I grew up in Colorado. I’ve used a Sako 338 Win Mag since ‘72. I hand loaded 210 Noslers at 2,900 FPS and effectively poleaxed numerous elk from 30 yards to 300 yards. It does the trick in short order.
Excellent Job Ron. 20-some years guiding in Alaska, the .338 Model 700 Remington was my go-to-rifle. Shot a 225-grain bullet, dozen of bears, moose, mountain goats, and deer etc. My furthest shot was 469-yards on a mountain goat, 1-shot, DOA. Alaska was unpredictable what lurked ahead of you deep into the mountains. Years carrying that .338 caliber gave me complete confidence on all forms of harvesting wildlife. Thank You...
Hey John, question, what barrel length rifle did you use with your Rem 700? I'm considering a Ruger Guide Gun in 338 WinMag but it's only a 20" barrel, that long enough?? I understand that I will lose around 200fps against one with a 24" bbl, but would that matter to the Elk/Moose/Brown Bear at 3,4, or 500 yards? Thanks.
@@rumtumdrumr3922 in .338, shot a 225 grain Remington bullet. With practice, a 500-yard shot was taken. Deadly or anything in North America. I’m just a mountain guy, yet spent a ton of time out there.
Hey Ron, I own both 338 and 300. I hand load and find I can get better accuracy with my 338 out over 500 yards. I've owned both of these for over 30 years and my 338 is my go to for all big game. By far my favorite. Great video. Love the hunting story. Keep it up.
The 338 Win Mag hits game VERY hard, noticeably more so than the 300 Win Mag in my experience. It is also a surprisingly accurate cartridge. I hunt cow elk almost every year, and the 338 either drops them where they stand, or they stagger (NOT run) a short distance away. I’ve never had to wonder if my shot connected, nor wondered which animal in the herd I shot.
Heart Attack Elk; I bought a Rem 700 .338 ultra mag in stainless w/ synthetic when they first came out and I really enjoy it . With out a muzzle brake and at only 8 1/2 # it is literally a PAIN to sight in. (One of these days I gotta get a ‘Lead Slide’) Shooting at game though I can’t ever remember feeling recoil from any rife and not on the shot I made with it (.338 RUM) on my biggest elk, a Western Washington 5x5. I and two hunting partners had just gotten out of our pickups when this bull busted out of the timber above us, we later ranged it at 260 yards . From the angle we were at there just was no way to get any kind of a rest, it was shoot off hand or watch him disappear. I think there were 8 shots fired , it must have sound like a war zone, I hit him with the 2nd (lucky) of the two shots I fired but did realize I was the one that knocked him down. One of my partners said that I had hit him when I couldn’t find the elk in my scope. About that time the bull stood up again and the other partner knocked a leg out from under him and this time he went down for good. Long story short the elk only had two holes in him one to the leg and one through the boiler room which was lodged in the far shoulder. We planned to look for the bullet when we hung it at home, but I never made it that far. It turns out I was having a heart attack and took a Life Flight ride to Portland my two partners took the elk to the butchers and we never figured out until a year later who made the kill shot for sure. One of the partners opened a package of meat and found a small packet the butcher marked’Kill shot’ with a bullet in it. We didn’t have to mic it , it was most of what was left of a .338 cal. 250 gr. SST. The other guys were shooting a .270 and a 30-06. The 5x5 did end up hanging at my house over my stair well, a perfect 5x5 with ivory tips.
The 225gr Accubond are great out of the rum. That's what I've shot plenty of elk with. I did shoot a box of Swift A-frame. They work also, but not really necessary for elk.
One of the positives for me using the 338wm is that it matches the trajectory of the 30-06 very closely, making it a no-brainer when switching between rifles, for different hunting scenarios.
I didn't think about that. The '06 ballistics are pretty well seared inot one of my 4 brain cells. That might make .338 Win Mag an attractive caliber to re-acquire. I still have boxes of ammo... SURE! I was considering .300 Ultra, but I'm gonna dig out the books and take a 2nd look at the .338 WM!
Oh, Ron, you granted my wish. Feels like a birthday. It's not only an elk cartridge, it's a moose and brown bear cartridge. And if a hog gets really big. Thanks for sharing your stories, you're an inspiration. Not sure about the larger diameter, but I'm not shooting further than 300 yards. Maybe I'm a bad shot.
I originally chose a 338 Win Mag for Moose hunting, and it performed very well, we are both the same age born in 1958. I also considered it a fine choice for Elk as well, and it certainly is, But truth is its a bit more gun than I need. If today I was looking for a new Elk rifle, and even Moose, or a Griz. I would go with a 30 Mag. I kind of like the 300 PRC, but the old 300 Win Mag is still hard to beat. But for me, I will stick with my 7mm WSM as it has served me very well. Shot placement is where its at, not just foot pounds of energy. as it turns out, my WSM is much more accurate than my 338 and when presented with a 540yd shot at an Elk that was just a few yards from safety, a single Nosler Accubond filled my freezer. Works for me. Shoot straight.
I love my 338 WM. I had one years ago and killed elk, mule deer and bear with it at long ranges. Had to sell if because I needed the money but swore one day I would get another. 20 years later, and I purchased one just like it and won’t part with it. Remington 700 BDL stainless with synthetic stock and a muzzle brake. This one even shoots better than my first one. It shoots a 1/2 “ Moa at 100 yards with factory ammo. And, the only thing that hurts is when you pull the trigger is when you buy ammo!🤣
Has your rifle been checked by the recall some rifles will fire by pushing the safety off or lifting the bolt. People have been killed because of this defect and there have been lawsuits. CNBC did a full hour on Remingtons problem and the recall. Safety First.
Great cartridge. I got my 338 win mag 34 years ago in Alaska for my 16th birthday and it’s been my go-to rifle growing up in Alaska. But I’ve shot many Elk with a .308 win and at ranges over 500yds no problem. It’s not about bigger, faster, but about a good bullet and shot placement. Thank you for the video!
GREAT Video! Thank you. I've owned a 338 since the early 80's, living in Alaska, and loved it! Used 210 Noslers for Moose and Sitka Blacktails (on Kodiak Island). Have two perfectly mushroomed bullets from stem-to-stern (and vice-versa) shots on the deer with the Patritions. I usually carried a 7 Rem Mag loaded with 160 Nosler Partitions for the first three-or-four days, then the 338 as bears would move into the area to feast on the carcasses (limits in the 80's and 90's were 4-5 deer each). I once gut-shot a buck with the 7 and that Partition killed it instantly!!! Tried the Winchester 230 Fail Safe for years and they were great, tough bullets (only recovered one from a moose). Ran out of those, so went back to the 210's as this seventy-some year-old body doesn't like to get beat-up by recoil anymore! Now I'm living in Idaho and have been using a 7STW and a light 270 for deer and Elk, but once I find the 30 shells I loaded with 210's before moving here, that's gonna be my Elk gun as the country is heavily timbered and steep, so I want 'em DRT!!!!!
I have a Remington 700 in 8mm mag I bought new in 1981. What a great elk gun. I killed a 7x5 bull a few years back 400 yards with 200 gr Barnes triple shock. One shot light's out . Truly enjoy your videos
Really good report! Years ago I discovered the .338 Win Mag. I wanted to step up from my 30/06 for a stronger caliber. This cartridge caught my attention. I shot a couple of them, and have been convinced I need one. Finally got one recently. Only 4 shots and I determined I need a new and improved recoil pad! Love the rifle, and the information about it.
338-06. Love it. Almost the mag but less powder. Hand loading I can hit factory mag load data. Also less recoil and superior brass availability. Also it’s just different lol
This makes me wonder: is the .338 Win Mag leaving something on the table ballistically, woth factory loads? It would seem to be, seing as how the case has a full 20gr more volume. Am I missing something, or os commercial. 338 WM that mild?
@@jacobmccandles1767 it can be mild. In most circumstances I believe a lot of factory loads let a lot on the the table. They’re trying to find an accurate load for everyone rather than a hot load that stretches the cartridges legs. But in the 338 Mag vs 338-06 with my load data from Hornady, it only has the the mag 100fps faster than the 338-06 with 200gr bullets. Is The 338-06 more efficient? Not sure. Kinda looks that way. But the 338-06 is sorta a wildcat so who knows.
@@jacobmccandles1767 I’d say another big consideration is recoil. With the extra powder of the mag, recoil is significantly more, all else being equal. Also, is the extra 15-20 grains of powder worth only 100-150fps?
@@craigmcmullen231 tough call. I'm not too worried about the recoil, as I would like a finished weight of around 9 pounds. The extra powder...idk. My Daughter's "heavy" rifle for Elk and Alaska is a .35 Wheelen (though for the former she has stuck to her .257 Bob), but ammo for that is getting rare as hen's teeth. I'm not at home, but when I get there I'll compare sime highter BC loads and see what each had to offer. I am not currently handloading due to a lack of a dedicated space, but I'd like to start again.
Probably my favorite cartridge of all time and I've owned a 340 Weatherby and still own a 338 Lapua. For all practical purposes the 338 wm does everything I need to do at less cost, recoil and accuracy in my rifle is excellent with the Barnes 210 grain.
That 210 Barnes TSX is phenomenal. I also have the Lapua and Weatherby, just missing the win mag lol. My 338-06 is my most practical of the 3 though. Loves that 210 Barnes at 2850fps. If I can't kill something with that I'm hanging up my hunting boots and going fishing.
I use a .338WM and a .300WM for feral hog hunting. Both are excellent. I only notice recoil when shooting at a paper target....never when shooting at the real thing. I enjoy your videos and the hunting stories. Keep up the good work.
Just last night I was looking for a Ron Spomer 338 Win Mag video. I ended up watching a couple of your Alaska hunt videos … and now you post this treat, thanks!
You hit a sweet spot showing off the 338 Win. Mag. When I was young; I took beating bench testing a 338 Win and 375 H & H magnums to see the difference in accuracy. Two bullets made the top of the heap. I could get groups under an inch from the 338 and the 375 was shy of that by a tiny bit. Both were Sierra GameKing SBT bullets. The .338 was a 250gr and the .375 a 300gr bullet. They came fifty to a box. They cost a lot back then; and they cost a whole lot more now. Both had #5 Douglas contours 26-inch pipes. The barrels look more like water pipes than rifle barrels. One was a Mauser and the 338 was a Sako I built. I am pretty sure I shot more of both of them than most people ever have. When hunting rifles reach this level; adding a barrel lug is an option for both. If you are shooting 300 yards wind has little effect on a football size bullet; that’s a fact Jack! The 338 was going 2,850 and the 375 was going 2,650 fps pretty regular. Hunted Groundhogs with both a few times; a little footnote to mention; they are so loud that anything not deaf; hides for hours. It cuts shooting opportunities close to zero from one big boom. Fact is; it echoes in a valley like thunder. What else is cool; is you can see the impact of a 300gr bullet every time; no difficulty there either. The down side to them is they use powder like a dragster uses fuel. And the bullets cost a fortune. They do reduce ammo consumption a bit. My buddy wanted the 375; so I sold it to him. A couple years later the scope hit him above the eye and detached his retina. I am pretty sure a 338 is ample for dinosaurs much less an elephant. Big bores shoot just as accurately as little ones however; it costs more and hurts a lot more doing it. 🦖🐘🦏🐃🐳 no problem ✨
any photos or videos of the groundhogs you hit? AHP has videos of hunting rabbits with a 243 and a 270. The 270 leaves about 10 metres between it's arse and it's eyeballs so I'm curious to see what (if anything) was left of a groundhog hit by a 338
The 338 win mag is a great cartridge for sambar deer here in Australia. Paired with a 250 grain Nosler Partition it is very capable. Have used this combination for several years with good success. In recent times I have used a 340 Weatherby on a Remington 700 action. This does a great job and is a bit more of a good thing. Love the Nosler bullets, they are accurate and just work.
