.338 Federal???

BigUglyMan said:
Try it out if you like, but it's the solution to a problem that doesn't exist and the answer to a question that no one asked.
Click to expand...

The same could basically be said of every new cartridge in the past 50 or more years....lol I'm not sure why but the 338 Federal is one of those cartridges I love to hate but really it's not guilty of anything that 500 others aren't. That said, I'd never own one.
 
When I was looking into a light weight rifle for elk, I ended up with a Kimber Montana in .338 Federal. Not because I thought it would work any better or it was a magic cartridge but because the features of the rifle and cartridge added up to what I wanted and needed. The .338 Federal Montana was the lightest (I'd imagine because of the thinner barrel walls), and I needed a .338 cal for my hunting rifle collection, so the combination was perfect for how and where I hunt elk and I went with it. So far I've only shot one elk with it at about 65yds and dropped him on the spot.

Obviously any similar cartridge will do the job equally well but I don't have any complaints with the .338 Federal. I agree ammo availability might be a problem in some areas but handloading would eliminate that.
 
If you are looking for a light weight rifle that shoots reasonably flat out to 3 or 400 yds look no further than a Tikka T3 in 30-06. For elk or moose consider 200 gr spitzer bullets. You will be pleasantly surprized at how effective they are. As for the 338 Federal, I have seen it refered to as the 338 Feeble do to it not achieving claimed factory ballistics. Looking at the Nosler # 6 loading manual (Nosler is likely the most optimistic manual regarding velocities that can be obtained) it lists a max velocity in the 338 F with a 200 gr bullet as 2500 fps and a little over 2400 fps with the 225 gr bullets. With a 200 yd zero the 200 gr will drop about 10in @ 300yds and a little over 30 inches at 400 yds.The 225 gr zeroed @ 200 yds will drop a little over 11in @ 300 and 32 in @ 400yds. The plain old 30-06 can be loaded to 2688 fps with a 200 gr bullet that when zeroed @ 200 will drop 81/2 in @ 300 and only 24 inches @ 400. As for energy the 338 F with a 200 gr@2500fps is just under 2800 ft/lbs. At 300 yds vel is down to about 1900ft/sec and about 1600 ft/lbs of energy. The 30-06 with a 200 gr @ 2680 ft/sec delivers approx. 3192 ft/lbs at the muzzle an drops to approx. 2170 fps and 2092 ft/lbs of energy. As already mentioned you will likey have to go to Regina or Saskatoon to find 338 Fed ammo and you can likely find 30-06 ammo at just about any store that sells ammo. I would suggest the 06 ammo will also be about 1/2 the price of the 338 fed ammo. There are some very good reasons the 30-06 is a little over 100 yrs old and still going strong.
 
Hate to break it to everyone, I don't like a .30-06. Never have never will. I don't know why but I just don't like them. Ill shoot a .270 win any day over one. I kinda want something different that nobody really has out here. Everyone shoots .243, 270, 308 -06, 7mm rem mag and .300 win mag. That's why I was kinda lookin at one of these, be a little different. Anyone have suggestions?
 
Hate to break it to you, but the reason the chamberings you don't like are popular is because they work well, with easy to find, reasonably priced ammo and components. If you want something different that "nobody" has then consider one of these European chamberings: 6.5x57, 6.5x68 or 7x64

In short action you could try to find a .284 Win. If you don't mind having a "magnum" then consider a .264 WM. Something a bit more mainstream but still cool is a .25-06.
 
1899 said:
Hate to break it to you, but the reason the chamberings you don't like are popular is because they work well, with easy to find, reasonably priced ammo and components.
Click to expand...
I couldn't agree with you more, I know they work its proven. I just want something a bit different, I'm not afraid of magnums at all. It's just this .338 federal caught my eye cause I had never seen a commercialized .338 that wasn't a magnum.
 
A-Square commercialized the .338-06 and Weatherby chambered it in their Ultralight. I know a fellow who uses one and he really likes it.
 
I too am not sure what brain fart spawned the 338-08.......it does nothing exceptional, in fact it is quite mediocre in all aspects. Very little if any better than the 308, not as good in my opinion as the 358 Win. My only thought when I heard Fed legitimized the 338-08, was why? Just to put their name on a cartridge, that was wildcatted 50 years ago and deemed unfit, at that time to any level of glory..........new powders and better bullets, you say, make it a more viable contender now....hogwash I say. The family was pretty much wildcatted and the cream floated to the top a long time ago, 243 Win, 358 Win, 7-08 and 260 more of late but decent cartridges all........if there's a hole there I'm just not seeing it JMHO.
 
hunter-4-life said:
Hate to break it to everyone, I don't like a .30-06. Never have never will. I don't know why but I just don't like them. Ill shoot a .270 win any day over one. I kinda want something different that nobody really has out here. Everyone shoots .243, 270, 308 -06, 7mm rem mag and .300 win mag. That's why I was kinda lookin at one of these, be a little different. Anyone have suggestions?
Click to expand...

