338WM vs. 300 WSM

Well, you guys have more than convinced me. I have been doing more research on the 338 bullets and they kick the cr@p out of the 308 bullets in terms of performance and hit way harder. Does anyone know if there is a high BC 300gr. .338 hunting bullet out there? The Sierra 300gr. Matchking is amazing, but not really suited for game. One of those at around 2600fps virtually matches the 300WSM trajectory wise out to 500yds and delivers a ton of energy all the way out there, with less wind drift along the way.

I have an offer to test a 338WM locally and will see what I think of the gun and cartridge for myself once the weather cooperates a bit, hopefully before Christmas. I read the thread on the 375H&H recoil being compared to 12ga with slugs and that is encouraging. I have fired 3" slugs out of an Outlaw (with a t-shirt on and the rock hard Norc recoil pad) and survived that, so this should be fine.

Thanks again for all the info and experiences on this.

Mark
 
Well now that everyone has tossed there favorite caliber into the ring lets get back to the two calibers in question with simple math 338wm 225gr NP. MV.2755 ME.3791 400yd.VEL..1998 ENG. 1994 250gr. NP. MV 2750 ME4187 400yd VEL 2021 ENG.2268 Drop 400yds 23in. 300wsm 180gr. NP MV 2960 ME 3500 400yd. VEL.2280 ENG.2070 Drop 400yds 19in. I read a lot of comments on how the 338 wins over the 300wsm doesn't look that way to me a lot more recoil for a little gain if a person used a 200gr. in the 300 it would likely out perform the 338 . there's no magic to it is all math
 
My last moose was a three year old and was shot with the 375H&H. As with other two moose I've shot with this gun, it took a dozen or so steps and fell over. I've seen the same with a 7 Rem Mag and 300 Win Mags. Moose have an ability to absorb bullets with minimal reaction if hit in the vitals (CNS is obviously different!)

Between the two you suggested, I would prefer the 338 as I'm more of a larger-bullet-at-moderate-velocity kind of guy.

Have fun with your decision!

.
 
mmattockx said:
Well, you guys have more than convinced me. I have been doing more research on the 338 bullets and they kick the cr@p out of the 308 bullets in terms of performance and hit way harder. Does anyone know if there is a high BC 300gr. .338 hunting bullet out there? The Sierra 300gr. Matchking is amazing, but not really suited for game. One of those at around 2600fps virtually matches the 300WSM trajectory wise out to 500yds and delivers a ton of energy all the way out there, with less wind drift along the way.

I have an offer to test a 338WM locally and will see what I think of the gun and cartridge for myself once the weather cooperates a bit, hopefully before Christmas. I read the thread on the 375H&H recoil being compared to 12ga with slugs and that is encouraging. I have fired 3" slugs out of an Outlaw (with a t-shirt on and the rock hard Norc recoil pad) and survived that, so this should be fine.

Thanks again for all the info and experiences on this.

Mark
Click to expand...


If you are interested in long range shooting of moose, the .338 has an advantage, no question about it. There is a reason why military snipers have been using the .338 lapua ,among others..

However, if we are talking about regular hunting ranges ( 0-350 yards) that doesn't really come into play that much- except in theory.

In theory, looking at ballistics tables, a .338 WM should be able to face plant a moose at 150 yards, while the 30-06 and .303 British would barely give the moose a bruise.:p

You seem to want the .338, and I say- More power to you! Get what you want! Just keep in mind that a moose that is hit with a .338 at 300 yards is most likely to react the same as if hit by the .300 at 300 yards.;)
 
Gatehouse said:
If you are interested in long range shooting of moose, the .338 has an advantage, no question about it. There is a reason why military snipers have been using the .338 lapua ,among others..

However, if we are talking about regular hunting ranges ( 0-350 yards) that doesn't really come into play that much- except in theory.

In theory, looking at ballistics tables, a .338 WM should be able to face plant a moose at 150 yards, while the 30-06 and .303 British would barely give the moose a bruise.:p

You seem to want the .338, and I say- More power to you! Get what you want! Just keep in mind that a moose that is hit with a .338 at 300 yards is most likely to react the same as if hit by the .300 at 300 yards.;)
Click to expand...

Yup!

The 300mags with todays bullets are all you will ever need.

The 338 has good power on the big stuff, but lets not confuse it with something like a 416...

338 bullets are built tough for big tough game, but as a result you will find the 300 a more spectacular killer on mid sized game (deer). Don't expect lightning kills with the 338Win on deer, moose or big elk are where the 338 shines.

BTW the 300SMK is a good game bullet way way out there.
 
Gatehouse said:
You seem to want the .338, and I say- More power to you! Get what you want! Just keep in mind that a moose that is hit with a .338 at 300 yards is most likely to react the same as if hit by the .300 at 300 yards.;)
Click to expand...

I didn't when I started this thread, but the more research I do into the bullets and performance, the more I like the 338.

I agree that a boiler room hit with any 300 or 338 will drop elk or moose the same. The reason I am liking the 338 is for the days when it doesn't go perfect and you get a front quartering shot and have to bust a shoulder and similar situations. The 338 just gives you a bit more margin on those shots to put the animal down and not leave it injured and running. It is by no means a magic bullet that eliminates the need for proper stalking, shot placement and the rest of ethical hunting practices and I am not expecting that.

