.338 federal ???? all around gun

[rwmcquigge]

i have been searching for a one stop rifle,one that will fix all my needs, i have found the .338 federal and i am wondering what anybody thinks on this round?
i wanted a rifle that will work well for deer,black bear,moose,.
i thought about 280,30-06.and other popular cartrages but wanted something a little differant than anybody else.
so what does everybody think ????

 

[BIGR]

I have been wondering the same thing. I have several 30.06's and one 300 WIN MAG. but have this urge to get something different. According to the magazine articles I have read the .338 Federal would be a good big game caliber. It has just a little more knock down than the 30.06 according to the charts. Only time will tell.

 

[MCgunner]

I voted .308 because I'll never go outside the lower 48, probably never get outside Texas again, and I like light weight short action rifles. If I hunted Alaska, though, I was looking at this rifle the other day for that SKS vs Slug post and really sorta got smitten with the idea of the 325 WSM. Now, I ain't really into the short magnum craze, probably because I don't need magnum power, but this little browning sure would be handy and fast up in the great white north and the cartridge delivers the power. If I lived up there, it might be all the excuse I'd need. I have a friend that has a BLR in .308 and it's a nice rifle and quite accurate.

But, for my hunting, the .308 serves me well as an all around rifle.

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=003B&cat_id=034&type_id=006

 

[Greybeard]

Quote; " but wanted something a little differant than anybody else."

the .338 would fit that description.

The old '06 is go to rifle works for me, at least on critters I hunt that are any bigger than a coyote (including elk). .

 

[DogBonz]

I really like the 338 Fed

But, you said all around, so i voted 30-06.

 

[langenc]

After reading the article about 338 Fed my son and I decided it is DOA.

 

[captonion]

It will be a great round although it wont be popular(sorry to say).

 

[MCgunner]

Well, if you wanna be different, you gotta handload. Handloading opens up a LOT of possibilities, wildcats and such. You'd have to have a gun built or at least custom chambered in any wildcat, of course.

My old .257 Roberts is a LITTLE "different". You could go older, "obsolete" something like the .257. It still does everything it ever did, about as good as a .25-06 (with my handloads) and in a short action gun to boot! I really love that old thing still, of course have a lot of memories with it. I'm not sure why .257 died a slow death, but it's not around anymore, so it's "different". It was a GREAT caliber. .264 Win Mag is "different" in this sort of way and uses the excellent 6.5mm bullets with their great SDs and BCs. Or, for a cannon, how about the 8mm Rem Mag? Just go through the list of effective cartridges that didn't make the popularity contest in sales and pick one that suits you. But, you'll have to reload.

When I bought my 7 Mag, I bought it knowing that if I didn't like it, I could always load it down to .280 Remington ballistics. I thought of it as different compared to the .30-06 and a little better at long range and heavy game, but of course, the 7 Mag is anything, BUT unpopular, LOL! I don't know, it's kinda nice knowing that if you're on a trip, there is factory ammo available if you need it, though I never have. I usually take a back up rifle on a hunting trip anyway. You just never know when you'll need it. I loaned my .257 to a guy in camp out in West Texas once when his .351 Winchester chambered old, obscure autoloader quit on him. Talk about different! LOL He killed a doe with the .257 and was real appreciative of the loaner and praised the little rifle. One more deer among dozens that fell to the mighty Roberts.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Of course you could just get a .280Rem and call it a 7mm Remington Express or a 7mm Mauser and call it a .275 Rigby,to be different. 30.06 got my vote as per your criteria.

 

[chuckmo]

.338 Federal

is a .308 case, so it would fit the 'short-action' criteria listed above, and be better on moose than the '06. It's ballistics are better than you might think. I say try it.

 

[H&Hhunter]

The .338 Federal definitely has some promise. But she's never going to be a contender. I'd say much like the .358 it's DOA.

Only a few of use gun nuts will cherish her squat efficient body and less than gun writer worthy velocity.

