.338 Federal Results

Twisted Canuck

Twisted Canuck

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Alberta
I was out for 6 days with friends chasing a herd bull around, lots of elk about and lots of noise, but didn't see one at all. Last morning to hunt, and I had determined to take any legal bull I saw, because, meat. Long story short, I had a 2 second glimpse of a legal (barely) satellite bull while the herd bull was going berserk thrashing and bugling 50 yards away in the thick stuff. I hit him at about 80 yards, quartering towards me. Entry in front of right shoulder, took out both lungs, broke the second last rib on left side and lodged under the hide. I was shooting a 200 gr Trophy Bonded Tip, and it expanded perfectly. The elk ran about 75 yards and piled up. Recovered bullet weighed 190.9 grains, but there was still bits of elk under the petals, so call it 190 grains for a retention of 95%. I like that bullet design! Kind of a cross between a TSX and a Partition. I just started using the .338 Fed, and I like it. Perfect cartridge for 300 yards and in, which is all the shots I have to make. Most are under 200 yards. Short action, light rifle, moderate recoil. What more could you ask for?


And the tenderloins were amazing!









 
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well done!
sounds like it was an exciting hunt with meat in the freezer as a bonus.
Good to see a solid report here on the .338 fed , it doesn't get near the recognition for what it is.
 
Totally agree, it is a capable and under appreciated cartridge. I finally had a rifle built for me by KS Arms in Edmonton (shout out, they are amazing!!!) and that was the cartridge I settled on. Been looking at it a while, and with the osteoarthritis in the shoulders, I was tired of shooting a magnum. This is a real peach, the sweet spot for any big game out to 300 yards.

 
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Congrats on a great elk. For me any legal elk is a shooter. .338 Federal is a great elk round for the shorter distances. I've shot a dozen or so with mine, mostly using 210gr TSX and it works extremely well.
 
Great hunting, good shooting and that is stellar bullet performance.

The Trophy Bonded, Trophy Bonded Tip and the rest of that family really might be the best of all worlds!

Also, those look pretty dang perfectly cooked lol.
 
jbmauser said:
Congrats on a great elk. For me any legal elk is a shooter. .338 Federal is a great elk round for the shorter distances. I've shot a dozen or so with mine, mostly using 210gr TSX and it works extremely well.
Click to expand...

The 210 TSX is also a great bullet. I tried it, the 180 gr Accubond, 210 Partitions., 200 gr Fusion, 200 Powerpoints...put them all over a chrony and looked at groups. The Trophy Bonded Tip gave me the best group, but they were all pretty good. They will also expand at lower speed then the TSX, or so the Interwebz would have me believe. Anyway, that is why I settled on it, but honestly, iI would use any of them if that's whats available.

As it is, I stocked up and have enough to kill a large herd or two.
 
Twisted Canuck said:
Totally agree, it is a capable and under appreciated cartridge. I finally had a rifle built for me by KS Arms in Edmonton (shout out, they are amazing!!!) and that was the cartridge I settled on. Been looking at it a while, and with the osteoarthritis in the shoulders, I was tired of shooting a magnum. This is a real peach, the sweet spot for any big game out to 300 yards.

Click to expand...

Nice Rifle. What are the details of the build? Is that the KS Tac Hunter stock, if so, how do you like it?

I have a 338-06 only because I had a long action, to build off of, if I had a short action it would of been the 338 Federal. Both of those cartridges are nice for bigger stuff at "most" hunting ranges.

Congrats on the Elk!
 
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That is the KS Arms SAR3 Lug action, a 22" fluted stainless barrel, ceracoated, #3 profile, Trigger Tech trigger set at 2.5#, HS Precision bottom metal and mags, in a Wildcat Composite Tac Hunter stock that they painted to match a sample I provided. Talley one piece rings with recoil lug, and a Zeiss Conquest V4 4-16 x 44, with illuminated reticle. Weighs 7 lbs 11 oz all in with empty mag.

And I very much like that stock, had it cut just a bit short on LOP to accommodate a heavy jacket. The Decelerator recoil pad is nice. Stock is very rigid, and just plain fits.
 
Congrats on the elk and the rifle!

I really like the 338 Federal! It is becoming a favourite!

I have a Winchester Model 88 that I had rebarreled to 338 Fed with a 20" Krieger barrel with NECG open sights and a Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x36 mounted in QR rings. Took a beautiful woodland caribou bull with it after getting it built. I am shooting the Federal Premium 210 gr Nosler Partition ammunition in it and it produces 1" groups @ 100 yards. I built this rifle for dark timber work.

And I have a LH Sako 85 Finnlight II rebarreled to 338 Fed with a 22" Wilson carbon fibre barrel. I now have a Leupold VX6HD 2-12x42 w/ illuminated B&C reticle mounted on it in Optilock rings and bases. It weighs 8 lbs 6oz with a loaded magazine in it. (Weighed 7 lbs 15 oz with the Leupold VX-3 3.5-10x40 B&C scope mounted)
I have taken moose and caribou with it so far.
So far I am using the Federal blue box 200gr UniCor ammo in it, and it will produce groups just under 1/2" @ 200 yards with this ammo. The 210 gr Partition ammo will produce just under .9" @ 200 yards. I want to develop a load for it using the 200 gr AccuBond bullets...I think it would be just right for this cartridge.
(I have not gotten hold of any of the 200 gr Copper ammo to try as yet) Having not used it myself, it is nice to see its on-game performance!
I would have taken this rifle to New Zealand this year, but as my wife and I were sharing a rifle on that trip, I took the 6.5 CM along for her sake.
I will be taking it to Africa next May for kudu, nyala and bushbuck.

I also have a 338-06 built on a LH Rem 700 in a laminated stock...but it weighs 9 lbs 11 oz with a Leupold VX-3 3.5-10x40 B&C scope mounted in QR rings and bases, and is too heavy for long hike hunts or mountain hunting. It is a joy to shoot and will produce 1/2" groups @ 100 yards with Wby 210 gr Partition ammo or my 215 gr SGK handloads (both @ 2750 fps).

I loved my 338 Win Mags, but shoulder issues at the time made me sell that and build the 338-06. They made the barrel contour too heavy so that is why the rifle turned out so heavy...but since it shoots so well, I have kept it as is, and will use it for hunting in scenarios where I am not carrying the rifle so far. (The LimbSaver recoil pad was the real tamer of my 338 Win Mag! Pre: 20 rounds from the bench = bruised and sore. Post: 60 rounds from the bench = no bruising or soreness! [I hate muzzle brakes and refuse to use one!])
The 338-08 was always on the bucket list until Federal announced the 338 Federal and I obtained a Ruger Hawkeye briefly to play with the new cartridge (a friend still has that rifle), and then I started working on the Model 88 project shortly thereafter.

After 38 years of hunting, my average shot distance is just 137 yards, so the 338 Federal will handle almost all of the big game hunting that I do. And I have other rifles if I need more performance!
 
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