Well, I hunted in Alaska for the whole time I lived there for almost 20 years with a Sako 75 SS in 338 WM. It's one of the rifles I kept when I paired down my collection some years back. I have a 330 Dakota, that I had built on a Ruger # 1 action. I shot a few elk with that one. Right now I am thing about maybe I really need a 338 Federal why I don't know, just a Tikka so chambered would be nice to have. As for the 338 Winchester, I really like 210 gr Barnes X bullets, I got a bunch of them. A gun shop mixed up an order so I ended up with 20 boxes of them. Once I settled on a load, they shot great out of the Sako. They work really well on everything I shot with them. I still have plenty of them for whatever hunting I have remained in my life. Bought them just about 30 years ago. The only thing is that power and primers are hard to come by right now.
Hello and thank you for your video. I enjoy your enthusiasm . In 1978 I moved to the Yukon and I had a 30-06 that I used for several years (mostly for moose). I traded that in for a 338 win and have pretty much used that for the last 35 years because of its great performance. I also bought a used 375 h&h at a gun show, but have never hunted with it. I just keep taking my small gun out.
I shoot the 338 for the oomph at the end and really like it. A little overkill for deer so for deer I use my 30-06. Love your videos and your articles. Thanks a lot.
Great video Ron. I liked the idea of a .338 caliber rifle cartridge, but I didn't want a belted magnum case or high powder capacity case either. My personal first choice became the 338-06 A-Square cartridge. Stellar cartridge, plenty of energy and velocity. I use less expensive 30-06 Springfield brass too. My second choice is the 338 Federal cartridge. Another stellar performer with great accuracy and energy. I use less expensive 308 Winchester brass for my reloads.
I have a cousin who's in law enforcement in Europe and he loves the .270 Winchester as well as the .338 Win. Mag. and he told me that those 2 rounds would be excellent for what they have to do. And anyway very interesting video as always.
Really like your videos. I hunted deer, bear, and elk for many years with my first rifle, a .300 Weatherby. Never had a deer or bear move out of its tracks when hit. My first elk ran 100 yards, but it dropped. I switched to a .270 for deer, and I’ve had several run 20 to 30 yards before they drop, which I believe is acceptable, for deer. A family member acquired a .338 WM, and it has been very good on elk, not always instantaneous, but it hits hard and slows them down enough for a second shot, no losses. An elk is a very heavy animal, a 100 yards is a very long way to drag something that heavy through difficult terrain. Just converted my .300 to .338. Seemed like a good idea, although the .35 Whelan could be better in our circumstances. None of our observations are in any way scientific, just our experiences. Elk can be difficult…
Interesting we hunted Elk Vapi in Hungary some wore as heavy as 350 kg. We head the 7×64 m Branake with a 154 gr torpedo bullet. Also used the 162 gr And 172 gr. Belivet or no 154 grm bullet if properly placed from the 7 mm will kill anything that walk on earth. I didn't say it Stops. SO IF .300 Mag ineffective then a .338 or .375 or may be 460 Weatby. Will get a job done.
I would argue that the 8mm rem mag is possibly one of the greatest elk calibers ever made. I honestly don’t know if it’s chambered in a factory rifle anymore.
I took my .338 win elk hunting. Started loading with nosler 225gr accubonds . But after practice and sighting in I could only find nosler 250s . Started to panic but was pleasantly surprised. Recoil turned into a push not a sharp slap. Took my first elk at 215yds. Nosler accubond did it’s job and kept going. As for me, a .338 , nosler 250 and RL17 are my standard. Thanks for the video
Be careful, Justin. I'm not really a real logger. Just removing fire ladders and felling dead timber to buck up for winter firewood supply. Need about 4 cords.
Yeah, I am up in western North carolina. lots of storm damage here. I dislocated my shoulder the day after the storm. I re-set it myself the next morning and got back to work the following day. No pain now and lots of trees cleared and things are better here.
I bought my Winchester Model 70 in .338 Win. Magnum for Alaska-Yukon moose. I haven't had a chance to go yet, but I'm not dead yet either! A guided and outfitted hunt is a lot more expensive than the rifle, so it's my last bucket list item - hunt of a lifetime. I'm going some day 👍
🗣Love the .338 WM. Been shooting my RUGER 77 for 20 years now. Stainless barrel with the synthetic PADDLE grey stock. I installed a really soft recoil pad and the Gunsmith installed 4 viles of hydraulic fluid … 2 in the fore arm and 2 in the lower stock. This has greatly reduced felt recoil to just above a 30/06 and below the 300WM. I also reload .338’s. My “go to” load is Hornady 225gr SP-RP at 2800 FPS. I have shot 2” groups at 300 yards with Hornady 185gr GMX at 3000 FPS. All loads according to the Hornady Manual. My longest kill is on a Texas whitetail at 125 yards. I have taken several Oklahoma 🤠 deer 🦌 as well. Thanks Ron 🇺🇸.
If you don't shoot over 125 yds, a 30-30 with hornady leverevolution ammo will poleaxe whatever you are hunting, but where is the fun if you can't use what you want? Enjoy your choices and have fun. Good luck.
@@fedup3582 🗣hello, I have a .30-30 and taken many deer with it here in North Eastern Oklahoma. I especially like the Hornady FTX 160gr load and very glad when they came out with it. The THICK woods where I hunt allow 50 yards or less shots. Great for the OLE .30-30 rifle.
I shot a friends 338win mag on a M77 synthetic "boat paddle", Jimminy Christmas! KICKED LIKE A MULE!! Went back to my 257wby with a whole new outlook. I've seen him drop a few elk and deer over the last 25yrs, no one can dispute the effectiveness of the caliber, I prefer the 9.3x62 myself. Great analogy Ron, keep em coming.
Thank you for this video. VERY interesting! I like and respect the .338 Win Mag's capabilities. When I realized I would never hunt outside the USA, I decided the .300 Win Mag was all I would ever need. Maybe in my next life, a .338 Win Mag...
I think the Old 270 Winchester is still the best all around cartridge. They will kill an elk with the best of them.! My choice is reinforced by my old friend George Hoffmann ( the developer of the 416 Hoffmann/ 416 Remington) who took over 60 elk with his .
Finally found a few boxes for mine today, nice to be able to take it back out of the safe. Not that I ever ran out, but not knowing when I'd find more I didn't want to use what I had.
I had a rifle built by David Gentry in Belgrade, Montana. 338 Ackley Improved, specifically for elk. It duplicates the Win. Mag, almost with 225 gr and down. My shots are mostly under 300 yds. I have settled on 200gr. Accubond at 2885fps. and 1/2” groups. It weighs 6.7 lbs loaded. Perfect mountain rifle. I did take a 10’6” brownie with it. Elk drop really quickly. I used it for everything including antelope. My 270 destroys more tissue than the 338AI. Just love this round.
I hated testing bullets and loads but when it came to the actual end result I never even noticed the recoil when shooting elk I guess adrenaline was working.
Bought a Sako Safar 338 Win mag 30 years ago used for $600. Absolutely trust it. Hand load 250 gr. Barnes X at 2700 fps. Haven't gone hunting for over 10 years. Going this year with my son after I watched this. Thank you for the inspirational video.
About the best Sambar deer cartridge available. Heaps of punch out far and perfect for close bush stalking too. Can see it used in my hunting videos. 225g is the way to go. Awesome cartridge.
I purchased a used JC Higgins 30-06 with a HVA action in 1968. Sweet rifle. Hunted deer and elk with it. Then to reach out further for elk I purchased a Winchester 300 WM. Also nice rifle. I got older and went back to hunting shorter range areas for elk. Installed a quality 338-06 barrel on my old 30-06 and turned it into a tack driving light recoil .338 caliber elk rifle that was fun to shoot. Very good rifle for up to 250 yards or so which was a very long shot where I was hunting. Great option for a 30-06 if you hand load.
338 WinMag is an excellent cartridge and will work very well for elk. Interesting story though, about 15 years ago maybe a little bit more now probably 25, in a conversation with Mr. Bill Steigers of Bitterroot Bullet Company, he said as good as the 338 is, the 35 Whelen will put a note down harder and faster.
I love how soft spoken and humble you are..you speak to us with sincere respect...like a lifelong friend...wish you were my neighbor so we could go shooting.. hunting or just backyard barbecue and a few beers...love your channel
Ron, you have a great channel which I have never found fault with. My favorite Elk cartridge is the Wby 300 but it has a heck of a kick. That said, the last Elk I took was with my F-250's rear view mirror. A huge buck ran into my drivers side mirror on the road from Chama to Taos. It was chasing 3 doe across the road. What a beautiful Eland you took - Congrats !
My favorite is the 300 win mag. I own more rifles in that caliber than any other but I did buy one, just one, Savage 110 Storm in 338 win mag recently. I purchased it for a few reasons. First I wanted a larger caliber bullet for a future hunting trip to Alaska for Moose but also for protection from mountain grizzly bears. Second, I always liked the Savage 110 Storm and it was the only model that I could find at the time. My preference would have been to get a Tikka T3X Alpine or Wideland in 338 win mag but I don't think they chamber for it. So I went with the Savage 110 Storm instead. It's a really nice gun with some really cool features and it comes in at a very reasonable price. For $740 you get a stainless steel barrel and action with 5R rifling and the accustock and the accutrigger. I also like the fact that it has a partial embedded rail for stiffness. It is heavy which is a plus in such a powerful cartridge. What I don't like about it is the fact that it doesn't have a muzzle brake. I made a promise to myself that this was the biggest caliber bullet I would ever shoot and that I would only have one rifle chambered for it. For me it is sort of a specialized hunting rifle for really big game like Moose or Grizzly bear. For everything else I stick with my 300 win mag rifles.
Had a 338 Win Mag and sold it. Kept went back to the 300 Win Mag. Bought a 340 Weatherby Magnum. With new powders, shoot a 225 Barnes TTSX loaded with RL 26 and Federal 215M at 3,135 FPS with an SD of 2 and ES of 4. The recoil is stout. It does the same with a 225 Partition.
