Looking over my Blasers barrels I have purchased a .338 Win Mag. I have always been very leery of this round, and know that the avalibility in Africa is almost non exsistant. What is it like in Europe? I see Norma loads ammo

Thanks

Aleko

Aleko,

Of the hundreds of Hunters & Shooters I know & shoot with here in Europe; only 2 shoot a .338 Win Mag.; one German & one South African.

Others I've talked to swear by it (almost exclusively Americans). Personally I have absolutely no expereince with this cartridge.

Different strokes for different folks.....my uneducated response (guesstimate) would be the 9.3x62, 9.3x64, 9.3x74R, 8x57IS (to some degree) and 8x68 are the already long established European prefered cartridges for the .338 Win Mag's. niche here in Europe.

I would imagine other European countries with perhaps some more peculiar cartridge restrictions may offer some additional insight?

I am great fan of the .375 H&H, just to me the .338 Win seems pretty good, I agree the 9,3 is as good as the round. To me it takes the good parts of the .375 and the .300

Aleko

I know about 100 hunters. Only one uses a 338 win. rifle at hunt.

Pretty scarce here in Switzerland too. I know of one hunter who has one. The 9.3s are used for pigs, and 8x68 is used for long range hunting of heavy game.

- mike

Popular moose cartridge in Norway, used one myself for years.
Guess Norwegians are more US oriented than the rest of Europe ( at least in guns, reloading C&W music and cars )

We also have some .338's being used here in Finland, mainly for moose and bear. I had one myself for a couple of years and shot a moose, a beaver (yes) and a whitetail with it. A good round and after I had a silencer put to my gun, also a pleasure to shoot. Had to sell it among some other guns to buy my first top-quality gun (needed the money), otherwise I would have kept it definitely.

The .340 Weatherby is very rare in Finland, but there are some .338 Lapua's around. That is one bad-ass kicker for a cartridge and very few people can handle it to make use for the reach it has. The .338-06 is practically nonexcistent here.

I had one, a Lothar Walther rebarreled and Hogue restocked Win 70 but, except in Sweden (moose) I never met another one in the field. I shot 2 Fallow deer with it and, apart from its long range potential, I can't distinguish it from the 9,3x62 in terms of killing power. It was a MOA rifle and I kept it for a few years, until I received an offer I couldn't refuse...

The .338 is very similar to the 9,3 I totally agree. I was thinking of the ease of using the same bolthead in .375 and .338. In the states it is hit and miss to get loaded 9,3 ammo. Still not sold on the .338 but fills a niche to me

Aleko

Converting your R93 to 9,3x62 is no big deal either Aleko, it uses the std. bolthead.

I bought a Mag-Na-Ported 9,3x62 bbl. and it shot MOA out of the box.

Hi all

Here in Iceland I know of 3 rifles in 338 all of them Lapua magnums used for target shooting. We dont have any needs for it here, the only big game here is Caribou. I hunt in Sweden few times a year, including moose hunts and have never seen one.

Tarfur

Bjarni, where are you coming from in Iceland?
North. South, West or East?

I´m from Northern Iceland and live by the lake Mývatn. Have you been in Iceland?

Aleko
I think the 338 Win Mag is a great caliber.
Just about perfect for elk, moose and the big bears.
It would be great on big African plains game.
I recommend it to several hunters.
However I will probably never have one.
Why??? Simply because I like the 300 Mag better for long range shooting, and I have so much 375 H&H ammo and brass and 2 bbls in 375 H&H for my Blaser R 93.

But, that does not take anything away from the 338. I have shot several. I think it kicks less than the 300 Mag and a LOT less than the 375H&H.
It may just be the perfect North American BIG, big game caliber.

quote:

Originally posted by Heritage Arms:
The .338 is very similar to the 9,3 I totally agree. I was thinking of the ease of using the same bolthead in .375 and .338. In the states it is hit and miss to get loaded 9,3 ammo. Still not sold on the .338 but fills a niche to me

Aleko

Why not just use the .375? It does everything the .338 does.

This is what I am wrestling with! the .375 just works, however you spin it, it is time tested and proven

Aleko

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Bjarni Jónasson:
I´m from Northern Iceland and live by the lake Mývatn. Have you been in Iceland?[/QUOTE

Yes, I have been there. I have some good friends in Iceland, some of these thirsty hestamadúr. Some of my horses are born in Skagarfjördur, some in south.
My best friend is a icelandic horseman living in Germany, a former worldchampion! Perhaps you know his name: Tyri Thordarson!]