Thoughts on the 338 Win Mag...

[Mr. Chitlin]

I have a friend who has a Ruger 77 MKII stainless/synthetic that he is wanting to get rid of at a decent price. Includes the scope, sling and a box of 200 grain Winchester ammo. He says it's just too much gun for him.

I know I don't need it, so we'll get that out of the way. I have wanted a 338 for probably 15 to 20 years, though (I'm 46). I shoot centerfires from 223 to 300 Win Mag quite regularly. I know nothing really about the 338, but do relaod all my ammo, and will reload this.

Thoughts from people who own them. Go for it, or get something that is more pleasant to shoot. Here is what I shoot presently in centerfire rifle: 223, 243, 25/06, 308 and 300 Win Mag. This would probably be a safe queen 99% of the time, because I don't need that kind of power for North Arkansas whitetails.

Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[ID_shooting]

While I currently do not own one, I borrowed my pops for a few seasons till I got my 300wm. His is in a Win m70 BTW. I do not like shooting it. The recoil and raport is much more than a 300wm, at least to me it is. Does have plenty of knowck down, but I couldn't fire more than say 15 rounds per range session before I got too jumpy. As for ballistics, your 300 is flatter and further shooting. I feel that you can kill everything except maybe buffalo and big bears just as easy with a 300 as with a 338. If it were me, I would pass, but then I do own a few that are reduntant and hardly ever shot.

 

[Arc-Lite]

...you surely don't "need" it...in the lower states...but if you have wanted one for 20-30 years...and one has presented itself... best do it....you will be saving yourself...the pain...of kicking yourself...for not getting it...but keep in mind...tomorrows pain...when shooting it... it kicks like a mule...is an understatement....and again practice all the proper hold techniques...thumb placement...and distance from scope... if not...bring the band-aids...and gauze and any medic friends !!!! Arc-ite

 

[musher]

I've got a browning .338 that is my primary big game rifle. I've shot a few different ones and my experience is that the synthetic stocked rifles are way easier to take recoil-wise. Mine is stainless and synthetic and is probably the lightest rifle I own. The perceived recoil is WAY less than my brother in law's wood stocked ruger. Typically I'm good for 40-50 rounds out of mine at the range before I start flinching and making the whole process useless. I don't know for sure, but I'd guess the synthetic ruger would probably soak up the recoil as well.

You DONT want a brake. If you try to hunt with it you'll have to ask people to type in all caps for the remainder of your days. If you use it at the range you'll get in trouble for blowing your neighbor's ammo off the bench.

Mine seems to like the 210's. My brother in laws has a thing for the 250's I guess you'll have to experiment.

Hmm, what else. If you have one you're good for anything that walks in north america. If you get it, you'll probably have to schedule a trip to Alaska to shoot a big brownie or moose.

Me, I'm trying to find a reason to get a .458 .

 

[dakotasin]

the 338... what an outstanding cartridge! i wanted one for about 3 years before i finally broke down and bought one. i really wish i hadn't waited so long! i guess all the stories about the tremendous recoil kept putting me off...

anyway, i got it and put a pachymar decelerator on it, floated the barrel, and fixed the trigger before i even fired it. i load it w/ 225 hornady... don't recall the powder for sure, but i'm thinking it is rl-19 (i developed the load early this spring, then loaded several hundred up and haven't looked at my 338 load notes since). i get a little over 2900 f/s. so, full power loads.

the cartridge is quite accurate, and i shoot it well. my cousin (all 5'8" and 130 pounds of him) wanted to touch it off, just see what it was like. he ended up shooting it a dozen times before i took it away from him (he's never shot anything bigger than a 243 before), and he had no troubles shooting it pretty well.

as for on-game performance... well, i got the rifle to hunt elk w/, and i didn't get an elk tag this year. but, wanted to hunt it... so the rifle has been on a couple of deer hunts w/ me this year... the components worked well on deer.

i just wish i had gotten a 338 win mag years ago... a great cartridge!

note: the 338 is my biggest gun, for now (trying to run down a 375 rum, but not having a lot of luck, but have found an h&h version that may come home w/ me after x-mas)... i tend to gravitate to magnums for most of my shooting and hunting needs. if you can handle a 300 win mag at full tilt, you can handle the 338 without troubles. also, i doubt that you will keep that rifle as a safe queen... you won't shoot it 50 or 60 rounds at a sitting, but you can probably get 15 shots out before you start to fatigue... much beyond 20 and you'll start flinching, though. great cartridge. if you've been toying around w/ the idea for 15 years, you seriously owe it to yourself to get it...