Hi Ron, Great post on comparing these great cartridges! I have two .338 Win Mag rifles. One is an older, very beautiful Kimber of Oregon model and the other is the Legendary Arms Works rifle that you touted a couple of years ago. Both fantastic rifles for a great cartridge!
I love Your channel . I have used a 30-06 for decades in the deep south and have been happy . I recently I hoped to hunt elk , moose or perhaps a Grizzly . Naturally My first thought ran to the wonderfully proven 338 win mag . After much deliberation I chose the 338 Lapua for several obvious reasons .
Great video Ron as always. It's interesting with the comparison because technically you could substitute the 300 Win Mag with 300WSM and say that the 300WSM with a 210gr pill is on par with the 338 Win Mag (with the exception of bore size). I think the 338 Win Mag is a bit like the 243. It can handle lighter 55-58gr projectiles and can also go up to 100gr pills. But wouldn't you be better served with a 22/250 and 25/06 or 270 instead? Down here in Oz the .338 Win Mag does have a following for sambar deer hunters from close up thick scrub hunting to long range fringe dwelling ranges. But in all honesty the 300 Win Mag is by far more popular. To take advantage of the 300gr pills I think people are better off going straight to the 375 H+H. When it comes to the 338 Win Mag it certainly is a very versatile cartridge but like most hunters, people generally stick to the one bullet and one load. Also for sambar I've noticed that the 35 Whelan and the 9.3x62 have become far more popular over the past decade that the 338 Win Mag is starting to get left behind. Either way, the 338 Win Mag has been around for a while now and I know it will be around for a long time to come. Thanks for sharing.
The 338 caliber was similar to the 6.5 mm in a way. Ahead of it's time. Heavy for caliber bullets. I think it's really only been in the last 15-20 years manufactures picked up on the demand for high B.C. and S.D. bullets. With today's bullets like a Barnes TSX, you wouldn't be under-gunned for an elk with a 243 inside 300 yards.
Great video and I really like these cartridge comparisons. The 338 has always intrigued me, but I really can't justify one since I have a 300 Win Mag the performs very well with 180 and 200 grain Accubonds. Keep the videos coming.
The .338 Win Mag out of my BAR kicks a lot less than a bolt action but still has the same knockdown power, I love it, I use it on Whitetail Bucks so they never run far 👍 I got tired of tracking and/or losing game, that’s no longer an issue with my .338 BAR. No matter if it’s a moose, elk, or just a whitetail, it’s the perfect cartridge in my opinion.
Been my cartridge since i was 19.... lol turning 49 this year. Hopefully i get 30 more years out of it. Elk, moose, deer unwinds their main springs right quickly.
👍👍👍 Excellent, you always learns something in here and it is always supported by facts, bravo !!! - I have never shot any rifle cartridge beyond 30-06 so this was a very informative vid. Wow those recoil numbers on those big bangers is daunting to say the least and with that in mind and considering the type of hunting I do etc. I will be content to stick with 30 caliber 👌
Ron, great channel , you always raise topics that invite great interest and response. The .338 Win in my view is a great calibre , a good all rounder for hunting most antelope and deer over long and short distances . Bullet choice in .338 vary from 180 gr up to 300 gr . This calibre in my view is probably the best calibre to own if you were only allowed to have one rifle and if you reloaded your own cartridges ! I had my .338 Win hunting rifle custom made using a lothar walther match barrel which was slightly machined down to shed weight ( as I hunt on foot and have to carry my own rifle ) . A WW2 mauser K98 bolt action was used due to its loose tolerance . The accuracy of this hunting rifle is incredible !
I’ve had a .338 WM for years. The recoil with 250gn bullets is pretty stout. I settled on the 210gn Nosler Partition as my elk bullet. Still kicks pretty good but less than the 250. The trick with the .338 is to hold the rifle tightly into your shoulder. If you let it get a running start, it will rock your world. I have used the .338 200gn Speer Hot Core on deer, and it puts a buck down, faster than any other caliber that I have used.,
Interesting video. Why do I own a 338WM? When I booked my first elk hunt, and my first hunt to SA (for Plains Game), those were the excuses I used to buy a new rifle! :-) I already owned a 300WM, so something new to me was in order. I didn't have a 338WM, and it came highly recommended for both jobs, so that caliber got the nod. I had a custom hunter built on a stainless M70 action (CRF). After much load development, I settled on a Barnes 225 grain TTSX bullet, which gave reliable sub-MOA accuracy at 2,775fps (chronographed). Those monolithic Barnes bullets seem to consistently punch above their weight, so I was confident that the 225 would do the job. The elk hunt came first, and the rifle/bullet combo performed flawlessly, punching through both shoulders and the boiler house of a 300"+ bull. He ran about 45 yards before piling up. My elk hunting buddy was also booked on the SA trip. He was so impressed with my 338 WM, both in prep for the elk hunt and during, that he had one built for himself in time to take to Africa. His rifle liked the same load mine did. It was a little bit of a confidence booster, knowing that we were taking 2 separate lots of the same ammo on our SA hunt! Some people, we are told, find their rifles waiting for them at their destination but their ammo never shows up. So we had 2 chances at receiving ammo. :-) We both harvested a half-dozen or so Plains Game each, and never required more than a single shot. Since then, I've used the rifle on numerous white tail deer and feral hogs. Even though it might be "too much gun" for those purposes, it's just a superb weapon and a pleasure to shoot. :-) So, my choice of 338WM was kind of an accident. But, now that I've hunted with it, I absolutely love it.
Ron, always enjoy your common sense videos. As I see it, the two biggest considerations in selecting an elk cartridge are the shooting distance and bullet design. Next, in terms of effectiveness, I believe is a person's confidence and length of experience with a rifle. Back in the 60's, many hunters put a way their 30-06's & .270's and went out and bought one of the hot new magnums. At common hunting ranges between 100 and 300 yards, many found little difference in the performance between the two. While some, have stayed with their magnums which is fine, many went back to the lighter, quicker handling, and less recoiling cartridges. I have owned several .338's, but due to their weight and recoil, I never put in the range and field time necessary to shoot them as effectively as my 30-06 and 7X57.
Without having intentionally eschewed the .338s, my mid-thirties collection started with a Browning-branded Model 71 in .348 Win, and eventually came to include a pair of .35 Whelens: a Remington 700 and a Remington 7600. That may one of the reasons that folks at the club see me as half a century older than the date on my birth certificate would indicate.
I absolutely love both those calibers! Inside 300 yards no game can tell the difference between a 35 Whelen and the 338 Winchester... however... your shoulder will. My medium bores that I've used are the 350 Remington Mag, the 358 Winchester, and the 350 Legend. I'd say the 350 Legend is the modern day 35 Remington. The 350 Remington Mag is the short action 35 Whelen and the 358 Winchester is the ballistic twin of the 348 Winchester. Not a bad bunch!
@@blackie1of4 : We don't hear much about the .358 Win. here in NWPA, however I realize its potential as one of the family of spin offs from the .308 Win.. The .243, 7mm08, the .308, and the.358 Win. . Back when Indiana state had 0.A.L. restrictions on rifle cartridges for deer they were wildcatting the , ".358 Hoosier" from .358 Win. brass. Today they allow some standard rifle designations.
@@rudygeorgiamulesandcountry1594 I absolutely love the entire family birthed/derived from the 308 Winchester! I'm from central PA.. was looking at the 338 Federal a few years ago and was just about to pick one up. Until I came across a add from Grice Gun Shop. They had Ruger American Predators chambered in the 358 Winchester. Apparently Ruger produced a special run of 400 and I grabbed one. Definitely glad that I did :) I haven't harvested anything with it yet.. but I'll continue to carry it during the annual rifle black bear season. I probably will take it this season during deer season.. just to see first hand it's performance. I don't think it's overkill for deer.. but there's plenty of other cartridges that are more suitable. Anyways.. good luck to you and stay safe my friend!
@@blackie1of4 : Best wishes with that .358 Win. , It's not overkill for deer and and is perfect for PA black bear, good luck hunting and stay safe too. We have a lease near Spring Creek, PA
330 Dakota with 250g A Frame works very well in Africa and 215g Sierra in Scotland. I’ve used several Lapua 338 in Africa all with similar great results and 338 Titan, but the brass was very poor for reloading. Fabulous Oryx. A very insightful video
I have used and loaded the .338 Win Mag for 25 years. 160 grain Barnes to 250 grain Nosler Partition it gets the job done. Rifle selection is the key to successful marksmanship with this caliber. I had a Winchester Model 70 lt that was very accurate at all ranges, but it killed on one end and crippled on the other. My .338 WM is a Savage M-110 bear hunter with a muzzle break and a great stock. Recoil is about like a .270, very accurate, but with a muzzle break there is a vicious side blast!
I feel the 338 Win is one heck of a balanced North American big game hunting cartridge. If I needed a magnum, I'd jump up to 416 Rem or Ruger. I've experienced situations which demonstrated, as much as I like 375s, they may not be the stopping cartridge some think! If I had an angry bear, Sasquatch or Buff... even a ferral Bull looking to stomp me give me a 416! Seiously, I once had a scary up close experience -encounter with what looked like a 2000lb angry bull, while toating an 06 and why I went with a 338. It's a bit more comforting in the Wilds! For general hunting I love the 338 Win.
Personally I think my .300 win mag is more than enough for anything that I will ever hunt including Africa. I don't need to bruise my shoulder with a .338. Great video Ron!
I had a Win Mod 70 in .338 WM but found it to be heavy with a stout recoil. I decided I could go to a Kimber 8400 Montana in .325 WSM and reduce both weight and recoil at the same time, while sacrificing nothing in performance. I believe the .325 WSM is a very underrated round that should be much more popular. It a great choice for anyone who is thinking about getting a .338 WM or a .300 WM.
Great video Ron! Thank you! Side note: if you're in the northeast come by and say hi at the largest Cabela's on this side of the country. Guns and ammo in .338 or .375 H&H come in and go right back out the door, so keep checking!
Elmer Keith recommended the .375 H&H for elk. Before we had excellent expanding bullets it was probably good advice. I think you can make due with considerably less horsepower now. I know of locals who currently use the .270 Winchester for elk and find it to be adequate. I have seen a .338-06 drop a large bull moose like lightning. I would probably use a 7mm Mag or larger for elk myself. With a 225 grain bullet the .338 Winchester Magnum would be a wonderful all around choice in elk country too.
Elmer Keith never met a big banger he didn't like. If it didn't leave a deep bruise on your shoulder, or a heavy sprain in your wrist, it wasn't enuff gun...period. Surprised he didn't recommend a 500 Nitro Express; bullet notwithstanding.
In addition, Elmer seemed to take a lot of what he called "raking" shots. Back to front, mostly. Cup and core bullets back then weren't what you'd call optimum for penetration.
