300wm and 338wm

Alberta Bigbore

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Really racking my brain on a step up from a .270win for a go to elk moose and black bear rifle, between the 300win mag and 338 win mag.

Not that the 270win isn't capable... just more toys are better. I have a 270 win rem700 Mountain SS that shoots the lights out with 150 gr projectiles....and very confident with it.

Experience with both mentioned would be great. Thx.
 
ATo my way of thinking if you are going to step up go right to the 375 H&H I've been down this road before and used most everything in between and you won't see much difference the 375,is a nice cartridge to shoot and load think of a super sized 06 or 270 very versatile and not hard to handle
Cheers Tony
 
To stay with the question, I have owned several models of both and I have shot Moose with both and a bison with the 338, have not shot bear or elk my understanding is elk are a little tougher than moose, I find recoil a little sharper in the 300 but personally between these two I would pick the one that shows up in the rifle you like and go with an appropriate load and quality bullet.
 
Both great cartridges IMOP...... it comes down to rifle selection for me..... and if you don't reload, 300wm has the edge.....

Of course, if you do reload, and you follow your handle, .338 is a bigger bore and and a descendant of the mighty .375 H&H.......

That being said, I have a Ruger guide gun for sale in the EE as it doesn't fit my collection.... but that's partly because I also own a Ruger in 375 H&H......
 
I have shot moose with 300 wsm and 338 wm, both put them down fast. I prefer the 338 with 250 gr Grandslams. No real reason other than I find the 338 more interesting to play with.
 
I have recently acquired a 338 WM Ruger Hawkeye rifle. Very nice rifle (after the obligatory trigger upgrade) and quite accurate with the right load. Should have the edge over my 300 WM on heavy game because it can fire bullets up to 300gr. Plus it fills the gap between my 300 WM and 350 RM that I so desperately needed to fill. ;)

338%20WM%20Hawkeye_zpscfujp0qc.jpg
 
I see a lot of love for the 35 Whelen, 9.3x62 and 350 rem mag on this board, but not near as much for the .338 WM.

Always wondered why, maybe it's too vanilla. The numbers with various bullet weights put it right up there or faster than the aforementioned calibers.
 
No contest in my mind- 338 WM all the way. It has diameter and bullet weight advantages over the 300 WM and all things being equal with respect to rifle weight and design, it compares closely to the 300 WM in the recoil dept. Some, myself included, feel that the .338 is actually somewhat easier to shoot due to a different type of recoil pulse.

A no-brainer for me considering the options presented.
 
Either one will do the job. Buy the one that comes your way and buy the other later on. Gives you something to look forward to and another excuse to attend gun shows.

For the game you've mentioned, I believe, the 338 WM gives the advantage over the 300 WM with the 338 ability to handle heavier bullets. .Both the 338 WM and 300 WM originate from Winchester's 458 Magnum cartridge and both are an excellent choice but you already have a 270 Win so it makes more sense to go with the 338 WM and buy the 300 WM later on.
 
270 and 300 are a match made in heaven. Both flat shooting, Similar speeds, similar (ish) BCs, put the same make and model of scope on both (two guns, two scopes, not moving one scope) and you're laughing. No remembering which gun you've got, etc.
 
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