Dear all,

I found an old thread where it was said that .338 bullets were designed for much faster calibers than .338 Fed and would therefore NOT expand/behave correctly in the animal's body.

What I believe is that they are designed for a specific speed, e.g. the A-Frame for 2200 fps. If that is true, then it would just reduce the practical range for the .338 Fed. but not render it unusable...

What is your view / experience?

best regards
McStern

I have a 338 Fed and have heard the same things. I think you can use 210 partitions and ANY standard cup and core bullet at 200 grains (Hornady, Speer, etc). For mono-metals I would stay at 185 or under since they are tougher to open. All these should be great out of the Federal to 300 yards.

Same with the Accubonds (180 or 200)

I asked Sierra about their 215 Gameking, they told me it's built tough and it's best used on CXP3 game only at 338 Federal Speeds. It may not open on a small whitetail.

Woodleigh just developed a 180 and 200 gr Weldcore specifically for the 338 Federal.

If you start using 225 grain bullets and larger, you will have to limit your range and some of the tougher premiums may not open as much as you want.

There are plenty of bullets for the 338 Federal. Most of the BS you hear is from 338 WM lovers that HATE the 338 Federal.

The .338 Federal is a fantastic round for game within the 100-150 yard range. It is the practically the same as the old 9.3x57 Mauser that has HAMMERED moose (Alg) in europe for years. It is a GREAT round within its intended range. I just wish Speer still made the 275gr.SS. It would really MAKE this cartridge!!
It was soft and effective at velocities below 2000 fps.

quote:

Originally posted by ldkier:
The .338 Federal is a fantastic round for game within the 100-150 yard range.

I'm sure it will do well from 150 to 300 yards considering all loads under 215 grains are still going around 2,000 fps at 300 yards.

I asked both Speer and Hornady about this - what is the minimum impact velocity for decent expansion of their 200-grain bullets. Here is what I got:

Hornady - 1700 fps is minimum for any expansion
Speer - 1900 fps with a bone strike

I wouldn't expect much expansion on the Hornady at 1700 fps, I'd prefer to see 1900 on either bullet. There is your max range limiting factor.

.

The Speer 200gr is quite soft as is the 200gr Hornady. I run the 210grNO in my 338-06 @ 2750fps & it expands well out to 300yds. The Speer 200gr should do well to 300yds w/ decent expansion.

Neck up to 358
But seriously...
The 160 TTSX by barnes should be good for anything you want a 338 Fed to do.
I would do a 338-284 and use up to 250 grainers.
But I like crazy stuff
Same bolt face and would clean up the chamber.

The 210 grain Nosler Partition is the bullet I would load if I had a .338 Federal. I shoot a .338 Win. Mag. here in Alaska. I really don't understand why some one goes over .30 caliber and wants to shoot less then 200 grain bullets.

I think the REAL answer to this thread is, it all depends on what your going to hunt...

DM

quote:

Originally posted by TX Nimrod:
I asked both Speer and Hornady about this - what is the minimum impact velocity for decent expansion of their 200-grain bullets. Here is what I got:

Hornady - 1700 fps is minimum for any expansion
Speer - 1900 fps with a bone strike

I wouldn't expect much expansion on the Hornady at 1700 fps, I'd prefer to see 1900 on either bullet. There is your max range limiting factor.

.

I have used both of these bullets a lot on game, and have found the 200 gr Speer to be quite soft, and I think it would be perfect at 338 Fed speeds.

I agree with Boom Stick
neck it up to 358 and you will have something
seriously though
as with any cartridge it has it optimal usage don't try and make it something its not

I bought a 338 Federal to use as a Pennsylvania and Michigan whitetail and Canadian black bear gun. Maximum range I have ever had was about 125 yards. I sighted mine in with 210 Partitions and am anxious to give it a whirl this fall. Should be perfect for my application and is pleasant to shoot.

The new 200 grain hornady gummy bullet designed for the 338 Marlin Express will be good.

The 358 just has bullets that work in the desired functional impact velocities.

I would say the Nosler 358 225 Accubond will have about the same reach as most bullets in 338 in that weight.

quote:

Originally posted by McStern:
Dear all,

I found an old thread where it was said that .338 bullets were designed for much faster calibers than .338 Fed and would therefore NOT expand/behave correctly in the animal's body.

What I believe is that they are designed for a specific speed, e.g. the A-Frame for 2200 fps. If that is true, then it would just reduce the practical range for the .338 Fed. but not render it unusable...

