The 338 Winchester Magnum Overlooked or Overhyped?

GUB..........I concur whole heartedly, the 210 Part is probably one of the best bullets for the 338 WM. Another buddy of mine used one quite successfully for all the game in the Yukon. He loaded exclusively the 200 gn Speer spitzer HC to something over 3000 fps. However if I'm going to use a 200 or 210 gn bullet it will be exiting the muzzle of my 300 Wby and will have better velocity, sectional density and BC.........therefore it will kill better at all ranges.
Don't get me wrong in my posts here, I never said the 338 won't kill game, what I have been saying is there are many cartridges in the same class that do a much better job of it, especially past 200 mtrs. As a back up rifle/cartridge for close range work and for finishing game at relatively close range it probably works OK. My personal choice for such an application would be a 375 H&H myself, or even a 416 of one flavor or another, but for those who are a little recoil sensitive the 338 might be a better choice.
My opinion is that the 338 lacks either speed for decisive killing power or it lacks frontal diameter for the speeds it is capable of....therefore it is really neither fish nor fowl and excels at nothing. There are far better choices for an all around cartridge, and there are superior cartridges for up close and personal work.........JMHO and experience with this cartridge.

Rman.........You misread my post, I said there have been 3 times in my life that I have used a 338, I did not say I have used it for only 3 hunts. Each of the times I used the 338 it was for a couple years until I realized again that it was an abysmal cartridge and did not live up to my expectations, unlike my "hated" 300 and 340 Wbys, both of which not only have met my expectations but have exceeded them in some cases and truly amazed me. You may hate all things Weatherby, but one cannot deny the ballistics they produce.
I won't sink to personal insults as you have, I know what I have done and where I have been, obviously you don't. I have hunted with dozens of different rifles and cartridges from the 243 to the 470 NE and I can only speak to my experiences with these cartridges. What I have posted here is just that, my experience with this cartridge.
 
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Are we not debating “how many fairies on the head of a pin” here? I have every calibre between .17 and .458, and everyone is capable if I do my part, and none is good for anything if I don’t.

I have used 210 hrs in .338 WM but now have one load with 225 gr Partition. Some Barnes laying around, and will use up. The NPs kill emphatically, and so do Barnes but they require greater speed to perform as intended. Maybe someone with a 340 Bee needs them more than I?
 
c-fbmi said:
Rman.........You misread my post, I said there have been 3 times in my life that I have used a 338, I did not say I have used it for only 3 hunts. Each of the times I used the 338 it was for a couple years until I realized again that it was an abysmal cartridge and did not live up to my expectations, unlike my "hated" 300 and 340 Wbys, both of which not only have met my expectations but have exceeded them in some cases and truly amazed me. You may hate all things Weatherby, but one cannot deny the ballistics they produce.
I won't sink to personal insults as you have, I know what I have done and where I have been, obviously you don't. I have hunted with dozens of different rifles and cartridges from the 243 to the 470 NE and I can only speak to my experiences with these cartridges. What I have posted here is just that, my experience with this cartridge.
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Fair enough. I read what you wrote. My hatred for all things 30 Cal and all things Wby is my issue, not yours. If I want more power than a 338WM has to offer, there are plenty more 338's in the room that get there, none of which are Wby's, and yet still produce far superior ballistics. But, the conversation is about 338WM...
Not sure about the personal insults part, as it was more or less a statement of fact. I don't have to know where you have been or what you have done. It is no concern of mine, nor does it matter. Results matter.

Many trails, remember? Perhaps ours will cross one day?

R.
 
c-fbmi said:
Rman said:
Welcome to the internet. There will thousands of people, including me, that have been more places and done more things, more often, than you.

