Thanks for all the info. The .338WSM sounds like what I want. Sounds to good to be true!!! I also have thought about a .375 WSM & maby a .358 WSM, I love the .358. No real reason I like it , it has never done me a great favor, I just like it. I think thats all that realy matters when you get down to it. It would be nice if there were some good shooters of handguns in my neck of the woods. I telll hunters & shooters that I only hunt with a handgun they look at me like I'm off. " you can't kill a dear at 200 yds, you can't , its not my 30-06". I tell people that with a littel time you can take a good handgun and hit stuf way off. My exampal is a Prestone jug full of water at 300-450 yds. but nobody belives you " the barrel is to short". I shoot by my self. Would be nice to find a good shooting partner. but anyway thanks for the info no .338. I will look into it more after I get my MOA done and scoped,3x12 burris. Thanks CFP

CFP,

Do your own thing and people will fallow you. I started hunting with only handguns a few years ago and since then, many of the rifle hunters I shoot with have started getting into the handgun world.

They have seen the success I have had with handguns at long range but are still a bit cautious to dive in for themselves.

Perhaps the best example of this is rockchuck hunting. I do love hammering chucks at up to 1200 yards with a few of my long range rifles but I enjoy at least as much see the look on my hunting buddies faces when I flip a chuck at 400 yards using my 7.21 Tomahawk Encore or 338 WSM XP-100.

Hunting with a handgun, even these specialized handcannons, is flat out harder then with any rifle no matter what the rifle experts say. They are harder to hold steady, even when using a bipod. They are less powerful then the larger magnum rifles(although we are closing the gap). The optics we use have a smaller field of view and are much more critical to eye alighnment then rifle scopes. Tell me which is harder to shoot into the setting sun, a rifle scope or a long eye relief handgun scope.

Handguns are often slower to get into action, especially single shots used for long range hunting and you are putting alot of stock on that one shot, sure you can reload a second shot but not near as fast as a rifle.

Point is, most rifle hunters think these big handguns are pretty amazing but in their mind, why would anyone want to make hunting MORE challanging. In my mind this is what seperates the handgun hunter from the rifle hunter.

Get get more satisfaction in the hunt instead of the killing. But that does not mean we are not efficient hunters, quite the opposite in fact. From the few hunters that I would personally call handgun hunters, not those that own a handgun and once shot a doe with it but those that use a handgun for at least 50% of their hunting, they tend to be far better marksmen then rifle hunters on average, even at ranges out to 1/4 mile.

The 338 WSM will do anything needed here in North America out of a handgun, as will the .375 WSM or the .358 WSM. The .358" caliber is a great round that has not received the attention it should have. That caliber would add a little SMACK to the 338 WSM and give a better trajectory then the .375 WSM. Not a bad round to build on in my book. Again, I wanted 400 yard trajectory with the ability to hammer a bull elk at 300 yards, I felt the 338 was the best choice for both of these criteria.

Let me know what you decide to do. Not to confuse the matter but what do you think about the .416 WSM? Imagin a 400 gr pill at 2200-2300 fps.

To many possiblities, not enough money or time!

Good Shooting!!!

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