What's up with .338 Win Mag?

[Sawtoothsteve]

I am hoping to find some recommendations from the Rokslide community on a new rifle.

I have been hunting with a .338 Win Mag for 30 years and my Remington 700 has seen many miles. I'd like to upgrade the rifle for some planned future Alaska and N Canada hunts as well as Idaho backcountry elk/bear/deer hunting. I think the .338 Win Mag is still competitive with the new calibers out there and I hunt with my brother who also has the same caliber. Having common ammo with my hunting partner is a preference, so I have been looking for a new gun in .338 Win Mag. I am not finding local gun retailers to carry the caliber any longer, and I'm not finding upper end manufacturers who list the caliber in their hunting rifles. Has the caliber completely fallen out of favor with hunters?

Any manufacturer recommendations for a new .338 Win Mag rifle?

Anyone want to talk me out of a .338 Win Mag and recommend something different?

 

[35WhelenAI]

In all seriousness, what do you want out of the new rifle that a .338 Win Mag won't provide? That right there is a very well-rounded caliber with many bullet weights to load and meet any need, imo.

But since you're asking, a 35 Whelen with modern powders and a 250 grain bullet at 2700 ft per second could be your huckleberry. Or the same 35 Whelen and 200 gr. Barnes TTSX at 3000 fps with modern powders which punches way above its weight. Trajectory and terminal performance from any angle on elk is exemplary. Should prove similar for game of similar size which you speak of in your post.

Whelen's burn a good bit less powder and you can form cases from a 30-06 if you ever have to.

I shoot the AI version which is more for the cool factor at this point than any major ballistic advantage. It may have an extra 50-60 FPS or so over the standard chambering everything else equal.

 

[t_carlson]

As a ".338 Guy" I can tell you its been a struggle for the last few years due to shortages. It seems like the manufacturers have hung it out to dry, with Core-Lokts selling for around $100/box, IF YOU CAN FIND THEM.

I dearly love mine, but they seem to have crossed over the proverbial rainbow bridge, where once-popular cartridges go to die and new, more exciting rounds take their place.

RIP, .338.

I might just rechamber one of mine to .340 WBY. It is no less rare these days in terms of ammo availability.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

If a hard hitting .30 or bigger is what you’re after, you can’t go wrong with the .35 Whelen advice. I would also recommend the .300 win mag. It is still quite ubiquitous and you can find several rifles chambered in it from economy to high end manufacturers.

Here is a screaming deal on a .300 mag from Sako.

Sako S20 Hunter .300 Win Mag 24" Bbl 1:10" Rifle JRS20H331

Sako S20 Hunter .300 Win Mag 24" Bbl 1:10" Rifle JRS20H331 For Sale

www.eurooptic.com

 

[thinhorn_AK]

It will be easier for you to feed a 300wm than a 338. I havnt seen 338 ammo on sale for years and I just saw a bag of 100 Winchester brass for a 338 sell for 400.00.

 

[Yellowknife]

I also use a .338 occasionally, and the ammo situation is pretty dire anymore. And that's in Alaska, where it was an extremely common moose and bear gun for many decades. Although both guns and ammo are technically catalogued by many, the reality is that they aren't making either. If you are stuck on that round, then either a semi-custom or a used gun are likely the way to go.

I started the season with 14 rds and have 12 left.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

What’s up with it? Recoil.

Most people just can’t shoot something like that well, I sure can’t anymore. There’s also newer rounds that grabs everybody’s attention because they’re pushed. It’s just fallen out of popularity for the most part but it’s still used.

Why not just refresh your 700 instead of a new rifle?

If you want a new rifle you can always buy a LA origin and have any one of a number of gunsmiths spin you up a barrel in as little as a couple weeks. If you don’t want to torque the barrel on yourself you can order the action and barrel through bugholes and have a complete barreled action delivered to your local FFL to transfer and drop in a stock/chassis of your choosing.

 

[Kurts86]

I believe Seekins offers the PH2 in .338 Win Mag. If you want to still with the caliber.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

Any manufacturer recommendations for a new .338 Win Mag rifle?

These used to be available but not sure if they are all still in production.
Seekins Havac PH2
Browing X-bolt
Sako 85
Weatherby Mark V
Kimber Montana
Cooper Backcountry Model 92

 

[Marshfly]

If you really want a 338 you could also go 338 RPM from Weatherby. Probably similar ammo cost but easily available rifle and ammo.