That may well be.........care to post some photos.
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Ahh yes. The internet forum photo call out. How predictable!
I also have a deep hatred for posting photos on the Internet, as I am quite unsure what it really proves, and I certainly value my privacy and the privacy of those in the pictures more than that?
And rest assured, it is well be.
I certainly don't feel the need to compete, or pat myself on the back. ;)

R.
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I just wanted to thank everyone for the thoughtful responses. The 338 Win Mag really seems to be a love it or hate it type of cartridge. I wonder if that is because as suggested it is sort of neither fish or fowl being something like a big 30-06 with a belt on it. I mean 250's at 2650-2700 sound pretty ordinary as far as velocities go, rather like a 180 out of a 30-06.

But I wonder if like 30-06 that's where it's strength lies. Unlike say the 300 or 340 'Bee, or the 338 Lapua the 338 Win Mag can work pretty good with an unbraked 24" barrel and could stay fairly light at say about 8-8.5 lb ready to hunt weight. So maybe it's fair to say the 338 Win mag is about the most cartridge you can reasonably get into an ordinary 24" barrel sporting rifle? Along with the 35 Whelen and 9.3x62.
 
It's a good conversation. A 250 at 2700 fps is still a pretty lethal load.
I doubt anyone here would class a 416 Rigby throwing a 400 grain at 2400 fps as ordinary just because it doesn't break the 3000 fps magic mark.
There again it's likely not the best choice out past 300 yards.
If faster always equals "better" spend an afternoon at the bench with a braked 338-378.
When you heal up and your hearing returns to 50% of original you may look at the plain old 338 Win Mag in a more generous light.
 
It would seem to me that the "calling out" and "back patting" is far more evident in your postings than in mine, and I quote................"There will be thousands of people, INCLUDING ME, that have been more places and done more things, more often, than you"

You do not know me, as far as I know, nor do you have any idea of where I have been and what I have done. If you are not prepared to back up statements like you made above, may I suggest you don't make them.

Some people sure get bent when one disagrees with their personal choice of pet cartridges. A cartridge doesn't have to fail me 10 times before it gets deep sixed, once is usually enough and twice is two too many times. As I said this is my experience with the 338 Win Mag, apparently yours differs.
 
...i dunno

...i've owned 7mm RM, 300 WM, and 338 WM

...original OP is whether the 338 is outlived? ...uh, i don't think so

...would i buy a new rifle in any of them? ...nope

...did they all work? ...yup

...would i snap up a good used rifle at the right price? ...in an instant

...do i use something else that i like better? ...oh yeah
 
c-fbmi said:
It would seem to me that the "calling out" and "back patting" is far more evident in your postings than in mine, and I quote................"There will be thousands of people, INCLUDING ME, that have been more places and done more things, more often, than you"

You do not know me, as far as I know, nor do you have any idea of where I have been and what I have done. If you are not prepared to back up statements like you made above, may I suggest you don't make them.

Some people sure get bent when one disagrees with their personal choice of pet cartridges. A cartridge doesn't have to fail me 10 times before it gets deep sixed, once is usually enough and twice is two too many times. As I said this is my experience with the 338 Win Mag, apparently yours differs.
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Hello pot, meet kettle. ;)
 
c-fbmi said:
It would seem to me that the "calling out" and "back patting" is far more evident in your postings than in mine, and I quote................"There will be thousands of people, INCLUDING ME, that have been more places and done more things, more often, than you"

You do not know me, as far as I know, nor do you have any idea of where I have been and what I have done. If you are not prepared to back up statements like you made above, may I suggest you don't make them.

Some people sure get bent when one disagrees with their personal choice of pet cartridges. A cartridge doesn't have to fail me 10 times before it gets deep sixed, once is usually enough and twice is two too many times. As I said this is my experience with the 338 Win Mag, apparently yours differs.
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I find it interesting, that of everything that got written, you choose to focus on two words? We do know you! You're the guy with 7500 plus posts, including pictures of trophy rooms, collectible rifles, guided hunts and who knows what else! You're constantly reminding us how good you think you are! With aplomb, even.
Really can't see where I'm getting bent at all! I'm the fella that said use whatever works, remember?
And back what up, and how? Again, I know where I've been and what I've done. That's plenty good enough.

See above post... it kind of says it all.