 

[Arc-Lite]

hold on to the Browning 338, is it the BAR? if so...you have something going up in value....like skyrockets. Arc-Lite

 

[musher]

nah, it's an early A-bolt. (I wish I had a BAR)

 

[Preacherman]

If you want to "up-gun" from a .30 caliber, I'd strongly suggest going straight to the .375 H&H, instead of the .338WM or other intermediate round. The .375 has no more recoil than the .338 (often less), is an outstandingly accurate and reliable round, can shoot out to 300 yards or more with similar ballistics to a .30-'06, and has an amazing track record on everything from the African Big 5, through Alaskan grizzly and polar bear, on downward.

 

[artherd]

I have a .338 Lapua Mag (one notch up in power from .338WM) Lapua pushes a 250gr at over 3,000fps. In my 13 pound rifle, with a big brake, it has LESS recoil than a .308.

It is right now my favourite gun to shoot, wish ammo were cheaper!

 

[Wildalaska]

I have a 338 sako carbine...all that I need...

But im switching to 6.5 x 55

I wanna shoot a bear with da swede...

Ill have backup though


WildtoehurtsAlaska

 

[CB900F]

Mr. Chitlin;

I purchased a .338 this summer, Tikka Whitetail Hunter, LHB. I reload for mine also. Until this purchase, the .30-06 was my largest caliber hunting rifle. I don't find the recoil to be excessive at all. However, I put a Pachmyer decelerator pad on it, & I haven't had the chance to finish load development with it either. Currently I'm running the Hornady 225 gr at about 2880 with RL-19.

Now then, when I moved into my current home, I found the owner to also be a firearms enthusiast & an avid hunter. He had exactly the gun you're thinking about, the Ruger stainless synthetic .338. He told me he bought it for $50.00 from another guy he worked with. The reason the gun's original owner sold it so cheap was supposedly because of the recoil. Bob told me that it really did come back on him too. Therefore, I'd be interested to find out what you think of the recoil if you get it. Besides, if you can get it for the right price, restocking isn't out of the question either.

I'm with Dakotasin, in that I wish I hadn't waited so long to get mine.

900F

 

[BlackHawk1]

While .338 Win Mag is probably "the" elk round, I agree with Preacherman, if you are going to put up with that level of recoil, go 375 H&H. I have a 375 in a CZ 550 and the recoil isn't punishing at all, it's more of a hard shove not a sharp jab. I'd much rather shoot the .375 than my Marlin 1895 45-70 with "rather envigorating" loads. 338 Win Mags, 375 H&Hs, and "warm" 45-70s in typically representative rifles and bullet weights roughly generate 35-40 lbs free recoil, but differ somewhat in the speed in which they deliver the recoil, i.e. shove vs. jab.

 

[ThreadKiller]

I just got a 338 (an old Model 70) but I haven't shot it yet. I have shot 338's in the past and they didn't seem that bad. I didn't fire any long strings off a bench with them either.

The thing to do when shooting a 338 or 375 or whatever "magnum" you're currently torching off is to put a bag of shot between you and the gun. Stifles that recoil right nicely. This technique of course is only practical when shooting off a bench rest, but then that's when it's needed most.

Once I figure out what I'm going to do with the 338, I'll decide what scope it will get. Since an Alaskan bear hunt is beginning to take shape this spring, I believe I'll go with a Leupold VXIII 1.75x6.

My brother will probably tote along his 375 which has proven to be a very effective prairie dog gun.

Tim

 

[GooseGestapo]

I've shot several .338win mag's, and currently own a .338/06. Especially the first one, a Browning A-bolt synthetic w/26" stainless barrel suprised me by how little they recoil. Comparatively; -they do recoil though!

The Browing mentioned above, I chronographed for the owner. I was at first a little suprised at the shot, and the chrono showed 2,650fps for his 250gr Nosler Part. load over IMR4350. I expressed suprise at how little I thought it recoiled and I expected to see 2,850fps or so. He said I evidently had the .338win mag confused with the .340 Weatherby mag.