 

[Mike 338]

338 Win Mag is awesome for hunting. But... we usually shoot our "hunting" rifles once a year. That's the one shot that kills. Most every other shot is not from a hunting rifle but rather a target rifle. 10 shots of a 338 WM at the range will beat you to death so guys don't buy them. Pretty common to come home from the range and watch a bruise the size of a catchers mitt, develop on your shoulder and chest.

Keep looking till you find what you want cause that caliber is a getter.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

.35 Whelen and .358 Win are slowly coming back into the fold since Iowa legalized for whitetail gun seasons. Factory ammo for the Whelen is pretty easy to find online but it'll cost you around $50-60/box. Not sure on the .358 Win.

 

[mncoolbeans]

Found a ammo company in WI that does Re-Mans. I've used them before and their ammo is good. Looks like the still produce .338 Win Mag. Just throwing this out there.

Search Results for “338” – Wisconsin Cartridge, LLC

wisconsincartridge.com

 

[270quest]

You can get a new model 70 in .338...The extreme weather would be hard to beat. Has a 26" barrel, you could have a gunmsith cut it down to 23-24" if desired.

Model 70 Extreme Weather SS | Bolt-Action Rifle | Winchester

Exception bolt-action hunting rifle for adverse weather, Bell and Carlson stock, aluminum bedding block, matte stainless action and fluted barrel, M.O.A. trigger system, Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad.

www.winchesterguns.com

 

[Axlrod]

In all seriousness, what do you want out of the new rifle that a .338 Win Mag won't provide? That right there is a very well-rounded caliber with many bullet weights to load and meet any need, imo.

But since you're asking, a 35 Whelen with modern powders and a 250 grain bullet at 2700 ft per second could be your huckleberry. Or the same 35 Whelen and 200 gr. Barnes TTSX at 3000 fps with modern powders which punches way above its weight. Trajectory and terminal performance from any angle on elk is exemplary. Should prove similar for game of similar size which you speak of in your post.

Whelen's burn a good bit less powder and you can form cases from a 30-06 if you ever have to.

I shoot the AI version which is more for the cool factor at this point than any major ballistic advantage. It may have an extra 50-60 FPS or so over the standard chambering everything else equal.

Says his brother shoots a 338 WM, wants to be able to share ammo. I don't know of an "adapter" from 35 Whelen to 338 WM!

 

[35WhelenAI]

Lol, I don't know the adapter either. However, he was very quick to say does anyone want to talk me out of a .338 Win Mag, ergo even though I saw he desires to share ammo, unless they hunt Velcro'd at the hip, it's a nice idea vs. a major point.

Finding ammo seems to be an issue, therefore the suggestion of 35 Whelen, or there are many other chamberings that would meet the described need as have been mentioned.

He and his brother could limp along with the ammo they can find if he gets a .338 Win and when a bulk purchase becomes available buy enough to feed both for a number of years.

 

[Marshfly]

If neither of you can find ammo that sounds even worse. Lol.

Buy a rifle that suits you now. Let others shoot stuff that is hard to mess with. No thanks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Choupique]

I'm a big .338 win fan. I have a model 70 extreme weather. Love it. Have wanted a ruger guide gun for a while now. Ruger guide gun in a much lighter weight stock, swfa 3-9 in quick detach mounts would be top notch.

If I HAD to get a different caliber, it'd be either a 375 h&h or a .300 win mag, depending on which way I wanted to go. The 338 has gotten pretty tough to find food for the past few years.

 

[Balderdash]

I own and love both .338's and Whelens. Certainly the 35 Whelen is a dandy for large game, but for shots over 350 or so, it's not really in the same league as a .338 win mag.

I stocked up on both loaded ammo and components for .338 years ago, so unlikely to run short in my life. I plan to keep using a .338 for large game and or hunting grizz country. I read the posts on .223 lethality, and I don't doubt it to a certain degree; but just the same, I've put a lot of stuff down for good with .338's, and I have supreme confidence in it for about any shot near or far on just about any game I'm likely to encounter.

The recoil can be onerous, and mastering it can take time and effort, but, IMO, the results are well worth it.

 

[willtim]

My next build will be a .338 WM.