What is your view / experience?

best regards
McStern

I've heard that before and think there is some truth in it. I do not think the .338" Federal is a weakling, I just don't much like it as it offers nothing the 35 family doesn't already cover. In fact I don't believe 338 bullets lighter than 210 grains offer anything the 30-06 can't already dish out with 180s.
That said, my real beef with it is the new crop of bullets designed specifically for it that could find their way into the larger 338s, thus damaging the 338s stellar reputation. We all know the history of the 358 Winchester, so just exactly why was the wheel reinvented with the 338 Federal?

Woodleigh is comming out with bullets specifically designed for the 338 federal and 338-06. I bet they will be good, but I dont know if they are available yet.

quote:

Originally posted by dean119:
Woodleigh is comming out with bullets specifically designed for the 338 federal and 338-06. I bet they will be good, but I dont know if they are available yet.

They're available in Australia so I think there's a real good chance the US distributor would have them.

I loaded my new 338 fed with 200 grain nosler E-tips and 43.5 grains of RL15. I get really good accuracy with this load, but I, too, wonder if this bullet is moving fast enough to expand. I don't know what the velocity is, but I'm debating on trying a different load and bullet to use on elk. What do you guys think of this bullet, load for my 338 Fed? Did I make a mistake in loading this?

quote:

Originally posted by Ckemp:
I loaded my new 338 fed with 200 grain nosler E-tips and 43.5 grains of RL15. I get really good accuracy with this load, but I, too, wonder if this bullet is moving fast enough to expand. I don't know what the velocity is, but I'm debating on trying a different load and bullet to use on elk. What do you guys think of this bullet, load for my 338 Fed? Did I make a mistake in loading this?

If you believe the Nosler website, they open at 1800 fps.

I own a .338 fed and am personally not worried about speed and bullet not expanding, Take a look at the Hodgdon load data site for the .338fed and the imr 8208 xbr powder data seems to increase the speed a bit, loaded with the bullets posted above you'll have a good round, I'll post my results as soon as I get the powder I have on order in. jim

There is a new load from Remington with a 250 grain bullet for the 338 marlin Express. I think that would be ideal too for the 338 Federal.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewp...productnumber=298814

I was very interested in doing a .338-08 for my AR-10. I like the Speer 250 Grand Slam in .338 and also the 180gr for use in .308 for that rifle.


Came to the conclusion that there was nothing for me to gain with a .338-08.


If you want a real short-bodied ctg, look at necking up the .284win. That is the ticket. You're looking at .338-06 performance levels with that one.

Now I realize many guys on the boards talk about how tough most premium bullets are and that even .338-06 won't produce enough fps to make them expand. Sheesh! Why shoot a medium bore at all?

As one last thought, with the .500 case diameter of the .284win, you can go all the way up to .375 and still have plenty of shoulder.

It is just too bad there is no .510 bodied ctg with a .473 boltface diameter.

185gr barnes TSX makes a great bullet for the 338 federal. My buddies kid took a decent bull moose with his this year, bang/stagger/flop. Bullet penetrated both shoulders and just barely stopped in the hide on the far side. Can't ask for better performance than that. All that performance in a sub 5lb rifle, hard to beat.

I plan on doing some bullet testing in 2 weeks to test the "too hard theory". I'm going to load my 338 Federal to 2,000 fps to simulate a 300 yard shot and see how different bullets expand and penetrate in water jugs. I'll post the results.

quote:

Originally posted by McStern:
Dear all,

I found an old thread where it was said that .338 bullets were designed for much faster calibers than .338 Fed and would therefore NOT expand/behave correctly in the animal's body.

What I believe is that they are designed for a specific speed, e.g. the A-Frame for 2200 fps. If that is true, then it would just reduce the practical range for the .338 Fed. but not render it unusable...

What is your view / experience?

best regards
McStern

I witnessed a gentleman take a Zebra with the 338 Federal loade with the 210 grain TSX the shot was about 100 yards and the results were impressive


Zebra




Damage to the Heart






I believe the 338 Federal will get the job done, don't you?

I've got Tikka T3 in 338 Fed. The biggest animal taken - big european moose.



It takes one frontal lung shoot. Cartridge - Sako with Barnes TXC 185 gr. bullet.




I think speed and penetration are enough for all animals except brown bears, biggest moose and wapiti.