Later after consulting the loading manuals, I was still suprised at the relatively light recoil, for the power.

My .338/06 is on a MkX Mauser with original factory wood stock (The original "classic", with white line spacers and monte-carlo hump). I find the recoil to be a bit more than the .30/06 it was originally and fired with 180gr bullets at 2,800fps. I'm only looseing ~90fps to the .338mag, so recoil is quite similar.

I've found the .300win mag and .338win mag to be very similar recoiling, with the .338 a slightly slower, but heavier push, just like the bullets its shoving. Recoil is a tad more than the 7mm Rem.Mag, which I find to be similar to a loaded up .30/06.

As for effectiveness on game of the .338, I can't say, as I lost the only elk I've ever shot at with it. The 200gr Hornady Soft.Pt. didn't seem to expand well on a high lung shot and I got a long blood trail and lost the elk. Ammo was chrono's a 2860fps instrumental at 25'. Range was laser measured 250yds.

My gun is too heavy (weight and power wise) to hunt our little deer here with. My 180gr,200gr, or 210gr Noslers would probably just punch right through them with little expansion (like the elk!).

But, compared to a 12ga Rem 870 slug gun with slugs, or buckshot, the recoil of the .338 is modest! I find the 12ga with heavy slugs or buckshot to recoil as bad or worse than the sole .458win mag I've shot. (A MkX Whitworth, and was Very accurate with Iron sights at 100yds!) This too I shot to chrono it, 1,997fps with 510gr Hornady Soft Pt. Dr. friend killed a Buff. in Africa two weeks later with it. Recoil was about 1.5 that of the .338win mag. and about like a Rem 870 w 18.5" bbl and Hi.Vel slugs or buckshot.

If you can handle a 12ga shotgun with magnum duck loads, the .338win mag. is a peach!

 

[SunBear]

My "big gun" is a Guide Gun. If you're determined to have it, get a good GEL shoulderpad and have a big time.

 

[Mr. Chitlin]

Well, I thought about it for a week or so, and just can't justify needing that much power for these Arkansas whitetails. As much as I would love the gun, I can get something that I will enjoy shooting, and shoot a lot more. I have found that I enjoy shooting the 25/06 and 243 a lot more than the 30/06 and 300 mag. In the forseeable future, with 1 in college and another starting next year, I don't see any big hunting trips out West or North. I'll hang on to the $$ for right now and see what transpires (it WILL go toward guns, though!!).

Thanks for the insight from those that have used them. Also, preacherman brought up a good thought, too. If I am going that big, go a little larger.

 

[klover]

Not much difference between 338 and 375 HH. I shoot the latter with Dr Scholl's foot pads taped to the butt. Can shoot 50 rds no problem.

 

[Preacherman]

I shoot the latter with Dr Scholl's foot pads taped to the butt

Hmmm... if you tape foot pads to your butt, what do you wear on your feet???

 

[Gordon]

He be gellin'

 

[hps1]

My gun is too heavy (weight and power wise) to hunt our little deer here with. My 180gr,200gr, or 210gr Noslers would probably just punch right through them with little expansion (like the elk!).

GG:
Have you tried the Nosler 225 gr accubond? I had shot cotyotes, wild hogs and javelina with them and was a bit concerned about the bullet expanding pretty violently on the relatively light animals. Then I shot a small doe (about 90# field dressed) in the neck, exit wound was just forward of the off shoulder and was about 5" in dia. This just about convinced me the bullet was a bit more explosive than I wanted for deer.

Shot a 2nd doe w/nosler partition and had a bit less tissue damage. Decided to try the accubond one more time. Shot a small doe which was standing perfectly broadside; hit her just behind the shoulder @ 210 yards. Exit wound was only 1" or so in dia. Examined the wound channel and discovered the accubond seems to shed the front portion of the bullet almost immediately upon impact (during the first couple of inches of penetration), with devastating damage to vitals, then the remaining (bonded) portion of the bullet penetrates much like the partitions. After examining the third deer, I'm happier with the accubond performance.

All three deer dropped where they stood, by the way.

If you want to use your 338 on small deer, you might like the accubonds.

Regards,
hps