At mi casa, we call the 338 Winnie a girl's gun as it is my wife's favorite rifle. At sub 130 lbs, she handles it quite well. The recoil equivalent to a 300 win mag depending on powder and bullet weight, but not as sharp. She is shooting a ruger 77 mkII stainless.

And speaking of recoil, if someone isn't used to shooting their rifle, an -06 will feel punchy. The 338 Winnie is very manageable and has superb knock down power and the step up from an -06 class cartrdge is not too difficult. Besides, the first shot is always the best...

On the 300 vs the 338 debate, there isn't anything out there that the 300 can do that the 338 won't do better. Having spent a better part of my life shooting a 300 WM in a Browining A-bolt, I finally saw the light with the 338 class bullets (better SD and BC). Of course, these days, the 375 H&H spends the most time in my hands for bigger critters, but I oft look at a 338-378 when I start missing recoil....

John

Jakkals,

Since you are a PH and are already committed to shooting a .500 Jeffery, I would assume the moderate recoil of a .338 Win. would not be an issue. Used as a backup rifle, the performance it delivers downrange should easily justify what recoil you actually feel.
The .338 Win. is a superb cartridge. It consistently ranks within the top 10 most popular calibers, mainly due to its versatility and capability. Loaded with premium bullets weighing 200 – 250 grains it has the energy and trajectory to be optimal for non-dangerous plains game to 350m. If you suspect you will need more range on a consistent basis, you might opt for the .340 Wby. Mag. JMHO

Dave

Seems to me a much overlooked plus for the .338 is that it will drive a 300 gr. Woodleigh at the same velocity that a 375 H&H will drive a 300 gr. bullet..

The .338 wins on sectional density and the .375 wins on cross section of bullet, take your pick, not that either one makes any difference, shot placement and bullet construction being a better criteria...The Cape Buffalo and a couple of Bison shot with the .338 and 300 gr. woodleighs expired after a very short run, about what I have come to expect from any bigbore, regardless of caliber.

However I don't intend on parting with my .338 or my old .375, not in this lifetime..

I also think its a mistake to try and get more velocity out of a .338 with bigger cases, it works better just as it is, its a winning combo of caliber and velocity that just clicked, and it works with about any bullet combination because its not too fast and not to slow..

I have to agree with Ray. It is just about perfect as is.

For several years now I have owned a 300 weatherby. I love it, it's my straightest shooting gun, can shoot up to 220 grain bullets, and retaines enough energy to kill a deer at up to 600 or 700 yards. So, why did I try and talk myself into a 338 win mag (ended up with a Ruger m77)? Simple, it is by far and away the best african plains game, in my opinion. The difference between it and the weatherby, which shoots flatter and almost has as much punch, is the size of the hole. And, the 338 winny can be handloaded with up to 300 grain bullets. In terms of felt recoil, to me, it seems as if the weatherby has a sharper more painful recoil than the 338. However, there is not much difference and its really not bad at all...perfect plains laoner.

The 338WM is my rifle of choice. I have loaded for it and have found Winchester Brass to be as good as any… Given the right amount of prep. My Rifle is a custom but I have had a Rem 700 and found it to be very accurate and reliable.
Granted the largest animal I have taken is a 300Lb East Texas Hog…
I admit I have mainly shot Nosler BT, Accubonds & Partitions… mainly in 200Gr.
and I really like IMR4350

All have been Very accurate. I have also found the Nosler manual to match my actual velocities to about +/- 50-80 Ft/Sec

Thank you for all the info on the 338 Win

Gerhard

quote:

Originally posted by Big Bore Boar Hunter:
but I oft look at a 338-378 when I start missing recoil....

John

5000 lbs at the muzzle compared to 48 lbs at the shoulder (~22 lbs if you use the brake)... I find it a VERY fair trade off ....

Ken....

If the 338 is what you want, then get it in a Ruger M77 Mk II SS synthetic and top it with a VX II 2-7x33. I can't think of a more inexpensive, ready to go, readily available, utilitarian rifle out there.

