.338 Win Fans ?

[Rudedog]

I have a Winnie M70 Extreme weather in 338 WM.
I find mine OK, meaning it shoots 1MOA or better when I do my part, doesn't kick hard and is a pleasure to shoot. I say "do my part" because some days I cannot shoot for bird doo doo. Other, less common, days I'm making clovers. I shoot both 225 and 250 grainers through it, and it seems to give tighter groups with the slower 250s. I know when I carry it, it will be plenty for anything I'm aiming at. However, for the coastal range the 26" barrel is too long. At about 8.5# with glass, it's light to carry.
The reason why I find it "OK" is because the last time I had it out, two years ago, it seemed I was snagging on everything. Last year I took a 18" 7mm-08, and I think I will stick with that one going forward. At just a skosh over 7#, that one is ideal for scrambling up and down coastal ridges.
Shooting the 7-08 last week, I was 1.5 MOA over 5 shots, which is good my me.
Between the two, the 338 pushes harder, but not by much.
So it sits in the back of a very crowded safe - I was thinking on selling it to free up some room.

I also found my reaction to percieved recoil odd.The previous year my shoulder ached last year it was like shooting a standard action and the groups were tight. Shooting the 338 WM while varmint hunting was painless due to concentrating on the impact. Also a proper shooting stance.

 

[Rudedog]

Works great on ground squirrels. A little overpenetration, but effective.

Never did shoot at squeaks with the 338 WM.Got a shot off at 500 yard crows. Also a great time to shoot long range. The dust from impacts makes it possible to spot your hits. A box of bullets is expensive even for a reloader. Varmint hunting makes you a better long range shot. My big game hunting is limited to Montana only. Having shot in the field and having a tuned rifle for the big game season is preferred. No ballistic tables, bullet drop compensator but a laser range finder and bipod comes in handy.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Im a big fan of the .338 winny, i have a Ruger M77 Alaskan in this and absolutely love the combo. Seems to like any thing from 225 gr on up to 300 gr solids. It's best overall are Norma Orex 250s and old school Remy cor-loks! I have taken several large browns and grizzly with it, and it also serves as part of a 2 rifle battery when carrying ether the Tikka supervarmint, or the H&H .375. Would love a Browning or any of the FN Mauser based actions in .338 winny!

 

[JRuby]

I like the 338-06 but have never shot one. A standard action packs better in the woods. There are long stretches where the rifle is carried one handed with the sling detached. Also silently when the hunting knife is also in the pack not knocking on your stock. What is considered an optimal barrel length.

Don't know mine is 24"

 

[best defense]

My only hunting rifle left on the rack is the Remington 700 left hand with a Bell & Carlson stock. It came with 200 new brass. Last year I removed the Leupold 1.5 x 5 x 20 and mounted a Leupold 4.5 x 14 x 40. I cannot get it to shoot light bullets but 225 's get tight groups at 100 yards. This rifle is a blast to shoot at 600 yards. I had a Remington 700 .338 Ultra mag but could never get decent groups. It was stainless and I added a black ti finish. It was the only 700 that I could not get to shoot well.

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Yup, I had the same problem with my custom 338. I could not get it to shoot for s**t until I started pushing the bullets at or close to maximum. Unfortunately, that caused such severe recoil that I had a hard time shooting the gun at all. A gun smith put a muzzle brake on it and now I would rather shoot than than my O6. It is my all time favorite rifle now. If I plan to hunt anything bigger than coyotes, the 338 is my go to gun.

 

[Retired Guy]

Yes varmint hunting involves shooting .338 Win Mag. Last time I used it on 500 yard blackbirds. Range shooting is great but field shooting is better. I have also never bought any factory ammo.

Man....there are some tough hombres on this board.

 

[Ura-Ki]

LOL, I have been known to dust a Coyote with a .338 Laupua Magnum a time or three!

 

[bbbass]

Im a big fan of the .338 winny, i have a Ruger M77 Alaskan in this and absolutely love the combo. Seems to like any thing from 225 gr on up to 300 gr solids. It's best overall are Norma Orex 250s and old school Remy cor-loks! I have taken several large browns and grizzly with it, and it also serves as part of a 2 rifle battery when carrying ether the Tikka supervarmint, or the H&H .375. Would love a Browning or any of the FN Mauser based actions in .338 winny!

One of my hunting buddies has a beautiful Browning .338winmag with a muzzle break... what a blast!!! I always know who shot when he starts booming elk. Friggin cannon! One shot stops.

 

[bbbass]

Man....there are some tough hombres on this board.

Meh, I shoot all my squeaks and some chucks with a 10/22 heavy barrel. Some chucks and yotes with .223 AR heavy barrel. Used to have a Ruger #1 in 22.250 that was the bomb.

 

[Rudedog]

Meh, I shoot all my squeaks and some chucks with a 10/22 heavy barrel. Some chucks and yotes with .223 AR heavy barrel. Used to have a Ruger #1 in 22.250 that was the bomb.

I am well stocked on .223 and have some outstanding rimfires. I only take the .338 with to plink on varmint trips. I have offed coyotes in the past with hunting rifles. Before a dedicated coyote rifle was available. The .270 and 7mm Rem. Mag the most often. I did whack squeaks with the .270.

