Author Topic: .338 Winchester Magnum (Read 3867 times)

Arizona Jake · « **on:** December 06, 2003, 04:38:13 PM »

If there is one overall cartridge for North America, I propose the .338 Winchester Magnum as the model, just as the .375 H&H is the overall cartridge for Africa.

I believe that a .338 Win. Mag. loaded with Barnes 210 grain XLC coated bullets to a velocity approximating 3,000 is all that is necessary for anything in the Americas, or Asia and Europe.

Comments. opinions? :toast:

Thomas Krupinski · « **Reply #1 on:** December 07, 2003, 07:00:52 AM »

Sounds completly adequate, however how many mulies do you need to pass through on a single shot. I am sure it is a great cartridge, the only thing I have against it is that I don't happen to have a rifle chambered for it. Love to have one though!

However I will vote for one that I do have a chambering for, my .35 Whelen. Not as much power as your .338, but I think I can get the job done with it.

Relatively inexpensive and real easy to make cases for and to load. Have one in an old sportized '03 Springfield that is my favorite heavy rifle. I tend to stay with cartridges based on the old '06

lgm270 · « **Reply #2 on:** December 07, 2003, 02:37:49 PM »

A great rifle. I love my .338. A perfect round for a someone who does not like to chase wounded animals. Huge blood trails.....usually very short huge blood trails. At long range it is great. The slugs go through both sides and leave them bleeding from two holes. My .270 is a grea deer round, but at longer ranges it did not always exit and did not leave a blood trail. I never lost an animal I hit, but with the .338 they're a lot easier to find and there is a difference in killing power with the larger, heavier bullet.

onesonek · « **Reply #3 on:** December 08, 2003, 01:49:39 AM »

For an "only" rifle, for "all" North American big game. The .338 win. gets my vote. IMHO, I believe it is the best, since the 30-06. The 338 is an efficient round, in a caliber with excellent bullet selection.

Big Hext Finnigan · « **Reply #4 on:** December 08, 2003, 04:30:53 AM »

It's a great rifle, but I don't own one anymore.
My days of hunting big game are over, for now.. gotta keep track of the kid and all.

In fact, I'm selling my 300 Win. I love the fast, hard hitting rifles, but hill country deer don't need that kind of muscle.

Adios,

Lawdog · « **Reply #5 on:** December 14, 2003, 10:19:12 AM »

To me the .338 Win. Mag. is one cartridge that belongs in everyone's safe. As far as big game goes for North America I don't think one could do much better. It is one of the most popular cartridges in Alaska for the use on the big bears. I have found that they are easy to reload and not at all finicky when it comes to loads. Shoots most anything you put in it very well. Lawdog

Ron T. · « **Reply #6 on:** December 17, 2003, 11:18:47 AM »

I hunted with my pre-64 Model 70 Winchester in .338 Win. Mag. since 1960, using mostly the 210 grain Nosler Partition Bullet in front of 75 grains of IMR4350 a maximum load that shot 3 shots into about 1 inch @ 100 yards off the bench rest.

I never had any game, from mulies in Colorado to a big moose in Canada, that I shot with the .338 move more than 20 yards BUT while I liked the performance of the rifle and round, I never liked shooting it off the bench rest due to its heavy recoil. In fact, after about 16 or 17 rounds off the bench, it became a MISERABLE test-of-endurance and my Model 70 Alaskan Winchester weighed 10.5 lb. including its scope and sling.

Since Im older now and only hunt whitetails out of my hunting buddys mountain cabin in Pennsylvanias Moshannon State Forest I retired the big Winchester and now use a Savage Model 99 (a like-new looking 1953 EG model) in .300 Savage.

I can shoot that slick little lever-action rifle off the bench all day long and go home with my shoulder still in one piece. My handloads consistently chronograph a muzzle velocity of 2680 fps & yields ¾ of an inch, 3-shot groups. My hunting load uses a 150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip, boat-tailed bullet in front of 41.5 grains of IMR4895 sparked by a Winchester standard large rifle primer in Winchester cartridge cases. This is a maximum load and may NOT be safe in your rifle, so if you wanna try it, work up to this MAXIMUM load SLOWLY!

I agree the .338 Winchester magnum is enough rifle for any North American game but, frankly, from my personal experience, its MORE rifle than most folk ever need especially if you like shooting a lot off a bench-rest.

Strength & Honor

Ron T.

Jim n Iowa · « **Reply #7 on:** December 27, 2003, 02:02:22 PM »

I bought one a couple of years ago in hopes of going up north for Moose, west for Elk and Alaska for Brown's. So far it has gone on a couple white tail hunts in neighboring states. I have fired over 500 thru it working out with various loads and have it down to 1.5" max consistantly at a 100yds. It will leave you shaken after a few at the bench, so I had a muzzel brake put on, and now its a pup to shoot on the bench. Here in Iowa at this time of the year coyote hunting is where I am at, and we have a lot of wind so the 338 is always along in case it gets to bad for the 243. Mine is a Ruger m77 with a Baush&Lomb 4000 Elite 2.5x10 with a trigger at 2.5lbs. And there are all wts of bullets to load for it, for which it seems to digest well.
Jim

Yukon Jack · « **Reply #8 on:** December 27, 2003, 08:45:32 PM »

I don't get the recoil reports I'm seeing here. Different strokes for different folks I guess. I've owned several 338's and never thought the recoil to be much more than full house 30'06 or 270 Wiuncester loads. That is from classic stocked 8 to 9 lb rifles. I've often shot 30 or 40 shots during a day outing at the range, alternating between a 7mm Mauser, the 338, a 300, and others.

I have witnessed the dramatic difference between the killing effect on large animals like moose and bear between the 338 and the various ohter smaller cartridges. While offerings like the 7mm Mag, 308, 30'06 do kill moose very well, there is a noticeable difference in the effect of those and something like the 338.

The 2 most accurate 338's I've owned were a Ruger No.1 (that I still have) that shoots a few different midweight loads into 5/8 to 3/4" at 100 yards, and a Weatherby Mark V that I sold once upon a time which would shoot nearly any reasonable load sub MOA, and two loads into roughly 1/2 to 5/8" at 100 yards.

It is a grand cartridge, but I don't know if its needed if Alaska is not in the equation. It should be called the 338 Alaskan Express.

Lawdog · « **Reply #9 on:** December 28, 2003, 10:10:02 AM »

Yukon Jack,

I couldn't agree with you more about the recoil of the .338 Win. Mag.. I never seen it as all that bad either. But at my size I tend to soak up recoil like a bar towel soaks up spilled beer.

Quote

It is a grand cartridge, but I don't know if its needed if Alaska is not in the equation. It should be called the 338 Alaskan Express.

You hit it on the head as if I remember right when Winchester first released the .338 magnum the rifle they chambered it for was their M70 "Alaskan". I had one and let it slip away(DUMB) :roll: . If I ever find one again in excellent shape I won't be so stupid again. Lawdog

Ron T. · « **Reply #10 on:** December 31, 2003, 03:46:08 PM »

I agree with Yukon Jack

The .338 Win. Mag. should be called the Alaskan Express cause Alaska holds most all of the game that needs the .338s power. An exception would be a big grizzly outside Alaska and, of course, the Great White Bear but anything short of those two big bears can be taken with reasonable bullet placement from a .30/06 using 180 or 200 grain Nosler Partition Bullets and a heavy load of IMR4350 or a .35 Whelen or a .338/06.

LAWDOG sorry, my friend, but my retired highly-customized Winchester Model 70 Alaskan (26 barrel) rifle that I bought in either 1959 or 1960 has my name engraved on the barrel, just above the chamber in calligraphy script. I had that done at the Grand American Trap Shoot in Vandalia, Ohio, in the early 1960s by a well-known engraver who annually attended The Grand in those days. The engraving is gold-filled and while the engraving and the name give a very attractive custom look to the rifle for all practical purposes, the engraving eliminates its market value to all except my heirs.

And thats where the rifle is going to one of my two sons both of whom love hunting.

They can toss for it after I go to that Great Hunting Ground in the Sky. However, I wonder if either one will want it since each of them already has a 7mm Remington Magnum rifle one a Winchester new model 70 with a black all-weather stock and a 26 barrel and the other with a pristine Remington 700 BDL with a 24 barrel with a extra grade wooden stock. Both rifles have 3x-9x variable scopes mounted on them as does my own pre-64 Model 70 that has an older, high-quality Redfield 3x-9x variable mounted on it.

I salute those of you who can withstand the recoil of the .338 Win. Magnum off the bench rest with such ease for I can not. But for me the original short cartridge, the capable .300 Savage (introduced in 1920) in my Savage Model 99 butter-smooth leverl-action rifle does everything I now need to have done.

My now-4 decade old dream of hunting the huge Kodiak Bear and the great White Bear of the ice cap is now a faded impossibility... far too much money and far too much physical capability (for me) is needed to properly do the hunt. But with my .338 Alaskan Model 70 Winchester, maybe my sons

Ahhhh, but that is yet another dream to be dreamed another possibility to be realize :wink:

Strength & Honor

Ron T.

338 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 10, 2004, 07:38:04 AM »

I love my .338 with 200grn Nosler Ballistic tips. Never lost an animal yet to this caliber. :grin:

BS · « **Reply #12 on:** February 10, 2004, 11:01:00 AM »

338,

So what have you shot with the 200 grainers?

I would think that they would DESTROY a deer sized critter!

I have used them on woodchucks!

What a BLAST!

I am looking for a smaller varmit rifle!!!!!!

338 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 10, 2004, 01:10:19 PM »

BS, i've shot more deer than I can count on all my fingers and toes with my 338, plus a few woodchucks. I initally bought the gun for a Quebec caribou hunt I went on many years ago. I used 230grn failsafes for that hunt. When I got back I could not just leave the gun in my safe, so I developed the 200grn Nosler Ballistic tip load for deer. I only hunt the first few opening days up north in michigan(rifle zone) on a friends 250 acre farm. He always leaves me a mountain of hay bales to hide in in the middle of about a 90 acre field. My average shot on deer there is 120yds. With that distance the bullet losses alot of velocity, so the 200grn bullet doesn't explode on contact. Now, I would not recomend using that bullet 50yds or less. Cause yes it will destroy alot of meat if you don't hit the vitals. Hunting the open field I have alot of time to set uo for the perfect shot. I shoot alot of deer every year so i've learned not to rush my shots(discipline :wink: ).

The Bonz · « **Reply #14 on:** June 02, 2004, 11:13:40 AM »

I would say the .388 Win is a great round, I wanted one earlier in life after I figured my .300 Win Mag was not all I wanted. I like the heavy bullets, and I want a good diameter as well. I did what I thought was one better than a .388 Win and that is a .35 Whelen Imp. Without question I can better factory ballistics for the .338 and by the look of things, I am even with .338 handloads. I shoot a 225 barnes X or 250 anything and am at 2750 fps and 2650 fps respectively. With the 225gr. Barnes XLC, I am way over 2800 fps, safely none the less. It uses about 20% less powder, however recoil may be similar because I still feel that the ultimate determining factors in recoil are bullet wt and velocity of that bullet leaving the gun. My Whelen hits hard on both ends, and with the 250's at full steam, they get your attention at the bench. A calculation shows around 31 lbs of recoil force with the Whelen and 250's. Happy Hunting!
Bonz.

supermag 445 · « **Reply #15 on:** June 07, 2004, 09:12:39 AM »

I would like to add one to this list. The 8mm rem mag It can do anything the 338 can and is better at longer range. No I don't have one yet but it's a custome job in the making.

I do have a 338 win mag and do love in a ruger m77. Its not finniky with handloads as it digests everything very well.

Brian

The Bonz · « **Reply #16 on:** June 07, 2004, 09:25:28 AM »

The 8mm mag is a thumper! Saw a guy shoot one from the bench and watched his scapula pop back and forth with every shot. Load one of those with a good 200 grain Barnes X or so and watch things come to a halt in a hurry. I shoot a .300 Win and get 3050 fps with 180 Barnes X bullets. I have wondered even with a 200gr X out of the 8mm mag, would I get any more velocity than my .300 Win Mag when it is shooting the 180 X. Any thoughts? The sectional density would be similar, so only an energy difference of some amount would be the difference in performance, and at that would it be a large amount once you get out to 300 or 400 yds where the magnums really shine?
Bonz.

Lawdog · « **Reply #17 on:** June 07, 2004, 09:48:24 AM »

supermag 445,

The only real major drawback that I can see to the 8mm Remington Magnum is ammo availability. I almost bought one a while back off a friend(complete package including rifle(M700 BDL reworked), scope, dies, brass and components. But a Weatherby Mark V Deluxe in .460 has been put on the market and I am dickering for it so the money is needed for the Weatherby instead. Oh well, I guess you cant have your cake and eat it too. Small groups and tight lines to you. Lawdog

aulrich · « **Reply #18 on:** July 30, 2004, 12:56:07 PM »

I love my 338 as well, but the big problem with it is finding a bullet with the right balance. When you get a head that expands (in a deer) it's like a grenade has gone off , or it wistles though ( deer size game).

Once on a whitetail buck I lost most of a front and a rear quarter to one shot I hit both the fron and rear leg bone. To save meat you have to be as careful as if you were shooting a 243 win. Last year I tried 225 partitions a Mulie doe that I double lunged at 30 long step ran for 200 yards but it droped a cow elk in it's tracks.

The 338 is still my primary rig but I picked up a 243 for PD's, Yotes and Does. I do need to try the 210 partitions again they maybe better for my situation where it is mostly deer and sometimes bigger. Doing some cleaning I had found some leftovers.