It is probably what the .358 should have been in the first place. But I'm keeping my 06 and my .358. This new mistress has no place in my heart.


Maybe I'm a hopeless romantic, my rifles that get serious use are.

a

.22LR
.30-06
.375H&H
and
.470NE

I've got one hyperzippereargasplizen magnum but we just don't have much in common besides a sultry range session now and then our relationship has been purely cerebral.

 

[Grumulkin]

I think where the 338 Federal might have a place would be for handgun hunting where one thinks he might need a little more power than available in a 308 Winchester. One could also use the 358 Winchester for this but there would be a better selection of bullets for the 338 Federal.

Anyway, my vote for an "all around" rifle went to the 30/06 since it will take anything in the U.S.A. Actually it's capable of taking any land animal though considered a bit light for the likes of elephant, cape buffalo, etc. It also does very well on ground hogs, rabbits, etc.

 

[highlander 5]

Though its not on the list how about a "wildcat" 338/06?
Comes within 200 fps of the 338 Win without the belted case and huge powder charges cases are easy to form though I'd use 35 Whelan brass to keep someone from mistakenly putting a 338/06 in his rifle

 

[22-rimfire]

The 338 Federal concept is interesting. I was considering a 338 Mag and was a bit hesitant about the recoil. The Federal offers some advantages similar to all the short mag loadings. I have only seen the ammunition in the largest of gunshops. If it is to stay alive as a viable choice, the major rifle manufactures need to chamber a rifle in it. My guess is that it's DOA.

 

[BIGR]

I have the ammo for the .338 Federal at Gander Mountain. I opened a box of it and had to look at one of the rounds to see what it looked like. It is a short round for sure. Does anyone build a 338/06 in a rifle or is it a round that would have be cusom built. Didn't WEATHERBY chamber the 338/06 A Square years ago?

 

[dakotasin]

one chambering to do everything? 338 win mag is it. what an awesome, underappreciated round!

 

[BsChoy]

as much as I want to play with the 338 fed the 30-06 is proven and a very versatile cartridge

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I voted for the 30-06. However, if you just want something different get the .338Fed.

Or, look for (or have made) a .35 Whelen. It's a proven North American rifle and handloading ammo is easy enough (made from '06 brass). Not sure about the .338 if ammo gets hard to find in 10 years.

 

[Charles S]

I voted for the 30-06 because you stated an all around gun. The 30-06 will do varmints to the largest bears.

I really like the 338 Federal, I will own one or a 358 Winchester. I really like the 338 Federal on paper.

I will build a rifle in a short action in either 338 Federal, 358 Winchester, or 250 Remington Magnum.

I think where the 338 Federal might have a place would be for handgun hunting where one thinks he might need a little more power than available in a 308 Winchester. One could also use the 358 Winchester for this but there would be a better selection of bullets for the 338 Federal.

Have you shot a 308 in a handgun? A 308 is my absoulute upper limit on recoil (a 44 magnum does not bother me at all) I cannot imagine a caliber with more recoil than a 308. Everyone has their own limits.

 

[HankB]

.338 Federal is OK from a ballistics standpoint, but I tend to steer clear of oddball rounds . . . I suppose if you've already GOT a bunch of rifles and are looking for something "different" it's fine, but IMHO it would be a mistake to choose a chambering for a proprietary cartridge with limited availability as one's only rifle.

A .30/06 is good for any game the .338 Federal is suitable for.

 

[Sunray]

You don't need any kind of magnum for moose. .338 or otherwise. The ammo is expensive(.338 Fed runs about $40 per 20) and has excessive muzzle blast and felt recoil for most shooters. Shot next to a guy with a .338 Win Mag long ago. His muzzle blast was nearly knocking me off the bench. Didn't see his target, but I suspect the groups were large.
The .30-06, .308 or a host of other standard cartridges are plenty for moose. They're not hard to kill. Plus you need to think about availability of ammo in small places. It's a sad thing to get off hunting only to find you've left your ammo on the kitchen table and not be able to nip into the local Walmart for another box.
If you want something different, think about the 6.5 x 55. It's the standard Swedish moose cartridge. Shouldn't be hard to find in any Walmart either.

