Any of you guys shooting a .338 Winchester Mag?

[2ndovc]

I've been interested in this cartridge for some time and since I found the "Hog Hunter" on the Savage Arms
site I really want one.

I've been reading a lot about it recently but would love to hear what anyone that has one has to say about it.
What you've hunted with it, how's the recoil, etc. I've always been enamored with short barreled big bores
and an all weather knock about Magnum would fit in perfectly with my slightly off personality.


jb

[TedH]

I've got one in a Ruger Stainless M77. Short and sweet version is, it's a beast. I've killed black bear, elk and deer with it. Everything that's been hit was a bang-flop. I know it was probably just luck, and it's only a handful sampling of animals, but it's always impressed me. I did a trigger job on it myself after finding some good, detailed instructions. It's now right at 2 lbs, and zero creep. I settled on the Nosler 225 gr. Accubond in it exclusively. When I was working up my load, it definitely preferred hotter loads. The load I settled on ran 2940 fps with that 225 gr. bullet. That's up into 340 Weatherby territory. I had a friend that could get some handloads to a guy that worked in the pressure testing lab at a major ammo manufacturer and had 5 of my cartridges pressure tested as they were not exactly "book" loads. They were deemed safe for the Ruger. I shot a 2.2 inch group with that load at 300 yards while verifying scope settings. Recoil is quite stout, and there's no doubt you are unleashing a lot of horsepower when you trip that trigger.

[ollogger]

I have used a 338 alot in the past, Ive taken deer & elk with it, Mine is a Ruger & when you
get every thing right with it, its a tack driver, I like a 200 gr. speer bout 2700 fps for deer
nice easy shooting load & not a meat grinder,When I hunted elk I used 225 sierra flat base
with a max. charge of RL22, it shot great & was deadly,Them 2 bullets shoot the best in my gun
the 200 gr. speer likes 4320, Ive tried Hornady, Nosler & Barnes with poor results, Maybe I
didnt try nuff powder varibles? With heavy loads its not that much fun off a bench

ollogger

[Pete44ru]

I've had three - a Ruger #1-S, a Winchester Super Grade Model 70, and a rescue Winchester standard Sporter that I dropped into a new Featherweight stock (with very little little persuasion, around the barrel re-inforce/chamber area).

I scoped all three with various Leupolds - my faves' - and I shot only factory ammo, usually 225gr premium slugs of one kind or another.

The #1 was a bit light for the chambering IMHO, as I couldn't get respectable performance from it, and soon sold it off - although it handled like a dream.

The FW-stocked rescue Sporter shot "so-so", around 2"- 2-1/2" @ 100yds, but had no personality for me, so I sold it, too.

The new (1991) Super Grade was a blind order through a friendly FFL, and arrived with georgeous wood, and what looked like fine attention to detail during the fit/finish - which showed at the range, exhibiting groups hovering around 1-1/2" @ 100yds.
I shot/hunted with this rifle, when ranges longer than my leverguns could efficiently reach were on the agenda, especially open-area elevated stands - for over 7 years, before I decided I was going to retire from the practice of shooting magnum rifles.
If I were still younger, I'd still have the Super Grade - It was that good a rifle.

But........... I don't keep guns I don't use.


.

[Grizz]

I hunted with one in SE Alaska. I got into it because the 7mm Mag was not giving me good vibes around the coastal brownies.

I settled on the 225 gr as the bullet I loaded. I ran bullets up to 275 gr which was a tougher bullet but it dropped noticeably compared to the lighter rounds. Lightest I used was 200 gr. The 338's not a round you want to put thru the meaty parts you plan to eat, it jellies them. And with the bullets I had available I don't think it is a great bear stopper. Great for hunting bears that aren't trying to kill you though. And anything else for that matter.

Turns out the 338 with the bullets I was using was not a great bear stopper anyway because they were too frangible for close encounters with mr bear. There are better bullets available now and I would use a solid.

My gun was the Ruger 77 RS. I almost always took the scope off when I went into the woods, and was glad for the iron sights.

I thought the gun was pretty accurate. I could make starfish invisible from a hundred yards or so I guess. Never shot it at gun ranges. Sighted in by plinking seashells on the beaches.

I didn't think the recoil was brutal. It recoils maybe like my GS with 425s pushed to the 1900 range. The GS has a better pad though.
Others don't care for the recoil.. The Ruger butt pad was worthless but I never bothered to replace it. A good limb saver might save one.

The thing that intrigued me, and this is from memory, and you know what that's worth, is that the 338 has the same amount of steam at 300 yards that the 7mm has at the muzzle. Something like that. Maybe farther out, I don't know any more. It's a definite upgrade.

OTOH I knew an Alaskan who lived in the brooks range and took caribou for the winter with a 7 at something like 600 yards. He picked them out of the migration lineup and shot however many he could process and get into the cache that day. By standing off the herd didn't spook.

I think you could load something like a 180 northfork and get a really reliable herd gun.

This was long ago in a land far away before the time of the internets. And computers.

Hope these ramblings are useful.

Grizz

[Chris83716]

Ruger M77 in stainless and old style synthetic stock. Stout recoil but not unbearable; a better than factory recoil pad would most likely help. Only shot factory loads through it at about 1.5" groups with the 225 grn partition. Kills Elk DRT if hit in any reasonable location.

Chris

[Malamute]

I have an older tang safety Ruger 77, I like it very much. Its always shot pretty well, tho I haven't really benched it. I've shot it off the hood of my truck or from sitting. It's done 1 1/4"-1 1/2" without any load developement. I've only shot 250's and 275's. It's a bit rough on deer with the 250 gr Nosler Partitions, but I think it would be a dandy elk rifle (the guy I traded it to for a while thought it was the best elk round ever), and should thump bears nicely. I haven't shot anything bigger than deer, I just happen to have been hunting deer in good bear country.

I put a Pachmayer Declerator on it, and always thought it was comfortable to shoot. It's also a bit heavy, with the decently figured wood and steel trigger guard and floor plate I put on it years ago when Ruger sold them as spares. I had a Wiliams Shorty ramp and sourdough front sight installed, and a Lyman reciever sight. I inletted under the buttplate for the sight slide so it was always with the gun. It wore a Leupold 4x when I had it first. I foolishly traded it off for a while, then was able to trade back for it several years later. It will get a Leupold VX II 2-7 or 3-9 when I can afford one.

Other than a 1903 Springfield sporter I have, it's one of my all time favorite rifles.

[Old Savage]

Go for the 2.5-8x

[olyinaz]

Some great .338 bullets available too.

[dkmlever]

I really enjoy mine, used it on twomoose hunts, both successful and a couple of elk also. I use the 250 gr partition Federal premium ammo, it just shoots the best in my rifle. Recoil is OK, a little stiff off the bench but in the field, nothing you would notice. IF I were to start from scratch, I would buy a 340 Weatherby.

[Bill in Oregon]

I had a lightweight push-feed Model 70 in this caliber and ran 180-grain Ballistic Tips in it to flatten trajectory and reduce recoil. I only used these after talking to Mike Harris at Nosler, who assured me the jacket was especially thick on this bullet to keep it together on impact.
I never really got used to the recoil -- not so many foot pounds but very, very sharp in a light rifle. A 9-pound .375 is easier for me to handle than a 7-pound .338.
Of course, you can load it to .338-06 levels and still have a very effective round.

[Ji in Hawaii]

I always wished Browning chambered their BLR in the 338 mag. I'd love a 338 mag levergun.

[Malamute]

.... Recoil is OK, a little stiff off the bench but in the field, nothing you would notice.....

I've noticed a couple things, one, shooting off a bench, you should get your back as straight up and down as possible with rifles that recoil much, it makes a tremendous difference in felt recoil, most lean down and way into them, then complain about the kick. I stack everything available up to make a tall rest to shoot off of, and get an angle to my body like field shooting. The Brits used to shoot standing with a rest for the big African guns and calibers to lessen the recoil effect when sighting in and practicing. Sitting on the ground also helps reduce felt recoil. The toher thing I've noticed, that a stock thet fits you well makes a huge difference in felt recoil. The Rugers seem to fit me well, they've always been comfortable to shoot in about any caliber. The 338 benefittted from the Decelerator pad, and was quite comfortbale to shoot otherwise, at least to me. I shot a Winchester moel 70 in 300 mag that was distinctly uncomfortable to shoot compared to the 338 Ruger.

[2ndovc]

I do the same thing. Usually off the top of my range bag and a small roll of carpet. Does make a difference.
I have a .450 Marlin that will get ya if you're not paying attention to what you're doing.

Thanks again Guys, just the info I was looking for.

Kicks but not abusive, accurate and does what it's supposed to.


jb

[Old Savage]

sit mostly sideways to the rifle and it will be much less bothersome.

[1886]

Great question, Jay. Not to highjack your thread, I literally just found and bought a like new Ruger 77RS All Weather "Paddle stock" .338. Tough to imagine a more practical, take anywhere, do anything, hunting rifle. I would like to hear what you decide. 1886.

