.338 mag , is it too much

[John Y Cannuck]

Good point, we measured to the track where he'd been standing. He just fell over, away from the shot.
Unusual, as most big game I've shot, fold up and drop, rather than tip over. I guess his off side legs failed first.
Had quite a battle with momma cow that day.
But I've posted that story before.

 

[walksalot]

I think shot placement might be more critical than caliber used when it comes to meat damage.

 

[john-brennan]

338

I took a nice blacktail one year on the island with a 225 partition trough the lungs and i found it to perform very well (good exspansion, 1'' hole comming out). I use my 338WM with 225 par. on my muley hunts once in a while just to use it.

 

[ratherbefishin]

the question I would have is recoil related-does the 338 's heavier recoil contribute to less accurate shot placement than a more moderate recoil cartridge?

 

[todbartell]

too much for deer? no. as said dead is dead

but...

unless a guy is doing a combo deer/elk or moose hunt, there is no *need* for a 338 mag just for deer. A 260 Rem/270 Winchester will slam any deer alive just as hard as a 338 will
​

 

[todbartell]

the question I would have is recoil related-does the 338 's heavier recoil contribute to less accurate shot placement than a more moderate recoil cartridge?

if you have a flinch due to the recoil, then yes

all things being equal, everyone will shoot better with a 243 than they will with a 458 lott

 

[blargon]

I think shot placement might be more critical than caliber used when it comes to meat damage.

X2 - I shot a doe last year with my .300WM, double lung shot, 160 yds, no meat loss. The second doe was twice as far out, front shoulder shot, broke both shoulders and left quite a mess up front. It doesn't really matter what cal. you're using, 90% of meat damage is shot placement.

 

[Spitzer]

The 338WM is nice to have when hunting deer in griz country.

 

[ratherbefishin]

agreed, but to be effective, you have to be able to shoot accurately-and that means practice.If the recoil is such you don't enjoy practicing, then you may well negate any advantage a bigger cartridge may have because you can't put it where you need to when the time comes to pull the trigger

 

[Demonical]

Depends on how much meat you want to wreck. For moose or bear, sure, but for little deer, I would say its overkill.

HEMI it doesn't work that way, it's not as simple as caliber size.

Bigger calibers have bigger, tougher bullets and on smaller game they often will not expand as violently as the smaller calibers will, and often in fact there is less meat damage.

It depends on bullet construction, velocity, where ya hit 'em...

Elmer Keith used to say about the .458 caliber .45-70, "You can eat 'em right up to the edge of the hole."

 

[Dogleg]

HEMI

Elmer Keith used to say about the .458 caliber .45-70, "You can eat 'em right up to the edge of the hole."

Here's the exit hole of a 270 gr TSX fired out of a .375 H&H square through both shoulders of a Zebra. Normally that isn't what anyone would consider a "meat saving shot" See any blood-shot meat? Small stuff like Impalas (Or whitetail) look the same. Elmer would be pleased. Come to think of it, Elmer Keith was of the school that thought the only valid reason to use a small caliber was if you couldn't handle a big one. He used to call the .270 a coyote gun, but mostly to p**s off O'Connor.

 

[Brambles]

I shot my whitetail last year with a 338 win mag and a 250 gr nosler partition at 34 yards, it was a heart shot and only hit one rib so there was absolutly no meat damage, he deer ran like a scalded dog but didn't go far, bullet performed as designed and was found in a tree behind where the deer was standing 6 months later. I don't believe that you can be overgunned.

Sure if you use a cheap bullet then you might get volleyball sized holes but a good bullet reduces meat damage considerably. I'd do it again in a heart beat

 

[Foxer]

Here's the exit hole of a 270 gr TSX fired out of a .375 H&H square through both shoulders of a Zebra.

That is a nice hole. Our 300 wthby using tbbc's would have done a lot worse.

 

[Battle River]

The 338 is a very useful deer cartridge, and is an excellent choice when there are other, larger game to be hunted in the same season/habitat. the area I hunt can yield up elk/deerMule/WT and moose in the same area at any time. My brother has used the 200br Btip as a deer round for years, Meat damage is no difference than a 7 Mag or 30-06/ all things/bullets being equal.