I know folks who hunt elk with a 243, and do it well. Know your gun and your ammunition well and hold yourself to its limitations and you will do well with whatever you choose!
Make sure the neophyte to the .338 learns to shoot it really well, which means learning to deal with the shocking recoil. Too many buyers do not shoot and practice enough to be effective users, resulting a lot of unnecessary grief in the field. I'm sure you know the scenario,"buy big gun go hunting", only to find that they aren't in tune with the riflre and cannot make a competent shot to make a humane and sporting kill.
Couldn't agree more with you about the .338 magnum! Personally, I never saw a need for the .338 magnum for my use. 30-06 has done just fine with a 180 grain bullet.
I have shot deer, Elk, black bears with a .300 Win.Magnum using factory 180 gr. Remington Core-Lokts. Not one of those animals moved after being shot I just bought a .338 Win mag though! Why, you ask? Because ,I didn't have one!
Ron, I have always enjoyed watching and reading your work. I agree the 338 and 300 win mag overlap in there extreme ends but didn't think they were quite as close as you make them out to be. So I looked at some of the data on Nosler's website and compared the 210gr 338 win mag data to the 210gr 300 win mag data. I put the published data in Hornady's ballistic calculator. I left both zero at 100 yards and and looked at the 1000 yard drop data. The 338 has a low BC at this bullet weight .425 and a muzzle velocity 3020 fps and is -158" at 1000 yards. The 300 has a BC of .707 in this bullet and a muzzle velocity of 2887 fps and is -174" at 1000 yards. That might not be all that different but when you step up to the 265 bullet you get over 4450 foot lbs of energy from the 338. I have a 300 wby and shot my first moose with it using 180 grain swift scirocco's at 150 yards. The bullets had a muzzle vel. of 3200 fps and I hit it 4 times in the shoulder. The bullets expanded to about the size of a half dollar and only penetrated about 4"-6". The moose went down but still required a kill shot at close range. At the time I had been hand loading for years and was just figuring out how important bullet construction was. The core-lokt bullets that worked so well in my 06 made a big mess exiting on a few mule deer out of the 300 wby. I figured the bonded swift bullets would be the answer. The swift bullets did keep most of there weight but did not go deep enough especially when the moose woods also hold big bears. I had a 338 win mag on a browning A-bolt but was still working up loads for it. After that hunt I switched to 225gr Barnes x bullets for the 338. The only changes I have made have been form the original x bullet to the triple shock x bullet and now the tipped triple shock x. I have also updated powder and can get 2990 fps out of the 225 grain bullets. It is more gun than is needed on most north American game but if you use quality bullets it hardly ruins any meat. I have killed several blacktail dear with it and there is less meat loss with it compared to the 243 I shot when I was a kid with varmint loads (not knowing any better). As you know in Alaska you have a good chance of running into big bears and I consider the 338 win mag to be about the smallest gun I would target them with. I have recovered two of the 225gr x bullets for moose. One form the far side ribs just under the hide of a moose taken at 270 yards .The other from a frontal shot on a moose at 70 yards and recovered that bullet in the tenderloin. When I was staring out hunting in the west is was all about fast and flat. Now with the good range finders and scopes you can shot a 308 Winchester 1000 yards. In the past I spent a lot of time trying to get the best BC bullets for hunting but know I consider bullet construction much more important. Most of the benefit from a high ballistic coefficient takes place at distances beyond the range I intend to shoot while hunting. I have never owed a 300 win mag but I do have a 300 wsm and consider it to be about to same as the 300 win mag as far as ballistics go. My 300 wsm is my late season gun, after the bears are asleep and it is lite so as long as I don't have to go through to much brush to get there my mountain gun. When in the brush I carry a 45/70.
Great video. The big calibers will handle long shots surprisingly well. I shot a large Kudu bull at 306 yards with a 375 H&H. The rifle was sighted dead on at 100 yards. I held on the top of the shoulder and put the bullet through the top part of the chest. As I said the big bullets can do the work at longer ranges. Reminiscent of the big Sharps rounds and how they handled Bison. L
Ron, what you said about the 300 magnums overlapping the performance of 338 Win is very true. The powder capacity in my 300 H&H using a 220 grain bullet is identical to the powder capacity using a 225 grain bullet in my 338 Win using 4831SC. Velocities and energy are practically the same. What I do appreciate about the 338 Win Mag is the frontal area, and the availability of good 250 grain bullets like the Partition, A-Fram and LRX. Even though I love my Alaskan Model 70 in SS, only at the extreme outer limits, I can pretty much do what it does with my 300 H&H. With the exception of the 375 H&H, the medium bores are more clutter than a bridge to the big bores in my opinion. Even then, it’s a small step from the 375 to the 416 Rem Mag (the most practical 416). Desert Dog pointed this out as well in the video he did on the 338 Win Mag a few weeks back. If you ever do a program on the 300 magnums, IMHO, the 300 H&H and 308 Norma are two amazing cartilages that lost out to the inferior 300 Win Mag. Very little on this on TH-cam.
I've got a 338 Express in a Marlin Lever gun. Not at all in the same league as these 338's but I was hoping for a great lever action deer gun. Hope you can look this over someday if you haven't. Love the comments on Elmer Keith and the 333 OHK. Really appreciate your shows. Keep up the good work.
Typically I watch one of your videos and spend a week talking my self out of what ever cartridge you did that week. But the side by side of the 338wm and the 300wm I think the 300 wins out, you can get nearly identical muzzle energy and better bc.
@@roddecker1900 you can't compare the same bullet because they are different calibers, a 250gr .308 bullet is going to havr a better bc than a .338 250gn bullet. If you compare bullets with similar bc's the 338 is going to be much heavier. If you move up to something like a ultra mag or lapua the 338 has some advantage but a cartagena with smaller case capacity i think the 308 bullet will win out.
@@tlinrin887 I think that Rod meant the same bullet lines. Ron compared the 210gr accubond LR (I think) to the 225gr Accubond. You can run the same comparisons with the 270gr Eld-x (.381 G7 BC) at 2740fps (Nosler 265gr load data) and then the 338 wins out in energy and wind drift. This happens a lot with cartridge comparisons. Give whatever rifle you would like to win the sleeker long range bullet that holds less weight at typical hunting ranges, and give the other a normal hunting style bullet that performs great on large game. Truthfully, when similar bullets are used, there's not much difference between the two besides the 338 being able to shoot heavier bullets, which only matters on the big bears and such.
Hey Ron. Just got my 338-06 ai back from oregunsmiting in Oregon. Should be a great elk rifle. I'm going to shoot 210 Barnes's ttsx out of it with rl15. Going elk hunting this fall. I'm taking that and my 8mm mag that wayne york built also. Thanks again Ron.
Used to be a fan of the .338 Win Mag! I have recently switched to the 8x68S! Awesome cartridge! Think of it as a European 8mm Magnum! Love it! Much more manageable recoil than the.338 Win Mag, shoots flatter and retains energy better! It too is an outstanding elk cartridge!!
Yes Doug after I have my 8x 68s built, I'm going to use it as one of my dedicated Marco Polo sheep rifles. With either the 200 grain accubond or the Sierra 220 Grain Spitzer boat tail, it should be less subjected to wind drift. The 220 Sierra Spitzer boat tail should hit them hard at very long range.
You forgot 340 Weatherby! In S.E. Alaska. .338 is preferable for hunting deer in brown bear country. Big Timber and brush mostly. 300 WM 30.06 and .375 all come in second probably. Hunt for deer but load for bear is the rule. Hence the popularity here.
I bought 338WM because I wanted the very best sambar deer cartridge. I also love the idea of having a rifle that I had to practice really hard to shoot well. In short, I’m a masochist. I still shoot my 338 but I honestly prefer my 270W every other day of the week.
I grew up in Colorado. I’ve used a Sako 338 Win Mag since ‘72. I hand loaded 210 Noslers at 2,900 FPS and effectively poleaxed numerous elk from 30 yards to 300 yards. It does the trick in short order.
SAKO... You sir, have some taste.
Excellent Job Ron. 20-some years guiding in Alaska, the .338 Model 700 Remington was my go-to-rifle. Shot a 225-grain bullet, dozen of bears, moose, mountain goats, and deer etc. My furthest shot was 469-yards on a mountain goat, 1-shot, DOA. Alaska was unpredictable what lurked ahead of you deep into the mountains. Years carrying that .338 caliber gave me complete confidence on all forms of harvesting wildlife. Thank You...
Hey John, question, what barrel length rifle did you use with your Rem 700? I'm considering a Ruger Guide Gun in 338 WinMag but it's only a 20" barrel, that long enough?? I understand that I will lose around 200fps against one with a 24" bbl, but would that matter to the Elk/Moose/Brown Bear at 3,4, or 500 yards? Thanks.
@@rumtumdrumr3922
I lucked out and purchased a Remington 700 Alaska Wilderness Rifle, .338 , in black stainless steel
@@rumtumdrumr3922 in .338, shot a 225 grain Remington bullet. With practice, a 500-yard shot was taken. Deadly or anything in North America.
I’m just a mountain guy, yet spent a ton of time out there.
Barrel length of that Remington 700?
Hey Ron, I own both 338 and 300. I hand load and find I can get better accuracy with my 338 out over 500 yards. I've owned both of these for over 30 years and my 338 is my go to for all big game. By far my favorite. Great video. Love the hunting story. Keep it up.
The 338 Win Mag hits game VERY hard, noticeably more so than the 300 Win Mag in my experience. It is also a surprisingly accurate cartridge. I hunt cow elk almost every year, and the 338 either drops them where they stand, or they stagger (NOT run) a short distance away. I’ve never had to wonder if my shot connected, nor wondered which animal in the herd I shot.
Amen. The 338 is big medicine on elk. Enough said.
Absolutely!!!! I use a 33806AI. I have taken 30 elk with it. Never a track job !!! Bulls and cows usually drop within two steps. 😀
What bullet?
I lived in Alaska for 37 years. 338 is a great choice...
Nosler partitions in the 338 Winchester Magnum game over on elk
Heart Attack Elk; I bought a Rem 700 .338 ultra mag in stainless w/ synthetic when they first came out and I really enjoy it . With out a muzzle brake and at only 8 1/2 # it is literally a PAIN to sight in. (One of these days I gotta get a ‘Lead Slide’) Shooting at game though I can’t ever remember feeling recoil from any rife and not on the shot I made with it (.338 RUM) on my biggest elk, a Western Washington 5x5. I and two hunting partners had just gotten out of our pickups when this bull busted out of the timber above us, we later ranged it at 260 yards . From the angle we were at there just was no way to get any kind of a rest, it was shoot off hand or watch him disappear. I think there were 8 shots fired , it must have sound like a war zone, I hit him with the 2nd (lucky) of the two shots I fired but did realize I was the one that knocked him down. One of my partners said that I had hit him when I couldn’t find the elk in my scope. About that time the bull stood up again and the other partner knocked a leg out from under him and this time he went down for good. Long story short the elk only had two holes in him one to the leg and one through the boiler room which was lodged in the far shoulder. We planned to look for the bullet when we hung it at home, but I never made it that far. It turns out I was having a heart attack and took a Life Flight ride to Portland my two partners took the elk to the butchers and we never figured out until a year later who made the kill shot for sure. One of the partners opened a package of meat and found a small packet the butcher marked’Kill shot’ with a bullet in it. We didn’t have to mic it , it was most of what was left of a .338 cal. 250 gr. SST. The other guys were shooting a .270 and a 30-06. The 5x5 did end up hanging at my house over my stair well, a perfect 5x5 with ivory tips.
