This to get some discussion going about the the pro's and con's of the .338 for Africa use.

I can get one in RSA (model 70 NIB for USD1000), but don't know much about the caliber.

I'm guessing that's a pretty good price for this rifle. I'm not sure if this really fit's into my current battery of arms, but as I told my wife when I saw it at then AIM show in JHB last week, 'I want it because I can, not because I need it'.

Would you buy?

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Regards
Dave

Dave:
I used my 338wm on everything from Impala to Eland in Zim a couple of years ago. One shot took care of everything except my Blue Wildebeast, he just didn't want to cooperate.I used 250gr Nosler Partition hand loads on all. The only time I felt under gunned was on the Eland, He was a mature bull weighing close to a ton according to my PH. He ran about 150 yards with a hole through the center of his heart. It was a head on shot.

Paul K

Dave my Elan stumbled a few feet. I have used my .338WM on every thing from the aformentioned Elan down to and including my Cape Grysbok. I use Barnes X in 225 gr. and on the little guys I use the 225 gr Barnes solid. I think the biggest thing is gaining confidence in the gun and round. When I arranging things last year my PH said "YOU ARE BRINGING THAT 338", nuff said.

I haven't used the .338 Winchester yet in Africa, but I intend to. My next safari will likely be in RSA, and I plan to take a .338 Winchester loaded with 250 gr. bullets and a .270 Winchester loaded with 130 gr. bullets as my battery. Or, I may just leave the .270 at home and take only the .338; either way, the .338 is going on safari.

I know quite a few people who I respect who've used the .338 Win. in Africa. Most of them have had good luck with it and praise it highly, but a few of them have been underwhelmed by its performance.

AD

I think the idea of a .338 win Mag as a general safari rifle, especially for the larger species is a great idea. I used a .338-06 on five species from wildebeest to eland, with 250 Swifts and all I got were one shot kills. The .318 Westley Richards and the .333 Jeffery all killed very well even with the less than stellar bullets of their time. With todays great bullets I think the .338-06 is a great choice for a plains game rifle. Same for a .338 Win Mag though IMHO it has a bit more velocity than one needs.

FN

Dave,

What does the rest of the arsenal look like? If there is a 300 Win Mag and a 375 H&H or a 9.3X62 in there then I wouldn't bother, I'd say you had the horsepower range kinda covered. It's not popular up our way, lot of folk say it kicks harder than a 375.

That aside, if you don't have the top end covered, once you have one of these calibres (338) it's kind of hard to justify getting something bigger unless it's a 416.

I am figuring right now that the savvy South African hunter should be tailoring his arsenal to suit the limitations that are on the way. Seeing as most of us will be limited to 2 rifles, a pistol and a shotgun, I'd be looking at a 7X64 and a 375 H&H.

$1000 NIB? whoosh! If I were you and seeing as you are commuting stateside, I'd buy the action (Mauser, Pre-64, Remington) in the states and a nice bit of wood and get it barrelled here in RSA.

Cheers

Pete

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I want to die in my sleep like my Grandfather, not screaming and yelling like the passengers on the bus he was driving...

/

Take a .375 with 300grs bullets and go hunting. I have never been impressed by any of the .33 cals with exception to the .318 WR and 333 Nitro. They occupy a place that is almost powerful enough but not as powerful.

Alf,

I am fortunate in that I already own both calibres. You are right, in 5 years PMP will only be making 223, 243, 270, 7X64, 7mm Rem mag, 308, 30-06, 300 Win Mag and 375 H&H

Yep, Potties is now Mokopane, Pietersburg is Polokwane and Northern province is Limpopo.

I say fine, they can legislate how it is spelt, but not how its pronounced. So we pronounce it in an anglified manner.

Polokwane is said as polo (the horse game) - kwain (Rhymes with pain)

Mokopane is pronounced Mow-co-pain. This really pisses off the local cops.

"What is your address?"
"272 Pretorius Street. Mow-co-pain"
"Don't you mean Mokopane?"
"No, Mow-co-pain"
"How do you spell that?"
"M-O-K-O-P-A-N-E"
"But that is Mokopane"
"No it isn't, it's Mow-co-pain"

All this is said in a dead calm polite deadpan way. The cop goes apoplectic with rage.

"Thank you sir, now p*%s off and don't speed again"

Ah, the joys of civil disobedience!!!!!

Cheers

pete

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I want to die in my sleep like my Grandfather, not screaming and yelling like the passengers on the bus he was driving...

Dave,
Pete has pretty well summed up the local preferences. But lets be fair: the reason why the 338 never took off in SA is simply because of the American arms embargos of decades ago.
Let's face it, there is a gap between the 2 most popular local calibers (30.06 and 375). I cannot afford to buy an arsenal, so I thought hard and deep and did my homework well before I bought a 338 WM 3 years ago.
I use 200 soft noses for plinking, and keep up with the 300 magnums on speed (3200 with 75 gr S365). Normally use 68gr 365 or download to 51gr 335 (about 2400, duplicating 308 performance for bush).
The 215 gr core-bond from Rhino performs great, but I have switched to the 250gr Claw lately (not tested yet).
I encourage you to buy it, since I don't have to pay!

Pete, time I sell you a fan boyke.
Lochi.

Lochi,

We are only going underground in 2009, so Howden will have to wait a wee bit. You guys must be selling fans bedonderd up Burgersfort way, we got 3 mines going in there....

Cheers

Pete

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I want to die in my sleep like my Grandfather, not screaming and yelling like the passengers on the bus he was driving...

Dave,

Excepting buf and ele, if I were limited to one rifle for African hunting, it would be the .338 Win. I know this defies conventional logic which favors the .375 H&H, but, my African experience with the .338 has left nothing to be desired.

Its very versatile, from the 200 gr. solid for small game to the 250 that has proven itself from 50 yd. on 75 lb animals to 300 yd. on zebra.

Most PHs and ranchers is know either have managed to get one, or very much want one. Brass and bullets could be a problem, depending upon your pocket book, and/or contacts. This evening I am packaging 100 brass and a box of Swift 250s for a friend in Natal.

I can't imagine a more versatile cartridge for Africa, although others may be almost as versatile and cheaper to shoot.

As to the price of the rifle, its high, but given shipping and all the taxes you pay, it seems in line *for there.* If you can't do better, consider it a long large investment. It will definitely not lose value, and probably will gain substantially over the years.

Steve

[This message has been edited by holtz (edited 03-14-2002).]

Don't you think that most of those people who knock the .338 winnie are totally biased toward the great .375. And are alittle fearful of it being replaced by something else which quite frankly, will never happen. At worst the .375 would only lose alittle ground to the .338 due to it's great nostalgic history.

Dave,
I'll add a strong second to holtz's reply. I have used my 338 on six of my African safaris and many North American hunting trips. Loaded with the 250 grain Nosler partition at 2700fps it will effectively drop nearly anything. I have taken nearly 100 head of big game with this combo. It has always worked well for me.