So what do the Australian members think of the 338 Federal??

The 338 Federal should be good on Sambar,pigs,camels and buffalo.

So what do you think??

My thoughts on the .338 Fed are that I think it is a bull shit stupid cartridge...............I don't care what others buy and if they like it thats great I really don't care, but my thoughts are that you can buy that many factory guns in a time proven round, the .338 win mag

Ruger
Tikka
Remington
Sako
Kimber
Howa
Vanguard

To name some, and if you want less power then use starting loads for the .338 win mag, I don't care about the slightly shorter action of the .338 fed round I think it would make very little difference when hunting, mag capacity well most .338's hold 3 down and one in the chamber for 4 shots, apparently with the Ruger you can grind off a couple of metal bump stops on the bottom of the floor plate and gain one extra round.

I think for the .338 cal the smallest case would be the .338-06 and I still ask why even then The .338 win mag case can drive .338 bullets at what I call meaningful speeds for a .338 bullet, and even then, if Ruger chambered the .338 RUM then thats what I would have and one day I would love to add a .338-.378 to the stable

I have found my Ruger Stainles Laminate rifle to be a good shooter with woodleigh 225 gr protected points.

Don't want to put you off but camels and sambar are big animals, (I have shot neither have shot some feral horses though) and I would want the case capacity of the .338 win mag at least especially on Camels as I have heard that shots can be on the long side.

Buy one if you want but for the game you list I would prefer the .338 Win mag for me the .338 Fed is an answer to a question that never existed.

PC

Having owned one for a while now I have a tendancy to agree with you. I think the case is too light to push anything over 225gns. Factory loads go up to 210gns and I would not use those sort of loads on Buff.

But it does have one endearing point and thats recoil. Fo someone who is recoil shy its an excellent way to get into a 338 caliber. Mine recoils less than my 7-08 or 308 - it is just a mild shooting cartridge - full stop. The 338 Win mag is another story and some consider its recoil worse than a 375 H&H.

So I would say it would be certainly capable on anything up to Sambar, and at the mild velocities it pushes out I doubt that one would even need to use premium projectiles. And it does hit with more energy than a 30-06 or a 7mmRem Mag!

I have only used mine on Red Deer with 180 Nosler A/Bonds. And its very effective with good penetration.

For me personally, I don't mind recoil so mine will be replaced with a 375Ruger shortly That will be a real good Sambar caliber in a reasonably lightweight package!

Lets just hope I get lucky an get a "flawless" Ruger that shoots!

I think the 338 Federal or the 358 Win in a light rifle would be a top little caliber to carry around the hilly country. I don't think you need 338 Win Mag velocities or big game projectiles to knock over fallow stags, goats or pigs. I think a bigger diameter projectile wins hands down every time.
Malcolm

Malcom

There is do doubt thats where this round will excell.

Yep ... perfect cartridge for an ultralight backpacking rifle when chasing the sambar in hilly country or on an extended backpack hunt. Traditionally the 308Win has dominated this niche and I think Remington tried with the 300RSAUM in the Model 7. The 338Federal is perfect in this application as a bigger bore with mild recoil and premium factory ammunition. Expensive factory ammunition will kill it ... plus the inability of rifle manufacturers to see its potential and place it in their product lines. This chambering needs to be in the Tikka T3, Howa and Savage bolts for the cheaper end of the market, plus Remingtons 7600 pump, Model 7 or Ti.
Its other problem in Oz is that other than sambar, scrub bulls and maybe red deer ... it doesnt really have that much of an edge over the much cheaper 308Win on the majority of our game animals.
Cheers...
Con

I actually think the .350 Rem Mag is a much better proposition than the .338 Fed and I reckon that could go into a light weight package gun as well.

MLG now I handled a .375 Ruger the other day an African and it was a bout as perfect a .375 rifle you could get other than going custom, I reckon my cz 550 .375 H&H is far to heavy for a .375 cal gun and I may consider swapping for a Ruger African .375.

I think Malcolm is quite right when he states that the .338 Federal, like the .358Win, is ideal for a light, carry gun.

And you can't compare the .338 Federal and the .338 Win Mag - they are chalk and cheese.

I think that the .338 Federal should prove to be a good calibre, even though there are plenty of other calibres out there that will already do the job. I won't be buying a .338 Federal, myself, as I have an excellent Savage 99 in .358 Win that has proved itself in the field on game up to, and including, red deer. And there is nothing the .338 Federal will do that a .358 Win can't do.

And there is nothing new about the firearms companies introducing new cartridges that, in reality, don't offer anything new - just take a look at the whole of the short magnum range. These cartridges do not offer anything that you couldn't achieve with pre-existing cartridges, but they are still selling, albeit not as well as the firearms companies would like!

One aspect of the .338 Federal, that I do like, is that it is not another offering in the hyper velocity range. The American companies have always put too much emphasis on velocity and you do not need ultra fast velocities for most of the hunting we do. Bullet placement and bullet construction are far more important for clean kills of game animals.

As an exercise, get out some ballistic tables and work out the difference in trajectory at NORMAL hunting ranges (say 300 yards maximum?) between the .338 Federal and the .338 Win Magm and the difference is not earth shattering.

True, the .338WM will deliver a lot more energy, but again, do we always need that much energy for the game animals we normally shoot? After watching my red stag collapse, on the spot, when hit by a Sierra 225gn Spitzer from my .358 Winchester (muzzle velocity around 2400fps), I was left wondering about the magnum cartridges in my gun safe and whether I really need them for most of my general hunting?

I'm not trying to start and argument with anyone, just putting out some thoughts that I, myself, have been wrestling with for some time.

quote:

Originally posted by PC:
I actually think the .350 Rem Mag is a much better proposition than the .338 Fed and I reckon that could go into a light weight package gun as well.