The 225gr Accubond are great out of the rum. That's what I've shot plenty of elk with. I did shoot a box of Swift A-frame. They work also, but not really necessary for elk.
Don't use a lead sled . I hear they damage scopes . Recoil has to go somewhere and a Leupold or other fine scope is too expensive to mess up.
Glad you are ok now! Really enjoyed your story about your Elk hunt, a true adventure for sure and Congratulations sir.!!
One of the positives for me using the 338wm is that it matches the trajectory of the 30-06 very closely, making it a no-brainer when switching between rifles, for different hunting scenarios.
I didn't think about that. The '06 ballistics are pretty well seared inot one of my 4 brain cells. That might make .338 Win Mag an attractive caliber to re-acquire. I still have boxes of ammo... SURE! I was considering .300 Ultra, but I'm gonna dig out the books and take a 2nd look at the .338 WM!
Jacob you just want to buy another gun so I say: Do it!
@@williambarnes4612 lol...you're not wholly wrong...LOL
Oh, Ron, you granted my wish. Feels like a birthday. It's not only an elk cartridge, it's a moose and brown bear cartridge. And if a hog gets really big. Thanks for sharing your stories, you're an inspiration. Not sure about the larger diameter, but I'm not shooting further than 300 yards. Maybe I'm a bad shot.
My pleasure, Dr. Breeze. Thanks.
You are ethical enough to limit your shooting to 300 yds. 👍👍👍
@Jeremy_WA Hunter plenty safe as long as the case isn't mostly corrosion
@Jeremy_WA Hunter I just shot 3 boxes of .338 win mag from 1982 out of a tikka t3 and it was plenty fine. Shot 1.5” moa at 100 yards.
No, an African guide said if an animal was further than 300 yds he used an ancient technique,stalking.
I originally chose a 338 Win Mag for Moose hunting, and it performed very well, we are both the same age born in 1958. I also considered it a fine choice for Elk as well, and it certainly is, But truth is its a bit more gun than I need. If today I was looking for a new Elk rifle, and even Moose, or a Griz. I would go with a 30 Mag. I kind of like the 300 PRC, but the old 300 Win Mag is still hard to beat. But for me, I will stick with my 7mm WSM as it has served me very well. Shot placement is where its at, not just foot pounds of energy. as it turns out, my WSM is much more accurate than my 338 and when presented with a 540yd shot at an Elk that was just a few yards from safety, a single Nosler Accubond filled my freezer. Works for me. Shoot straight.
That is one impressive Gemsbok! Congratulations on a splendid trophy.
Thank you very much!
I love my 338 WM. I had one years ago and killed elk, mule deer and bear with it at long ranges. Had to sell if because I needed the money but swore one day I would get another. 20 years later, and I purchased one just like it and won’t part with it. Remington 700 BDL stainless with synthetic stock and a muzzle brake. This one even shoots better than my first one. It shoots a 1/2 “ Moa at 100 yards with factory ammo. And, the only thing that hurts is when you pull the trigger is when you buy ammo!🤣
And no ear pro
I know that’s right Gary!
Has your rifle been checked by the recall some rifles will fire by pushing the safety off or lifting the bolt. People have been killed because of this defect and there have been lawsuits. CNBC did a full hour on Remingtons problem and the recall. Safety First.
@@craigleibbrand7761 I don’t know about this particular rifle, but my other Remingtons have. I will check the serial number.
Great cartridge. I got my 338 win mag 34 years ago in Alaska for my 16th birthday and it’s been my go-to rifle growing up in Alaska. But I’ve shot many Elk with a .308 win and at ranges over 500yds no problem. It’s not about bigger, faster, but about a good bullet and shot placement. Thank you for the video!
GREAT Video! Thank you. I've owned a 338 since the early 80's, living in Alaska, and loved it! Used 210 Noslers for Moose and Sitka Blacktails (on Kodiak Island). Have two perfectly mushroomed bullets from stem-to-stern (and vice-versa) shots on the deer with the Patritions. I usually carried a 7 Rem Mag loaded with 160 Nosler Partitions for the first three-or-four days, then the 338 as bears would move into the area to feast on the carcasses (limits in the 80's and 90's were 4-5 deer each). I once gut-shot a buck with the 7 and that Partition killed it instantly!!! Tried the Winchester 230 Fail Safe for years and they were great, tough bullets (only recovered one from a moose). Ran out of those, so went back to the 210's as this seventy-some year-old body doesn't like to get beat-up by recoil anymore! Now I'm living in Idaho and have been using a 7STW and a light 270 for deer and Elk, but once I find the 30 shells I loaded with 210's before moving here, that's gonna be my Elk gun as the country is heavily timbered and steep, so I want 'em DRT!!!!!
That Gemsbok is huge, biggest I've ever seen! Trophy quality. Great job Ron. Wow!
I have a Remington 700 in 8mm mag I bought new in 1981. What a great elk gun. I killed a 7x5 bull a few years back 400 yards with 200 gr Barnes triple shock. One shot light's out . Truly enjoy your videos
Ron is da 💣!
That is a great cartridge that should have been more popular. It did give birth to the mighty 416.
Really good report! Years ago I discovered the .338 Win Mag. I wanted to step up from my 30/06 for a stronger caliber. This cartridge caught my attention. I shot a couple of them, and have been convinced I need one. Finally got one recently. Only 4 shots and I determined I need a new and improved recoil pad! Love the rifle, and the information about it.
I had a 8 mm Mauser. My dad had a 338. What struck me was the 338 ballistics at 200 yards matched my 8mm at the muzzle. Nice video
Been shooting a 338 WM for over 40 yrs, my favorite big game cartridge. Thanks for the Video Ron, always enjoy them.
338-06. Love it. Almost the mag but less powder. Hand loading I can hit factory mag load data. Also less recoil and superior brass availability. Also it’s just different lol
This makes me wonder: is the .338 Win Mag leaving something on the table ballistically, woth factory loads? It would seem to be, seing as how the case has a full 20gr more volume. Am I missing something, or os commercial. 338 WM that mild?
@@jacobmccandles1767 it can be mild. In most circumstances I believe a lot of factory loads let a lot on the the table. They’re trying to find an accurate load for everyone rather than a hot load that stretches the cartridges legs.
But in the 338 Mag vs 338-06 with my load data from Hornady, it only has the the mag 100fps faster than the 338-06 with 200gr bullets. Is The 338-06 more efficient? Not sure. Kinda looks that way. But the 338-06 is sorta a wildcat so who knows.
@@craigmcmullen231 i can see how a guy might go either way, especially in the 185-200gr loads.
@@jacobmccandles1767 I’d say another big consideration is recoil. With the extra powder of the mag, recoil is significantly more, all else being equal. Also, is the extra 15-20 grains of powder worth only 100-150fps?
@@craigmcmullen231 tough call. I'm not too worried about the recoil, as I would like a finished weight of around 9 pounds. The extra powder...idk.
My Daughter's "heavy" rifle for Elk and Alaska is a .35 Wheelen (though for the former she has stuck to her .257 Bob), but ammo for that is getting rare as hen's teeth.
I'm not at home, but when I get there I'll compare sime highter BC loads and see what each had to offer.
I am not currently handloading due to a lack of a dedicated space, but I'd like to start again.
Probably my favorite cartridge of all time and I've owned a 340 Weatherby and still own a 338 Lapua. For all practical purposes the 338 wm does everything I need to do at less cost, recoil and accuracy in my rifle is excellent with the Barnes 210 grain.
That 210 Barnes TSX is phenomenal. I also have the Lapua and Weatherby, just missing the win mag lol. My 338-06 is my most practical of the 3 though. Loves that 210 Barnes at 2850fps. If I can't kill something with that I'm hanging up my hunting boots and going fishing.
I use a .338WM and a .300WM for feral hog hunting. Both are excellent. I only notice recoil when shooting at a paper target....never when shooting at the real thing.
I enjoy your videos and the hunting stories. Keep up the good work.
Just last night I was looking for a Ron Spomer 338 Win Mag video. I ended up watching a couple of your Alaska hunt videos … and now you post this treat, thanks!
I’ve been hunting last few seasons with my uncles old husquvarna in .338-06 Ai and I have to say I really enjoy it.
You hit a sweet spot showing off the 338 Win. Mag. When I was young; I took beating bench testing a 338 Win and 375 H & H magnums to see the difference in accuracy. Two bullets made the top of the heap. I could get groups under an inch from the 338 and the 375 was shy of that by a tiny bit. Both were Sierra GameKing SBT bullets. The .338 was a 250gr and the .375 a 300gr bullet. They came fifty to a box. They cost a lot back then; and they cost a whole lot more now. Both had #5 Douglas contours 26-inch pipes. The barrels look more like water pipes than rifle barrels. One was a Mauser and the 338 was a Sako I built. I am pretty sure I shot more of both of them than most people ever have. When hunting rifles reach this level; adding a barrel lug is an option for both. If you are shooting 300 yards wind has little effect on a football size bullet; that’s a fact Jack! The 338 was going 2,850 and the 375 was going 2,650 fps pretty regular. Hunted Groundhogs with both a few times; a little footnote to mention; they are so loud that anything not deaf; hides for hours. It cuts shooting opportunities close to zero from one big boom. Fact is; it echoes in a valley like thunder. What else is cool; is you can see the impact of a 300gr bullet every time; no difficulty there either. The down side to them is they use powder like a dragster uses fuel. And the bullets cost a fortune. They do reduce ammo consumption a bit. My buddy wanted the 375; so I sold it to him. A couple years later the scope hit him above the eye and detached his retina. I am pretty sure a 338 is ample for dinosaurs much less an elephant. Big bores shoot just as accurately as little ones however; it costs more and hurts a lot more doing it. 🦖🐘🦏🐃🐳 no problem ✨
any photos or videos of the groundhogs you hit? AHP has videos of hunting rabbits with a 243 and a 270. The 270 leaves about 10 metres between it's arse and it's eyeballs so I'm curious to see what (if anything) was left of a groundhog hit by a 338
@@mattrickard3716 No pictures; but let’s say the end was quick and quite destructive with both the 338 and 375.
