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I have a custom 338 winmag, it's a beautiful rifle. I haven't shot it in ten years. I got it in 1991 and there's less than 400 rounds through it.

Like an earlier poster said—I found the right load, got it dialed in (it shoots through the darn near same hole —off a sled). Once I get my rifles dialed, I don't do much else with them except lug them around the woods a couple weekends a year—large bore bolt actions aren't plinkers.
There's a LH Win M70 .338WinMag for sale in the classifieds I'd pickup if I wasn't spread so thin on other priorities.
 
The description I've heard and like best is 60 grains of powder and up is a magnum which essentially means bigger than a 30-06
Not so fast to like things you've heard:

1653594750761.jpeg

There are three cartridges in this lineup of .25 caliber cartridges that are Magnums.

One is the pipsqueak third from the left.
 
I don't think manliness is bragging or trying to prove yourself by how many rounds you shoot through high recoil rifles. If anything that is insecurity or immaturity. I would suspect most people that do that probably lack skilled marksmanship to use a magnum rifle to it's potential.

There is many reasons they are low round count. Usually they are chambered in hunting rifles that are typically low use. Ammo has always been expensive for them. They can leave temporary or long lasting damage to your body if used frequently and/or when high round counts are used each use session.
 
My guess is with the larger calibers, they are sold because of their high recoil. A secondary cause would be ammunition cost, but that factor was readily apparent prior to purchasing the gun...
There are a lot of comments on this forum where owners of large caliber handguns sold them after firing a minimum of rounds, they simply found it too unpleasant for themselves. I imagine it's similar with rifles.
I wouldn't rule the ammo cost factor out for that reason. The price per round seems way more reasonable when you're looking at the rifle than it does when you're at the register with it
 
I don't think manliness is bragging or trying to prove yourself by how many rounds you shoot through high recoil rifles. If anything that is insecurity or immaturity.
Yep. Same reason some guys spend a fortune on gear and still can't hit the broadside of a barn. They're embarrassed and worried someone will laugh at them. Then they'll sell that one and get something equally expensive. Because you know, the gun's fault.
 
So what I'm getting is that magnum is just a marketing tactic, it doesn't necessarily mean something specific.
Well sort of, but not really. Magnum does mean bigger and or more powerful. a Magnum of Champaine is bigger than a regular bottle. A 440 Magnum is a tuned up 440. A 300 Win Mag is much more powerful than a 300 savage. And on and on. When H&H first created a cartridge with the Magnum name they added a belt for the cartridge to head space on. With the powders of the era they thought it would make the more powerful cartridges eject easier. Now days with the modern powders and claw extractors the belt is more for looks than function.
 
When I was younger it was a 300 WM Ruger 77 for open range, 257 Roberts Ruger 77 compact for forested land, and a 44 Magnum Redhawk as my field pistol - two rounds of snakeshot followed by four bear loads.

At the time (muh 20's) recoil and weight weren't too hard to deal with. Then I found out that you can only hold off geezerhood for so long and muh shoulder voted.

Now it's a 280 AI for open range, an AR308 for the woods, and a S&W Shield 9 for pistol duty. I practice with a 22LR Browning A Bolt and a 6.5 CM for long range. If I could only have one rifle it would be a 7mm-08 or 6.5x55 in a compact size.
 
I suspect many got caught up in the marketing of "Magnums" More power, more performance, more everything both on line, or ignorant buddies! Ironically, there are very few riflemen who can actually reach the very peak of performance any "Magnum" could deliver over the normal chamberings, the rest of us mere mortals must make due with our over blown cartridges which in their own right are over powered by quite a margin! There are very few "Magnums" that are actually better then the standards they are preported to be better then, 7 mm magnum being one, is it REALLY, or more accurately, Realistically better then .270 or .30/06, Nope, same with .300 Win Mag, hardly the screamer compared to the mighty .30/06, 20% more Recoil to go with its 20% increase in power to burn, all for less then 2% increase in theoretical gains! The Real Magnums are a different animal entirely, ..404 Jeffry, 405 Winchester. .416 Rigby, .458 Win, ect, ect, ect, but you do not see many people buying those unless they really know their stuff and have a real need for them and the performance to go along with them, Hell, my .375 Weatherby Magnum is PERFECT for Elk, as well as pretty much everything else, especially big bears! I actually enjoy loading and shooting that one, same with my .405 Winchester, and my ,500 Jeffrey, point is, I actually use them, and can take advantage of their performance over the lessors! Out side of all that, my all time fav "Magnum" is a .338 Win, not much you cant do with one, nor should you expect anything less! It's not for everyone, but for those who recognize it's utility and potential, it's damn near perfect!
 
