300 mag vs 338 mag?

Interesting posts. I have a Parker Hale 1200C 300Wm, I love it !!! Kills very well. Actually it really impresses me. I've shot 6 moose, deer and one Black bear. I don't hunt from tree stands. Bullet selection is very important I believe. I've settled on 180 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. Either caliber would be fine. I would like a 338 Wm just because I don't have one. I've had a Sako 375 H+H and the recoil was more like a shotgun. No big deal. I've shot a 270 Win. and thought it kicked like a Mule. I think the stock has more to do with it than anything. My 2 cents ;)
 
I had a .300 Win Mag in a model 70 XTR. Kicked like a mule. I got a few headaches when I tried more than 20 rounds in an afternoon. Like the previous post, I suspect it was the stock (which was cut down a tad). I picked up a .338 Win in a Ruger M77 Hawkeye, stainless with a syn stock, added a limbsaver pad. You know you shot something with 250 nosler partitions in it. Having said that, 210 Noslers don't really seem to be all that objectionable to shoot. Two moose and a deer with the 338. Great performance with minimal meat damage.

I just like the .338 better. Its more of a 'bush' gun (not in the 30-30 sense) but can be loaded to shoot very fast and flat when you want it to.
 
.338 WM

....sits in the cabinet with whisps of smoke coming from the muzzle; when you open the bolt you hear a low growl.....if a warm blooded creature comes within 5 km, the rifle quivers and tries to turn toward it; the operator must have a solid grip, as these rifles often go on uncontrolled killing sprees all by themselves. When fired, bystanders are deafened and incidental grass fires should be put out immediately....this step can sometimes be avoided as the shot is often followed by a brief but sudden cloudburst.

.300 WM

...sits in the cabinet and softly hums the theme from Sesame Street. You'll notice the faint smell of rose water, and honey or strawberry syrup is often found dripping from the action. Most often wears a pink stock, and doesn't shoot well at all unless it has a ribbon tied around the barrel in a lovely big bow. When fired, instead of "BANG" it goes "Awwwww....!"

.375 Ruger

Sits in the cabinet mumbling to itself with drool dripping from the action. If you listen carefully it seems to be whining "I wannabe, I wannabe, I wannabe".....if taken from the cabinet, the barrel often droops and the stock gets soft and limp....if an animal is sighted the operator must hang on especially tight lest the rifle escape and start creeping back to the cabinet. When fired, instead of "BANG" it goes "poof"....preferred load is a Gerbers soother over 15 grains of Pablum.

:D
 
.338 WM


.375 Ruger

Sits in the cabinet mumbling to itself with drool dripping from the action. If you listen carefully it seems to be whining "I wannabe, I wannabe, I wannabe".....a REAL 375 like the H&H..if taken from the cabinet, the barrel often droops and the stock gets soft and limp....if an animal is sighted the operator must hang on especially tight lest the rifle escape and start creeping back to the cabinet. When fired, instead of "BANG" it goes "poof"....preferred load is a Gerbers soother over 15 grains of Pablum.

:D

Just a slight update :p
 
If I had to use just one rifle for all my hunting it would be my model 70 338wm with a lite brown precision stock and a Zeiss 3.5-10-44.(Hope I never have to use just one)
 
.338 WM

....sits in the cabinet with whisps of smoke coming from the muzzle; when you open the bolt you hear a low growl.....if a warm blooded creature comes within 5 km, the rifle quivers and tries to turn toward it; the operator must have a solid grip, as these rifles often go on uncontrolled killing sprees all by themselves. When fired, bystanders are deafened and incidental grass fires should be put out immediately....this step can sometimes be avoided as the shot is often followed by a brief but sudden cloudburst.

.300 WM

...sits in the cabinet and softly hums the theme from Sesame Street. You'll notice the faint smell of rose water, and honey or strawberry syrup is often found dripping from the action. Most often wears a pink stock, and doesn't shoot well at all unless it has a ribbon tied around the barrel in a lovely big bow. When fired, instead of "BANG" it goes "Awwwww....!"

.375 Ruger

Sits in the cabinet mumbling to itself with drool dripping from the action. If you listen carefully it seems to be whining "I wannabe, I wannabe, I wannabe".....if taken from the cabinet, the barrel often droops and the stock gets soft and limp....if an animal is sighted the operator must hang on especially tight lest the rifle escape and start creeping back to the cabinet. When fired, instead of "BANG" it goes "poof"....preferred load is a Gerbers soother over 15 grains of Pablum.

:D



Awesome!! :cheers:
 
no bigger and better would be the 375H&H a true classic. i don't find much difference between the 375 and 338. a lot depends on weight. my t3 338 in some ways recoils more than my 375. the 375 is a pound heavier than the t3 with more weight forward in the barrel.
 
The .300 ends where the .338 begins in bullet weight. I find the .308 NM much more pleasant to shoot than the .338..............I've used both extensively..........as I get older I prefer less recoil............Harold
 
For me, the 300 win mag is as far as I go without recoil being an issue. I have to 'deal" with recoil above that and don't particularly enjoy it.

I have shot them and at one point owned one but still have an issue with my shoulder from one shot with the 7.5 pound 338 that I didn't have properly seated in my shoulder pocket.

300 win mag for me.
 
338 Win Mag is the ultimate "standard" long range big game cartridge.
Almost all reloading manual state that this cartridge is pretty much the best North American big game hunting cartridge.
  1. massive killing power (better than 375H&H at long range)
  2. massive recoil (a muzzle brake solves this)
  3. ammo is not common (300Win Mag ammo is)
  4. .338 bullet choice is smaller than .308 bullets
  5. .338 bullet price is higher than .308 bullets

If you want the best in long range big game cartridge, 338 Magnums (including 338Win Mag, 338RUM and 339Lapua Mag) are the way to go.
If you want something more "reasonable" and plan on reloading, 300Win Mag is a better choice.

Again, I've never heard anything negative said about 338 Win Mag (excepts for the massive recoil),

Alex



Pretty obvious from the statements that you have never fired the 'fiercesome' .338WM.

A couple of points:
1) Don't comment on a cartridge you know nothing about!!
2) Massive recoil... really!? REALLY!? Really... !?
3) Muzzle brake!? Pffft!!
 
I like the higher ballistic coefficients and sectional densities of the .338 (shooting bullets in the heavier range for the caliber, ie: 180's for the .300 and 225's or 250's for the .338). The .338 just plain hits harder and makes a bigger hole to start with. I love the .300 winchester mag and used one for years. I noticed more impact on game when I went to the .338 winchester mag. I now have the .338 RUM and love the flat trajectory and the ability to launch big, heavy bullets very fast.
 
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