I've got a hankering for a new rifle and this one caught my eye. Likely a foolish proposition as I already have a .300 Win Mag and a .375 H&H, but hey, life's short and new rifles are fun! Anyone have one or any experience with one? Bonus points for this caliber as I'm very curious how these medium bores shoot! Also, if the Fun Police want to try and talk some sense into me, i.e. "The .338 won't do anything the .300 and .375 can do each in their own ways," now's your chance!

Thanks in advance,

John

Never had a 300 or 375 but do own a 338 and to be honest if you own a 338 you probably won't need the other 2 unless you plan to hunt DG in Africa and then you will need the 375.

I don't own one but I've been eyeing them as well. I have an older m70 sporter in .338 WM that I like a lot.

I don't think you could go wrong with an Extreme Weather, they seem to be at least to me a very nice rifle for the price.

Really nicely made rifle.

My gunsmith sold a 338 to a client and it shot really well with hand loads and 210's.

Just a bedding and trigger job and the guy had a great rifle.

I have a Winchester Extreme in 30-06 and will strongly say those models are excellent rifles right out of the box.

Sad to say but these new Winchesters are very much hit and miss ! They look nicely made , crowned barrels et all but I have personally seen some behave terribly on the range due to ill fitting parts and stock bedding problems.
What galls me no end is that the company would allow a rifle out the door in this state !
Where is the quality control ? What is worse is that local shooters around our parts have cottoned on to this and rather buy a Tikka for less money and have a better shooting gun than the new FN made Winchester. Thus the Winnies are sitting on the shelves

I have a "new model" Super Grade with a drop dead gorgeous stock and its does ok, not spectacular but ok !

The Bell and Carlson stocks are really thick overall and very open at the grip.
The safeties are good but noisy.
A bit heavy for the smaller calibres, probably fine for a 338.
I have one in 25-06, wouldn't buy another

i had one in 300 win mag come through here for load work. accuracy was poor. gun was sent back to winchester twice but they said it met their accuracy requirements. owner didn't want to throw money it and got rid of it.

Can't speak to the Model 70 as I only have one and it's a Featherweight but I can speak to the 338 Win Mag having used one almost exclusively since 1993. IMHO, it's a one gun solution for all Alaskan big game hunting.

Not what you want to hear, but buy a Sako, Sauer or Tikka.

quote:

Originally posted by John Galt:
I've got a hankering for a new rifle and this one caught my eye. Likely a foolish proposition as I already have a .300 Win Mag and a .375 H&H, but hey, life's short and new rifles are fun! Anyone have one or any experience with one? Bonus points for this caliber as I'm very curious how these medium bores shoot! Also, if the Fun Police want to try and talk some sense into me, i.e. "The .338 won't do anything the .300 and .375 can do each in their own ways," now's your chance!

Thanks in advance,

John

The model 70 is a good looking rifle, but you may want to look at a .338 Ruger Haweye African. The only thing I don't like about it is the muzzle brake, although the rifle comes with a tread protector if you decide to shoot it without the brake. Also, the treaded barrel means that if you want to add a silencer sometime in the future, it would be quite easy. Look at the specs for the .338:
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/...pecSheets/47120.html

No argument here with the 338 Win Mag comment. A great cartridge in my opinion.

quote:

Originally posted by sep:
Can't speak to the Model 70 as I only have one and it's a Featherweight but I can speak to the 338 Win Mag having used one almost exclusively since 1993. IMHO, it's a one gun solution for all Alaskan big game hunting.

I have the extreme weather in 7mm-08 and it's great. Also had one in .308 it also was great right out of the box. Gave it to my brother as a gift. He loves it! From my experience they're great. I also have a few Sako 85's and a 75 finlight. All in the same league in smooth operation. Th 70's out shoot the Sako's out of the box with factory ammo. For what it's worth!
Good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by truck driver:
Never had a 300 or 375 but do own a 338 and to be honest if you own a 338 you probably won't need the other 2 unless you plan to hunt DG in Africa and then you will need the 375.

quote:

Originally posted by ALF:
Sad to say but these new Winchesters are very much hit and miss ! They look nicely made , crowned barrels et all but I have personally seen some behave terribly on the range due to ill fitting parts and stock bedding problems.
What galls me no end is that the company would allow a rifle out the door in this state !
Where is the quality control ? What is worse is that local shooters around our parts have cottoned on to this and rather buy a Tikka for less money and have a better shooting gun than the new FN made Winchester. Thus the Winnies are sitting on the shelves

I have a "new model" Super Grade with a drop dead gorgeous stock and its does ok, not spectacular but ok !