[2ndovc]

Great question, Jay. Not to highjack your thread, I literally just found and bought a like new Ruger 77RS All Weather "Paddle stock" .338. Tough to imagine a more practical, take anywhere, do anything, hunting rifle. I would like to hear what you decide. 1886.

Hey Gary! Long time no hear.
PM inbound with new cell number.

Really like that Savage. Thinking a OS 's Leopold suggestion would be about perfect.

Stay tuned.

jb

[Old Savage]

I got the 2.5-8x after reading Finn Aagaard's endorsement another great choice is the 1.5-5x.

[86er]

While my observations have proven it extremely effective and versatile it is the one cartridge I have absolutely no interest in. I have never found one (a rifle) that fit me well enough to keep felt recoil comfortable. There are other cartridges that I find equally effective for my purposes that have much more pleasant recoil. No dirt on the 338 Win, I just don't seem to get along with it.

[buckeyeshooter]

I've been interested in this cartridge for some time and since I found the "Hog Hunter" on the Savage Arms
site I really want one.

I've been reading a lot about it recently but would love to hear what anyone that has one has to say about it.
What you've hunted with it, how's the recoil, etc. I've always been enamored with short barreled big bores
and an all weather knock about Magnum would fit in perfectly with my slightly off personality.

jb

I shoot a ruger 77r in .338. I have a pair actually. The recoil is pretty stiff. I think it recoils harder than my 375 H+H. But not as much as my Ruger 77 in .458WM.
I don't like the light weight bullets (under 225 grains) for anything but deer hunting. They shoot flat but do not seem to 'thump' the game as hard as the heavies. I generally shoot 250 grain Nosler Partitions, but still have a stock of some 275 grain Speers and Woddleigh 300's in RN and Solids. It really is a cartridge that can do anything you want.

[6pt-sika]

We have a Ruger #1B in 338 WIN MAG I bought new at the no longer there Glen Allen Virginia Gander Mountain . Got it for $599 but it came without rings or the box !

I shoot the Hornady 225 SST in this rifle with very nice results . In my ALWAYS biased opinion , anyone that can shoot a 30-06 can handle a 338 WIN MAG .

On a side note that kinda pretains to the original question , I have had a fair amount of experience with the Savage Hog Hunter . Not in 338 but rather a 308 and the gun shot nicely . I am not so sure however that I would want a 338 WIN MAG with the 20 or 22 inch pipe the Hog Hunter comes with .

[2ndovc]

We have a Ruger #1B in 338 WIN MAG I bought new at the no longer there Glen Allen Virginia Gander Mountain . Got it for $599 but it came without rings or the box !

I shoot the Hornady 225 SST in this rifle with very nice results . In my ALWAYS biased opinion , anyone that can shoot a 30-06 can handle a 338 WIN MAG .

On a side note that kinda pretains to the original question , I have had a fair amount of experience with the Savage Hog Hunter . Not in 338 but rather a 308 and the gun shot nicely . I am not so sure however that I would want a 338 WIN MAG with the 20 or 22 inch pipe the Hog Hunter comes with .

That's exactly why I'm asking!
I'm having a tough time making up my mind on which one to get. I'm already set up for the .308 and have brass, bullets, and ammo for the three rifles I have. The .338 WM really interests me, but I'd have to start all over with dies, brass, etc.

Still can't make up my mind.

jb

[Grizz]

I'd be concerned about shortening the barrel much. I think I've read that you lose velocity noticeably when you do that. If you never want to take the long shots then it's probably OK. I've carted mine up to alpine thru the brush many times.

We used to wonder about ADFG guys wandering around the woods with sawed off 458 WMs because on paper they gave up a lot of the velocity and could just as well have been carrying 45/70s.

Maybe it's not an issue, but I recall conversations to that effect back in the day.

[Chris83716]

We have a Ruger #1B in 338 WIN MAG I bought new at the no longer there Glen Allen Virginia Gander Mountain . Got it for $599 but it came without rings or the box !

I shoot the Hornady 225 SST in this rifle with very nice results . In my ALWAYS biased opinion , anyone that can shoot a 30-06 can handle a 338 WIN MAG .

On a side note that kinda pretains to the original question , I have had a fair amount of experience with the Savage Hog Hunter . Not in 338 but rather a 308 and the gun shot nicely . I am not so sure however that I would want a 338 WIN MAG with the 20 or 22 inch pipe the Hog Hunter comes with .