Thanks,
Mark
 
One advantage to the 338 is that you don't have to use premium bullets so it might be cheaper if you like to practice much with your hunting load.
 
struff55 said:
Well now that everyone has tossed there favorite caliber into the ring lets get back to the two calibers in question with simple math 338wm 225gr NP. MV.2755 ME.3791 400yd.VEL..1998 ENG. 1994 250gr. NP. MV 2750 ME4187 400yd VEL 2021 ENG.2268 Drop 400yds 23in. 300wsm 180gr. NP MV 2960 ME 3500 400yd. VEL.2280 ENG.2070 Drop 400yds 19in. I read a lot of comments on how the 338 wins over the 300wsm doesn't look that way to me a lot more recoil for a little gain if a person used a 200gr. in the 300 it would likely out perform the 338 . there's no magic to it is all math
Click to expand...

It could partially be math, but your math is off.

First, the .338 WM spits out 250gr Partitions at 2750 fps - the same velocity with 225's is not a very stout load at all. Hot loads with 225gr bullets approach 2900fps.

Second, kinetic energy is a measurement designed as a marketing ploy when smokeless cartridges were replacing the old big bore black powder rounds. Kinetic energy squares velocity and thereby puts a huge value on velocity and a much, much smaller value on bullet weight. It assigns nothing to bullet diametre, cross-section or frontal area.


Last, consider other methods of assessing cartridge effectiveness. There are many out there that consider other factors and don't erroneously place such high value on velocity.


The .300 WSM is not in the same league as the .338 WM for large game, especially if the animal can be dangerous. Just my 2 cents.
 
Last edited:
mmattockx said:
I didn't when I started this thread, but the more research I do into the bullets and performance, the more I like the 338.

I agree that a boiler room hit with any 300 or 338 will drop elk or moose the same. The reason I am liking the 338 is for the days when it doesn't go perfect and you get a front quartering shot and have to bust a shoulder and similar situations. The 338 just gives you a bit more margin on those shots to put the animal down and not leave it injured and running. It is by no means a magic bullet that eliminates the need for proper stalking, shot placement and the rest of ethical hunting practices and I am not expecting that.

Thanks,
Mark
Click to expand...

Not trying to oversell the 300 here, but do you really think a .308 200gr Partition or X-bullet will smash the shoulder any less?

I don't mean to be graphic, but from a bit more than 350 yards away I could clearly see the blood spray out of my buddies last moose....Monty Python like spray....
When we got to the moose there was a good 20 foot red circle around the (very) dead animal. My clothes were covered in blood before I even touched the animal. All this with a good old plain vanilla 200gr Nosler Partition...If memory serves the shot distance was 360 yards.

338 bullets refuse to react that way at 338 Win velocities which is good for meat loss, but don't expect near that level of devastation at 350 yard impact velocities.

Yes the 338 Win is a slightly larger hammer, but in my experience there is more difference in getting the right bullet than for the selected game/range than there is in power between them.
 
300wsm

From my experience, I wouldn't own a WSM in any calibre. My buddy had one before he got smart, and bought a .338 wm. In short it was slow, (chrono'd) and difficult to reload for. He bought a .338 wm and couldn't be happier.
 
I have hunted with a 338 and a 300 wsm Aand personally i love my 300 wsm its the only gun ill never get rid of its big enough to drop any moose elk or bear but i can still use it on deer, in b.c the seasons run at the same time and the 300 always does the trick never had an animal move more then 25 yards and i use winchester factory loads, the 338 on the other hand you want a bigger bullet like a 250 gr and that is a bit hard on deer in my opinion.
 
Love my X-bolt 300 wsm.
I agree that the 338 has more jam, but it's also going to be a longer, heavier rifle to lug around with you than a short action, wsm will be.
Just my 2 cents... really you can't go wrong either way IMO.
 
I once shot a 54" bull that was running away at a sharp angle and just entering the tree line. At approx 350m the 338 225gr black talon entered the right hind quarter, passed up though the vitals and out the left shoulder. Moose hit the ground with a crash and didn't twitch. There was so much blow down between me and the moose it took me 20 min to reach it. If it had buggered off even a little bit it would have added hours to the recovery. In the end it took a full day to cut and pack and there was very little meat damage... I've never considered another round for moose since that time. The ability to take less than perfect shots, and the fact that I run into grizz once in a while make it the perfect moose round for me.
 
HeadDamage said:
I once shot a 54" bull that was running away at a sharp angle and just entering the tree line. At approx 350m the 338 225gr black talon entered the right hind quarter, passed up though the vitals and out the left shoulder. Moose hit the ground with a crash and didn't twitch. There was so much blow down between me and the moose it took me 20 min to reach it. If it had buggered off even a little bit it would have added hours to the recovery. In the end it took a full day to cut and pack and there was very little meat damage... I've never considered another round for moose since that time. The ability to take less than perfect shots, and the fact that I run into grizz once in a while make it the perfect moose round for me.
Click to expand...

Beauty.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom