.338 win mag for deer

Why should that be a funny post? OK, I am a sucker to even answer it!
Of course you could shoot deer with a 338, just as you could shoot rabbits or gophers with a 338.
What would be the purpose and what is the purpose of your posting?
 
H4831 said:
Why should that be a funny post? OK, I am a sucker to even answer it!
Of course you could shoot deer with a 338, just as you could shoot rabbits or gophers with a 338.
What would be the purpose and what is the purpose of your posting?
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i've seen a deer that had been shot with a 7mm remington mag at over 300yds, both front shoulders were entirely destroyed... not even a slice of jerky could be salvalged. This to me anyways means that this caliber is overkill and i would lean towards something that might have left some meat behind but still got the job done.
 
I've shot a ton of Deer with the 338, in fact more than with any other caliber. Works great, Deer are laying were you hit them. Less meat damage than a 270 or 7 mag. Mine is lightweight with 23" barrel. Perfect for climbing into high places. Try one you'll like it.
 
i've seen a deer that had been shot with a 7mm remington mag at over 300yds, both front shoulders were entirely destroyed... not even a slice of jerky could be salvalged. This to me anyways means that this caliber is overkill and i would lean towards something that might have left some meat behind but still got the job done.
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A perfect example of poor bullet selection,and poor shot placement.You can do the same thing with a 270win or a 30-06 with the same bullet placement,and a rapidly expanding bullet.I have killed dozens of deer with the 7mm stw with no such problems,but I don't shoot deer through the shoulders.
 
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In the past I've carried a 35 Whelen and a 375Magnum for deer. Haven't pulled the trigger, but that day will come.

I don't feel overgunned, but both are heavier to carry than my 257Roberts.


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I have only used 338wm on deer and I have never had excessive meat dmg. That said I have never lost a deer I shot with a 338wm either. Its a great round for deer provided you can handle the recoil and you choose the right bullet.
 
There is no maximum acceptable caliber....Including the 50bmg...Dead is dead.

Your inexperience with big calibers leads you to believe that a 338 destroys more meat than your 243, but (depending on the bullet you select) the opposite is likely true.

What ruins meat is super high velocity.....Once again it depends on bullet selection. A 300 Ultra with a 180 Hornady will take the front end off of a deer....I have seen the same thing from a 7 mag using standard bullets.

I have shot deer with a 416 Rem 300X and 400 Nos Partition and in both cases there was no meat loss other than a 4 inch hole....The 338, 358, 375, 416, and bigger bores have tough bullets that don't react excessively to deer.
 
X-fan said:
Your inexperience with big calibers leads you to believe that a 338 destroys more meat than your 243, but (depending on the bullet you select) the opposite is likely true.

What ruins meat is super high velocity.....Once again it depends on bullet selection. A 300 Ultra with a 180 Hornady will take the front end off of a deer....I have seen the same thing from a 7 mag using standard bullets.
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:agree: ! ! !



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MTM said:
I've shot a ton of Deer with the 338, in fact more than with any other caliber. Works great, Deer are laying were you hit them. Less meat damage than a 270 or 7 mag. Mine is lightweight with 23" barrel. Perfect for climbing into high places. Try one you'll like it.
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.338 win mag or federal? i like the idea of federal seems like a good short range moose cartridge
when i say short i mean less than 300 yards
 
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My friend is trying to get me to buy his 375 HH and I balked because grizzlies aren't really in my future, but he argued that the deer he has shot with it have crumpled where he hit them with only a neat hole punched through them without the massive meat destruction because of the bullet selected.
I agree with what has been said already that bullet selection is what matters, not caliber.
 
I used a 375 Ruger last season on my mule deer. It worked fine. No more or less damage than any other caliber I have used. I have used the 338 Win Mag and 338/08 on deer they both worked fine... The 7mm/08,260,6.5x55,270,243,30/06,280,7mag,300WSM and 450 Marlin are the other calibers I have used on deer. They all worked fine and with good shot placement I didn't notice any more or less meat damage with any of them either. End result was venison in my freezer...
 
MTM said:
I've shot a ton of Deer with the 338, in fact more than with any other caliber. Works great, Deer are laying were you hit them. Less meat damage than a 270 or 7 mag. Mine is lightweight with 23" barrel. Perfect for climbing into high places. Try one you'll like it.
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I don't buy that. Given the same bullet, same POI, and everything else in the scenario the same a .270 and .284 will do less damage then a 338 mag.
Now if you're using a Barnes Triple shock in the 338 and a Hornady V-Max in a hot .270 the .270 will do more damage.
 
I use 115gr Ballistic tip in my 257Wby, This combo has Flattend the 2 deer that I took with this rifle. 338WM for deer, yah it will obviously work just make a nice placement.
 
A perfect example of poor bullet selection,and poor shot placement.You can do the same thing with a 270win or a 30-06 with the same bullet placement,and a rapidly expanding bullet.I have killed dozens of deer with the 7mm stw with no such problems,but I don't shoot beer through the shoulders.
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exactly right.. my .243 with a nosler ballistic tip at 100 yards would blow the shoulders right off a deer. those bullets practically grenade at that range with that bullet..

change that bullet to a solid copper or something that doesn't expand so fast and its a whole different story.

the 7mm this guy probably saw blow a deers shoulders off most likely was shooting a ballistic tip .. and id almost bet nosler

last year i hit a deer in the ribs with a nosler BT .. it punched out 1 rib going in.. it blew a fist sided hole out the other side of the rib's.. took like 4-5 rib's out with it.. and gave the deer such a hydrostatic shock i had to toss the exit side rib cage in the garbage.. Instant kill but you better hit the ribs every time with that bullet.. this was at about 90-100 yards so.. speed is a killer.
 
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