My experience exactly! I have an extreme in .30-06. The rifle was atrocious out of the box, the crown was not concentric, and the bedding was horrible. After re crown and a bedding job it shot about MOA. After playing with it for a while I decided that the Bell and Carlson stock was simply to much of a club so I replaced it with a McMillian Edge. So after an additional $1,000 or so my M-70 Extreme is a pretty nice rifle.

Unfortunately my gun smith said that he had over a dozen new model-70's in for similar accuracy problems. I'd recommend that you stay away from the new M-70s.

A buddy of mine had an Extreme Weather in 30-06 that had bedding issues. He ended up getting rid of it.

Nothing wrong at all with the 338 WM.


Okie John

I have one. Personally I think the stock is too cluby. I dont know why they made it such!

I have one in 300 WSM. Barrel was rubbing on one side and crown looked iffy. It was shooting 2+". I had the barrel channel opened up and had an 11* recessed target type crown done by my gunsmith and had the barrel threaded for my can with a thread protector, Cost $200.00. for everything It now shoots 3/4" with factory ammo. I don't mind the stock, it feels good to me.
I've had a Ruger 77 in .338 for 27 years. I love the caliber. It hammers big game. I took it and a .375 to Africa in 1988. Took 5 head with each rifle. Zebra, Blue Wildebeast, Kudu, waterbuck, etc. They both did a great job. I was unable to tell the difference in killing power between the two rifles.
If I had to get down to one big game rifle it would be an Extreme Weather M70 in 338. A great choice even if you have to tweek it some out of the box.
With light 200 gr. bullets it shoots as flat as a .300 mag and with 250 gr. or heavier it hits like a .375.

I own six model seventies. There is a lot of potential there, but the execution is as ALF says, iffy. Right now I have two being converted to odd calibers. I made sure each job started with a full action blueprinting job, with a bonus if the safety comes out quiet. If I have $800.00 in my pocket, and want a good off the shelf performer, I buy a pre- Model 75 Sako, and then start saving for a McMillan stock. I like the bad reputation the New Haven rifles have in their CRF "Classic" line (the PFs are generally better built, and more accurate). That means I can pick one up cheap, then go out and have it built to what it should be.

I prefer the push feed model 70's as well.
The winlite/wincam/wintuff models are my favorite Winchester bolt guns. The stocks seem to fit me better than these EW Bell and Carlson jobs. A McMillan is the cherry on top.

I have had fantastic luck with my Extreme Weather. It was accurate enough to shoot mouse ear style groups for 3 shots right out of the box and its cold barrel shot was repeatable and on the money. While I too like the older Winchester Classic Stainless M-70, the Extreme Weathers I have seen are good rifles.

I did have it restocked later with a McMillan Supergrade stock that I prefer even better than the factory stock - but the factory stock works.

Can't see any reason to buy a .338win...

Maybe have the barrel improved to .338/375ruger; that would be quite the ticket...

Every .338win I've owned I've improved to .338/300win. Mild recoil with .338win loads and 250gr bullets, and enough headroom to get almost .340wby velocities.

The ruger magnum wildcat would be even better. Then again, there's the .338 Lapua if Lapua brass floats your boat.

Think instead of buying another rifle, make one of your existing rifles a switchbarrel! have a look at the .375 ruger case...

If you were a one gun kinda guy, a .375 ruger could be your do-it-all gun. Cast bullets in wide weight range, jacketed from 225gr to 350gr. Hornady brass

On the other hand, there is great functionality with a .30-06AI or .338-06AI if you're going to load heavy bullets. Plus, you get 5 in the magazine.