Chuck

338 would be hard to beat and in my opinion is much more manageable then a sharp recoiling 300 mag. The Howa is one of the most underrated rifles out there as well. I wouldn't think twice about that combo.

quote:

Originally posted by Heat:


5000 lbs at the muzzle compared to 48 lbs at the shoulder (~22 lbs if you use the brake)... I find it a VERY fair trade off ....

Ken....

The .338-378 has a great amount of juice behind it, makes for a great 500 yd elk gun if you are tight behind the trigger. I opted for sanity and picked up a .340 weatherby so I can shoot without super duty ear muffs on. Not that the recoil isn't manageable without the brake, I can't get used to the noise. I am still tempted to pick up a .338-378 though, they are real fun to shoot.

John

Gerhard
I think your choice of a 338 is a good one, I think a 9,3x62 would be a good choice as well.

If your shots are of a longish range then a 210 Nosler Partition would make a good choice. If your shots are usually under 200 yards I would go with a 250gr bullet.

I have never owned a 338, but I have shot friends rifles. I think the 338 kicks less than a 300 Win Mag or a 375 H&H.

For the recoil sensitive I would also have a 308 or a 30-06 with 180gr Premium bullets.

the 338 win mag is as versitile as the 30-06 and has better energy and fps from the same lenght action. if a person like jakkals would be concerned about recoil, you can add a deaccelerator recoil pad and or a good muzzel brake and a 338 win mag will be like shooting a 270 or less.

i prefer winchester brass, cci or federal magnum primers, imr4831@ 75.0 grains, imr 4350 @73.0 or reloader 19 or reloader 15 with a 210 nosler partition.

in all the 338 win mags i have owned,the 210 or 250 nosler partition always shot the best.

theres alot of other great calibers but the bigger you go, the harder they kick. but for the money i would get the 338 win mag and a kdf muzzele brake if you think your customers will be recoil shy. but most people who can afford a trip to africa, usually wont be recoil shy

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
Gerhard
I think your choice of a 338 is a good one, I think a 9,3x62 would be a good choice as well.

If your shots are of a longish range then a 210 Nosler Partition would make a good choice. If your shots are usually under 200 yards I would go with a 250gr bullet.

I have never owned a 338, but I have shot friends rifles. I think the 338 kicks less than a 300 Win Mag or a 375 H&H.

For the recoil sensitive I would also have a 308 or a 30-06 with 180gr Premium bullets.

Make that an easy 300 yards with the 250-grain bullets. An examples of a factory .338WM load:

Federal 180-grain PP, with the rifle sighted +1.4" at 100 yards
MUZZLE = 3120 fps, over 3850 foot-pound
100 yd = 2860 fps/3265 foot-pound
200 yd = 2610 fps/2730 foot-pound, bullet drop = +0.0"
300 yd = 2380 fps/2265 foot-pound, bullet drop = -6.5"
400 yd = 2160 fps/1860 foot-pound, bullet drop = -19.1"

This is to illustrate that the .338WM is almost as flat shooting as the .300WM with a similarly constructed bullet of equal weight. However, the lightweight bullets are best shot with the .300WM.

A .338WM 250-grain BTSP bullet loaded at 2700 fps, rifle sighted to +2" at 100 yards, hits the center of the target at 200 yards, and still packs 2439 fps over 3302 foot-pound of energy. At 300 yards, the same bullet drops to -7.7", and is still moving slightly faster than 2313 fps.

I love my .338 and I will never sell it

Although I am thinking about buying a 338 lapua to hang out with my other guns in the safe


Long live .338!

If you want to step up in power, try these:

http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.p...h=40&products_id=179

JABS, I use Double Tap ammo exclusively in my .338 win mag. My M77 absolutely loves their 250 grain Nosler Partition Gold loading.

Seeing as how this will be a LOANER for clients. I think the 338 with 225 gn Barnes X would just about cover any animal shot and would somewhat reduce recoil felt by clients.

