Shoot! I want me one in .338 Fed!
.338 Federal lamented...
- Thread starter Missionman
- Start date
Shoot! I want me one in .338 Fed!
Moose, Elk, black bear, caribou, sheep, boar, feral pig, this caliber is incredibly versatile! Sad really for a gun lover who wants to buy most firearms he comes across!
Mission
It's a common sense cartridge. It does the job it was intended for extremely well. It will cleanly take all North American big game out to 300meters without any issues. Beyond 300m the trajectory starts to go against it. Mind you, if your shot is over 100m you most likely have lots of time to get a decent rest and place your shot properly.
I have never owned a 338 Federal but in 1990, I made up a 338-08 on a 98 Mauser action. I found a double set trigger/floorplate/triggerguard at a yard sale and installed it on the rifle. The stock is nothing special, one of those B&C injected jobs with a hollow butt, which quickly got filled with a dense foam to stop the drum effect.
It has a medium weight 22 in barrel and is one of those rifles that balances perfectly between your hands and comes up perfectly to bring the scope in line with the eye in one pass, no working yourself into position behind it. Very quick.
I like this rifle for blind/tree stand shooting on the edge of clear cuts. It likes faster powders of course and with 225gr bullets over 46 gr of W748 over CCI250 primers, it gives an honest 2450fps at 0C as registered on my Chrony. Because of the length of the Mauser mag, I can seat the bullets out quite far and don't compress the powder. The barrel is a Hart match grade take off with a 1-12 twist rate. Capable of exc accuracy if I do my part right.
It has the added blessing of not being a kicker. Very pleasant to shoot and carries without hanging up or getting heavy. The double set triggers sort of add to the appeal to me, I like the option of having an extremely light trigger and a normal 3 pound trigger at the same time.
If your shots will mostly be under 300m, it is a very under appreciated cartridge. Same goes for the 358Win. Like it or not, the slight difference between them isn't worth arguing about. Almost any hunter will be well served with either of these cartridges.
I have never owned a 338 Federal but in 1990, I made up a 338-08 on a 98 Mauser action. I found a double set trigger/floorplate/triggerguard at a yard sale and installed it on the rifle. The stock is nothing special, one of those B&C injected jobs with a hollow butt, which quickly got filled with a dense foam to stop the drum effect.
It has a medium weight 22 in barrel and is one of those rifles that balances perfectly between your hands and comes up perfectly to bring the scope in line with the eye in one pass, no working yourself into position behind it. Very quick.
I like this rifle for blind/tree stand shooting on the edge of clear cuts. It likes faster powders of course and with 225gr bullets over 46 gr of W748 over CCI250 primers, it gives an honest 2450fps at 0C as registered on my Chrony. Because of the length of the Mauser mag, I can seat the bullets out quite far and don't compress the powder. The barrel is a Hart match grade take off with a 1-12 twist rate. Capable of exc accuracy if I do my part right.
It has the added blessing of not being a kicker. Very pleasant to shoot and carries without hanging up or getting heavy. The double set triggers sort of add to the appeal to me, I like the option of having an extremely light trigger and a normal 3 pound trigger at the same time.
If your shots will mostly be under 300m, it is a very under appreciated cartridge. Same goes for the 358Win. Like it or not, the slight difference between them isn't worth arguing about. Almost any hunter will be well served with either of these cartridges.
- Location
- Southern Vancouver Island
All I can add to bearhunter's rating of the .338 Federal is, for folks that want the same performance from a lever gun, you can order a Marlin 338MX in .338 Marlin (When they become available) and use Hornady LeverEvolution ammo to good effect.
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Those firearms look good too with the grey plywood stock. I might get a Marlin 1985c in 45-70 as well, love those "historic" calibers.
Mission