All sorts of guys brag about their 9.3x62s basically a .366-06. The .284win case is the ballistic twin of the 06. A .375/284 would be an incredible option. Neck up Lapua brass from 6.5/284 using tapered expander ball. Start your loads at .375 Whelen, but you have more seating room for your bullet and a case that needs no AI treatment as it has a 35deg shoulder and .500" body diameter.

Look at the Sierra numbers for .30-06AI with heavy bullets and then look at same bullet in .300win mag. Not really giving anything up.

Then again, a .375/284 and 6.5/284 in a switchbarrel would give you a one gun solution to everything except maybe elephant and cape buffalo. Might even have enough shoulder on the .284 case to go .416? That would probably be borderline though.

Why not simplify your life? Go Switchbarreling!

All I can say is I have two FN m70's, a .375 H&H Safari Express and a .300 WM sporter. Both are excellent rifles as is.

quote:

Originally posted by aklester:
Can't see any reason to buy a .338win...

Maybe have the barrel improved to .338/375ruger; that would be quite the ticket...

Every .338win I've owned I've improved to .338/300win. Mild recoil with .338win loads and 250gr bullets, and enough headroom to get almost .340wby velocities.

The ruger magnum wildcat would be even better. Then again, there's the .338 Lapua if Lapua brass floats your boat.

Think instead of buying another rifle, make one of your existing rifles a switchbarrel! have a look at the .375 ruger case...

If you were a one gun kinda guy, a .375 ruger could be your do-it-all gun. Cast bullets in wide weight range, jacketed from 225gr to 350gr. Hornady brass

On the other hand, there is great functionality with a .30-06AI or .338-06AI if you're going to load heavy bullets. Plus, you get 5 in the magazine.

All sorts of guys brag about their 9.3x62s basically a .366-06. The .284win case is the ballistic twin of the 06. A .375/284 would be an incredible option. Neck up Lapua brass from 6.5/284 using tapered expander ball. Start your loads at .375 Whelen, but you have more seating room for your bullet and a case that needs no AI treatment as it has a 35deg shoulder and .500" body diameter.

Look at the Sierra numbers for .30-06AI with heavy bullets and then look at same bullet in .300win mag. Not really giving anything up.

Then again, a .375/284 and 6.5/284 in a switchbarrel would give you a one gun solution to everything except maybe elephant and cape buffalo. Might even have enough shoulder on the .284 case to go .416? That would probably be borderline though.

Why not simplify your life? Go Switchbarreling!

Everything you wrote about a 375Ruger-based 338 makes excellent sense except the first line!

The 338WM is still a great round. And I wish the new 33Nosler well.

Last year I needed a California deer rifle with only a 243 and 416Rigby in the Calif closet. The solution was a 338WinMag Ruger Hawkeye for $500 new. I'd show the rifle or deer, but Photobucket is acting up.

I have three new winchester 70 featherweights but no extreme weather. They all seem to function well out of the box, better than my pre 64s I have range shot two of them but the 3rd a 270 win is unfired yet. The 308 shoots about an inch with most handoads, and the 7mm08, an assembled in portugal model, shoots 5/8 inch with its best loads and 11/4 inch with its worse. I think the new winchesters are a good value for the dollar and i prefer them to sako as I have seen two sako which failed to extract.

^^ Yeah my Sakos were much more a hit or miss than my Winchesters.

As a matter of fact the worst rifle I ever had was a Sako AV in 338 Mag. It is no telling how much gunsmithing and money was put in to that rifle before I just said enough and sold it and other Sakos too and got back to Winchester.

The .338WM is quite popular in Alaska along the .30-06 and the .300WM, but for me the .338 is king. I am a one-gun hunter. I started hunting with it in the early '90s, and liked how it worked on moose from day one.

The new cartridges mentioned and the metric-size ones don't have a great enough following in Alaska to make a difference in relation to the .270, .30-06, .300WM, .338WM, .7mm Magnum (the only metric cartridge that's somewhat popular), and the .375H&H.