If you are really set on something different in a short action, why not a 325WSM?
 
c-fbmi said:
I too am not sure what brain fart spawned the 338-08.......it does nothing exceptional, in fact it is quite mediocre in all aspects. Very little if any better than the 308, not as good in my opinion as the 358 Win. My only thought when I heard Fed legitimized the 338-08, was why? Just to put their name on a cartridge, that was wildcatted 50 years ago and deemed unfit, at that time to any level of glory..........new powders and better bullets, you say, make it a more viable contender now....hogwash I say. The family was pretty much wildcatted and the cream floated to the top a long time ago, 243 Win, 358 Win, 7-08 and 260 more of late but decent cartridges all........if there's a hole there I'm just not seeing it JMHO.
Click to expand...

There "was" a hole... Right at .338"... Which is why there is a cartridge called the .338 Federal... Does anyone NEED it? Of course not... Just like we don't NEED any one of our calibers with a .308, .30/06, .280, 7X57, etc... etc... etc... In the cabinet. How is the Fed a "brain fart?" So the .308 is a classic performer and the .358 is touted in various circles (including by you)... But neck the same case to a size between the two and it is deemed pointless and irrelevant? No more than any other... To a reloader, ammo is not an issue... There will never be a shortage of .308 cases or .338 bullets... I shoot them all; .243, .260, 7mm-08, .308, .338 Fed and .358 Win... I like them all, they all go bang and when they do something moves on to the afterlife and right next to my mashed potatoes...

OP, beauty is in the eye of the beholder... At times you will find consecutive threads, one slamming the mundaneness and irrelevance of a particular cartridge and the next talking about how cool and efficient it is... If you want a Fed then get it... And enjoy shooting it.
 
Last edited:
sheephunter said:
If you are really set on something different in a short action, why not a 325WSM?
Click to expand...

I havent really considered a 325 wsm, I dont know why but i might have to. I have considered a .300 wsm as its available in more rifles but a .325 kinds sounds cool. How easy are reloading components to find?? What rifles do they come in besides browning?
 
BigUglyMan said:
You're not going to gain anything by going to the 338 Federal. It's designed to lob over-wide, under weight bullets at modest velocity. Does it give up much to a 300? Yes, lots. Does it give up much to the 30-06. Yes. The 30-06 fires bullets of similar weight with better sectional density at similar velocity. Equals better penetration. As far as I can see, the 338 Federal doesn't give any real benefit other than being in a short action which doesn't mean bupkis to me. Try it out if you like, but it's the solution to a problem that doesn't exist and the answer to a question that no one asked.
Click to expand...

Bingo, for the win.

:canadaFlag:
---------
NAA.
 
Actually Hoyt I understand your collection of all things 308, and all in Handi rifles, and yes they all go bang and a projectile doth fly forth, including the 338-08. I guess my greatest complaint is that I've owned and hunted with 2 or 3, 338 WM and was totally unimpressed with it. My thinking would then be what good TO ME, would a cartridge be that drives a 338 bullet even slower.............And yet I used to malign the 350 RM until I started to hunt with it, and it turned out to be a magnificent killing cartridge.
I do not foresee a long life for the Federal offering in my crystal ball, as I feel it truly is "the answer to an unasked question" to quote our buddy Sunray.
 
If you want one, get one. It won't be a handicap other than at longer ranges compared to the 7 mag or 300 mag. It is very similar to the properly loaded 8x57 which is a good thing.

Owning a 338 federal is a very good reason to start reloading.
 
Once again, I say that "sufficient" for the task is all the reason one needs to own a firearm in any cartridge... I'm ok with this particular one, it has performed admirably where I have put it into service... But I wouldn't take it sheep hunting, or for moose in the cuts or for Sask deer or for antelope or (in a stretch to make a point) for South Dakota pheasants... There are better weapons for those scenarios...
 
Hoyt, I think we all see our own hunting experiences through our past eyes and make cartridge suitability decisions based on what we have experienced. I have never hunted per say, where there is no chance that I may be called on to make a 400 mtr shot. Even in the Congo there were cut lines and trails where 2-300 mtr shots were a possibility and there were also big nasty elephants and buffalo. Besides I just have soooo many rifles that fill that niche it would never be my choice. But that's just my experience, I've never hunted from a stand or in bush so thick without clearings as to feel comfortable with a 200 mtr rifle.
 
Doug, Where we do much of our hunting a 0-100 yard scenario, is most common... Very rarely will a 200 yard shot present, the Fed does well here, but so does the .358 and .308 and 7mm-08... Some days I like vanilla, some days chocolate, others strawberry or sometimes I get them all in neopolitan...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom