.300 vs.338

Mumptia

Mumptia

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A loaded question I know, but a buddy asked me which I would choose for hunting moose and elk and since I don't shoot either, I didn't have an answer for him.

So what about it? Which one over which (in capable hands of course)

but.....by what I've read, I'd probably take the 338.
 
For me it depends on one thing...am I hunting in grizzly country? If yes, then the 338. If not, let's just say I've never found a moose tough enough to stop a 165 Barnes X bullet. For those the 300 is plenty.

Spend more time finding a great hunting bullet than worrying over which cartridge to hunt with. For just those animals, I'm happy to hunt with my 280AI and 150 TSX's. If in grizzly country, my 358 Norma with 225 TSX's goes along.
 
sunray said:
You don't need any magnum for moose or elk anywhere. Nor do you don't need big, heavy, expensive bullets.
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how about small, light, expensive bullets like the TSX? What bullet do you suggest for moose other than the NP?

BTW if I was out west I'd use a .338, .358norma, or .375, if there could be grizz around.
 
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Either would work fine. It would come down to which of the two you prefer. I've found the .300 kicks more than a .338. The .338 has less 'snap' to it than my .300 did. But there's no question that it smacks hard at the other end. The .300 with a good bullet will more than do the job. The problem is however some hunters prefer a heavier bullet. The design of the .300 winchester requires heavy bullets to be seated too deep in the case, because of the standard design of magazine wells. For heavier bullets, go .338. If your comfortable in the 180 range, more than enough for a .30 caliber, go .300. Good luck.
 
I used to hunt with a friend (he moved away) that packed a .300WM and I my .338WM. We both did equally well and he never felt insecure nor I overgunned. I think that either are great picks, but the choice of rifle and stock fit is extremely important if he wants to shoot either of these calibers comfortably. For "big" game, my motto is go big or go home :D
 
blargon said:
how about small, light, expensive bullets like the TSX? What bullet do you suggest for moose other than the NP?

BTW if I was out west I'd use a .338, .358norma, or .375, if there could be grizz around.
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I have taken moose with Grand Slam, Accubonds, and Interlocks. Before I paid attention to this kind of stuff, I took a couple with God only knows what.
 
For me the 338 is definatly more gun with more performance. That said for many years I used 200 gr. bullets in the 300 mags. They performed very well even on the big stuff. Now we have the super premium bullets that make these guns even better. For me I couldn't get past the fact that a 300 is only an o6 150 yds farther out. For more killing power bigger bullets are the ticket.
 
yea, the 338 has pure of a push or shove than a snap- basically, if we talk factory loadings, about the heaviest you get get wit the 30cal magnums is 220 grains which requires at least 1/10 twist or better, if i remember the chart correctly- i do remember that 180 goes into a 13.25 twist, and the heavier you go , the faster twist required unless your bullet diameter goes up-even with the 338, you need a twist of 1/10 to reach the 300 grain ( but those are target slugs) - my 1/12 bar won't do it- however , with the 338 you START at 250 in various cofigurations- i'd rather have bullet weight down range than velocity anyday- however they discontinued what i consider the best bullet for the 338 long ago- the 275 grain speer- same powder charge, better s/d and b/c than the 250 , and 25 grains extra weight for only a few less fps- for "lighter" game, yea, your 30 cal /165/180 are the ticket( the rifles are somewhat lighter as well) but for the big stuff , the 338/275 is the way to go- and yes, it's tough for me to look on the 300 like nothing more than an '06 with longer legs too- with the '06 you just have to sneak a little closer- same deal with the 308- the way i view the 30 cals is this- closer with the 308, close with '06 and far away with the 300 mag
 
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Either of these choices would be fine for moose.

*Rant*

There has been a real surge in using larger magnums (at least up north here) in the last fifteen years or so, but it's really not necessary - the moose haven't changed. And neither have the grizzlies that trappers used to put down with 30-30's. I used to work retail in a sports shop and I sold more boxes of 30-30 to moose hunters than all other catridges combined. Besides 30-30 people used a great spattering of everything else, from .243 upwards. I did sell lots of 303 to people who owned old Enfields they paid $50 bucks for as well. Like I said however, there has been a definite shift to magnums, I think mostly driven by our "more power is better" society, also who's going to brag at camp abouth their 30-30? I know younger hunters who honestly feel that a 300 WM is totally bottom of the barrel for big game and a .338 WM is basically what "normal" guys start with. I've seen a couple who honestly started off with a 375 H&H with a 4x16 mil spec tactical scope, yadda yadda, yadda. A few years ago I was out at our moose hunting camp (three of us) and another group we knew showed up (three of them) and we chatted and had coffee as hunters do and I of course people started talking about their rifles. There was one 300 WM, two 338 WM's, two 375 H&H's and me with my Remington Model 600 in 308. Crazy. Fifteen years ago the 300 WM would have been the big boy and guys would have been wondering if the owner had a case of "little man syndrome". Like I said, the moose haven't changed, but you've got guys hunting moose with guns literally designed to kill elephants, and using hot handloads and ultra modern projectiles. Fun I guess, but if you just want moose on the table, save your money.
 
Your right. You don't need a magnum anything. But it helps everyone out in the end. Look at it this way. If cartridge development stopped at the .308/.30-06/.270, we would be in a bad scenerio. It's natural that people want bigger and badder. And because of that, and the newer, more powerful cartridges, companies sell more guns. If they sell more guns, companies are forced to make more ammo. If they make more ammo, more bullets are needed. Faster cartridges require better bullets. Better bullets result in less wounded game. Less wounded game means less bad press for hunters. Less bad press means more oppertunities for hunting. More oppertunities requires new guns...


In the end, we buy guns, and that keeps our sport going. If our options were limited to a cartridge that was 100 years old, that wouldn't be alot of fun.
 
I think you'd have to look very long and very hard to find a moose that noticed the difference. Either one is very lethal if you put the bullet where it should go, and neither will give you great performance if you don't.

See if you can borrow one of each to shoot at the range maybe. But in the end, pick whichever one really 'calls' to you and go with it, the animals will be quite dead. And recoil shouldn't matter much - a good quality pad and getting the gun fitted to you will help tame that right down anyway.
 
Foxer said:
I think you'd have to look very long and very hard to find a moose that noticed the difference. Either one is very lethal if you put the bullet where it should go, and neither will give you great performance if you don't.
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I couldn't agree more. Nothing the least wrong with either cartridge on Moose and Elk. The 7mm Magnum would be another great choice. It's all a matter of personal preference (I'm a .338 fan myself ;)).
 
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