.338 Winchester Magnum

[CB900F]

Fella's;

Just ordered one. What I'm looking for is a little information on what particular components seem to work best with this caliber.

For example, the affinity of the .300 Winchester mag for 180 grain bullets is well known, what about the .338?

Another example; the .30-06 and IMR 4350 have a long & well documented history of being very compatible. Any .338 suggestions?

I realize that any scope can be put on the gun, but I'm not going to be using it for extreme long-range shooting. So, what's the good word in optics? Not looking for brand suggestions so much as magnification range advice.

I'm in my fifties & have hunted all my life in the northern rocky mtns. I am also an avid long time shooter, but have not owned a .338 before. I do have my own ideas, but am withholding them to possibly keep from influencing any replies.

Thanks, 900F

 

[Sunray]

Hi, CB900F. Turned the big 50 meself just last week. The one and only time I've been anywhere near a .338 was on a range, long ago. The guy was shooting right next to me. The blast and noise was unreal. I actually felt the blast.
I, personally, think they're one of those calibres that was developed for guys who think they need a heavy recoiling shutzenbanger instead of placing their shots in the right place. Too much blast, felt recoil and noise from a hunting weight rifle.
Mind you, us big kids can do what we want and given the money, buy what we want. Worst comes to worst, you can always sell it. Doesn't hurt to try one though. Too much gun for this GIT.(Geezer In Training)

 

[Mgraff]

CB-

Been shooting one for 10 years...great all around rockies gun (best IMHO) elk, moose, bear, does it all! I like 210 grn Barnes BT in mine, 225, 250 grn bullets perform very well also. Not sure what the exact load I am using is as I loaded 250 rnds 4-5 years ago and still have a few left, I'd have to dig up my note book. I think the recoil is less than a 300 win mag, at least not as sharp to me anyway. I have never had to shoot anything twice with the Barnes 210s, (but I do PLACE my shots) it has been a great bullet for me and my Browning A-bolt loves them, so I use them. When I reload I'll try some mollycoats, maybe. This is my go to hunting rifle for everything but varmits these days, you'll love it!

Good luck
Mark

 

[David4516]

My dad has a Ruger M77 (MK I) in .338 that I borrowed for Elk hunting last year. It was a good, accurate rilfe, but I did not enjoy shooting it. The recoil is most un-pleasant. I can shoot about 10 rounds a day, but then I have to call it quits...

Oh, it seemed to like 225 gr Hornady bullets...

http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/146325

 

[TooTech]

I have a .338 in a Sako Hunter. Really like the gun.

Recoil is manageable, mainly a bother if you're hunched over a shooting bench shooting it off of sandbags. Get into a more upright position so you can "roll with it" and it's much better.

That said, this is a hunting gun for me. I don't usually go plinking with it. If I am going to do a little target shooting with it, then I use a PAST recoil shield if I'm going to shoot more than a few rounds.

I use a Nikon Monarch 3x9. I've done most of my shooting with the Federal Premium round with the 210 Nosler. Been very happy with it.

 

[Lancel]

My .338 is a Browning A-bolt with 2-8x Burris Signature scope. It's normally dialed to a low power.

The scope's mounted with see-thru rings in case there's something dangerously close I need to shoot.

A Pachmyr Decelerator does a good job of taming recoil. When I'm shooting off the bench for a while, I also wear a Bob Allen shoulder pad. So recoil's never been a problem.

I want to say it likes heavy bullets (230 - 250 gr) the best but I haven't used enough light ones to give an experienced comparison. Got some 180 gr Nosler BTs and IMR 4831 but haven't put the two together yet.

Larry

 

[Wildalaska]

Sako Carbine in Rimrock stock with Leu 2.5-8 on Leu mounts....use 250 grain Noslers either in a Fed or Win Load...

Dont shoot it very much


WildouchAlaska

 

[Coot]

Mine really likes IMR 4350 best...69gr of it under a 200gr Nosler BT, or 66.2gr IMR 4350 under a Sierra 250gr MK bullet will both give sub- MOA groups out of my Win M70.

 

[hps1]

Sunray:

I, personally, think they're one of those calibres that was developed for guys who think they need a heavy recoiling shutzenbanger instead of placing their shots in the right place.

Well, I'm pushing 70 and old enough to know better, but do enjoy shooting the 338 WM (or any other accurate) rifle. While I don't need a heavy recoiling rifle to place my shots accurately, some of the larger animals require the heavier bullet, properly placed, of course.

Don't sell the 338 WM short in the accuracy department. The following 11/16", 100 yd. group was using 225 gr. Hornady SP bullets. Won't quote the load as it was a warm (but safe in my rifle) load as I recall. Recoil, while stout, is quite manageable if your rifle fits you.