One of the most beautiful zebras I have ever seen.

If you're worried about speed, or a flatter trajectory, try Barnes 165 grain Tipped TSX. They shoot real good in my 338 win mag but I really like the 210 grain load I have. If I want faster I'll shoot my 270. DW

The Federal Fusion bullet will expand at pretty low velocities I think 1700fps.
They say they will be available as components soon its a 200gr bullet.
I see they also have a 225 version.

I have a friend who has been making 338-08 rifles since the early 1990's. His reamer is the exact same as the current 338 Federal.

His favorite bullet is the Sierra 215 gn bullet; I am not sure if it is a GameKing or ProHunter. I don't know the velocity but doubt it is anything close to being unsafe.

He has equipped a bunch of PA Black Bear Hunters with it and they have had great results on PA Black Bears.

quote:

Originally posted by airgun1:
I have a friend who has been making 338-08 rifles since the early 1990's. His reamer is the exact same as the current 338 Federal.

His favorite bullet is the Sierra 215 gn bullet; I am not sure if it is a GameKing or ProHunter. I don't know the velocity but doubt it is anything close to being unsafe.

He has equipped a bunch of PA Black Bear Hunters with it and they have had great results on PA Black Bears.

It's interesting because I could not get the 215 Sierra to expand in water jugs at 2400 fps. Sierra recommends it for the 338 Mag. The 200 gr Fusion is on the right for comparison. I plan on testing the 200 SST and 200 Interlock next.

Well I will only add that a watewr jug and a bear are two different things. That Fusion may not penetrate a big fat bear, but again a water jug and a bear are totally different. Ballistic gelatin or even wet newspaper may give better idea.

Before you jump to any conclusions, I use a 30-06 and 180 gn Nosler Partitions, but I know a bunch of guys who hunt and get bears with that 338 Fed load with no complaints.

quote:

Originally posted by airgun1:
Well I will only add that a watewr jug and a bear are two different things. That Fusion may not penetrate a big fat bear, but again a water jug and a bear are totally different. Ballistic gelatin or even wet newspaper may give better idea.

Before you jump to any conclusions, I use a 30-06 and 180 gn Nosler Partitions, but I know a bunch of guys who hunt and get bears with that 338 Fed load with no complaints.

I pretty sure a 200 gr Fusion will flatten a big fat black bear with no issues. That one was muzzle velocity impact and looks pretty good with 83% weight retention.

I'm not doubting your friends have killed a truck load of bears with the 215 Sierra. I was just surprised how really tough it is. Everyone seems to think all Sierra's are soft. If you look at the tip you can see how thick the jacket is. It's extremely thick at the point. I bet it would open fine and hold together great on a shoulder shot when it hits bone.

I'm just testing some bullets and having fun. I know a water jug and an animal are two different things but in my limited testing I've never seen a bullet fail to open on water jugs.

O.K. here's the deal on the 338fed, The 358 win was originally designed as a lever gun round(yes winchester did chamber it in the m 70 featherweight but that was an after thought) so the 358win was never loaded to its potential in factory form.

The 338 federal was designed from the get go, to be chambered in a bolt gun, so its loaded to max or close to it, pressure. If you look at charts the 338 fed is good to 400yds almost all of its bullets in all practical ranges(165gr to 225gr) retain 1,900fps out to 400yds, hence its a 400yd cartridge if your up to it.

The 358 win(which i own and shoot) is only good to 300yds except the 225gr sierra and 225gr accubond. But the 358win handloaded can and will get 2,800fps with a 200gr bullet handloaded to max but safe pressure. If Barnes would only make a 180gr TTSX the 358win would be hell on wheels for most smaller big game(deer and pigs)

The 338fed is really imo great with up to 225gr bullets after that it really starts to slow down and what cant be done with a good 225gr bullet or the 210gr partition???

Both 338fed and 358win are really two peas in a pod, but imo the 358 has been neglected by lack of really good light weight bullets and horrible factory loads(200gr silver tip 2,550fps) so of course the win is a hand loader only proposition, but i like mine

The 338Fed does not have to be limited to 125-150yds as previously posted. It works out to 300 provided you're using the right bullets - and there are PLENTY of good bullets.

To the "make it a 358 and all is well," they live in a fantasy world. For the most part, the 35 caliber is dead. The 358 and 35 Whelan are loved by rifle loonies like us. The 338Fed is a relatively new-born. It might have a chance but only time will tell.

RH