Ray, that's a nice list of six cartridges. I notice that you didn't list the 308. (Wasn't that Sarah P's caliber?) Those same six are pretty common in Africa for antelope, too.

quote:

Originally posted by 416Tanzan:
Ray, that's a nice list of six cartridges. I notice that you didn't list the 308. (Wasn't that Sarah P's caliber?) Those same six are pretty common in Africa for antelope, too.

Some people use the .308 for moose hunting, but it is not as popular as the other six. The .375H&H is favored by the coastlines because of the big bears, but the .30-06, 300WM, and .338WM are the most popular with hunters.

quote:

Originally posted by aklester:
Can't see any reason to buy a .338win...

Maybe have the barrel improved to .338/375ruger; that would be quite the ticket...

Every .338win I've owned I've improved to .338/300win. Mild recoil with .338win loads and 250gr bullets, and enough headroom to get almost .340wby velocities.

The ruger magnum wildcat would be even better. Then again, there's the .338 Lapua if Lapua brass floats your boat.

Think instead of buying another rifle, make one of your existing rifles a switchbarrel! have a look at the .375 ruger case...

If you were a one gun kinda guy, a .375 ruger could be your do-it-all gun. Cast bullets in wide weight range, jacketed from 225gr to 350gr. Hornady brass

On the other hand, there is great functionality with a .30-06AI or .338-06AI if you're going to load heavy bullets. Plus, you get 5 in the magazine.

All sorts of guys brag about their 9.3x62s basically a .366-06. The .284win case is the ballistic twin of the 06. A .375/284 would be an incredible option. Neck up Lapua brass from 6.5/284 using tapered expander ball. Start your loads at .375 Whelen, but you have more seating room for your bullet and a case that needs no AI treatment as it has a 35deg shoulder and .500" body diameter.

Look at the Sierra numbers for .30-06AI with heavy bullets and then look at same bullet in .300win mag. Not really giving anything up.

Then again, a .375/284 and 6.5/284 in a switchbarrel would give you a one gun solution to everything except maybe elephant and cape buffalo. Might even have enough shoulder on the .284 case to go .416? That would probably be borderline though.

Why not simplify your life? Go Switchbarreling!

AKLester:

There are lots of reasons to buy whichever rifle caliber the OP wants. In fact, there isn't any reason not to buy all kinds of rifles.

How would a .338/.375 Ruger would be an improvement over a .338WM when each is different from the other? I would not call that improvement, but a "desire to achieve some mental stuff that makes one feel good about." The .338WM is what it is already.

Instead of improving this and that all one has to do is to buy the next rifle caliber one wants, since it is a lot cheaper and there is ammo available for it. For example, buy a .338 Ruger and be done with it. If one still wants to go the gun-smithing route, then there are wildcats out there that are about the same as the .338 Ruger, but that would be the most expensive way to follow.

If you want .340 velocities, why not just buying a .340 Weatherby, or a .338 RUM?

For all my hunting in Alaska, the .338WM is plenty. The same can be said of other popular cartridges up here, from the .270 to the .375 H&H. A new cartridge is just that (reinventing the wheel to keep sales going), nothing else.

If you want a rifle, get one.
The .338 W.M. is a caliber that will handle everything you ask of it, Alaska or elsewhere. Shot placement and bullet selection will improve your odds.
As per Winchesters, or infact any rifle that is factory produced, off the shelf and will be used in dangerous environment or just for the peace of mind.
Have a real gunsmith go over it for feed and function. Make stock adjustments to fit YOU.
A factory rifle can run perfectly or have problems. Always be ready and accepting that you have to throw some money at it to meet your standards
Winchesters New Haven production can be a hit and miss. A smart choice would be to pick up their higher grade rifle from the Winchester Custom Shop on the used market for a good price and usually you don't have to do anything to it. Being right handed. it is much easier to find one. They came in the stainless steel barreled action with Mcmillan's stock, carbon fiber lined barrel etc... You just have to be deligent in your search. With the internet, it's a lot easier. I have one that is left handed from their shop and is an excellent rifle. I cannot speak of the S.C. production, nor do they have a Custom Shop.
I would not touch Sako's which I've owned. They are excellent except for one major fault in my experience and that is the propensity to double feed when the bolt is run with speed. Just my choice.
If a push feed action is desired, then get a Cooper rifle. They make a quality rifle with a magazine box that will not allow a second round to be picked up until the first is ejected.
A CRF action, Ruger has made SS barreled actioned rifles in your desired caliber. You can always remove their stock and place another.
If you want the best synthetic stock in the market, just my opinion. Look up Goseph Smithson gunsmith website in Utah. They are elegant and functional. It makes a standard Mcmillan look like a club.
Montana rifles are close to your Winchesters.