 

[KaniksuKidd]

My first Alaska hunting rifle is a custom Ruger M77RS in .338 Win Mag. It started out in 1983 with a wood stock and blued steel. Firing that rifle was like getting a heavy baseball bat to the shoulder. I usually hunted bears near the ocean and in spite of wiping it down with oil every night on the boat it would wake up with little rust spots forming all over the metal parts.

One day I read an ad in Shotgun News (there was NO Internet in those days) from a fellow named David Gentry in Bozeman, MT who offered the "Grey Ghost" hunting rifle treatment out of his gunshop (that is still operated by his sons). You could send him your rifle and he would plate all the metal with a dull electroless nickel finish, mount it in a fiberglass stock, and make 3 little rocket nozzles at the 11:00 and 1:00 positions a little ways back from the muzzle using an electron discharge machine. In 1984 there were no stainless rifles and all fiberglass stocks were custom fits. None of this was cheap - as I recall it was near $1000 including shipping. Two of my friends and I sent him three .338 Win Mag rifles - my Ruger M77RS, a M77R, and a Sako - and waited.

Finally they all arrived. I mounted a 4x Leupold on mine and headed to the range. I tried not to flinch on the first shot because of the muscle memory of all of the pain and bruising I had endured before. I lined up on target and sent a 250gr. Nosler partition handload downrange. Dang! This rifle now recoiled like a .308. Once I got the scope dialed in I was printing 1-1.5" groups at 100 yards. I fired 50 rounds that day with no pain or bruising.

That rifle accompanied me all over Prince William Sound and to Afognak and Kodiak Islands. It harvested plenty of black bears but never got a Brownie. Now I live in N. Idaho and the rifle gets to the range a few times a year. Still shoots fine if I do my part but its kind of overkill for the white tails around here and my knees don't like to take me into the mountains any more for elk or big bears. Some day I'll get new ones (knees that is) and maybe, just maybe I'll go after something BIG again. And when I do I know which rifle I'll bring to the hunt.

 

[Rudedog]

Wow that is some fine game country. I know many hunters in Alaska do not require such a fine rifle. Most anything will do. Making the effort to fit your rifle to the task is admirable.
What else was in your load out? Sling, knife, compass? I had to use a compass one day within three miles of home due to heavy fog. Recently I thought of cold weather hunting mishaps of the below zero kind.At the time I was using a Ruger M77 with the tang safety.. in .270 win. I don't miss the rifle but the cartridge was excellent. Well for everything but big bull elk. I set my sights on a .338. I hit a bull once with a 30-30 launched from a model 94. He put his head down and went back to eating.

 

[Rudedog]

Thanks for your input on the .338 Win.Mag. I will be getting mine up and running in the future. My new box of Hornady 185 grain GMX bullets will be for sale. They may be great for a cartridge with a different twist rate. .338 Federal ?

 

[bbbass]

I am well stocked on .223 and have some outstanding rimfires. I only take the .338 with to plink on varmint trips. I have offed coyotes in the past with hunting rifles. Before a dedicated coyote rifle was available. The .270 and 7mm Rem. Mag the most often. I did whack squeaks with the .270.

Ammo comes dear nowadays. $1-$2 or more a whack. Feels weird to think of .338 for plinking or varminting. Tho I do have sabot loads for my .308 just for fun and for yotes, screamin out at 4000fps... I made them before I built my first AR.

 

[Rudedog]

I use less expensive rounds for practice. For example Hornady spire points on sale ect. I save the good stuff like Nosler Accubond 225 for accuracy and they also serve well for game. Both the .270 and the 7mm Rem Mag had a simple load out. Only two bullets loaded the same way. The Nosler partition , the Nosler ballistic tip.
It kept varmint shots simple. I also had a 300 yard zero on both rifles. They were both sighted at an elevation over 5000 feet.

 

[KaniksuKidd]

LOL, I have been known to dust a Coyote with a .338 Laupua Magnum a time or three!

Oh Man. More like you turned those 'yotes into lingering clouds of pink mist with that caliber!

 

[mrblond]

I have a 338-378 WM, it eats $6 ammo and just sits in the safe Shoots like a laser though

 

[Ura-Ki]

Oh Man. More like you turned those 'yotes into lingering clouds of pink mist with that caliber!

YUP, that's the general idea, we have a lot of Alfa Predators here, and we try to thin the betas to give them a better chance! Besides, it's so satisfying to see a big purplish pink explosion!

 

[Argonaut]

I have a very nice M70 LH classic in 338 WM that I need to sell......well need isn't the right word....should is probably more appropriate. I just will never use it. It is a great caliber, shoots flawlessly but is in a place in my rifle corus line where it will never get used. I have a 7mm mag that I have hunted 3 continents with.....great for long range deer size critters, numerous 308-7mm-8mm Mauser rifles but my German 378 Weatherby magnum always gets the job for larger game. It fits me perfectly, I have never felt the recoil away from the range. It shoots a 270 grain Nosler Partion bullet at 3100 FPS with over 6,000 ft lbs of energy. To me it is sort of a modern Quigley rifle......... so, if anyone would like a great 338 for elk season at a good price....let me know.

 

[Argonaut]

The rifle has a Leupold VX3 3-12 (as I remember) likes Federal premium ammo. As far as I know it has been fired fewer than 10 times. I shot a coyote with it about 5 years ago at over 200 yards.