In a lot of med/big bore discussions, we see some sort of 338 and 375 comparisons. Both are great cartridges and will do almost anything the "shooter" is capable of.....

My observation has been that whichever cartridge a particular shooter acquires first will be his/her favorite and then have very little use for the other.... i.e. if you get a 375 first, you have very little use for a 338 and vice versa.

I know I'm guilty of this mind set.... I have a (actually several ) 375's and see absolutely no use in having a 338. Again, the 338 is a fantastic cartridge: flat shooting, lots of bullet options, and good power. But to me, it is not a 375 and therefore comes up short.

I have many friends that have 338's and no 375.... they say, "the 338 is just as good and if/when I need something better, I'll get a 416/404/458"

Anyone else notice this?

quote:

Originally posted by AzGuy:
In a lot of med/big bore discussions, we see some sort of 338 and 375 comparisons. Both are great cartridges and will do almost anything the "shooter" is capable of.....

My observation has been that whichever cartridge a particular shooter acquires first will be his/her favorite and then have very little use for the other.... i.e. if you get a 375 first, you have very little use for a 338 and vice versa.

I know I'm guilty of this mind set.... I have a (actually several ) 375's and see absolutely no use in having a 338. Again, the 338 is a fantastic cartridge: flat shooting, lots of bullet options, and good power. But to me, it is not a 375 and therefore comes up short.

I have many friends that have 338's and no 375.... they say, "the 338 is just as good and if/when I need something better, I'll get a 416/404/458"

Anyone else notice this?

Yes that is very true, only I owned a 375 first and now own several 338s as I liked them better and I also own 2 416 Rigbys, A 458 Lott and I am building a 505 Gibbs. I see the 338 and 375 as over Lap and have seen them used side by side and find no flies on the 338...

Notice the hole in this Zebras Heart THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY A LOWLY 338 Federal with 210 grain TSX




Don't think that useing a 388 Win Mag or even a 375 would have made any difference

JWP475,

Nice shot placement.....

With that shot placement, a 7x57 would do just as well!

Congrats

I have both and am equally fond of each of them. Neither has ever let me down.

I won both and shoot both. I got the .338 first, however, it did not spoil me on the 375.

Have both and a .395! Love them all.

AZguy,

When I was raising american bison I shot them through the next (spine). The 338 was minimum caliber that would kill them with one shot doing this.

However a 35 Whelan would also give one shot kills and at much lower velocity.

The frontal area of the .35 (.10 sq inch) and .375 (.110 sq inch) are sbstantialy greater than the .338, and I concluded that there is a "sweet spot" between FA and velocity these ctgs have.

They sure worked well on bison.

Lots of good ammo these days for the .338 and I used one for elk and bison for several years before going to the 375. (200 and 225 biitteroot, or 210 and 250 nosler).

I trust the 375 improved with bitteroots like no other rifle I have ever owned.

Since the .375 is legal for both PG and DG I would get to know it first.

Andy

I bought a M700 338 from the Custom House 20+ years ago (lefty) and couldn't stand it, recoil wise.

Bought the M70 in 375 H&H 3.5 years ago and I'll die with that gun as the last one on my safe.

Well, God forbid I was limited to having but one caliber, it would be my .416 Weatherby Mag. Fits me perfect, tons of experience with it both shooting and reloading and puts three shots in a clover leaf at 150 yards. Given that experience, I would say you are right - the one you acquire first becomes the favorite. On the other hand, I regularly trapse afield for big game with a 6mm, 257, 260, 300, 30-378, 8mm, 35Rem, 350 and soon (I hope) a 600OK. But going back to your observation, yeah, for me the 416 makes the 338 and 375 sorta redundant (but I'll be getting one of each soon anyway )

Have a VERY nice .338 WM and a good .375 H&H. Also have a .416 Aagaard and a .416 Rigby.

The .375 is kinda the "not so much gain" caliber for me. I'd consider the .416 chamberings to be the real "next major step up."

Don't intend to get rid of any of them though

Several years ago, I bought a Blaser R93 with two barrels, one a .338 Win. Mag. and the other a .375 H&H Mag.