 

[GooseGestapo]

The .338Fed will be a good round, but I don't see it getting "traction".

As far as an all around "round", I doubt that it's "quite it".

Don't get me wrong, You couldn't go wrong with it, but in my experience, you'll be less than thrilled.

Out of the gazillion rifles I've owned, I would have to say the the best "all around" is the Remington M7 in 7mm08 with a 20"bbl.

This little rifle is a joy to carry and hunt with. So far since aquiring it in 2004, It's taken two dozen deer, an Elk (reason it was obtained), and a pig, not to mention a couple of coyotes and several smaller varmints.

The cost per shot, recoil, and adaptability of the 7mm08 can't be beat.
I use Remington 140gr CorLokts for "plinking", ect. but it would serve for any reasonable purpose you'd put the 7mm08 to. The 140gr Partition does "special" duty. A friend used it in Colorado in Oct'05 to take a 6x6 bull that weighed "by outfitter!" 1,200lbs (taken on private property).
I also like the 140gr Nosler Ballistic Tip, but I am aghast at how poorly the 140gr SST has performed (think FMJ).

I love my .338/06 (ballistic "big brother" to the .338Fed). It will hold 5+1 rds vs my .300RemUltMag's 2+1 rds, so will be the "longer" gun to accompany my Marlin GuideGun when I go to Alaska.
And, the .30/06 is just..............boreing!!! The .338/06 though better, is better by only a slim margin, and bullets are 2x cost of .30's.

If I were to go with another "larger" than 7mm, It'd be the .350RemMag. in something like the Remington Mod7.

Remember, you carry the rifle FAR-FAR more than you shoot it. I can't see taking my Savage M110 in .300RUM (weighs 10lbs) or my .338/06- also 10lbs back to Colorado and walk 10+mi. per day at 7000-10,000'. The 6.5lb Remington, YES !
I don't even see my self taking my latest "toy", a .257WbyMag anywhere but a shooting house/stand overlooking a large field/powerline, about 200yds from the truck!!!
You can feed it (.350RemMag) the Remington 200gr Pt.SoftPt. Corlokts reasonably inexpensively (~18.00/100) and it's more compact than the .35Whelen, and more powerful than the .338Fed.

And, BTW, the .338/06 is actually only 90-120fps below the .338Mag. I've loaded and chronographed both. I still have the .338/06, though in a decent rifle, the recoil of the .338mag is about like the .300winMag. Not all that bad. Not quite like the .300RUM.
Just my experience.

 

[Charles S]

Sunray, Great information on moose hunting. I have not done it yet, but I will.

GooseGestapo, great post on rifles. My hunting style has changed and now tends to involve a lot more walking. I agree that a lighter quick handling rifle is a joy to hunt with.

Art's 7-08 intrigues me it sounds nice (Remington 700 Titanium).

 

[Brian Williams]

I will stay with my 7mm-08 and look for a 358 some day. I would like to have a three rifle set of Win Model 70 Compact classics, in 22-250, 7mm-08 and 358 win. With those three all set up in a similar manner, I would be able to take care of any shooting in the lower 48 and not have a problem.

 

[steelhead]

I would like to have a three rifle set of Win Model 70 Compact classics, in 22-250, 7mm-08 and 358 win.

That is my current setup and I will be adding the 375 Ruger to it as well and maybe even a 338-375 Ruger.

As for the 338 Fed, if you plan to to reload I wouldn't get it. Many have reported problems trying to match the factory loads. The factory loads are using some special poweder mix with a little pixie dust thrown in to generate those velocities. Handloaders have been trying to replicate it but are running into pressure issues. If you reload, and want to stay with a .338, I would go with the 338-06.