The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles 300 WM or 338 WM, Your Thoughts?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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After slimming down my set of rifles, I'm replacing them in slots to cover most hunts I anticipate doing. I have an open slot between a Dave Tooley custom M70 in 7mm Rem Mag and a 375 that Griffin & Howe is finishing up for me. I'm torn between getting a 300 Win Mag or a 338. I have probably 25 boxes of various premium 300 WM ammunition and no 338, but that wouldn't be hard to remedy. A 175gr round in the 7 mag is pretty powerful, but a long way from a 270-300gr bullet in the 375....that's quite a gap. I do have a 358 Win being built now, but that will be a fairly close-range carbine. Your thoughts? | ||
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Bieds, Your question is akin to the 270 30-06 debate. If flat trajectory is you goal go with the 300. If punch is your goal the 338 is your best choice. I have both but would probably pick the 338 if I had to make a choice. Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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Mark, the 300 WM handles 150-200gr bullets, and the 338 WM from 210 to 250gr. With a 7 Mag I have most of the range covered of the 300. I'm leaning towards 338 as well. | |||
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.338 Mag. You can get 185 grain Barnes bullets that will fly so fast that they will be, well, under the radar. And, add 210 (Barnes and Nosler) and 215 grain bullets (Sierra) to that, you have enough light bullets to match or better anything a .300 Mag can offer out to 400++ yards. But no 30 caliber bullet will give you what .338 bullets from 225 grain to 300 grain will.  | |||
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Biebs, You don't need another rifle. Tell me an animal that a 7mm mag is not well suited for? The only ones I can really think of are Brown Bear or DG in Africa and for those the 375 HH mag is better than a 338 WM. Also, a 358 Win with 225 @ 2425 fps packs a lot of punch out to 300 yards Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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A 7mm Rem Mag and a 375 covers ALOT of ground! I would be looking on the other side like a 223  . Seriously, when it comes down between the 300 and 338 I pick the 338. Much of this has to do with I like 270s and the 30-06 and just don’t want a faster .308”. Infact having a 7mm RM I’d automatically skip the 300 anyways.I am back from a long Hiatus... or whatever. Take care. smallfry | |||
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You will see a lot more .338WM rifles in Alaska than you will ever see .375H&H's, and the reasons are simple. The .338WM is quite popular as an all around rifle, specially in the interior where shots can be long. At that same time, there is nothing wrong with using .33-caliber bullets from 225 to 300 grains for closer shots. Just like some .30-caliber bullets would potentially out-penetrate .33-caliber 225-grain bullets, so does a 250-grain .33-caliber bullet out of a .375 H&H with a bullet of the same weight. That said, the most popular cartridges in Alaska are the .30-06, .300WM, and .338WM. My favorite is the .338, of course. This is the way I perceive some of the cartridges mentioned here: the .300WM overlaps the lower ballistics range of the .338WM, while the later overlaps the lower ballistics range of the .375H&H. Yes one can argue about it until turning blue, but these are the facts. | |||
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Jon, you have answered your own question. That is precisely the correct analysis. Mike | |||
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I did this same thing and ditched my 338. Why? Well the 375 does it all that my 338 could. Also for some reason my 338 was always the problem child in my safe. One of the things I had thought back to was that I did more hunting and shooting when I had a lot fewer rifles in the safe. So that drove me to make a lot of room in my safes. What I did do was to go back to my old standby that was the second rifle (caliber) I ever bought back in the day which is the 300 Weatherby Magnum. Except now it isn't in Mark V as mine now is a Model 70. With the 300 Weatherby Mag and the 375 which is going to probably (maybe) become a 375 Weatherby as well, I have a big bunch of the big stuff covered. As it is eland and buffalo are the biggest game I would be hunting. And I kept my 7mmRM too.  I have lots of brass and bullets for it and it is my favorite range shooter too. | |||
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I would get a 300. The 375 covers the 338 needs and a 7mm is not my cup of tea. I have a 300 H+H. | |||