I really wanted the .375 for use in Africa, and Tanzania in particular, where it's the minimum legal caliber for use on dangerous game. I think a lot of .375 owners got them for that reason, i.e., for use on African dangerous game.

But I have also used my .338 in Africa, even to kill a big lion in Namibia, and I am convinced it will do anything the .375 will do, if only it were legal.

Bottom line is I like them both and use them both - maybe because I got them both at the same time!

Interestingly, my experience is the opposite of what AzGuy describes.

I've had a .338 Win Mag for 16 years, have used it successfully on deer, brought it to Africa for plains game as a backup for my .30-06, and still intend to use it on moose when I get drawn in Maine. However, now that I have a 375 H&H, I find myself questioning what niche the 338 really serves. When I return to Africa, even if it's only a plains game safari, I will take my 30-06 and 375. When I'm drawn for a moose hunt, the 375 would work just as well.

I'm not getting rid of either the 338 or 375 but, while I have a clear idea of what I'll use the 375 for, I'm not so sure about the 338 any longer. Maybe for elk out West? Hmmm...

I've got both .338 and .375. As far as I'm concerned they are quite similar for medium and big games, except African.

If the .338 were legal for Dangerous game everywhere, then there would be something to discuss. Since it isn't, that leaves it competeing for top spot on the small or meek stuff. The .375 will do buffalo and elephant, plus everything the .338 is allowed to do and kick less in the process. What's not to like?

I have one of each and use them for very different purposes. My 375 is an Empire CRF, 5 down for 300g tsx, barnes solids and NF cup points. It is my do everything Africa rifle short of a heavy double (Alaska too, what I originally bought it for). My 338 is a ULA push feed that weighs 5.5 pounds and shoots the 210 TSX well. My "light " hunting rifle (at least until my 270 is done.) I could get more versatility out of either, but both are perfect for their intended purpose.

quote:

Originally posted by Dogleg:
If the .338 were legal for Dangerous game everywhere, then there would be something to discuss. Since it isn't, that leaves it competeing for top spot on the small or meek stuff. The .375 will do buffalo and elephant, plus everything the .338 is allowed to do and kick less in the process. What's not to like?

Wow, I have never thought of an Alaskan Brown Bear as meeek.....

I had a few .338s for a couple of decades, carried them to Canada and Africa and shot deer, elk, caribou, kudu, gemsbuck, springbuck, etc., and am a very recent convert to the Church of Holland & Holland.

The .375 hits harder, shoots just as flat, is the same weight, puts 300 sledgehammer solids and 300 TBBCs in the same group, and recoils LESS than the .338.

I haven't shot the .338 since the .375 came to live with me; I'm thinking of re-barrelling it to .300 Win Mag. just to justify the space it takes up.

quote:

and recoils LESS than the .338.

I guess that recoil is sujective, but I have not noticed a 375 H&H as kicking less than a 338 Win Mag.....

I have shot Cape Buffalo with both calibers and anyone that thinks the .338 is as capable as a .375 on dangerous game is mistaken and their imagination is running away with them...

Both will kill about anything but the .375 is better just like the 416 is better than the .375 and the 458 Lott is better than the 416. You see that is how it works..The common since doctorine should take place here.

I have a .338 and a .375 and love them both but I like my .416s in Africa for hunting Dangerous game, not to say that I won't use the others if the notion moves me and I have, but I know the difference...

If all goes well then there probably isn't much difference as the animal dies, but when things go South the difference is probably impressive. I don't thing that I want to stop a charge with a .338.

I do know that a a 9.3 or 338 is not the best caliber for a Cape buffalo that is facing you or one that is going away...A .375 is just a bit better and needs a solid IMO, and a .416 is excellent..

I'm not trying to change anyones mind, just my opine and that changes from time to time.

In the Jack O'Connor inspired elk hunting days of my youth (God I do miss legs that rarely tired) I used a 270 Win. It worked very well and killed elk.

Then I decided I was ready for some "Big Medicine" and of course the 375 was the Queen of the medium bores and Classic to boot. So I never even gave the 338 any consideration.

In Africa, the 375 gets the nod based on performance and legal requirements. If the 338 were legal.....then we'd have a real pissing match, I mean debate.