Personally, I have bought and sold a lot of guns and am certifiable a gun loony and opinionated, granted, respectful. If I wanted another rifle, it will have to be a Mauser 98 custom that someone put a lot of money and time in and buy it at a major discount.

The choice is yours and best of luck to you.

The .338 is my favorite caliber as an all around caliber, and its my go to elk rifle for the last 15 years or better..

I built a quite few .338s on Mauser actions, ended up selling them for a profit but couldn't afford to keep them at the money they bring so finally looked at the factory options and to me the Ruger 77 "African" model in .338,and 9.3x62 suited me the best, followed by the old boat paddle stocked SS Ruger..Had a number of them in several calibers, they all shot very well indeed. Today I have a African in a .338 win. had it for about 5 or 6 years I think maybe longer..Its super accurate, clean lines along the style of African rifles with iron sights and scope rings and intregal bases, mod. 70 type trigger but with better placement; and a real nice adjustable trigger.

Were I to include Alaska hunting, ( which I doubt is in the cards for me), with a .338 Win Id find myself a good used Ruger 77 boat paddle, stainless steel, model stick a set or irons on it and a 4X Leupold and head to the wet land..that is the toughest stock Ive ever seen, and you could use it as a boat paddle or stick it upright in the snow over night and not hurt a thing..

Ray,

I got a Ruger .338 African, except that it does not have a muzzle brake. The walnut stock is quite well made, but in Alaska where I live I prefer synthetic. I Installed a gray color McMillan "Classic" stock that I ordered with a decelerator recoil pad to a total LOP (stock plus pad) of 12-1/2".

The African is quite a good looking rifle, even with the synthetic stock I got for it

I like Ruger 77 stainless rifles way better than any Winchester built .I had mine in Alaska 12 years and it's a super tough Role.I put a Boyes laminated stock on and and with a Nikon monarch 3x9 scope and factory ammo shot a 3/4inch group at 200 yards .I still have a Winchester model 70 stainless with a boss on it .That gun was nothing but problems .The finish spotted they scope mounts where drilled crooked ,the magazine follower ,spring and floor plate all had to be replaced bad those stocks and barrel are so thin.it knocks the snot out of you .The Ruger shoots smooth and accurate no problems .The only problem Ruger quit making.them and if you see one get it quick .I Still have eight 338s use to have 12 and I just bought one of the last Ruger stainless model 77 made !

quote:

Originally posted by dgr416:
I like Ruger 77 stainless rifles way better than any Winchester built .I had mine in Alaska 12 years and it's a super tough Role.I put a Boyes laminated stock on and and with a Nikon monarch 3x9 scope and factory ammo shot a 3/4inch group at 200 yards .I still have a Winchester model 70 stainless with a boss on it .That gun was nothing but problems .The finish spotted they scope mounts where drilled crooked ,the magazine follower ,spring and floor plate all had to be replaced bad those stocks and barrel are so thin.it knocks the snot out of you .The Ruger shoots smooth and accurate no problems .The only problem Ruger quit making.them and if you see one get it quick .I Still have eight 338s use to have 12 and I just bought one of the last Ruger stainless model 77 made !

Yes, I have another stainless steel Ruger .338 as the ones you mention. There is nothing wrong with the stock, except for the very hard recoil pad. What I did with mine was to replace the stock with a Hogue Rubber-Overmolded one, and it made a big difference taming recoil.