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Ray AK, Except he is not picking an all around rifle for AK. He is trying to keep his heard thin and trying to determine "do I need anything else" given I already have a 7mm mag, a 358 win, and a 375 HH mag for what he perceives to be an "open slot". IMHO there is no open slot that needs to be filled. A 375hh with 260 or 270 grn bullets will have a similar trajectory to a 338 with 225/250s and is a very capable cartridge for long shots. 338 is a great all around caliber if you live in AK or the the majority of your hunting is ELK/Moose and above and/or the you run the risk of brown bears but that is not what this post is about. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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.338win is too close to the .375. 7mag is to close to the 300win. Here's what you do! Sell the 7mag and get a fast 6.5; buy a 300win and then have the .375 reamed to an Ackley/Weatherby. All bases are covered, there is no real overlap and you have the best 3 hunting rifle combo around | |||
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Why choose between two good things..??? buy both. Remember, forgivness is easier to get than permission. | |||
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If I had a 7mm Mag and a 375 I'd go with whichever caliber would best fill the niche of the terrain and size/weight range of animals I planned to hunt. If open country lower 48 game is the objective, the 300 WM will do it all. If Alaska is on the menu, the 338 WM gets the nod. I've been using the 338 WM almost exclusively since 1993 and it is my favorite caliber. It just plain works. | |||
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I think buying both will be the final solution :-) I've always preferred heavy-for-caliber bullets in any rifle, so the 160gr for the 7mm, 200gr for the 300 WM, 250gr for the 338, and 300gr for the 375. Done! For those mentioning 223, 6.5, etc....I already have them well covered. | |||
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Most of my hunting in the states is for Elk. I have used both the 300 and the 338. For me the 338 flattens Elk with more authority than the 300. Easy choice for me. The 338 rules. The only easy day is yesterday! | |||
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Why didn't you keep the .300 RUM you sold me? | |||
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Because I have 25-30 boxes of premium 300 Win Mag ammunition, and really don't shoot ultra-long ranges at game. | |||
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Having experience with the 300 Wby and the 338 Win, I find I prefer the 338. The 300 has the advantage if you use light bullets at high velocity for sight big game, which is the same performance you have with the 7 mag. For game in-between the 7 mag and the 375 I prefer the 338 with bullets of about 200 grains. For practical hunting distances the trajectory of a 200 gr 338 is very close to a 180 gr 300, I believe the added frontal area gives better performance on thin skinned game and you have the option of getting bullets up to 300 grains if you're inclined to use it as back-up for your 375. | |||
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The 7 mag will do anything that a 300 mag will do. In the hunting fields I can't tell the difference. The 375 will do anything that a 338 will do. You talk about filling the gap. If you're a handloader there is no gap to be filled. If you just want another rifle then just buy the one that you're inclined to. velocity is like a new car, always losing value. BC is like diamonds, holding value forever. | |||
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Biebs, Whatever happened to slimming down? or are you just going from 50 to 15 then back to 20 and calling it progress or perhaps I need to apply a multiplier to the above numbers. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Mike, got rid of duplicates and rifles too valuable to hunt with. I'll be down to about 10 rifles, mostly synthetic hunting rifles, but of high quality and accuracy. | |||
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a. The reason why I mentioned the .338WM for Alaska is because you referred to brown bears. b. The OP asked a question about which one to choose between a .300WM, or .338WM. Nothing wrong with my answer, I imagine. c. The 260-270-grain .375 bullets do not offer similar ballistics as a 250-grain .338WM bullet. The 250-grain .33 bullet has a better BC and a SD of .313. Where the .375HH is superior to the .338WM is with bullet weights above 270 grains, such as the 300-grainer. The .338WM overlaps the lower ballistics range of the .3735H&H, but is left in the dust when .300-grain bullets are used on the .375H&H, not necessarily shooting flat, but in a heavier punch on game. That's where the .375H&H thrives. That's why I said that the .300WM overlaps the lower ballistics range of the .338WM, while the latter overlaps the lower ballistics range of the .375H&H. The .300WM with its lighter bullets will always outshoot the .338WM to below 250 grains. On the same token, the .338WM with its lighter bullets will always outshoot the .375H&H to below 300 grains. By the way, there are some very interesting points this article's writer makes about several smaller cartridges, and the reasons why they are so efficient: http://www.chuckhawks.com/sd.htm | |||
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Split the difference and get a .325 WSM. I sure like mine. Its a Kimber Montana. Nice and light for carrying. | |||
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You really need one of each!  | |||
