That is a beautiful stock! Congrats to you and your brother...he is obviously a gifted woodworker!
I could only wish to have that kind of skill!
I look forward to hearing how it performs for you. And best of luck in your adventures to come hunting with it!
I have and like both the 338 Federal and the 358 Win. (I have a lever action and a LH bolt action in both chamberings.)
For close range work (out to 200 yards max), I like the 358 Win for its slightly larger frontal area. Where a shot may need to be taken at a slightly longer distance (400 yards), the 338 Federal does have the advantage.
I prefer the Federal 210 gr Partition ammo in my lever action (rebarreled Winchester Model 88 producing 1" groups), and am currently using the Federal 200 gr Trophy Copper ammo in my LH Sako 85 Finnlight II, producing 0.457" groups. I hope to find a good handload for the 200 gr AccuBond for this rifle.
To date I have taken a couple of moose and caribou, and a stones sheep with the 338 Federal at distances ranging from 25 to 158 yards. Performance has been very good! (I did pass on a 400 yard shot at a stones ram as I did not have a steady rest, and I had a later successful opportunity at 123 yards with the Sako. One caribou was taken at 158 yards with the lever action.)
While I do not always need a 338 caliber for caribou, moose or stones sheep, I do hunt in grizzly country, and it is always nice to heave a larger caliber, pushing a heavier bullet. And for elk, the 338 cal is one of my favourites!
I am having fun with this cartridge since (2018)!
(Just as I have had with my 358 Win in a BLR over the past 22 years for moose, mule deer, alk and grizzly!)
I too had first read about the 338-08 many years ago and was intrigued...and after the 338 Federal came out, knew I had to have one. I had a couple of 338 Win Mags over the years, and also have a 338-06, which I also enjoy!
As I have gotten older, and went through a few years with shoulder issues, the reduced felt recoil has been attractive. I am happy that my shoulder is better, although not cured, but at least I can still tolerate the recoil from the heavier kicking cartridges such as my 416 Taylor. This is where the 338 Federal is nicer to use than the 338 Win Mag!
And since my average shot distance on game over the past 38 years is just 132 yards, it provides sufficient power, even for game as large as bison.