Ok guys if you own a .338 winchester magnum do you sell it to buy the 338 remington ultra magnum or will the winchester do just fine?

I would keep what you got if it shoots well for you.

If your .338 WM shoots well, keep it.

The .338 RUM only provides a small advantage in trajectory (and range as a result) ... at the cost of increased recoil and blast. At reasonable ranges (300 yards or so for us mortals), the target won't die any faster with the RUM.

My Pre-64 M70 shoots 2" at 300 with 225 Barnes Xs and that yields minute of Elk to about 380 with no adjustment of impact point. I don't need more.

quote:

Originally posted by Tanoose:
Ok guys if you own a .338 winchester magnum do you sell it to buy the 338 remington ultra magnum or will the winchester do just fine?

The difference between the two translates to approximately 200fps from the same bullet. This is a significant advantage to those who want to shoot far. But the .338WM does very well within 400 yards, where most hunting takes place.

If you want to shoot targets at long distances with 250-300-grain match bullets, then the .338RUM is the way to go, since it produces similar velocities as the .338 Lapua.

The only advantage, as others have said, is flatter flight. A local hunter I know got one so he could shoot long range and has never taken an animal over 100 yards with it. Most will find a win Mag or 338-06 will suit them better. Also speeding a bullet up makes most of them more fragile so your choices in bullets that will hold up to it's velocity drops off and the costs go up.

I agree with opinions above.

Just to throw another non-traditional option out there:

You can always split the difference and buy a .330 Dakota! Std. action, no belt (like RUM), .340 Weatherby ballistics.

There!

quote:

Originally posted by Tanoose:
Ok guys if you own a .338 winchester magnum do you sell it to buy the 338 remington ultra magnum or will the winchester do just fine?

Huh? Why in the world would anyone want to screw with perfection? If it ain't broke - don't fix it.
Bear in Fairbanks

You would get a lot more recoil to pick up 12" @ 600yds. For practical purposes, a .338wm will get 98% of all hunters where they need to go.

Tanoose

If I had a 338WM that I liked I definitely would not take a Ultra in place of it. Personally I can't think of a better all around caliber for all North American game an most of the world's animals. It is not a flashy whiz bang round but it always works.

Regards,

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by CanadianLefty:
I agree with opinions above.

Just to throw another non-traditional option out there:

You can always split the difference and buy a .330 Dakota! Std. action, no belt (like RUM), .340 Weatherby ballistics.

There!

What is so wrong with a belt? I have never had a problem with a belted cartridge in the over 40 years of shooting/owning them. Lawdog

You buy whichever you haven't got, reload for, hunt with, play at the range with both. You compare and contrast, and then sell whichever doesn't suit, and sit back and be content in the journey!
Cheers...
Con

I just bought a .338 WM, same weight rifle as a .300 WM but a bigger bullet. My question is why more? What in NA, and most of the world, can you not cleanly kill with the .338 at reasonable ranges? Where can you not get ammo? If you want to be Mr. Sniper Man then you may want to consider the bigger, louder, harder kicking RUM, but if you can get within 400 yards then there is really no advantage.

The only thing I might consider is the new 325 WSM in a Kimber 8400 Montana, as you seem to be able to almost the same performance in a rifle that just screams "Take me to Alaska!".

quote:

Originally posted by Lawdog_Gary:
What is so wrong with a belt? I have never had a problem with a belted cartridge in the over 40 years of shooting/owning them. Lawdog

Nothing wrong with a belt, but without one, your pants may fall down exposing your true potential as a big game cartridge !

I was just making the comparison to the RUM as it was the original cartridge he was comparing the .338 win mag. to.

I don't know if its worth selling a 338wm for a 338 RUM but I have a RUM and they do kick just a bit. It does give you the ability to load "down" however and then you still have the option of loading up and using 275gr A-Frames or something should you want to. The extra capacity comes in handy when loading for x-bullets as well.

IV

Actually I sold my .338's a couple of years back,(BIG MISTAKE) and have been thinking of buying another i was just curious about the ultra mag. One thing nobody above mentioned and maybe for good reason but what about the energy difference between the two. In looking at the 250 grain PSPCL remington factory loads the ultra mag has 613 more foot pounds of energy at the muzzle and at 400 yards the ultra has over 400 more foot pounds then the win.mag. If someone didn't own a .338 yet wouldn't the ultra mag be a better choice for the big bears then the win.mag or even those 300-400-yard shots on elk?

The .338 Win. is the hunter's best one gun chambering on earth IMO, and for hunting there is little of significance to be gained by burning more powder etc. For those interested in long range shooting the .338 bore is graced by Sierra with the 300 gr. SMK. It's best advantage is gained in guns that are impractical for field use due to the need for long barrels, fast twists and large powder capacity, and MV's in excess of 3000 fps. The argument regarding belts or no belts is specious insofar as hunting goes, so you're either a hunter or a shooter, make your choice accordingly.