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Ray AK, You may not have read my post correctly. I said similar trajectories. The trajectories of a 338 w/ a 225 or 250 are very similar to a 375 w/ a 270. There is also no practical difference to the 375/300 combo. The only way I know to do fair comparison is to use a single mfg's data so as many variables are eliminated. The following is taken from the Barnes (who produces all the weights) manual and run thru a ballistics program. I through out the highs and low max velocities and then used the approximate midpoint of the remaining max velocities. Comparing any one persons load in a rifle or rifles is just not valid. Also comparing X mfg's data to Y mfg's data is not valid. 338/225 Barnes BC = .386 SD .281 vel ~2800 zeroed at 200 has a 8.1 inch drop at 300 375/270 Barnes BC = .326 SD = .274 vel ~2725 zeroed at 200 has a 9.2 inch drop at 300 I would not call 1.1 inch at 300 a practical difference. 338/250 Barnes BC = .425 SD .313 vel ~2600 zeroed at 200 has a 8.8 inch drop at 300 even increasing velocity to 2675 only reduces drop by .5 inches. I would not call 4/10 of an inch or 9/10 of an inch at 300 a difference. 375/300 Barnes BC = .357 SD .305 ~2575 zeroed at 200 has a 10.1 inch drop at 300. I would not call 1.3 inches at 300 a difference. The biggest difference between any of them is 2 inches at 300. I don't know any shooter that can discern 2 inches at 300 yards under field conditions in the body of an animal using a typical scope. All of the bullets have SDs above .27 which is plenty of penetration and energy ranged from 2310-2458. Even if I switch to Nosler data and take the highest max of 2780 for the best BC of a 338/250 the drop at 300 is 7.4 inches and then drop to the 260/375 and take the best BC but the lowest max velocity the drop is 9.0 inches at 300. A difference of only 1.4 inches at 300 yards. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Jon, the answer is obvious: 300 Weatherby. Do I have to tell you everything??? | |||
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I vote for the 338 Win Mag. Shoots flat & deadly out to 250 yards with a 160gn Barnes TTSX at 3300 fps, or for a big punch at closer range it will also handle the 300 gn Woodleigh RNSN at 2400fps. In between there are a lot of choices but the 225gn and 250gn weights would probably be hard to beat, and a well constructed 225gn bullet at 2800 fps is likely to handle any large plains game. | |||
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Get yerself a tote-able 22” 338 Win Mag .I am back from a long Hiatus... or whatever. Take care. smallfry | |||
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It's almost scary how much sense this makes! Roger ___________________________ I'm a trophy hunter - until something better comes along. *we band of 45-70ers* | |||
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If you didn't have the 7, I'd say 300 WM. Since you do, 338WM. | |||
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300 yards? You have to look father than that to compare ballistics. You just have to consider the capabilities of a .300WM with a 180-grain slug, then a .338WM with a 250-grain slug, and finally a .375 H&H with a 300 grain slug. Each one of these cartridges do their best with those bullet weights. Anything else, is just one's imagination playing tricks, for there is no way for a .300WM to be a .338WM, nor a .338WM to be a .375H&H, even if one overlaps the lower ballistic range of the next one up in line. The .300WM is an outstanding cartridge, specially with bullet weights around 180 grains, and so the .338WM with bullet weights around .250-grains, and up the line the .375H&H is king with bullet weights around 300 grains. The .338WM is just a step in the middle, kicking on the hills of the .375H&H, as much as a .300WM is kicking on the hills of the .338WM. We can argue about such things until we turn blue, but there is no arguing against physics and cartridge performance on the field, both in Africa and the US. And yes, the .338WM is not legal in some African nations, and that's is fine. But for US big game hunting it has already proven itself. | |||
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.338 Win. Mag. Shoots adequately flat for reasonable hunting ranges, has a little more “thump” when it gets there. A darn good choice for the “all around cartridge”! memtb You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel | |||
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You know its funny. The discussion is about hunting rifles and their application to game animals and a perceived gap between the 7mm mag and the 375hh and some folks have suggested a 338 WM. . I start off by saying: "A 375hh with 260 or 270 grn bullets will have a similar trajectory to a 338 with 225/250s and is a very capable cartridge for long shots." You essentially say the above is not true. I show you the data that proves it is true and your response is essentially. "You can only compare a 300 with 180s to a 338 with 250s and a 375 with 300s and you have to compare past 300 yards." This where I say "really?" because a) we are comparing the ability of the cartridges to overlap each other and the beauty of all those cartridges is their flexibility