[quick68]

I recently bought a 7mm mag after asking for some input here with no regrets. Well now the dang store has a Ruger 77 in .338 mag. Does anyone have any comments about the caliber? I would mostly be buying it because I dont have one.

[444]

I have one. I bought it because I saw this as a significant step up from my .30-06s.
I am not a true rifle fanatic. I have a fair number of rifles, but most of them offer a significant performance difference from the others. I was lucky enough to go elk hunting a couple years in a row. The first year I took my '06 and it did great. But I saw this as an excuse to buy a bigger rifle. I didn't feel that the .300 Win Mag offered much over the '06. To me, the next logical step was the .338 and that is what I went with. I shot an elk with it the next season and it killed it just like the '06 did.

[Gordon]

Is that a nice old Ruger M-77? Buy it. I used a rifle like that in .338 from 77 until 87 or big bear, elk ect. Had a 4x Leupold on it. The combo was just about purfect until I went on my current .375H&H mania. No regrets on the old combo or the new combo. I liked the old Speer 275 grain round nose at about 2500fps. Later went to 250 Nosler Partitions at 2600-2700 with great results.:D

[David4516]

I've done some shooting with a Ruger Mark I M77 in .338 win mag. The recoil is most un-pleasnt, but other than that, it was a positive experiance...

[dakotasin]

don't let recoil scare ya away... lots can be done to tame recoil.

i went w/ 338 because i wanted one, because, already having a 7 mag, 300 short, it was the next significant step up the performance ladder...

i think the 338 is the ideal gun for all north american hunting.

[Coot]

Can't address ? re a Ruger in .338 Win Mag, but do have a Win M70 High Grade (w/BOSS) in that caliber and love it: perhaps the most accurate rifle I own (once I had it bedded): the recoil's so mild my 11 y/o son even enjoys shooting it off the bench.

[Coot]

(Just to put the above post into perspective, both of my sons have been shooting since they were in diapers (imagine never remembering a time when you weren't shooting?) and are unusually recoil un-sensitive.

[Mike Irwin]

The .338 Win. Mag. is a great round. It's suitable for use on just about any North American game larger than a Mule Deer, and has been used with great effect in Africa on plains game such as the larger ungulates, even Cape Buffalo.

The biggest drawback, as has been noted, is recoil.

Quite frankly, the recoil can be a lot harsher than that of the .375 H&H, the biggest reason is that the rifle companies have always seen the .338 as a "medium" caliber, and have built the rifles to have weights more appropriate to a .30-06 or .300 Win. Mag.

In a rifle weighted more along the lines of a .375, though, recoil becomes a lot more managable.

[Wildalaska]

My 338 weighs just at 7 lbs....

It doesnt get shot alot...one round exactly last year....and this year Im hunting with 6.5x55 :) I dont care how many bears are there....

WildouchAlaska

[Johnny Guest]

I had an Interfarms Mark X for several years. It had been purchased as a barrelled action by a former owner and home-stocked in a big, heavy hunka wood. I worked up my loads with it that way, and some were fairly warmish, though none over manual-max. Amazing how tight it shot with those loads, too. I tested various bullets and was amazed to discover that my best groups were with the least-expensive one - - The Hornady 225 gr. spire point.

Then, shortly before going to Colorado for elk, I stuck it into a synthetic stock, which DID cut down the weight to be hauled up various mountains. In strict accordance with certain natural laws, though, this elevated the felt recoil significantly.:p

Well, due to various factors, I had two glorious hunts but never fired that rifle at an elk. The next year, I had some medical problems and two major chest surgeries. There was a lengthy recuperation period and it looked like I'd never be able to tolerate heavy recoil, so I sold the rifle.

Well, I healed up better than I had a right to expect, and have bought another .338, an older Ruger 77RS. Shoots pretty well but, wow! There's something about the combination of stock shape and weight that makes the felt recoil a lot heavier than with the old Mauser. My next group of handloads will concentrate on a more all-around load, probably with the same 225 bullet, but not quite so warm. :D

Best,
Johnny

[quick68]

I bought the rifle and some 200 grain winchester ammo. The recoil, to me is somewhat like a very heavy 12ga buckshot load in a very light gun. I cant see ever shooting it from a bench rest but from more likely hunting positions it seems managable enough for moderate practice. At least untill I locate some heavier ammo. My brother and I took some shots at an 8" sapling and it made quite a mess on exit. I am very pleased with the purchase and thank you for your responses.

[David4516]

My dad and I went target shooting again this afternoon and took along his .338 and some 225 gr ammo. I got to shoot 5 rounds before I couldn't take the pain any longer...

Of course this was from a bench rest, I've noticed that the recoil seems much lighter when you shoot it from a standing position...

[Lancel]

A Pachmayr "Decelerator" recoil pad tames my Browning A-bolt .338; it's not uncomfortable to shoot at all.

Larry