The 338 win mag is a great cartridge for sambar deer here in Australia. Paired with a 250 grain Nosler Partition it is very capable. Have used this combination for several years with good success. In recent times I have used a 340 Weatherby on a Remington 700 action. This does a great job and is a bit more of a good thing. Love the Nosler bullets, they are accurate and just work.
Well, I hunted in Alaska for the whole time I lived there for almost 20 years with a Sako 75 SS in 338 WM. It's one of the rifles I kept when I paired down my collection some years back. I have a 330 Dakota, that I had built on a Ruger # 1 action. I shot a few elk with that one. Right now I am thing about maybe I really need a 338 Federal why I don't know, just a Tikka so chambered would be nice to have. As for the 338 Winchester, I really like 210 gr Barnes X bullets, I got a bunch of them. A gun shop mixed up an order so I ended up with 20 boxes of them. Once I settled on a load, they shot great out of the Sako. They work really well on everything I shot with them. I still have plenty of them for whatever hunting I have remained in my life. Bought them just about 30 years ago. The only thing is that power and primers are hard to come by right now.
Hello and thank you for your video. I enjoy your enthusiasm . In 1978 I moved to the Yukon and I had a 30-06 that I used for several years (mostly for moose). I traded that in for a 338 win and have pretty much used that for the last 35 years because of its great performance. I also bought a used 375 h&h at a gun show, but have never hunted with it. I just keep taking my small gun out.
I shoot the 338 for the oomph at the end and really like it. A little overkill for deer so for deer I use my 30-06. Love your videos and your articles. Thanks a lot.
Great video Ron. I liked the idea of a .338 caliber rifle cartridge, but I didn't want a belted magnum case or high powder capacity case either.
My personal first choice became the 338-06 A-Square cartridge. Stellar cartridge, plenty of energy and velocity. I use less expensive 30-06 Springfield brass too.
My second choice is the 338 Federal cartridge. Another stellar performer with great accuracy and energy. I use less expensive 308 Winchester brass for my reloads.
I have a cousin who's in law enforcement in Europe and he loves the .270 Winchester as well as the .338 Win. Mag. and he told me that those 2 rounds would be excellent for what they have to do.
And anyway very interesting video as always.
Really like your videos.
I hunted deer, bear, and elk for many years with my first rifle, a .300 Weatherby. Never had a deer or bear move out of its tracks when hit.
My first elk ran 100 yards, but it dropped.
I switched to a .270 for deer, and I’ve had several run 20 to 30 yards before they drop, which I believe is acceptable, for deer.
A family member acquired a .338 WM, and it has been very good on elk, not always instantaneous, but it hits hard and slows them down enough for a second shot, no losses.
An elk is a very heavy animal, a 100 yards is a very long way to drag something that heavy through difficult terrain.
Just converted my .300 to .338. Seemed like a good idea, although the .35 Whelan could be better in our circumstances.
None of our observations are in any way scientific, just our experiences. Elk can be difficult…
Interesting we hunted Elk Vapi in Hungary some wore as heavy as 350 kg. We head the 7×64 m Branake with a 154 gr torpedo bullet. Also used the 162 gr And 172 gr. Belivet or no 154 grm bullet if properly placed from the 7 mm will kill anything that walk on earth. I didn't say it Stops. SO IF .300 Mag ineffective then a .338 or .375 or may be 460 Weatby. Will get a job done.
Often overlooked but the 8mm Remington Magnum is an outstanding round as well
Agreed. Too bad it is obsolete. I load my own with surplus mil powder.
I would argue that the 8mm rem mag is possibly one of the greatest elk calibers ever made. I honestly don’t know if it’s chambered in a factory rifle anymore.
Anything with a belt is obsolete the young guys will tell you as such with their beltless short magnums.
I took my .338 win elk hunting. Started loading with nosler 225gr accubonds . But after practice and sighting in I could only find nosler 250s . Started to panic but was pleasantly surprised. Recoil turned into a push not a sharp slap. Took my first elk at 215yds. Nosler accubond did it’s job and kept going. As for me, a .338 , nosler 250 and RL17 are my standard. Thanks for the video
Fellow tree worker here! Good to see youre ok! I've nearly died about a dozen times in the last week. Dangerous work!
Be careful, Justin. I'm not really a real logger. Just removing fire ladders and felling dead timber to buck up for winter firewood supply. Need about 4 cords.
Yeah, I am up in western North carolina. lots of storm damage here. I dislocated my shoulder the day after the storm. I re-set it myself the next morning and got back to work the following day. No pain now and lots of trees cleared and things are better here.
I bought my Winchester Model 70 in .338 Win. Magnum for Alaska-Yukon moose. I haven't had a chance to go yet, but I'm not dead yet either! A guided and outfitted hunt is a lot more expensive than the rifle, so it's my last bucket list item - hunt of a lifetime. I'm going some day 👍
🗣Love the .338 WM. Been shooting my RUGER 77 for 20 years now. Stainless barrel with the synthetic PADDLE grey stock. I installed a really soft recoil pad and the Gunsmith installed 4 viles of hydraulic fluid … 2 in the fore arm and 2 in the lower stock. This has greatly reduced felt recoil to just above a 30/06 and below the 300WM. I also reload .338’s.
My “go to” load is Hornady 225gr SP-RP at 2800 FPS. I have shot 2” groups at 300 yards with Hornady 185gr GMX at 3000 FPS. All loads according to the Hornady Manual.
My longest kill is on a Texas whitetail at 125 yards. I have taken several Oklahoma 🤠 deer 🦌 as well. Thanks Ron 🇺🇸.
If you don't shoot over 125 yds, a 30-30 with hornady leverevolution ammo will poleaxe whatever you are hunting, but where is the fun if you can't use what you want? Enjoy your choices and have fun. Good luck.
@@fedup3582 🗣hello, I have a .30-30 and taken many deer with it here in North Eastern Oklahoma. I especially like the Hornady FTX 160gr load and very glad when they came out with it. The THICK woods where I hunt allow 50 yards or less shots. Great for the OLE .30-30 rifle.
@@tonywoconish6695 you have that right, those ftx bullets are great.
I shot a friends 338win mag on a M77 synthetic "boat paddle", Jimminy Christmas! KICKED LIKE A MULE!!
Went back to my 257wby with a whole new outlook.
I've seen him drop a few elk and deer over the last 25yrs, no one can dispute the effectiveness of the caliber, I prefer the 9.3x62 myself.
Great analogy Ron, keep em coming.
Thank you for this video. VERY interesting!
I like and respect the .338 Win Mag's capabilities. When I realized I would never hunt outside the USA, I decided the .300 Win Mag was all I would ever need.
Maybe in my next life, a .338 Win Mag...
I think the Old 270 Winchester is still the best all around cartridge. They will kill an elk with the best of them.! My choice is reinforced by my old friend George Hoffmann ( the developer of the 416 Hoffmann/ 416 Remington) who took over 60 elk with his .
Finally found a few boxes for mine today, nice to be able to take it back out of the safe. Not that I ever ran out, but not knowing when I'd find more I didn't want to use what I had.
280 Remington will beat the 270 winchester in every way.
@@TexanUSMC8089 except in popularity!
@@TexanUSMC8089 opinion. I prefer the 280 AI over the standard 280, any day.
Been shooting the 338 for a long time! My favorite caliber. Shoot antelope, deer and elk. No, it doesn't destroy the meat.
I had a rifle built by David Gentry in Belgrade, Montana. 338 Ackley Improved, specifically for elk. It duplicates the Win. Mag, almost with 225 gr and down. My shots are mostly under 300 yds. I have settled on 200gr. Accubond at 2885fps. and 1/2” groups. It weighs 6.7 lbs loaded. Perfect mountain rifle. I did take a 10’6” brownie with it. Elk drop really quickly. I used it for everything including antelope. My 270 destroys more tissue than the 338AI. Just love this round.
I hated testing bullets and loads but when it came to the actual end result I never even noticed the recoil when shooting elk I guess adrenaline was working.
Bought a Sako Safar 338 Win mag 30 years ago used for $600. Absolutely trust it. Hand load 250 gr. Barnes X at 2700 fps. Haven't gone hunting for over 10 years. Going this year with my son after I watched this. Thank you for the inspirational video.
About the best Sambar deer cartridge available. Heaps of punch out far and perfect for close bush stalking too. Can see it used in my hunting videos. 225g is the way to go. Awesome cartridge.
I purchased a used JC Higgins 30-06 with a HVA action in 1968. Sweet rifle. Hunted deer and elk with it. Then to reach out further for elk I purchased a Winchester 300 WM. Also nice rifle. I got older and went back to hunting shorter range areas for elk. Installed a quality 338-06 barrel on my old 30-06 and turned it into a tack driving light recoil .338 caliber elk rifle that was fun to shoot. Very good rifle for up to 250 yards or so which was a very long shot where I was hunting. Great option for a 30-06 if you hand load.
338 WinMag is an excellent cartridge and will work very well for elk. Interesting story though, about 15 years ago maybe a little bit more now probably 25, in a conversation with Mr. Bill Steigers of Bitterroot Bullet Company, he said as good as the 338 is, the 35 Whelen will put a note down harder and faster.
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I love how soft spoken and humble you are..you speak to us with sincere respect...like a lifelong friend...wish you were my neighbor so we could go shooting.. hunting or just backyard barbecue and a few beers...love your channel
Thanks Joe!
Ron, you have a great channel which I have never found fault with. My favorite Elk cartridge is the Wby 300 but it has a heck of a kick. That said, the last Elk I took was with my F-250's rear view mirror. A huge buck ran into my drivers side mirror on the road from Chama to Taos. It was chasing 3 doe across the road. What a beautiful Eland you took - Congrats !
There are less expensive bullets than that F-250, you know.
My favorite is the 300 win mag. I own more rifles in that caliber than any other but I did buy one, just one, Savage 110 Storm in 338 win mag recently. I purchased it for a few reasons. First I wanted a larger caliber bullet for a future hunting trip to Alaska for Moose but also for protection from mountain grizzly bears. Second, I always liked the Savage 110 Storm and it was the only model that I could find at the time. My preference would have been to get a Tikka T3X Alpine or Wideland in 338 win mag but I don't think they chamber for it. So I went with the Savage 110 Storm instead. It's a really nice gun with some really cool features and it comes in at a very reasonable price. For $740 you get a stainless steel barrel and action with 5R rifling and the accustock and the accutrigger. I also like the fact that it has a partial embedded rail for stiffness. It is heavy which is a plus in such a powerful cartridge. What I don't like about it is the fact that it doesn't have a muzzle brake. I made a promise to myself that this was the biggest caliber bullet I would ever shoot and that I would only have one rifle chambered for it. For me it is sort of a specialized hunting rifle for really big game like Moose or Grizzly bear. For everything else I stick with my 300 win mag rifles.
Love your reviews on different types of ammo. You’re the reason I went with a 7mm-08 for deer hunting in Texas.