I am with Ray, a very well known PH in TZ has a 338 he keeps as a loaner to let the ladies and men who come over gunned shoot their cape buff with, even though its illegal. He found a long time ago a 338 works as well as a 375HH without the recoil and he follows lots less wounded buff. He loads 250 gn Woodleigh solids and softs....................JJ

I've used my Win. M70.338 for almost 40 years now (the old girl is long overdue for a new barrel...or actually I need a new .338) on elk, mulies and African plains game, and like the fellows have said, it has less recoil velocity than the big .300s.

BTW, I can't understand why some people like to shoot Zebra...doesn't seem proper somehow.

I love my .338 WM I have the Ruger MK77 mark II in stainless. Shoots real good. I reload the Winchester brass along with 225 grain Accubonds with 72.5 grain of RL-19 powder.

I have shot the 338WinMag for about fifteen years, everything from Jackals to a 2600 pound Eland at 330 yards. It has manageable recoil, great range and killing power galore.

With the 270-300gr solids it will shoot through anything in the world.



I used my favorite 225gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claws out of this Blaser R93 Semi-weight to take the 99 6/8" Eland in Namibia this spring.

I'd say the 338 would be a fine caliber choice, but as far as a loaner for your clients, I might be more inclined to recommend a 30-06. It will do the job without the recoil of the 338. That way, you'd never have to worry about a client not being able to shoot his/her magnum rifle. Ammo availability and cost is another factor to consider.

Hi Jakkals, I have used a 338 Win Mag for 21 years now, fired 5000 rounds, just wore out my original barrel, and in your position I would be choosing the 338 Win Mag. I don't think the recoil is a problem, but that varies from person to person. I have one freind who thinks it recoils too much, he is tall and of slim build, but he doesn't do a lot of shooting, and uses a 243 himself. However, he can still shoot my 338. I have tried Remington, Winchester Federal and Norma Brass. I prefer Norma by a big margin because it is much more consistent, has thicker walls, and hence gives more shots before having to discard the case, and on top of that it has about 2 gn more powder capacity than the others. After Norma, Winchester and federal are about the same, and Remington cases come last in my opinion, because they are thinner and softer and I only get 3 reloads out of each case. I think this caliber is well suited to your purpose, either as a back up rifle or a loan rifle. It is a very versatile caliber, capable of using bullets from 160 gn at 3300fps (Barnes X) to 300gn at 2500fps (Woodleigh SNRN and FMJ). In between you have 200gn at around 2900 to 3000 fps, 225gn at around 2800fps, and 250gn at 2700 to 2750fps. There is a wide selection of bullets available. I have tried the three Australian Powders that suit this caliber (ADI AR2209, AR2213SC and AR2217)and a few others like Win 760 and Reloader 19 and Reloader 22. I prefer Reloader 22 for the heavier bullets and AR2209 (similar to H4350)for the lighter weights (180 to 225), You could tackle Buffalo with the 300 gn bullets (although I know it is below the legal minimum) as it is only 100fps slower than the 375 H&H with the same weight. The 160 gn would be fine for smaller antelope and would shoot quite flat out to about 350 yards. My recommendation would be to try the 225gn Nosler Accubond as it is very accurate and has an excellent ballistic coefficient. This holds its velocity well, shoots relatively flat and keeps plenty of energy even out to 500 yards. It is also a well constructed bullet. If you are shooting inside 300 yards you may try the Speer 250gn Grand Slam, or the Barnes TSX at either 225gn or 250gn. I haven't tried a Howa, but one of our local club menbers has one with a synthetic stock in 338, and it is quite accurate, and looks to be a fine rifle. My preference is a Ruger M77, but I am biased as I have had two of them, and I think they are great rifles. The newer Mk2 has CRF as well. In summary I don't think the recoil issue is a problem because when shooting from field positions you never notice it anyway. The versatilty and knockdown power is really what makes this caliber a winner in my view. I am happy to send you some of my loading data if you email me and undertake not to just use them (as most are near maximum) but to work up slowly from 10% below.

Thanks for the info guys.

Its a treasure chest of info.

Gerhard