.338 federal reviews

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moose_hunters

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i have been in the market for a new rifle and am considering getting a .338 federal. all i have seen it come in is a tikka so far and not sure if it comes in anything else but i seriously like the idea of the caliber. anyone use this before and have reviews on it?
 
Unless you are a reloader, I suspect that ammo for it is hard to come by. It does seem like it would make a handy rifle though.
 
They are out there in Rugers, Sako, Tikka, Kimbers.

AFAIK only Federal makes ammo for it, but they have 7 different loads.
 
I have one purchased through the EE, recoil very manageable even in the light Kimber, factory Federal with 185 TSX shoots consistent 1 -1.25 groups which if I remember is what the previous owner reported with the loads he was shooting. It's my go to rifle for this year.
 
$

It's an impressive round,and if your not worried about ammo price
you'll love it. I shoot a.338 lapua mag at the cost of $5-6 a round.
If you load your own it'll be about a buck a round.Excellent for DROPPING moose or elk, used on anything smaller would be total overkill.
 
very capable calibre for deer hunting an big game, i went with a 35whelen but im tossing up about a light weight 308 an making a 338fed off it!!!

WL
 
rem338win said:
I highly doubt it. Maybe a .338 Marlin. Or a .356 Win. Never a .338 Federal.

Good cartridge in theory! Never used it.
Click to expand...

I was on marlins site the other day, I think it must have been a .356, it was one of my dad's hunting buddies that has it.
 
2 of my friends them. 1 in a Sako 85 the other in a Tikka. Essentially same recoil as 308 (their wives shoot them). Nearly the same Jam as my 338 win mag out to 200m. I reload for both of them but the Fusions work great. When you can find them. Dependson how you want to deal with the ammo, reload or stockpile. Awesome caliber out to 250m.
 
i found the real life velocity to be a little slow. i would rather use a long action in 338 06 or 338. i had two 338 feds and speed was not even close with my 338 06. the 338 feds were nice light rifles but i want one to reach out to 300 yrds without difficulty. i found the feds to be best with 180grn and prefer to hunt with 200 to 225grn bullets.
 
I do not see much percentage in buying a .338 rifle, and then shooting bullets lighter than 210 grains with it.
These bigger bores with light bullets tend to shed velocity relatively quickly.
The BC of those bullets is low.
If the case is not big enough for the heavier bullets, then I would simply step up to a larger case.
JMHO, Eagleye.
 
No different than a .308, just harder to source ammo. Look up hodgdon's data on the .308 for 200gr and you'll see what I mean, you have a higher SD in .308 as well. Not saying the .308's better, neither's better, it's a wash and not a lot of reason for selecting the gimic/marketing chambering. That said, it you like it, I like odd things too that offer no functional improvement. :)
 
I had one for 3 years, very fun gun. Huge bullet selection and a great do-everything rifle.

200 grn and 225 grain SSTs for 400 yard gong shooting/general shooting
200 or 225 Interbond/Accubond for heavy hunting
160 or 185 TTSXs for bone destroyers

Simple really.
 
great calibre...bought one in a Tikka t3...6 shots to sight in,10 more to perfect my range(285 m) then finally 4 more shots on 1 elk,2 whitetail and 1 mulie...all bangflops
Hard hitting, manageable recoil, very nice caliber...just my 2 cents
 
I can't see the advantage over a .308 Win., especially with the kind of performance it gets with RL17. I really did want to like it as it seemed like a handy option in a light rifle, but I stuck with the .338 Win Mag as imho it is one of the best big game rounds and is still manageable in a fairly light rifle.
 
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