Hey all, I just found this site and have been hunting for about 10 years now. I'm looking to get out of deer/small game hunting phase and into something bigger, most likely moose, as we have an abundance here and they grow damn big! And taste great! I have been to a local range where I've had the opportunity to shoot a few bigger rounds and rifles to see what I am most comfortable with. I was able to handle a .300 Winchester without a problem, those firing 180gr. partition bullets. Another shooter let me have a go with his 8mm Remington with 220gr. X bullets, and I was able to get them into 1.25" @ 200 yrds. without a problem. It felt really good to me, and he said it absolutely hammers moose and elk in a big way, but they're incredibly hard to come by. I wasn't a big fan of the two .338s that I shot with 225 gr. they weren't nearly as accurate and the .375 was rejected after one shot (ouch!). My question is, should I try and go for an 8mm or just stick with the .300 with some 200gr. killpills? Is anyone even making 8mms anymore? TIA!

If you can find one buy it. A friend of mines dad is wheel chair bound so hunts from his truck. He got one when they first came out on the early eighties. He hammered a lot of deer out to 400 yards with it. And as the owner of the rifle you shot stated it hammers the big ones to.

The 8mm Mag was a big failure, mostly because of bullets being too soft, made for the 8x57...and the 338 just bacame more and more popular as time went on....You just happened to sho0t two inaccurate rifles, had nothing to do with the cartridge...Any time you buy any rifle its a crapshoot as to how it will shoot and caliber has little to do with it.....

My 338 will shoot 1" or less all day long...It is the best NA caliber in existence and ideal for moose IMO...as is the 375 but if it recoils too much for you, I wouldn't advise it...

the old 30-06 is still a good moose gun any way you cut it.....the 300 with 200 and 220 gr. bullets is hard to beat, but the 338 is the better moose gun.

Yeah, I've had thoughts on grabbing my Dad's '06 and loading some premium 180 or 200gr. bullets. Should be good for 200 yards or so. About as far as I'm willing to shoot anyways, I hate guessing holdover and would rather just get closer and be 100% certain of my shot before the bang. Maybe I'll give the Hornady Light Magnum rounds a try and see how they chrono before I decide to drop the $ for a .300 or take a chance on a .338 (I've heard a lot of the other guys say they're guns are much more accurate than what I experienced). Tht and my old mans' '06 is wickedly accurate with every round we've ever put through it. He still wants a .375, but he is smaller and more recoil-sensitive than I. There was one shooter who had a Savage Kodiak .338 and was discussing it and he said it would do an easy 2" @ 200 yards with 225gr but I think those are discontinued. Nice muzzle brake though, he said it kicked like an '06. Maybe I'll look for one used (8mm have been REAL hard to find!) while I try some '06 tests. Thanks guys!

If you want an 8mm Mag, the std Rem 700 was discontinued years ago. There was another run of 700 Classics a couple of years ago (differant stocks), other than that, the custom route is always available. A 26" barrel on a 8mm Mag makes a very good long range hammer. shoots flatter and hits harder then the 338 Win Mags, you have to go up to the 340 Weatherby to get more downrange punch. 8mm bullets of good construction are available from Barnes, Nosler, Swift, any of the European makers (RWS, Norma) and for day to day shooting there are Hornadies. If you're into long shots at deer, the Sierra's work extremely well. The only thing you really have to be with an * Mag is a reloader, because factory ammo only consists of two loads, the 185 gr Remington and the 200 gr Swift. If you decide to go the custom route, as you're in winnipeg, go see Ross Spagrud at Prairie Gun Works, he makes very nice rifles. FWIW - Dan

Hey, thanks for the info Dan. I think I'll go to PGW and have a talk about this further. After all, I shoot a 6.5x55mm (M70 Featherweight) for deer and light stuff, I'd only have one gun for the big stuff and it might be interesting to get exactly what I want and have all the options layed out. I'll go check it out.

[ 09-24-2002, 04:01: Message edited by: Mikey B ]

You didn't say what range you were expecting to hunt moose. The 8mm Mag. would be great for longer range. A .338-06, .35 Whelen or 9.3x62 would be a terrific moose rifle out to 250-300 yds. Just a thought?

[ 09-24-2002, 04:26: Message edited by: fredj338 ]

Ed, I don't know where Mikey is going to hunt moose, but when I lived in Manitoba the shots could vary greatly (Manitoba is a pretty big place, roughly the size of Texas). In the north, short shots were the norm. Down south, your target could be a quarter section away. - Dan

-and then there is the 8x68S - pure magic.

Mikey B

About the 375 H&H and the muzzle break.
On a slow day at the range a fellow let my 15 year old, 130lb, son shoot his custom 375H&H with a muzzle break. My son said it didn't kick any harder than a 308 Win. The 375 was on the heavy side and I believe it had a mecury recoil reducer.

The kid knocked the X out at 50 yds with open sights.

I don't care for the noise of a muzzle break, but they do work.

Its really too bad that more bullets/cartridges arent made in 8mm. As much as the 338s have proved themselves in the field Im sure that 8mm could do much better as well.

I think you guys are nuts though, whats the point in getting a beating (8mm RM class recoil) for one of the easiest of North American big game animals there are to get close too. Ive yet to see a moose that was afraid of me. An 8x57 will get that job done.

Micky, I'm sure the 8mm Mag. is an excellent round with proper bullets but don't worry if you can't find one. Your .338 Win Mag experience is a fluke. I have a Model 70 Classic Super Grade that shoots incredibly well and several friends are experiencing the same great accuracy out of their own .338s. These rifles seem to have very definite likes and dislikes - a super load in one may not shoot for beans in another. Some seem to lean toward bullets that are heavy for caliber while others like the light weights. Only way to find out is shoot - a lot. I am very impressed with the caliber in general and the .338 Win Mag in particular.

Like Dan said, the ranges here are enough to drive a hunter nuts! I have small bores that I love but are entirely inadequate at this point, considering a 300 yard shot might not be out of the question. I prefer closer and like the idea of an '06-basd case, but went back to the range this Saturday and fired one hell of a .338 loaded with 225 gr. partitions. About as accurate as my 6.5 anyways, which is great because I have confidence in that gun. It was a Remington action custom rifle with a 24.5" barrel and B&C stock and aftermarket trigger topped with a Leupold. Could put 3 shots in 2.5" at 300, 5 within 3". That's varmint accuracy there. Recoil was managable with a Decelerator for the 10 rounds I fired, felt about as hard as a factory .300 which I have shot many times. I might build something along these lines myself, I'm just going to wait and do some more research first. Good info guys!