I've killed deer, antelope, bighorn sheep, caribou, and elk with my 375. For those that have both: How do you decide between the two for North Ameeican hunting? And how do you leave the 375 at home?

I had a 338WM long before I havd a 375 H&H,..

I was not and continue to be not a big fan of the 338WM...I never thought it did anything to animals "better" than a .300

Currently I have a 375 Ruger, and I think I'll be holding on to it for some time.

The 338 is for Deer, the 375 is for everything else. At least here in B.C.

quote:

I was not and continue to be not a big fan of the 338WM...I never thought it did anything to animals "better" than a .300

It's also so completely middle of the road on pretty much all parameters: bullet size, speed, case size, proportions etc that it pretty much defines uninspiring.

But that's why it's definately a humble classic right there in the middle of things, doing it all and doing it right without a lot of hubbub.

Me? I like both but prefer the .338 for a general purpose round.

I have never owned a 338 Win. Mag. but I have hunted a lot with a 340 Wby and I love it. With that said, I also love the H&H. The 340 and the 375 are so close in power that one is about as good as the other for 99% of the situations in which one would find himself in the bush. For dangerous game in Africa, well, it is a nobrainer, the 375 is the King. Long live the King!

Landrum

quote:

Originally posted by AzGuy:
In a lot of med/big bore discussions, we see some sort of 338 and 375 comparisons. Both are great cartridges and will do almost anything the "shooter" is capable of.....

My observation has been that whichever cartridge a particular shooter acquires first will be his/her favorite and then have very little use for the other.... i.e. if you get a 375 first, you have very little use for a 338 and vice versa.

I know I'm guilty of this mind set.... I have a (actually several ) 375's and see absolutely no use in having a 338. Again, the 338 is a fantastic cartridge: flat shooting, lots of bullet options, and good power. But to me, it is not a 375 and therefore comes up short.

I have many friends that have 338's and no 375.... they say, "the 338 is just as good and if/when I need something better, I'll get a 416/404/458"

Anyone else notice this?

The 338 is a good cartridge the .375 is a great cartridge. You can load up to a 350 gr bullet in the .375. The .375 is leagal to hunt with in more places. The avalibilty of ammo is better.
Bill

I owned a 375 before I had a 338, and these days I still own a few 375s but nothing in the 338 bore. I've had 338s, 340s and a wildcat 338/404 and while I've enjoyed them and hunted with them extensively, I just never seemed to bond with any of them. The 338 impressed me the least of all that I had, and now I take a 300mag for any hunting I'd use a 338 for. If Ruger would have came with a full length 338 instead of that shortened version I probably would have tried one. Something about a really fast 338cal that interests me! For Africa I like the 375 better because of it being legal for DG, although I'd never intentionally carry one when hunting for that as I like the 416 or 450 a lot better for that business.
The 338 and 375 are both good cartridges, but I don't think either one is really great. They both strike me as a "jack of all trades, master of none" cartridge, and I just prefer my rifles to be a bit more job specific. That said, if I had to pick just one it would be the 375 if African hunting was in the mix. Strictly for N.A. I would pick the 338 because it can be made a bit lighter for easier carry in our more rugged areas.

In my case I come to the 375 H&H because a friend had an M70 with iron sites, and I found I could shoot golf balls with it at 100 yards. (You know when you hit them because they evoporate, and you miss the go flying away.)

Eventually, he gave me his Model 70 (insert federal paperwork and transfer) and I decided to see just how good the 375 really was.

Evenually, (and the purist will want me looking like that Zebra heart), I ended up working the rifle into more of tactical unit.

Picture of the Rifile over at the Sniper's Hide

I've found that it groups very well at 500-600 yards, and it may even put bullets in the same hole at those distances. (I don't have the trigger time to may that happen currently.)

It certainly delivers a large round at extremely good distances, and when reloaded with Vithavouri N540 get's increadile muzzle velocities along with the accuracy. [I only use moly coated / teflon rounds to help lower throat erosion, which decreased the MV, requiring the higher engergy power.]

I think that one of the advanages of the .338 for the non-hunter is that it doesn't beat the heck out of you as much, and there is an easier time finding ammo / brass for it. (It seems like the 375 cailver rounds have growned limited over the last 10 years, compared to others.)