heres some common sense from a guy thats actually killed things. I tire of guys who claim there 270 is as good as a 7mag or there 7mag is as good as a 300 mag or a 338 is as good as a 375 and this goes on and on. The 338 was never intended to be a dangerous game stopping rifle. Its a fairly flat shooting gun thats a step up from the 300 mags at taking large thin skinned game like elk and moose or even big bear. Its not a gun for hunting elephant. Yes you can aruge that with a well placed shot it will kill anything on the planet but then so will a 22lr. So what! Thats hardly an argument for what is proper to use. Just speaking from my own opinion, and not regarding any laws or common practice.
The dangerous game animals need diameter more then anything else. Free flowing blood trails have such a great importance when following up Dangerous game that is going to do everything within its power to get even with you.
I don't care about SD, BC, ME, none of that matters as much as being able to see and follow blood at a comfortable walk while also being able to look ahead for the final encounter with the animal you have just shot.
You can load up the 338 to be a very powerful rifle. You can also load up a 300 mag and a 300/378 mag with 250 grain bullets going much faster then the 338 and with far more muzzle energy. That however is not relevent to the "smack" delivered from a slower bullet with greater diameter.
I don't care what bullet you use from a 338 it will never be a 375HH. I don't care what bullet and load you use in a 375HH it will never be a 416, nor will the 416 of any flavor be a 458 Lott. There is a reason why the diameter of 375 or 9mm is the minimum size bullet. It's the diamater and bullets weight that gets the job done with authority, not the velocity.
Hope this makes sense to you folks.
The 375 is not a stopping rifle it is a hunting rifle ctg. It is a very good one for the larger game. It will penetrate well and bullets are designed for it. The 375 seems to be one of the smallest CTGs that most people can shoot well.
I own both a 375 and a 338WM and the two trade places in energy at about 300 yards, comparing 300 grains to 225 grains. As others have pointed out DG is shot at close ranges compared to what we use the 338 for here.
At the time Keith and others were working on the 338 as a design, the bullet technology was not what it is today. What a premium bullet in a 300 Win will do is what the older 338 Jacket and core bullets could do. You needed mass to get get the penetration they wanted and like the 35 Whellan you needed to go wider in order to get the same velocities with a heavier bullet. A long smaller Dia. Bullet would have taken up space in the case needed for powder.
Now if I were ot go after DG either here or in especally in Africa I would take the 375 over my beloved 338WM. If I am out elk or deer hunting and I am charged by something dangerous I do not think either my 308 or my 338 will bounce off and I am going to use what I have. But if Brown bear is on the menue, My 375 stoked with A square loin loads would be my choice.
