338 Federal - Alive or Dead

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bigbore4570

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Hello
I have been considering a 338 Federal for my “ one gun” solution on white tail deer and Ontario moose.

I can find a Savage 110 chambered for it but the Tikka is no longer available and I see Kimber no longer has it in bolt action.
I’d really like a .358 winchester in a short action bolt but the larger than .30 bores seem to die off until you want to buy a rifle.
Some old timers at the gun shop said this .338 federal was a versatile cartridge with lots of bullet selection.
It appears RCBS list a 2 die set and Lee offers the crimping tool.

I don’t need another gun and I have a couple of 35 whelens ..... they kick a bit .... I was thinking of a gun with a detachable magazine for the Atv on an economical tough bolt action.

I don’t know much about a Savage 110.....are they ok?

Any advice would be helpful.

Thank you
 
It's dead ..... They won't do anything that a 308 or 30-06 will do with a lot less fuss.

FYI ..... There was a couple T3 338Feds on the EE in the last week. Doug was the seller.
 
No cartridge based on the .308 case will ever be dead for a reloader. Brass is everywhere, lots of .338 bullets to choose from. The Federal is a pretty well balanced cartridge, but so are many others, including the parent .308, which will essentially have similar performance with same weight bullets.
 
Federal still offers six different factory loads, and component brass. But the offering of rifles has been growing slim
 
I personally think that the 338 federal is a great all-around big game cartridge. To bad it never caught on. Factory ammo is fairly hot. 200gr bullets at 2660 fps is pretty impressive for such a case. Very similar to the 8x57 Mauser. If i can find one in a Ruger M77 Hawkeye id be all over it.
 
“ one gun” solution on white tail deer and Canadian moose...

It would be a 7mm 08 for me... a light weight bolt action with a detachable magazine.
 
I have several savage 110 rifles. They are great working budget rifle. Theyre accurate. They're kinda ugly. The plastic stocks are kinda soft and flimsy but you wont worry about plowing down undergrowth while its riding on the front rack of your atv. Never worry about muskol ruining the finish.

Ive been very interested in the 338 federal. Always disliked the 308 as its just to boring. The 338 fed has just enough flare im likely to rebarrel a rifle and slap it in a mdt lss2 chassis. Be great for bear and moose
 
I have 3 rifles chambered to the 338 Federal now, as I am a big fan of the caliber (having used the 338 Win Mag for years and also have a custom 338-06), and am developing a great liking for this cartridge.
Customized a Winchester Model 88 to the Federal, and will eventually get a full length stock for it.
Have picked up a left handed Tikka chambered to the Federal, and will be replacing the synthetic stock with a laminated one soon.
Also picked up a Ruger All Weather Hawkeye, and am looking for a left handed Hawkeye in a short action chambering to do a barrel swap, so as to have a lefty Ruger (as doing so will will most likely occur sooner than trying to find an original lh Hawkeye in 338 Federal). Would love to find a lh Sako chambered in 338 Federal!
Still working to find the best load for each rifle. So far, the 210 Partition ammo is providing the best accuracy. Have taken a nice caribou with the Model 88 so far.

The Savage is good action for a cheap donor rifle to get started. Rebarrelling is fairly simple. The stocks are cheap and flimsy, unless you find an Accustock with the aluminum bedding block installed in it. Many people like their Accutrigger as well. The floating bolt head helps with cartridge alignment in the chamber and aids in accuracy potential.
Personally, I would look for a Tikka, Ruger or Sako for a used rifle, with the two former most likely to being a cheaper option than a Savage rebarrelled project.
That being said, Savage has several rifles still available chambered to the 338 Federal, so unless you are looking for something very specific, not available in one of their current offerings, going semi-custom may not be the best choice financially.
 
.338 federal has really found a niche in the suppressed AR10 circles in the US. Some good reading and videos out there
I've had a .338 federal 19" barrelled stag-10 upper built and just waiting for it to get sent back to me after proof firing.
This round always intrigued me for more of a close range thumper with that 210 nosler P and mine will be for the close range hunting with some ability to reach out inside that 300 yard range. As a Calling rifle for moose , where I sit down and get comfortable in a blow down , the possibility of a grizzly coming in also has me favoring the .338 fed. Maybe that's all in my mind and a 180 .303 or .308 would be just as deadly..... but I dunno.
The idea of a short action .338 appeals to me whether I'm in close quarters moose country or sittin in ambush for black tails in black bear country.
The past few years I have been running into predators as often as ungulates so a fast handling thumper is what I see in the .338fed.
guess we'll see if it turns out to be worth the custom barrel and reloading gear LOL
 
How about reloading reduced loads for your 35 Whelens for lower recoil? You can start producing your own custom loads for the price of a new rifle, plus save a bit on ammo down the road or shoot more for the same price at least.
 
ForealBoreal said:
It’s a sub 300yrd gun in my eyes, doesn’t kick any worse than any other lightweight 308.
Click to expand...

The kicker is (pun intended) that the 338 with 210s would be so similar to the 308 or 30-06 with 180s that it makes it redundant to non-reloaders, thus the slow sales.

I'd like to have a 338Fed, but already have a couple 308s and an '06, so why bother?
 
I have had two M77's in .338 Fed, one a 22" sporter and one a 16.5" Frontier carbine... I let them both go, since I had the same rifles in .358 Win and preferred the .35 cal versions. I enjoyed shooting them while they were here, and I suppose I might easily have chosen the .338 Fed's over the .358 Win's, but I had more components on hand for the .35's... it was that simple.
 
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