Had a 338 Win Mag and sold it. Kept went back to the 300 Win Mag. Bought a 340 Weatherby Magnum. With new powders, shoot a 225 Barnes TTSX loaded with RL 26 and Federal 215M at 3,135 FPS with an SD of 2 and ES of 4. The recoil is stout. It does the same with a 225 Partition.
Hi Ron, Great post on comparing these great cartridges! I have two .338 Win Mag rifles. One is an older, very beautiful Kimber of Oregon model and the other is the Legendary Arms Works rifle that you touted a couple of years ago. Both fantastic rifles for a great cartridge!
Should have a review of the NEW Legendary Arms Works rifle in 9.3x62 soon.
I love Your channel . I have used a 30-06 for decades in the deep south and have been happy . I recently I hoped to hunt elk , moose or perhaps a Grizzly . Naturally My first thought ran to the wonderfully proven 338 win mag . After much deliberation I chose the 338 Lapua for several obvious reasons .
Great video Ron as always. It's interesting with the comparison because technically you could substitute the 300 Win Mag with 300WSM and say that the 300WSM with a 210gr pill is on par with the 338 Win Mag (with the exception of bore size). I think the 338 Win Mag is a bit like the 243. It can handle lighter 55-58gr projectiles and can also go up to 100gr pills. But wouldn't you be better served with a 22/250 and 25/06 or 270 instead? Down here in Oz the .338 Win Mag does have a following for sambar deer hunters from close up thick scrub hunting to long range fringe dwelling ranges. But in all honesty the 300 Win Mag is by far more popular. To take advantage of the 300gr pills I think people are better off going straight to the 375 H+H. When it comes to the 338 Win Mag it certainly is a very versatile cartridge but like most hunters, people generally stick to the one bullet and one load. Also for sambar I've noticed that the 35 Whelan and the 9.3x62 have become far more popular over the past decade that the 338 Win Mag is starting to get left behind. Either way, the 338 Win Mag has been around for a while now and I know it will be around for a long time to come. Thanks for sharing.
The 338 caliber was similar to the 6.5 mm in a way. Ahead of it's time. Heavy for caliber bullets. I think it's really only been in the last 15-20 years manufactures picked up on the demand for high B.C. and S.D. bullets. With today's bullets like a Barnes TSX, you wouldn't be under-gunned for an elk with a 243 inside 300 yards.
I love my 338 wsm shooting 300 bergers the energy it puts on game is phenomenal especially at longer ranges
Great video and I really like these cartridge comparisons. The 338 has always intrigued me, but I really can't justify one since I have a 300 Win Mag the performs very well with 180 and 200 grain Accubonds. Keep the videos coming.
The .338 Win Mag out of my BAR kicks a lot less than a bolt action but still has the same knockdown power, I love it, I use it on Whitetail Bucks so they never run far 👍 I got tired of tracking and/or losing game, that’s no longer an issue with my .338 BAR. No matter if it’s a moose, elk, or just a whitetail, it’s the perfect cartridge in my opinion.
I love your hunting stories! I could listen to your hunting stories for a long time! Thank you sir, for sharing!
What happens in Africa does not stay in Africa. 👍
Been my cartridge since i was 19.... lol turning 49 this year. Hopefully i get 30 more years out of it. Elk, moose, deer unwinds their main springs right quickly.
👍👍👍 Excellent, you always learns something in here and it is always supported by facts, bravo !!! - I have never shot any rifle cartridge beyond 30-06 so this was a very informative vid. Wow those recoil numbers on those big bangers is daunting to say the least and with that in mind and considering the type of hunting I do etc. I will be content to stick with 30 caliber 👌
A refreshingly informational history of the .338 Winchester cartridge. Thanks Ron! Keep these terrific lessons coming our way.
You bet!
7mm Remington Magnum in Remington 700 BDL Deluxe... Darling for Elk! 🦌
Ron, great channel , you always raise topics that invite great interest and response. The .338 Win in my view is a great calibre , a good all rounder for hunting most antelope and deer over long and short distances . Bullet choice in .338 vary from 180 gr up to 300 gr . This calibre in my view is probably the best calibre to own if you were only allowed to have one rifle and if you reloaded your own cartridges ! I had my .338 Win hunting rifle custom made using a lothar walther match barrel which was slightly machined down to shed weight ( as I hunt on foot and have to carry my own rifle ) . A WW2 mauser K98 bolt action was used due to its loose tolerance . The accuracy of this hunting rifle is incredible !
I’ve had a .338 WM for years. The recoil with 250gn bullets is pretty stout. I settled on the 210gn Nosler Partition as my elk bullet. Still kicks pretty good but less than the 250. The trick with the .338 is to hold the rifle tightly into your shoulder. If you let it get a running start, it will rock your world.
I have used the .338 200gn Speer Hot Core on deer, and it puts a buck down, faster than any other caliber that I have used.,
My experiences exactly.
Interesting video. Why do I own a 338WM? When I booked my first elk hunt, and my first hunt to SA (for Plains Game), those were the excuses I used to buy a new rifle! :-) I already owned a 300WM, so something new to me was in order. I didn't have a 338WM, and it came highly recommended for both jobs, so that caliber got the nod. I had a custom hunter built on a stainless M70 action (CRF).
After much load development, I settled on a Barnes 225 grain TTSX bullet, which gave reliable sub-MOA accuracy at 2,775fps (chronographed). Those monolithic Barnes bullets seem to consistently punch above their weight, so I was confident that the 225 would do the job. The elk hunt came first, and the rifle/bullet combo performed flawlessly, punching through both shoulders and the boiler house of a 300"+ bull. He ran about 45 yards before piling up.
My elk hunting buddy was also booked on the SA trip. He was so impressed with my 338 WM, both in prep for the elk hunt and during, that he had one built for himself in time to take to Africa. His rifle liked the same load mine did. It was a little bit of a confidence booster, knowing that we were taking 2 separate lots of the same ammo on our SA hunt! Some people, we are told, find their rifles waiting for them at their destination but their ammo never shows up. So we had 2 chances at receiving ammo. :-)
We both harvested a half-dozen or so Plains Game each, and never required more than a single shot. Since then, I've used the rifle on numerous white tail deer and feral hogs. Even though it might be "too much gun" for those purposes, it's just a superb weapon and a pleasure to shoot. :-)
So, my choice of 338WM was kind of an accident. But, now that I've hunted with it, I absolutely love it.
Hornady makes some great loads for this round: .338 Win Mag ELD-X, 230 grain, 2,810 fps., 4,032 ft/lb.
Ron, always enjoy your common sense videos. As I see it, the two biggest considerations in selecting an elk cartridge are the shooting distance and bullet design. Next, in terms of effectiveness, I believe is a person's confidence and length of experience with a rifle. Back in the 60's, many hunters put a way their 30-06's & .270's and went out and bought one of the hot new magnums. At common hunting ranges between 100 and 300 yards, many found little difference in the performance between the two. While some, have stayed with their magnums which is fine, many went back to the lighter, quicker handling, and less recoiling cartridges. I have owned several .338's, but due to their weight and recoil, I never put in the range and field time necessary to shoot them as effectively as my 30-06 and 7X57.
Without having intentionally eschewed the .338s, my mid-thirties collection started with a Browning-branded Model 71 in .348 Win, and eventually came to include a pair of .35 Whelens: a Remington 700 and a Remington 7600. That may one of the reasons that folks at the club see me as half a century older than the date on my birth certificate would indicate.
I absolutely love both those calibers!
Inside 300 yards no game can tell the difference between a 35 Whelen and the 338 Winchester... however... your shoulder will.
My medium bores that I've used are the 350 Remington Mag, the 358 Winchester, and the 350 Legend. I'd say the 350 Legend is the modern day 35 Remington. The 350 Remington Mag is the short action 35 Whelen and the 358 Winchester is the ballistic twin of the 348 Winchester.
Not a bad bunch!
I like the .35 Whelen too !
@@blackie1of4 : We don't hear much about the .358 Win. here in NWPA, however I realize its potential as one of the family of spin offs from the .308 Win.. The .243, 7mm08, the .308, and the.358 Win. .
Back when Indiana state had 0.A.L. restrictions on rifle cartridges for deer they were wildcatting the , ".358 Hoosier" from .358 Win. brass. Today they allow some standard rifle designations.
@@rudygeorgiamulesandcountry1594 I absolutely love the entire family birthed/derived from the 308 Winchester!
I'm from central PA.. was looking at the 338 Federal a few years ago and was just about to pick one up. Until I came across a add from Grice Gun Shop. They had Ruger American Predators chambered in the 358 Winchester. Apparently Ruger produced a special run of 400 and I grabbed one. Definitely glad that I did :)
I haven't harvested anything with it yet.. but I'll continue to carry it during the annual rifle black bear season. I probably will take it this season during deer season.. just to see first hand it's performance.
I don't think it's overkill for deer.. but there's plenty of other cartridges that are more suitable.
Anyways.. good luck to you and stay safe my friend!
@@blackie1of4 : Best wishes with that .358 Win. , It's not overkill for deer and and is perfect for PA black bear, good luck hunting and stay safe too. We have a lease near Spring Creek, PA
330 Dakota with 250g A Frame works very well in Africa and 215g Sierra in Scotland. I’ve used several Lapua 338 in Africa all with similar great results and 338 Titan, but the brass was very poor for reloading. Fabulous Oryx. A very insightful video
338-06 A Square best all around choice. Great b.c.'s and not to much recoil. For 338 bore.
I have used and loaded the .338 Win Mag for 25 years. 160 grain Barnes to 250 grain Nosler Partition it gets the job done. Rifle selection is the key to successful marksmanship with this caliber. I had a Winchester Model 70 lt that was very accurate at all ranges, but it killed on one end and crippled on the other. My .338 WM is a Savage M-110 bear hunter with a muzzle break and a great stock. Recoil is about like a .270, very accurate, but with a muzzle break there is a vicious side blast!
Thanks, excellent presentation, I like the 338 caliber, but if I need a magnum I go to the 375 H&H.
Right on
I feel the 338 Win is one heck of a balanced North American big game hunting cartridge. If I needed a magnum, I'd jump up to 416 Rem or Ruger. I've experienced situations which demonstrated, as much as I like 375s, they may not be the stopping cartridge some think! If I had an angry bear, Sasquatch or Buff... even a ferral Bull looking to stomp me give me a 416! Seiously, I once had a scary up close experience -encounter with what looked like a 2000lb angry bull, while toating an 06 and why I went with a 338. It's a bit more comforting in the Wilds! For general hunting I love the 338 Win.
Personally I think my .300 win mag is more than enough for anything that I will ever hunt including Africa. I don't need to bruise my shoulder with a .338. Great video Ron!
I like the 338 win mag because within normal hunting ranges (
Any .300 mag vs .338 Win.Mag difference is the 300 is nothing more then a stalking rifle. .338 vs .375 both great stopping guns.
My favorite cartridge! .338 Winchester Magnum! Used in Alaska with great success on moose. And here in the midwest for all my big game hunting.