Regards,
hps

 

[rugerfreak]

Just get a pad for the bench and hold the gun in tight(so it doesn't have chance to come back on you)----.338 recoil is REALLY not a big deal if you do this.

In the field--you won't notice the recoil at all when shooting game----plus you're only shooting 1 or 2 shots anyway.

The big rifles are the most usefull of all---allowing you to take big AND small animals----heck I've even added a .375 to go with my .338. And yes---the big guns can be very accurate---good shot placement with more ooommmpppphhhh is what it's all about.

The deer ain't gonna care with what he's been shot with.

 

[artherd]

I have a AR-30 in .338 Lapua Magnum, which is in another class in terms of power (250gr at over 3,000fps). It's 12lbs, and the kick with the very effective Armalite brake is less than a Remington 700 in .308. It's an absolute DREAM to shoot! But a 9lb hunting gun withought a brake is going to be a bother.

The biggest surprise I found was that as the shooter, I didn't notice any more noise than my 18" bbl .30-06.

I realize that any scope can be put on the gun, but I'm not going to be using it for extreme long-range shooting. So, what's the good word in optics? Not looking for brand suggestions so much as magnification range advice.

I could not recomend the Shepherd scopes more if they paid me.

They are just FANTASTIC scopes, the reticule system they use is the best I have seen in the world, bar none.

For normal range hunting (50-400yds) and long-range paper punching out to 1,000yds and beyond, it's the best thing since sliced bread. Really.

The reticule system (which they patented so you dont see it anywhere else) is what makes this scope. The 18" circles are calibrated for teh range and bullet drop. So you just drop the circle that fits whatever you want to kill, and pull the trigger. It's literally that easy. I was able to empty a whole 10 round mag onto a 500yd sillouette while a friend of mine with a bolt .270 and conventional crosshair scope was still getting ready to take a first shot. (which missed.)

Quality of glass is good too. On par with higher-end Leupold and Nightforce offerings.

 

[kudu]

Got a Ruger #1 in .338wm. It likes H4831 powder and Barnes 210 gr X bullets. Hunted with it in S. Africa and took several animals with it. All but one was a solid hit with wound channels all the way through the animals. Three to four feet of meat, only recovered one bullet, and it had about 175 grs left in it. My one mishap was a pulled shot on a waterbuck, but we tracked all day and finally got it.

If you use H4831 it is a compressed powder loadd that takes a long drop tube in the powder funnel.

 

[Bart]

230gr Failsafes, 210gr Swift A-frames, 250gr Sierra's.

I took the Failsafes to RSA in 2000 and never recovered a bullet even on a shoulder shot Zebra.

Accuracy will find the particular rifle favoring a particular bullet.

My old Ruger 77MKII liked the 225 Sierra, my 77MKII likes the Swift A frame 217gr( One production run and discontinued but I have several hundred) and my other 77MKII loves the failsafes and the Nosler 180gr BT.

Don't let the stories of recoil bother you.

Use the benchrest for load development and accuracy testing only.

Off the bench the .338 is no worse than a 3" Goose load from a 12ga shotgun.

Can't practice anything found in the field from the bench anyhow.

4350 and 4831 are good powders to have on hand with the .338
Though I favor the H4350sc for filling the cases without a long drop tube and consistency through the powder measure.

I also like the CCI magnum primers for consistent ignition.

The thing will spoil you if you let it.

Best of luck!
Bart

 

[ThreadKiller]

Feed it Nosler Partitions and it will reward you many times over.

Tim

 

[Hook]

My Ruger 77 in .338 likes H4350 and 210gr Nosler Partitions.

Don't sell the 210gr short, it'll completely penetrate a 1400lb. moose.


Hook

 

[Mr 338]

I use a 338 browning BAR with a holo site and had the barrel ported to take some of the bite out and better follow ups.The bullet i like is 200gr winchester ballistic silvertip its made good and it also has a pretty good coafficient of 0.414!

 

[Northwest Cajun]

This year Hornady has their 225gr Interbond. Looks like it will be a great bullet. Same profile and B.C. as the SST. I'll be trying them both in my .338-06. You get 100 per box for them as opposed to 50 with the other premium bullets out there for the same price.
Cajun

 

[CB900F]

Gentlemen;

I thank you all for your replies. The gun on order is a Tikka Whitetail Hunter, wood/blue, left hand bolt. I'll probably scope it initially with a good 3.5-10 50mm, as I have on hand both a Weaver Grand Slam & a Leupold VariX III.

I'll run a load development thread in reloading when the time comes.

Thanks again, 900F