I've been thinking about getting a 338 Federal
or a 338-06 rifle. I like the idea of this caliber. But I also think about the 338 Winchester Mag. I have no need for that much
power at this point, but I may someday. I do
plan on going to Africa in a few years.

My question - Have any of you loaded down the
338 Winchester Magnum to give ballistics (and
recoil) of the 338 Federal or 338-06 ?

And still retain excellent accuracy ?

My goal would be a 180 at 2700 fps and
a 200/210 at 2600 fps with the lowest
recoil possible and still shoot very tight.

thanks kindly, Chris

I had this exact question a few months back, I got one reply and someone directed me to a powder manufacturers website, but I lost interest and bought a 300WSM instead. I am going to build or buy a 9.3 x 62 I think instead of the 338WM it appears to be more versatile to me. An aquaintance has 3 .338's but he buys Browning BAR's and has weight and gas action on the side of reduced recoil. He shoots everything with them, rabbits to bears, I just cringe when I think of having to clean the damn barrel from the muzzle and a creepy trigger in a 9.5 pound gun. You could get the "lightweight" BAR I guess with aluminum receiver in 338WM its about 1/2 pound lighter.

Seafire is the one to ask for reduced loads.

I followed his recommendations for a Ruger .338 WM I didn't really need for our hunting conditions. I load it now with 36 grains Blue Dot and get, if I remember well, about 730 m/s with a Nosler 200 grain Ballistic Tip.

At the moment, it is my favourite rifle/load for roe deer and hogs up to 60 kgs. gutted. Why? Because it kills VERY well, giving complete penetration in each an devery case, when the animals rarely still go 20 to 30 meters they leave a blood trail as broad as an Interstate and, if you do the butchering, basically destroys no meat at all.

When shooting 4 cm high at 100 meters it hits POA at 150 to 160 meters or so. Precision from this rifle/bullet better that full power loads, I got even better results with Speer 180/200 grain bullets and Vihta N110. This powder allows you to even go a little higher, with 36 grains Blue Dot from my gut feeling I wouldn't go higher even though it's safe (primer picture). The energy corresponds to our old 8x57 IR which generations of foresters used for even our biggest red stags and wild boars with good results.

Give it a try, you will like it. I have come to love slow, big bullets and am sure it kills those white tailled deer real dead.

I used Blue Dot with 200 grain Ballistic Tips. Somewhere in the mid 30's, it went from rounded primers to flat, stiff, and brass flow into the ejector cut. I don't think I needed magnum primers, but I don't think it hurt. As usual, work up carefully. The blue dot loads hit the steel plate at 300 yards with ease, and I don't think trajectory was much different than my H4350 loads.
Recoil was much much better in my friends Tikka T-3 Lite, and report was much easier on the ears.

Just please, don't jump on an internet recommended load, work up like we should be anyway.

I'm loading 37 grains of H4227 behind a 200 grains Hornady in my 338WM which gives about 2250 fps. Until now I've only shot it on paper targets and accuracy is as good as full power loads.