I suspect many got caught up in the marketing of "Magnums" More power, more performance, more everything both on line, or ignorant buddies! Ironically, there are very few riflemen who can actually reach the very peak of performance any "Magnum" could deliver over the normal chamberings, the rest of us mere mortals must make due with our over blown cartridges which in their own right are over powered by quite a margin! There are very few "Magnums" that are actually better then the standards they are preported to be better then, 7 mm magnum being one, is it REALLY, or more accurately, Realistically better then .270 or .30/06, Nope, same with .300 Win Mag, hardly the screamer compared to the mighty .30/06, 20% more Recoil to go with its 20% increase in power to burn, all for less then 2% increase in theoretical gains! The Real Magnums are a different animal entirely, ..404 Jeffry, 405 Winchester. .416 Rigby, .458 Win, ect, ect, ect, but you do not see many people buying those unless they really know their stuff and have a real need for them and the performance to go along with them, Hell, my .375 Weatherby Magnum is PERFECT for Elk, as well as pretty much everything else, especially big bears! I actually enjoy loading and shooting that one, same with my .405 Winchester, and my ,500 Jeffrey, point is, I actually use them, and can take advantage of their performance over the lessors! Out side of all that, my all time fav "Magnum" is a .338 Win, not much you cant do with one, nor should you expect anything less! It's not for everyone, but for those who recognize it's utility and potential, it's damn near perfect!
That's the truth! When I bought the 300 WM I was looking to scale up 270 performance to 30 caliber, basically the same sectional density bullet at the same velocity, just in a larger more elk friendly caliber. So the 130gr .277 bullet became a tad under 180 grain .308 bullet and the 150 grain .277 became a tad over 200gr. .308.

Them days there was no Internet, so I depended mostly just Guns and Ammo, Field and Stream, and Shotgun News along with whatever lies and half truths your drunken buddies had to say. Didn't even know PO Ackley and others wrote actual books in the subject.
 
Its a more simple answer than many expect for both magnum rifles and magnum handguns with low round counts:
New Gun Owners.
You have no Idea how many greenhorns I had to talk out of buying magnum revolvers and magnum rifles when I was still working at Cabela's and the gun sales were picking up big time.(5-6K in the FICS cue daily or more)
Don't buy magnum anything unless you shot one before or have lots of handgun(if a handgun) or lots of rifle experience.

The level of recoil generated in most of these will be way too much for the inexperienced.
 
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75 in my .338
Well, at least I don't see you going through 40 rounds at a day at the range? Bully for you if you can!
But I don't do recoil well. I had to get rid of a nice 03 A3. But I traded for a Garand, and that's just under the 03 A3, and I can do 40 rounds with no lasting issues. I'm good with that.
 
When Ruger M77 popped on the scene, I bought a .270, and a close friend, feeling that it was a "girls gun" bought a 7mm mag, Also in slick new Ruger, the same week.
Deer season came, both of us were successful with our new toys near Vale Oregon.
By next hunting season, My buddy pulled out the same box he bought the year before, I had bought and shot up five boxes, had so much fun, bought a lee hand loader, some Nozlers, then loaded and shot those five boxes again. He did keep hunting with the 7mm, but every time we went out shooting, he would bring his 30-30, sometimes his 30-06. I only saw the 7mm at hunting season. Mine, could never be called "low round count", and proud of it.
 

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