noslers was one of Bob Hagel's favorites.. He forgot more than most shooter will ever know...

[quote What do you elk killers like in the 338 flavor? 338-06, 338 fed, or 338 WM? I would like to hear your reasons for your choices!!
] [/quote]

The .338 Win Mag is a bit too much recoil for my liking. The .30-06 and .308 Win brass will be around for ever....and since you're a reloader either of these will do the job nicely

The .338 Federal s a surprisingly fine cartridge....but it's future is also in doubt.....(but only for factory loads.....).

The .338-06 is easy as falling off a log for a reloader....it's powerful and .30-06 actions abound all over.......While it offers very little over the .338 Federal....it's still the king of the 338 calibers IMO.....
The .338-06 will kill elk as well as anything you can buy.....why suffer more recoil than necessary?.....

Put me in the 338-06 camp. With the 210gr TSX or NPT it has been absolutely stellar on 1/2 dozen elk. The 200gr Hornady SP is fantastic on deer/antelope.

Since the RCM is a ballistic copycat of the 338-06. I have no issues with it. But 338-06 logistics are much easier for me.

I have owned a few.
Model 700 Traded for a Pre 64
Model 7600 Sold it as my Dad can not tolerate the recoil anymore.
Springfield that was too heavy.
Mauser I never should have sold.
Model 70 FWT Sold to a very good friend and will buy back in a heart beat if he ever sells as I have first right of refusal.

My final, and last one, will be done shortly.
Model 70 Class stainless, #3 Shilen, 1:9 twist, 23" , McM Edge stock

I owned a 338WM in the late 90's. Shot a couple elk with it and it went down the road. Replaced by a 338-06.

No experience with the 338 Federal.

When you get your rifle back from Ruger, before shooting it, have it pillar bedded ( or whatever works best with Ruger actions, I like Pillars). If any movement is taking place in the original bedding, it won't take long to start unscrewing itself again, can even split the stock. It won't hurt anything and IF its still an issue after glass bedding, then its time to sell/trade off! I like the concept of the 338 RCM but I would rather have at least a 22" barrel, but I'm weird that way, ha.

That's just a plain old badass bullet Heym, with a decent B.C. for a mono to boot.

Ruger said it will be a month or so before they get they new barrel bored. Jim, I will look into having it bedded. Thanks for the suggestion.

Finally, a question for you reloaders: Do you think the old loads will perform about the same or will I have to start from scratch on a new load?

Try the old loads first. If they don't work then try new ones.

It will be a gamble. Treat it like a new rifle, which it is. (Gosh, I sounded like that killer in No Country for Old Men talking about the store owners "lucky coin".) ha
One isolated example...I had a wonderful, moderate, long case life load of 57gr/IMR4350/165X ( the original) for a 1917 Enfield sporter. I tried one shot in a rebarreled Mod 70 FWT Classic (Douglas, 30-06) and popped the primer! Didn't hurt anything...but it was a "thrill", ha. That rifle didn't like the X bullets at all. Too many dimensional differences between the two rifles. Just my .02 Pard...of course, a lot depends on how warm your existing loads really are, they may work just fine.

From a hand loaders standpoint, I'd start fresh. Don't risk doing damage to your rifle and having to send it back to Ruger.. I'd also do like someone else suggested and glass bed that rifle. You don't need pillars though, just use a good bedding compound and you'll be golden. From my experience, it will shrink group size down by 1/2 on a m77, and also help to keep it from cracking the stock during recoil...

338 win mag. For many, the ultimate elk cartridge. Load it up or down, she can hit to any field.