R.
 
c-fbmi said:
After some thought on why this cartridge is lightning for some hunters and an abysmal failure for others, it has dawned on me that the differences are probably due to ranges at which game was taken. I'm sure the 338 is quite a capable cartridge at under 200 mtrs and has done what some on here say it has. However my experience has been with it at somewhat longer distances, not ridiculous but out to 400 or so mtrs, which I consider realistic hunting ranges. I can assure you that past 250 mtrs the 338s killing capability does not come close to my 300 Wby with 200 ABs nor my 340 using any bullet from 225-275 gns.
Anyone who says that velocity has nothing to do with how well a bullet kills has not shot very much game. There is a very distinct difference in reaction to a hit at 200 mtrs from a 180 gn 30-06 and a hit in more or less the same place with the same bullet from a 300 Wby. The same can be said of the 338 and 340, having used both I can tell you very few cartridges kill as well as a 340 Wby out to 400 mtrs on thin skinned game. The reaction to the bullet impact is something to behold, it is truly a devastating cartridge on game. I have shot bears, caribou and goats with my 340s, and not once have I ever had to track or even look from where they stood at the shot.
So I guess if one uses the 338 at bow ranges or even 45-70 ranges then maybe it is Thor's Hammer, but I can say from experience that past 250 mtrs it leaves a lot to be desired and is no where near as effective as a 300 WM or 300 Wby both of which I have extensive experience with and isn't even in the same class as the 340.
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Now there's a guy that gets it.;)
 
Coolhand_Luke said:
I just wanted to thank everyone for the thoughtful responses. The 338 Win Mag really seems to be a love it or hate it type of cartridge. I wonder if that is because as suggested it is sort of neither fish or fowl being something like a big 30-06 with a belt on it. I mean 250's at 2650-2700 sound pretty ordinary as far as velocities go, rather like a 180 out of a 30-06.

But I wonder if like 30-06 that's where it's strength lies. Unlike say the 300 or 340 'Bee, or the 338 Lapua the 338 Win Mag can work pretty good with an unbraked 24" barrel and could stay fairly light at say about 8-8.5 lb ready to hunt weight. So maybe it's fair to say the 338 Win mag is about the most cartridge you can reasonably get into an ordinary 24" barrel sporting rifle? Along with the 35 Whelen and 9.3x62.
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Lots of things at play in this thread! Heavier bullets in any cartridge are never a bad thing, depending on how much speed one wants to sacrifice getting there. Looking at charts and tables and all other manner of ballistic gack really says little about terminal performance.
When specifically talking about the 338WM, it was a 220 plus bullet weight conversation, and how close a fella could push 2900 fps, or so. Now, with 220 30 cal bullets available, its really a 225 plus bullet weight conversation, trying to tickle the same speed.
Thinking that if others had used heavier for calibre bullets at the highest speeds available, then results would have been dramatically different. There are always better mousetraps available by adding larger cases, more powder, more bullet weight, and of course, more recoil.
So, the 338WM, given 225-250 grain bullets, loaded to higher speeds, really becomes the most for the least.

R.
 
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Dogleg said:
Wanna bet?:p I've killed grizzlies with both .300 and .338 Win, moose with both, and buffalo the size of 4 grizzlies with the .300s. That's not to say that there's much wrong with the .338 Win , it's just that I haven't found anything so special about it either.
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lol that's some big buffalo
 
I guess I don't really get it. I used a 338 Win Mag, and took a grand total of 2 elk with it (225 grain, Federal Premium ammo). Also took one with a 308 Win (165 grain, also Federal Premium). Pulled out my Nosler 7 manual which shows a 338 Win Mag with 250 Partitions, 1 in 10 twist, 24" barrel at 2700 fps (at least three loads slightly over that). The 340 Weatherby with the same bullet, 1 in 10 twist, 26" barrel at 2800 fps (couple loads just over that). At 400 yards, the Nosler table shows about 90 fps difference between the two (2007 versus 2091). That makes a difference??
 
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