Something that I like about this rifle is that it always shoots straight from a cold and clean barrel. During the moose season dust, rain, snow, etc., ends up in the action and barrel, so every other day-depending on the weather-I clean it in my tent at night. But since I know how this rifle shoots, I am certain that if I do my part when I aim it at moose it won't let me down.

During the weekend I took both rifles to the shooting range to sight the new one (the African Hawkeye), and the check the sight of the stainless M77 MKII, and again the M77 printed +2" on the 100-yard mark. Those first 3 shots are always in the same location on the target.

I am going to put a bigger scope on my stainless 338 win mag probably 4-16 Nikon or something.like that .I just loaded up a bunch of nosler 225 grain accubonds wiry reloader 19 I talked to Nosler they had best luck.with this combo.This Ruger77 stainless 338 win mag is my most accurate rifle besides my weatherby accumarks 338-378 weatherby.I have shot game from.three yards to 425 with the 338 win mag The further out you shoot something the more it knocks the crap out if it .My buddy used my Winchester model 70 with the books in 338 the trouble made on Friday gun I call it to shoot 7 moose in 7 years none moved out of their tracks just flipped over all the way to 350 yards .He was totally.impressed with the 338 win mag .I have hunted 31 years with my Ruger 77 tang rifles which are my favorite ones just no stainless ones and always did awesome with them .

I also shoot RL-19 and the .225 Accubond for elk, I used the 210 for years and it worked fine but I like the 225 gr. better on elk, I also used the 250 gr. Nosler partition and sure liked it...210 partition, 225 Accubond, 250 partition, all great bullets..If I was to hunt monster bulls again Id stick to the 250 partition, but such is no longer the case with me as Im strictly a meat hunter for elk, as my heart doc says 6 oz. of beef a week or I can eat deer or elk, so I shoot a cow sometimes two every year and the 225 shoots flat and has plenty of penetration on the cows at all ranges. Just my idea of a good cow load, but about any good bullet of any weight will work on elk with the .338..

Thanks all for your feedback! I looked at the quantity of brass, bullets and powder I have for my existing .375 H&H and decided that rather than go all-in on another caliber that would not do anything different than a .300 Win or .375 H&H combined, I'd do the LOGICAL thing and buy another .375 H&H. Found a very good deal on a slightly used Kimber Talkeetna, which a member of another forum bought new and "function-tested and accuracy-proofed" for me by only firing a few rounds to confirm groups, then put the rifle back in his safe. Sounds like it should be a good rig!

-John

Well one can never go wrong with a .375 or for that matter a 300 Win. mag..Ive used both, but I have to tell you I actually prefer my .338 to either of them on this side of the big pond..Reserve my 375 for Africa..The .338 has taken no. 1 spot over the 375 and 300s for this continent, you owe it to yourself to give it a try, you might be surprised and hey you already have a 375 and 300!!

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Well one can never go wrong with a .375 or for that matter a 300 Win. mag..Ive used both, but I have to tell you I actually prefer my .338 to either of them on this side of the big pond..Reserve my 375 for Africa..The .338 has taken no. 1 spot over the 375 and 300s for this continent, you owe it to yourself to give it a try, you might be surprised and hey you already have a 375 and 300!!

In Alaska, at least for me, the .338WM rifle is my all around gun. Well, I have two .338's now. The latest is a Ruger Hawkeye African that does not have a muzzle brake. Quite a good-looking rifle if you ask me

Put away the very nice walnut stock and installed a McMillan Classic that has a Decelerator recoil pad for an LOP of 12-1/2". It's topped with a Leupold that has an illuminated dot in the center of a #4 reticle. Will be taking this rifle during the moose season "camping trip" in September.

A few years ago I used to kill a moose each year with my other Ruger .338 (the one with the boat paddle I sent to you), but as I have gotten older I let the new hunting friends get up early and go to hunt while I enjoy the campsite along a couple of friends. We are the "elders" now, and demand respect from the young ones while eating the best steaks by the fire