based on their ability to handle multiple bullet weights from 150-200, 185-250, and 235-300 (respectively) and those aren't even the extreme ranges of the bullet weights and b) the application is hunting not long range target shooting. Referencing the original point, the only animals in NA that the 7mm mag is marginal for is brown bear and in Africa it is not legal for the non-cat Big 5. Just how many brown bear do people shoot at 300+ yards? unless of course they have already screwed up and wounded the bear. I don't know any African PHs that would let you chance a shot at a cape buff at 200 yards even if it is standing in the clear by itself regardless of the cartridge I also don't know anybody on the planet who if they had the unfortunate circumstance to have to shoot at a wounded brown bear at more than 300 yards and they had their 375HH with 260 or 270 grain slugs would be saying "God I wish I had my 338 with 250 grain bullets because that would be so much better because of the trajectory" With all due respect and I mean that sincerely, there is no need to respond. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Mike, the questions of the OP was about which one to choose between the .300WM and the .338WM. The .338WM is right in the middle between the .300WM and the .375H&H. I have never said that one should shoot a bear past 300 yards. All I said that 300-yard ballistics aren't the true ballistics measure of most cartridges, although 300 yards probably is the limit for most hunters. But there are short and long range ballistics. A difference in bullet drop around 2" at 300 yards could make a big difference past 300 yards. That aside, the cartridges that are used to kill any bear, moose, caribou, and the rest aren't necessarily the most powerful, but the most widely used by hunters in Alaska. In this case these are the .30-06, .300WM, and the .338WM. All others are far behind, including the .7mm Magnum, and the .375H&H. But the .7mm Magnum is more popular with Alaska hunters than the .375 H&H, probably because most hunters aren't hunting bears alone. | |||
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I have found that perhaps more important than the cartridge is a very good barrel. Years ago I put a stainless Krieger barrel on a Weatherby action in 340 weatherby, did a trigger job on it and had it professionally bedded in a Mcmillan stock. I went out and shot it with some handloaded 225 Accubonds at 3050 a few weeks ago and just forgot how accurate that damn thing is. About 5 shots in one hole 2.5" high at 100 yds. I have so many guns to shoot and mess with but that one covers about every category. When a gun will shoot like that it gives you so much confidence. BTW: It is a killer !! | |||
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Biebs you suck. Senility must have kicked in The blaser - all one would have to do is get both barrels. Or just the 338 in your case. Mike | |||
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I guess I'm in the camp of there is no real gap between the 7 mag and the .375 H&H as far as hunting is concerned. If you want something in between them, I guess a high speed longer range rifle is the niche that you haven't covered. If you are after that, then the .300 mag isn't enough bigger over the 7 mag; conversely the .338 isn't fast enough with good BC bullets for longer shots (I'm thinking like 500 yards or so if you decide on Asian sheep or mountain nyala here, not speed goats or such) I went the route of getting a .300 ultra mag, but a .300 weatherby or the big bottle weatherby cartridges would fit also. Frankly, a .300 win mag is no better off than the 7 mag if you match sectional density, and a .338 win mag isn't going to beat either with comparable Velocity loadings. The .375 will have more muscle than the .338 at any practical range. So if you are after filling a niche, go bigger case in whatever bore you prefer... if you just want a classic hunting round, either is fine and since you already have a ton of .300 win mag ammo, why not use it. I suspect you will find that despite having a bunch of fine rifles, one will bond with you somehow and you will use that one for 90% of the hunting, even if you have something more "suitable" in the safe. | |||
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If you insist on getting another rifle between the 7 mag and 375 then the 338 is the obvious choice. velocity is like a new car, always losing value. BC is like diamonds, holding value forever. | |||
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Mike, In true long range shooting the .338 WM (with good high bc bullets) will walk away from the .375 H&H...in retained velocity, energy and wind drift. I have and love my .375’s (an H&H and an AI), but my wife’s .338 (225 TTSX’s started at 2950 fps) will outperform my AI (250 TTSX’s started at 3130 fps)at ranges exceeding 750 yards. If only shots inside the 500 yard range are considered, then the .375 H&H has the edge. Out to around 700...my AI has the edge. As painfull as it is to say, the .338 WM is a little better “all around” caliber! memtb You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles 300 WM or 338 WM, Your Thoughts?
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