.338 Federal???

"...worth buying?..." Find ammo and brass first. Even if you don't reload now, buy as much brass as you can, dies and a shell holder when you buy the rifle. The assorted marketing depts can and do drop cartridges with no regard for their existing customers regularly. Having brass, dies and a shell holder means you'll never be caught with a rifle and no ammo.
"...which is dang near a 8mm Mauser..." And? Nothing special about the 8mm Mauser.

Pretty sure that 308 brass and shell holders will always be available.

The 8mm Mauser is a very fine all around cartridge with moderate recoil. There are other cartridges the same could be said of as well.
 
If you are really set on something different in a short action, why not a 325WSM?

Interesting cartridge, but Winchester really should have made it a .375 WSM. Why they did the 8mm version is a bit odd to me.

As for the .338 Federal, I feel it would be a nice one to poke an elk or moose with seeing as it's got better sectional density per given bullet weight than a .358 and with today's powders can thump 'em out there at pretty good velocity & the bugger is suitable for a short action to boot.:)
 
If your stuck on a 338 and a Tikka buy it and rechamber to 338-06 since Tikka only has one action length. Replace the mag with a 30-06 magn and you will have a rifle that is a little different and will surpass 338F

Neil
 
If your stuck on a 338 and a Tikka buy it and rechamber to 338-06 since Tikka only has one action length. Replace the mag with a 30-06 magn and you will have a rifle that is a little different and will surpass 338F

Neil

Would you not need a different barrel??
 
Just a re chamber

I have not seen the bottom metal... But you would require the rechamber and new magazine for sure, and possibly also new bottom metal and stock inletting... Perhaps someone with a T3 could comment... It might be cheaper to rebarrel a .30/06 to .338/06 rather than rechamber a .338F to .338/06???
 
I have not seen the bottom metal... But you would require the rechamber and new magazine for sure, and possibly also new bottom metal and stock inletting... Perhaps someone with a T3 could comment... It might be cheaper to rebarrel a .30/06 to .338/06 rather than rechamber a .338F to .338/06???

Bottom plastic is the same for all t3's, all you would need is a 30-06 mag and modify the bolt release so it would go back further or buy the proper bolt release.
 
I gotta laugh at the guys who tout the 338F as "the answer to the question nobody asked" or talk about "ammo problems"....then recommend not only a truly useless caliber (338-06) AND have him re chamber a new gun for it. If you are going to a 338-06, just step up the the Whelen and save yourself a bunch of headaches.
 
I gotta laugh at the guys who tout the 338F as "the answer to the question nobody asked" or talk about "ammo problems"....then recommend not only a truly useless caliber (338-06) AND have him re chamber a new gun for it. If you are going to a 338-06, just step up the the Whelen and save yourself a bunch of headaches.

Amen! I was thinking that if the .338F is declared redundant by the folks on this thread because the .308 and .358 have it ALL covered... Then how is it that the .338/06 is "all that wonderful???" Wouldn't the .30/06 and Whelen have it covered??? But now that you mention the Whelen... There you have it OP... The folks here recommend that you forget the .338's and go for the .35's... Cause apparently they work better???
 
I gotta laugh at the guys who tout the 338F as "the answer to the question nobody asked" or talk about "ammo problems"....then recommend not only a truly useless caliber (338-06) AND have him re chamber a new gun for it. If you are going to a 338-06, just step up the the Whelen and save yourself a bunch of headaches.

I've owned and used a 35 Whelen since the 1960s, owned and used a 338-06 for almost 30 years and I fail to see much difference aside from bore dia.
How can one be more of a " headache " than the other ?..... please elaborate..
 
I've owned and used a 35 Whelen since the 1960s, owned and used a 338-06 for almost 30 years and I fail to see much difference aside from bore dia.
How can one be more of a " headache " than the other ?..... please elaborate..

I think he was saying that the OP could just go out and buy the Whelen, rather than going to the trouble and expense of rechambering etc another caliber... In essence he is agreeing with you.
 
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