MLG now I handled a .375 Ruger the other day an African and it was a bout as perfect a .375 rifle you could get other than going custom, I reckon my cz 550 .375 H&H is far to heavy for a .375 cal gun and I may consider swapping for a Ruger African .375.

PC,
No doubt the 350RemMag is a neat little chambering ... but Australian barrel makers seem nervous about going under a #3 barrel profile in a 35cal. The 338cal they'll do a slimmer profile in, so you get some weight savings there.
Less powder also makes the blast a bit more manageable ... the original Rem600's in 350RemMag where apparantly bastards for muzzle blast with 18.5" barrels.

Regarding the CZ550 ... don't be daft!!! Save your cash ... ream it out to 378Weatherby and make use of the weight! You'll be up for new dies, cases etc... anyway ... so go the Stallion!!
Cheers...
Con

Given the reputation of the .318 Westley Richards coupled with todays modern .338 bullets, I don't see how anybody can knock the .338 Fed?

If somebody wants "faster", they can go to the other .338's, but I would be quite happy to live with a .338fed if the ammo becomes more widely available...

Another good thing about the 338 fed - I just neck up cheap Win 308 cases - one pass through my die and hey presto I have a cost effective alternative to that ridiculously expensive factory ammo!

MLG,
I think that was one of Federal's mistakes ... if they had of used a 338/284 they could have had a near market monopoly on cases and still fitted it in a short action. Remove the rebate and it would be a unique case with the potential for greater velocity then the 338Federal with the lightweight premium projectiles, and useable capacity for a 250gr, 275gr and 300gr projectiles.
Cheers...
Con

quote:

Originally posted by Con:

quote:

Originally posted by PC:
I actually think the .350 Rem Mag is a much better proposition than the .338 Fed and I reckon that could go into a light weight package gun as well.

MLG now I handled a .375 Ruger the other day an African and it was a bout as perfect a .375 rifle you could get other than going custom, I reckon my cz 550 .375 H&H is far to heavy for a .375 cal gun and I may consider swapping for a Ruger African .375.

PC,
No doubt the 350RemMag is a neat little chambering ... but Australian barrel makers seem nervous about going under a #3 barrel profile in a 35cal. The 338cal they'll do a slimmer profile in, so you get some weight savings there.
Less powder also makes the blast a bit more manageable ... the original Rem600's in 350RemMag where apparantly bastards for muzzle blast with 18.5" barrels.

Regarding the CZ550 ... don't be daft!!! Save your cash ... ream it out to 378Weatherby and make use of the weight! You'll be up for new dies, cases etc... anyway ... so go the Stallion!!
Cheers...
Con

Con................Your on to something !! I reckon in the coming months I will talk to "The Bob" about a re-chamber to a timless tasteless classic

PC,
Timeless, tasteless, classic ... that's magic! Bob definately has the reamer as does (I think) Tobler. It would really pay to catch up with Mike378 regarding the big Roys.
I've noticed dies are now around $100-$130 for the 378Wby in Simplex, RCBS and Redding flavours ... 40 cases will last awhile too.
Only negative ... the 416Rigby loaded hot with a 300gr would be running pretty close to the 378Weatherby ... but the 378Weatherby has more the "holy shit" factor from the regular run of the mill plinkers you meet at the range
Cheers...
Con

I don't know this new round, but the old .318 Westley Richards (as previously mentioned in the thread) was a .330 calibre bullet, on a case very similar to the .30-06. So the vintage equivalent to a .338/06.

It's standard loadings was a 250 gr round nose SP and FMJ, and also a 180 gr lighter bullet.

Used many times in Africa for game from plains game to buffalo and up to even elephant.

Timeless, tasteful and classic!

I have both a 338 win mag and a 338 fed,the win mag goes stalking sambar with me (tikka t3 lite)just in case i need to take a long cross gully shot at a stag the 338 fed (built on a BSA} goes hound hunting with me,it is also a good gun for new shooters (kids,women recoil shy folk).I have 8 sambar rifles in my collection and i love them all,its a matter of horses for courses.

I think the little 338Federal is a winner. 185gn federal factory TSX's will do a fine job on Sambar.

His cal is here to stay boy's , so you better get used to it. Low recoiling combined with a 185+gn's projectiles, she'll be a winner. Just like the 358Win, it'll have a slow but steady following, but a very sensible practical cal IMO.

loaded a 200 grain hornady interlock over 48 grains of AR2208,fired 1 round at sambar doe a bit over120 metres away up a rise ,im eating venison .

quote:

I think the case is too light to push anything over 225gns.

If you use spitzers. QuickLOAD is pretty good at estimating performance, and it suggests a 250 gn Woodleigh RN should go 2200 fps. Boddington tested old Kynoch .318 rounds, and they went no faster yet performed excellently for him on big game.

quote:

Originally posted by Pete E:
Given the reputation of the .318 Westley Richards coupled with todays modern .338 bullets, I don't see how anybody can knock the .338 Fed?

If somebody wants "faster", they can go to the other .338's, but I would be quite happy to live with a .338fed if the ammo becomes more widely available...

I dont think anyone on here would dispute that the cartridge would be good for everything up to and including sambar. The initial post mentions water buffalo and that is a whole different class of game altogether and the 338 would not be recommended. Not saying it wouldnt do the job at all, given ideal conditions (hardly ever happens) - but better to recommend something with a bit more poke...

Anyone using the 325 WSM for the same reasons?
Low recoil, Short Action, Light Gun.
Can't get them off the rack in NZ.
I have one in Alaska (Kimber Montana 8400)and loved it, light accurate and plenty punch.