I had a Win Mod 70 in .338 WM but found it to be heavy with a stout recoil. I decided I could go to a Kimber 8400 Montana in .325 WSM and reduce both weight and recoil at the same time, while sacrificing nothing in performance. I believe the .325 WSM is a very underrated round that should be much more popular. It a great choice for anyone who is thinking about getting a .338 WM or a .300 WM.
Great video Ron! Thank you!
Side note: if you're in the northeast come by and say hi at the largest Cabela's on this side of the country. Guns and ammo in .338 or .375 H&H come in and go right back out the door, so keep checking!
Elmer Keith recommended the .375 H&H for elk. Before we had excellent expanding bullets it was probably good advice. I think you can make due with considerably less horsepower now. I know of locals who currently use the .270 Winchester for elk and find it to be adequate. I have seen a .338-06 drop a large bull moose like lightning. I would probably use a 7mm Mag or larger for elk myself. With a 225 grain bullet the .338 Winchester Magnum would be a wonderful all around choice in elk country too.
Elmer Keith never met a big banger he didn't like. If it didn't leave a deep bruise on your shoulder, or a heavy sprain in your wrist, it wasn't enuff gun...period. Surprised he didn't recommend a 500 Nitro Express; bullet notwithstanding.
In addition, Elmer seemed to take a lot of what he called "raking" shots. Back to front, mostly. Cup and core bullets back then weren't what you'd call optimum for penetration.
@@RonSpomerOutdoors You know his hunting style well! Of course I have Ron Spomer to keep me straight nowadays. ;-)
Elmer Keith is the original father of the 338-378 Weatherby. Called it the 338-378 KT. Called it the best Elk cartridge he ever used.
I know folks who hunt elk with a 243, and do it well. Know your gun and your ammunition well and hold yourself to its limitations and you will do well with whatever you choose!
Your a great.speaker Ron. 338 win mag its one of those cartridges that work. I read somewhere that jack Oconee liked it a bunch.
Make sure the neophyte to the .338 learns to shoot it really well, which means learning to deal with the shocking recoil. Too many buyers do not shoot and practice enough to be effective users, resulting a lot of unnecessary grief in the field. I'm sure you know the scenario,"buy big gun go hunting", only to find that they aren't in tune with the riflre and cannot make a competent shot to make a humane and sporting kill.
Couldn't agree more with you about the .338 magnum!
Personally, I never saw a need for the .338 magnum for my use.
30-06 has done just fine with a 180 grain bullet.
I have shot deer, Elk, black bears with a .300 Win.Magnum using factory 180 gr. Remington Core-Lokts. Not one of those animals moved after being shot I just bought a .338 Win mag though! Why, you ask? Because ,I didn't have one!
Great video as always! Your one of my favorites.
Thanks David.
* That's the best reason!
I’ve always used 375 H&H for elk. Absolutely perfect for it or anything bigger up to elephant!
338wm and a 375 ruger for our beluga/narwhal hunting season. Barnes bullet of choice. Nunavut Canada
My Winchester .338 mag sporter kicked like a mile,but now I have a brake on it & I love it. Hits game like the hammer of Thor!
Love the hunting stories! I bet you have a ton of them. Would love to hear more!
Ron, I have always enjoyed watching and reading your work. I agree the 338 and 300 win mag overlap in there extreme ends but didn't think they were quite as close as you make them out to be. So I looked at some of the data on Nosler's website and compared the 210gr 338 win mag data to the 210gr 300 win mag data. I put the published data in Hornady's ballistic calculator. I left both zero at 100 yards and and looked at the 1000 yard drop data. The 338 has a low BC at this bullet weight .425 and a muzzle velocity 3020 fps and is -158" at 1000 yards. The 300 has a BC of .707 in this bullet and a muzzle velocity of 2887 fps and is -174" at 1000 yards. That might not be all that different but when you step up to the 265 bullet you get over 4450 foot lbs of energy from the 338. I have a 300 wby and shot my first moose with it using 180 grain swift scirocco's at 150 yards. The bullets had a muzzle vel. of 3200 fps and I hit it 4 times in the shoulder. The bullets expanded to about the size of a half dollar and only penetrated about 4"-6". The moose went down but still required a kill shot at close range. At the time I had been hand loading for years and was just figuring out how important bullet construction was. The core-lokt bullets that worked so well in my 06 made a big mess exiting on a few mule deer out of the 300 wby. I figured the bonded swift bullets would be the answer. The swift bullets did keep most of there weight but did not go deep enough especially when the moose woods also hold big bears. I had a 338 win mag on a browning A-bolt but was still working up loads for it. After that hunt I switched to 225gr Barnes x bullets for the 338. The only changes I have made have been form the original x bullet to the triple shock x bullet and now the tipped triple shock x. I have also updated powder and can get 2990 fps out of the 225 grain bullets. It is more gun than is needed on most north American game but if you use quality bullets it hardly ruins any meat. I have killed several blacktail dear with it and there is less meat loss with it compared to the 243 I shot when I was a kid with varmint loads (not knowing any better). As you know in Alaska you have a good chance of running into big bears and I consider the 338 win mag to be about the smallest gun I would target them with. I have recovered two of the 225gr x bullets for moose. One form the far side ribs just under the hide of a moose taken at 270 yards .The other from a frontal shot on a moose at 70 yards and recovered that bullet in the tenderloin. When I was staring out hunting in the west is was all about fast and flat. Now with the good range finders and scopes you can shot a 308 Winchester 1000 yards. In the past I spent a lot of time trying to get the best BC bullets for hunting but know I consider bullet construction much more important. Most of the benefit from a high ballistic coefficient takes place at distances beyond the range I intend to shoot while hunting. I have never owed a 300 win mag but I do have a 300 wsm and consider it to be about to same as the 300 win mag as far as ballistics go. My 300 wsm is my late season gun, after the bears are asleep and it is lite so as long as I don't have to go through to much brush to get there my mountain gun. When in the brush I carry a 45/70.
Oh man, we should have story time with Ron Spomer. It would make some good bedtime stories! Love your content Ron!
Thanks Hernan. The grandkids get story time.
That is “If” not when you could go to sleep from Ron’s hair raising stories. At least those of us that still have a little hair left-
Great video. The big calibers will handle long shots surprisingly well. I shot a large Kudu bull at 306 yards with a 375 H&H. The rifle was sighted dead on at 100 yards. I held on the top of the shoulder and put the bullet through the top part of the chest. As I said the big bullets can do the work at longer ranges. Reminiscent of the big Sharps rounds and how they handled Bison.
L
I love my .338 using 225 grain hand loads barnes, custom boyds thumhole stock. Taken plenty of Mule Deer and Elk. It defanitly is a one shot drop.
Ron, what you said about the 300 magnums overlapping the performance of 338 Win is very true. The powder capacity in my 300 H&H using a 220 grain bullet is identical to the powder capacity using a 225 grain bullet in my 338 Win using 4831SC. Velocities and energy are practically the same. What I do appreciate about the 338 Win Mag is the frontal area, and the availability of good 250 grain bullets like the Partition, A-Fram and LRX.
Even though I love my Alaskan Model 70 in SS, only at the extreme outer limits, I can pretty much do what it does with my 300 H&H.
With the exception of the 375 H&H, the medium bores are more clutter than a bridge to the big bores in my opinion. Even then, it’s a small step from the 375 to the 416 Rem Mag (the most practical 416).
Desert Dog pointed this out as well in the video he did on the 338 Win Mag a few weeks back.
If you ever do a program on the 300 magnums, IMHO, the 300 H&H and 308 Norma are two amazing cartilages that lost out to the inferior 300 Win Mag. Very little on this on TH-cam.
You forgot the .338 marlin express!
That a good little cartridge also
I've got a 338 Express in a Marlin Lever gun. Not at all in the same league as these 338's but I was hoping for a great lever action deer gun. Hope you can look this over someday if you haven't. Love the comments on Elmer Keith and the 333 OHK. Really appreciate your shows. Keep up the good work.
Typically I watch one of your videos and spend a week talking my self out of what ever cartridge you did that week. But the side by side of the 338wm and the 300wm I think the 300 wins out, you can get nearly identical muzzle energy and better bc.
Did u compare same bullets? Like ac to ac.
@@roddecker1900 you can't compare the same bullet because they are different calibers, a 250gr .308 bullet is going to havr a better bc than a .338 250gn bullet. If you compare bullets with similar bc's the 338 is going to be much heavier. If you move up to something like a ultra mag or lapua the 338 has some advantage but a cartagena with smaller case capacity i think the 308 bullet will win out.
@@tlinrin887 I think that Rod meant the same bullet lines. Ron compared the 210gr accubond LR (I think) to the 225gr Accubond. You can run the same comparisons with the 270gr Eld-x (.381 G7 BC) at 2740fps (Nosler 265gr load data) and then the 338 wins out in energy and wind drift. This happens a lot with cartridge comparisons. Give whatever rifle you would like to win the sleeker long range bullet that holds less weight at typical hunting ranges, and give the other a normal hunting style bullet that performs great on large game. Truthfully, when similar bullets are used, there's not much difference between the two besides the 338 being able to shoot heavier bullets, which only matters on the big bears and such.
I love both cartridges my 300 win mag and my 338 but I always carry my 300 in Montana every fall .
Hey Ron. Just got my 338-06 ai back from oregunsmiting in Oregon. Should be a great elk rifle. I'm going to shoot 210 Barnes's ttsx out of it with rl15. Going elk hunting this fall. I'm taking that and my 8mm mag that wayne york built also. Thanks again Ron.
Love to get. 338-06 one day
@@gym55rat I might sell it.
I'll throw you for a loop you don't happen to be a lefty and live in Canada like me?
@@gym55rat maybe I'll sell u mine
@@vernonlarson7016 sorry I'm not good with tech can you pm me
Used to be a fan of the .338 Win Mag! I have recently switched to the 8x68S! Awesome cartridge! Think of it as a European 8mm Magnum! Love it! Much more manageable recoil than the.338 Win Mag, shoots flatter and retains energy better! It too is an outstanding elk cartridge!!
Yes Doug after I have my 8x 68s built, I'm going to use it as one of my dedicated Marco Polo sheep rifles. With either the 200 grain accubond or the Sierra 220 Grain Spitzer boat tail, it should be less subjected to wind drift. The 220 Sierra Spitzer boat tail should hit them hard at very long range.
You forgot 340 Weatherby! In S.E. Alaska. .338 is preferable for hunting deer in brown bear country. Big Timber and brush mostly. 300 WM 30.06 and .375 all come in second probably. Hunt for deer but load for bear is the rule. Hence the popularity here.
I bought 338WM because I wanted the very best sambar deer cartridge. I also love the idea of having a rifle that I had to practice really hard to shoot well. In short, I’m a masochist. I still shoot my 338 but I honestly prefer my 270W every other day of the week.