That's exactly why I'm asking!
I'm having a tough time making up my mind on which one to get. I'm already set up for the .308 and have brass, bullets, and ammo for the three rifles I have. The .338 WM really interests me, but I'd have to start all over with dies, brass, etc.k

Still can't make up my mind.

If you were going to Alaska to pick on bears I could see changing. What will a 338WM give you over a .308 on the east coast other than a lighter wallet?

Chris

[2ndovc]

We have a Ruger #1B in 338 WIN MAG I bought new at the no longer there Glen Allen Virginia Gander Mountain . Got it for $599 but it came without rings or the box !

I shoot the Hornady 225 SST in this rifle with very nice results . In my ALWAYS biased opinion , anyone that can shoot a 30-06 can handle a 338 WIN MAG .

On a side note that kinda pretains to the original question , I have had a fair amount of experience with the Savage Hog Hunter . Not in 338 but rather a 308 and the gun shot nicely . I am not so sure however that I would want a 338 WIN MAG with the 20 or 22 inch pipe the Hog Hunter comes with .

That's exactly why I'm asking!
I'm having a tough time making up my mind on which one to get. I'm already set up for the .308 and have brass, bullets, and ammo for the three rifles I have. The .338 WM really interests me, but I'd have to start all over with dies, brass, etc.k

Still can't make up my mind.

If you were going to Alaska to pick on bears I could see changing. What will a 338WM give you over a .308 on the east coast other than a lighter wallet?

Chris

Right now, due to the demand of the military calibers the .338s are actually cheaper. Other than the ammo cost of course, but this is not a rifle I plan on having thousands of rounds for it.
And like my .450 Marlin, because I can.


jb

[rainyday]

i am on my second 338. its my only hunting caliber. i take deer and elk with 1 shot out to 500 yards. even at 500 yds my 210 nosler will stop just under the hide on the exit side. i dont buy any loaded ammo for it and get groups smaller than a quarter. with my current rifle, i over lapp the second shot by half over the first.

[rainyday]

i have shot a 338 wm since 1986. it deffinatly has recoild but its not bad. it has alot more energy and more effective at all ranges than a 308. it competes with a 375 h&h below 200 yds but after that it takes over.
i know at 500 yards it will go through an elk and stop under the hide on the other side(broad side shot)

i do have a spare die set and some brass i can spare

[6pt-sika]

While I am certainly what would be called as an advocate of the 33 cals having had a 33 WIN , 338 Marlin Express , 338 Federal and the afore mentioned 338 WIN MAG as well as having worked with several friends 338 Ultra Mags .

I have a sort of soft spot for a REAL ORPHAN cartridge , the 8mm REM MAG !

I had one of those very shortly after the round came out in about 1973 or 1974 and certainly wish I had it back . As most folks know the 8mm REM MAG was made by blowing out the shoulder and necking down a 375 H&H MAG case .

The first time I went to Montana I carried a Kimber 89BGR Super American in 7mm REM MAG . When I was preparing for the second trip that never finalized I bought another Kimber 89BGR in 300 WIN MAG . When I bought the 300 that dealer also had a 338 in stock , I wish I had bought them both !

Over the years I talked with several custom builders about making me a 8mm REM MAG but so far have not ponyed up the cabbage and probably never will although a nice used 700 BDL in 8mm REM MAG might not be outta the realm of possibilities .

[JohndeFresno]

i am on my second 338. its my only hunting caliber. i take deer and elk with 1 shot out to 500 yards. even at 500 yds my 210 nosler will stop just under the hide on the exit side. i dont buy any loaded ammo for it and get groups smaller than a quarter. with my current rifle, i over lapp the second shot by half over the first.

Good to have you aboard, Rainyday! I'm glad that you decided to step up to the campfire.

If you want to post a photo of that beautiful animal you recently harvested, the "Links" section tells you how to do it. If you don't use PHOTOBUCKET or a similar shared (free) server, I'd be glad to put it on mine and provide you with the link to share it in one of your posts.

I know that you will enjoy the company here. Best wishes, friend.

John

[Scott Young]

I absolutely love the .338 Winchester Mag. I purchased one years ago and have had a love affair with it like few others. Mine is a savage. I cannot sing the praises of the 200 grain fbsp speer enough. I load them to 2700 fps. Every deer and hog I have hit with it were DRT. I use 225 partitions for heavier game. I don't know about the shorter barrel, but I do have a friend that has the 338 federal and loves it every bit as much as I love the bigger one so I wouldn't be afraid of a shorter barrel.