I thinking about getting a larger moose/elk rifle. This is going to be a hunting rifle only not for pleasure shooting at the range. I like the 338 but the weatherby interests me. Anyone with experience with both?

I've used both, and except for the recoil, neither I nor the game that died, could tell the differnce.

Unless you reload, the 338 wins. 340 ammo costs too much.

bc300winguy,

I’ve had the pleasure to use both calibers for elk, moose, bear & African plains game. Both rounds are great if shot placement is accurate. In regards to that; I feel the dividing line is 300 yards. If you suspect you will be taking shots at 300 yards or longer, the .340 Wby. with a 225 grain premium bullet is superior in both drop & windage; enough so to make a difference. For ranges under 300, I like the .338 Win. with a 250 grain bullet. It’s all about where & how you like to hunt. I use a Wby. .340 with a 26†barrel in open terrain & the Win. .338 with a 23†barrel otherwise.

Dave

I've used both on N/A game. Both are excellent killers. I've had a couple of each over the years and have settled on a custom Mod.70 338 with 23" barrel. The 340 definatly goes faster, 150-200 fps with proper loads in both. The WBY requires 10 grs more powder and 3" more barrel to do this. It also kicks much worse. Recoil at this level is still not bad but prone can be ugly.Both great rounds that do the same thing. The 340 is way better to impress your freinds at the range with though.

I've been a far gone 340 nut case for a long time. I've used it enough to go be on my 4th tube and will be using it for a long time to come.

That said, like those b4 me mentioned out to 300 yds they are equal. IMO after 300 is where one begins to see some differences.

The other thing is that if you are the type of loader that wants top speed then go 340 for sure. Other wise you'll be tempted to red line your 338 to try and get more.

Pretty much all of my 340 work has been on M70's adn 700's and with 4.5 weight Schneiders. They been between 23-26" for lengths and all have shot like varminter rigs.

If it were my decision then I would no doubt go 340, you can always slow it down a bit if you like.

Mark D

I've shot both, & for most hunting situations, the .338winmag is enough. There is a slight advantage to the .340wby out at 400yds but 2" of drop & wind deflection may not be worth the extra recoil.

I like the .338, and the .338-06. If I wanted a bigger rifle than a .338, it will be a bunch bigger.

quote:

Originally posted by jstevens:
I like the .338, and the .338-06. If I wanted a bigger rifle than a .338, it will be a bunch bigger.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

Originally posted by jstevens:
I like the .338, and the .338-06. If I wanted a bigger rifle than a .338, it will be a bunch bigger.

I am the same..................although I have had yearnings for a 338-378 weatherby from time to time

I like what j-stevens said...tj3006

quote:

Originally posted by PC:

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

Originally posted by jstevens:
I like the .338, and the .338-06. If I wanted a bigger rifle than a .338, it will be a bunch bigger.

I am the same..................although I have had yearnings for a 338-378 weatherby from time to time

I had a 338/378 as a wildcat years ago and it was a fantastic thing, except finding slow enough powders in those days.

Just bought an Accumark in the same calibre, should be something with RE 25 etc. And you can throttle it back to 338/340 levels easily.

I love my 338 but this year got a 338/378, whole new ballgame. Awsome speed and very accurate.

Well I have hunted with a 338 Winchester a 340 Weatherby and a 330 Dakota. When it was all said and done, I kept the 338 Winnie. It really is a moot point, the 340 is only about 100 or so fps faster in the same lenght of barrels. There is just plain more ammo avaiable for the winnie. Shoot what you what to shoot.

Thanks for the info sounds like 338 is for me and the money saved is always helpful.

Good choice!

340Weatherby gained much of of its long range elk reputation with 210NP,
.338win/200gnGscHV show it its tailights down range, as well as being a superior pill up close or far.