Yeah Tanoose, if you were looking for a .338mag from the ground up, there would be nothing wrong w/ the RUM, especially if you wanted to load 275gr-300gr bullets, but then I would go to a .375h&h for bigger bullets & about the same recoil.

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:
Yeah Tanoose, if you were looking for a .338mag from the ground up, there would be nothing wrong w/ the RUM, especially if you wanted to load 275gr-300gr bullets, but then I would go to a .375h&h for bigger bullets & about the same recoil.

But don't forget that a .338-caliber 275-grain A-Frame at nearly 2,600 fps is not bad at all out of the .338WM. I don't know how fast the 300 grainers come out of the .338WM, but this is the "slow and heavy" thing of the .338-caliber, and where maximum penetration from relatively soft bullets is found.

I recently sold my Weatherby Accumark in .340 Weatherby (very close to the .338 RUM ballistically) and my gunsmith is putting together a .338 Win Mag for me. (A Ruger M77 Mk II stainless going into a walnut stock. Timney trigger, etc.) Even though I own and shoot some "big boomers" (.375 H&H , .416 Rigby, .470 NE) I found the .340 Weatherby to be just "too much of a good thing". The recoil is a hard, fast jab. I found I prefer the .338 Win Mag. I think the .338 Win Mag is one of the best balanced, all-around medium bore cartridges. It's a true classic.

Just my two cents worth....
-Bob F.

I feel that calibres such as the 7mm, 300, 338 and 375 Ultras, 30/378, 338/378 and 378 are for gun nuts and people where the gun is more than just a means to an end.

For example, I would pick the 338 Ultra over the 338 Winchester but the choice would be based on what interests me rather than some gain in the field.

Actually the 338 Ultra relates to the 338 Winchester about the same as the 300 Winchester relates to the 30/06. Although once you get to the recoil level of the 300 Win or 338 Win each extra foot pound of recoil can feel like another 10 foot pounds

In a nutshell the 338 Ultra will be a much better thing to play with, a better "toy". It will be very easy to load one back to 338 Win and it will feel like cruising around in a big V8 manual.

Mike

For a heavy barrel get the RUM for a hunting gun get the win mag.

I have to add to this...........

I say sell the 338 Win mag and purchase a 300 RUM and a 375 RUM and never look back............

The .338 Win. Mag. provides the performance I'm looking for with the level of .338 recoil that I'm willing to live with and still shoot with confidence and precision. Quite honestly, if you can't kill and elk, moose, or big bear with a .338 Win. Mag., you aren't going to get the job done with anything bigger, and maybe not as well. That extra power you're getting comes at a price, and it's a bigger price than most guys are honestly able to pony-up and pay.......

AD

This is an easy decision for me. I don't like any of the rifles that you can get factory chambered for 338RUM.

I guess I'll add my 2 cents as well. I have had several .338wm's over the years. The one I have now is built on a P17 Eddystone action, and will shoot sub MOA all day long. I cannot imagine a better hunting rifle or cartridge.
A couple of years ago, I was at my local range going through some loads. Some twentysomething guys showed up, and they were shooting centerfire .22 varmint rifles and such. the kid on the bench next to me hauled out a new m700 and proceded to try and sight it in. After about a box of shells, the whole group was standing around the bench trying to figure out what was wrong with this new Nikon scope, because it just wouldn't come to zero. I had noticed when the kid was shooting, he was flinching real hard, I asked if I could help. He said the scope must be junk because it wouldn't zero. I mentioned the flinch, which of course he had no idea was occurring. He asked me to shoot the thing to see if I could adjust the scope, which I did, after I wadded up a gun sack for my shoulder. I got it on paper at 25yd in three shots, and another three at a 100 got it zeroed. That was my only experience with the .338RUM, it was an impressive kicker. The kid was happy as a clam, and I asked him what he was going to do with the rifle, he said he was going elk hunting the next month in Colorado, I figured the elk were safe For my money, if I want that kind of horsepower, I will stick with the 375H&H for big bullets, and the .338WM for smaller stuff. Plus, the .338WM has been around since 1958, and the 375 since 1911. I know I can always find bullets and brass or even loaded ammo. I think the RUM will end up like the 8mm Rem eventually.

DGK

Thanks everyone for the replies, as i said above I sold all my .338's while back. Maybe i'll go out and get another .338 win.mag. in that ruger77 that i love so much and if the RUM is still going strong five years from now maybe i'll think about it again.

Are you a rifleman or are you a hunter?

The .338 Winchester is for hunters……The cartridge is the class leader inside 300 yards.

The .338 Ultra is for Riflemen…..One of the better and more accurate long range cartridges.

You better be the former before you hunt with the latter!



Jamie