338 federal

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Wrong Way said:
^^^^but he used an '06! The ballistic equivalent to the .338 fed....
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roflmao

exactly and im sorry for your bad experiences but invalid argument
im not hunting brown bear im hunting black bear deer and moose
most of the time at point blank range
the ballistics don't realy mater at 50yrds if I can hunt now with a smoothbore and buck for everything I hunt this caliber will do very well for me
most ppl that hunt moose in my area still use a 30-30 with good bullets puts them down dead
its not supposed to be a long range or benchrest gun
I agree I would choose a bigger gun to go after brown bear but a 308 and 30-06 a near equals (I know not the same) but the 100 fps is not enough for me to think one is better than ther other definitively when will you need it to that last 100 feet I wont
I just want something different and fun to hunt with, itll start conversation at hunt camp and ppl will be interested at the range
im also planning on getting a 45-70 I don't have one and I would not hesitate to take that for brown bear if I ever go it will be with a small canon
our neighbor at camp killed a black bear in self defence with a single shot 22lr when you have no choice witch is what the first person said you do what you need to do and I would like my chances with the 338 federal over the 308 at point blank range just for the little bit of extra energy and bigger hole
I also know someone that killed a bear with bird shot he was cornered in his garage and the bear was indoors again worst possible gun to have but when your 7 feet ish away and put it in his head and make your shot count

so yes 375 hh 416 404 lots of ppl like the 338wm and 45-70 if your hunting it but if you happen to end up nose to nose you take the shot even if you are holding a red rider bb gun if you think that its your only choice
 
Wrong Way said:
^^^^but he used an '06! The ballistic equivalent to the .338 fed....
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Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of the 338-08, which we now call the 338 Federal. I am very impressed with it in comparison to the 338-06, which has only slightly better velocities with bullets up to 225gr.

The 30-06, with 200-220 grain bullets at 2600fps has better ballistics IMHO. The .308 diameter bullets have a smaller cross section and therefore a better sectional density. Because of the longer more aerodynamic profile, the 30 cal bullets will keep their velocity for a longer period of time, which equates to less drop at longer ranges.

That being said, there are no flies on the 338Federal. When used within its capabilities, I firmly believe in and trust its abilities to knock down and kill just about any game animal in and out of North America, out to 350-400 yards.

Coming from me, that is high praise indeed.
 
hoytcanon said:
Am I remembering correctly, that you also have a K77/44? I have one on its way to me as I write this... I've been looking for awhile... how do you like it?
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Ive got a 77/44. My only complaint is that you REALLY have to put some gumption into working the bolt or the shells hang up coming out of the magazine. They catch the rim of the chamber. Gentle wont do it, has to be with force.

I hope it will get better with age. Possibly its just my magazine. Dunno.

As for the 338 Federal, its on my list as my dedicated moose gun.
 
blasted_saber said:
Ive got a 77/44. My only complaint is that you REALLY have to put some gumption into working the bolt or the shells hang up coming out of the magazine. They catch the rim of the chamber. Gentle wont do it, has to be with force.

I hope it will get better with age. Possibly its just my magazine. Dunno.

As for the 338 Federal, its on my list as my dedicated moose gun.
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I'll get back to you on the feeding once I get it to the range...
 
Look up the .308 Winchester's 200gr data on Hodgdon's site. You get .338 Fed performance but with a higher sectional density, and much more available ammunition, as well as exponentially more bullet choices. .338 Fed is very much a marketing kick, and it's selling rifles and ammunition so it works. But like almost every exciting new cartridge, it is indistinguishable in the field and in performance to existing cartridges.
 
Ardent said:
Look up the .308 Winchester's 200gr data on Hodgdon's site. You get .338 Fed performance but with a higher sectional density, and much more available ammunition, as well as exponentially more bullet choices. .338 Fed is very much a marketing kick, and it's selling rifles and ammunition so it works. But like almost every exciting new cartridge, it is indistinguishable in the field and in performance to existing cartridges.
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Sssshhhhh!!! You're going to hurt someone's feelings!
 
BigUglyMan said:
Sssshhhhh!!! You're going to hurt someone's feelings!
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He's just hurt my feelings...

I'm a fan of the .308 case cartridges... I shoot them all... and I appreciate the Fed... but Ardent's argument can be used for all mid-caliber cartridges... after the .22 centerfires, choosing ONE of the fast quarter bores, 6.5mm, 7mm, or .30 cals would suffice until you get to the .35/.366/.375's or those abominable magnums...

Where's the fun in that???
 
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Yeah, you could manage just fine with a .22LR, a 30.06, and a .375 Ruger/H&H...but it's more fun to buy a big variety of shootin' irons in various calibers, then go online and tell wild stories about how this cartridge kills instantly and yours doesn't... :-D
 
Ardent said:
Look up the .308 Winchester's 200gr data on Hodgdon's site. You get .338 Fed performance but with a higher sectional density, and much more available ammunition, as well as exponentially more bullet choices. .338 Fed is very much a marketing kick, and it's selling rifles and ammunition so it works. But like almost every exciting new cartridge, it is indistinguishable in the field and in performance to existing cartridges.
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All true....but the *important* part you are missing is that any chambering that allows me to get equivalent performance that ISN'T a 30/06, 270 or 308 makes me happy. This world would be f'n boring if everyone owned the same stuff.

I have my fed, in my 16.5 barrel it actually performs better than the other cals mentioned, it kills stuff, and every good old boy and his brother don't own one.

Thats good enough for me ;)
 
right now I manage to hunt everything with 2 12g one I use for upland bird and clays and the other for everything from waterfowl to moose and bear lol
I sold all my hunting rifles to build a br/f class gun
so its not that it will do better than anything else I just want one lol like I want a ruger no1 in 3006
and hopefully I bought a 30 30 win today I made an offer on one
ill probly use that this spring for black bear if I end up getting it

and with the br shooting I got into reloading and im realy liking the oddball calibers and guns they are just fun and when I hunt im not normally looking for terminal velocity or sectional density within 100 yards diameter and fast expansion is more important to me and even with real soft bullets they almost always go right through anyway
 
If I was in the market for a. 30-06 equivilant if probably get a 338 fed just for cool factor. I stopped worrying about sectional density when premium hunting bullets basically made it obsolete. :)
 
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