Question for the medium bore fans...

sheephunter said:
I shoot 185s out of my .338 for longer ranges, say to 600 yards, so there is a marked difference in trajectory and recoil. If we are going to compare light for caliber bullets in the 375 we need to do the same in the 338. The reduced recoil of the .338 makes it a much more accurate choice for me as well on those longer range prone shots. Nothing against the 375 and I love mine dearly but I honestly can't make a case for one in North America when the .338 does things so much better...at least for my style of hunting here.
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Just ran the 185gr GMX'd .338 and it's still damn near spitting image at 600 as the other two, drift is identical, it drops 9" less though, but when we're talking seven feet of drop range in all pretty apples to apples. The 185gr GMX arrives at 600 notably weaker than the 225gr .338 and 250gr .375. I'd rather carry a .338 for weight in the mountains than my .375 admittedly, except my McMillan stocked M70 .375. I can see your points, but in the same breath anyone can justify their .375 as doing everything the .338 will and more. Pretty much we all just pick our favourite and nobody is at a disadvantage or wrong. As several of us here do yourself included of course, the .375 opens more doors abroad too, and if you're only going to own one the .375 would be it.
 
sheephunter said:
You could and I've seen bison and brown bear go down to a 30-06 but at the end of the day, I think a .338 is likely a reasonable choice for the big bears and bison and pretty easy to make a case for.
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Reasonable sure. Its also reasonable to just jump right to the heavies and skip the mediums. If bigger is better why stop? For the small stuff just about everything works.
 
Dogleg said:
Reasonable sure. Its also reasonable to just jump right to the heavies and skip the mediums. If bigger is better why stop? For the small stuff just about everything works.
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Recoil definitely becomes an issue for some...especially if you are shooting longer ranges and shooting prone. I don't like shooting my 375 prone...my 338 is manageable. I'm sure there are many more manly men than me that can do it but that's my rationale for the 338 vs 375 in North America. Rifle weight also becomes an issue for those of us that pack considerable distances, especially in the mountains. I've got a custom-built .338 that is a comfy 6lbs 12oz naked. The recoil is manageable. I doubt the same could be said of a 375 in a similar weight.....at least for my delicate shoulder.
 
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Wow, that makes your .338 4 ounces lighter than my .338. I should find a lighter scope or take the lens covers off, or maybe go crazy and only put one shell in it?

Funny thing is, I always found the .375 to kick less. My lightest is 8 pounds, and the world is full of 8 pound .338s
 
Dogleg said:
Wow, that makes your .338 4 ounces lighter than my .338. I should find a lighter scope or take the lens covers off, or maybe go crazy and only put one shell in it?

Funny thing is, I always found the .375 to kick less. My lightest is 8 pounds, and the world is full of 8 pound .338s
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LOL....keeping up with the Jones can be tough.

I was just explaining my rationale....I expect someone from Saskatchewan would have a different perspective.

Physics says my 375 kicks more...I'd have to agree.
 
When bullets of similar weight are compared, when both cartridges are loaded to maximum, and when fired in rifles of similar weight, I doubt that there's enough difference in recoil between the .338 Winchester and the .375 H&H to matter, although many agree that the recoil from smaller bores tends to feel sharper. The JBM recoil calculator suggests a difference of about 4 ft/lbs when the .338/250, loaded ahead of 71.5 grs of H-4831, for 2780 fps, is compared with .375/260, ahead of 73 grs of R-15, for 2793 fps; data from Nosler #6. I understand the argument though for someone who has immersed himself in big game hunting lore of the 20th Century, the .338 has a North American feel while the .375 has an African feel. But when the cartridges are compared in the harsh light of day, the .375 is a true world class cartridge, its use is suitable where ever big game is hunted, while the choice of the .338 Winchester on dangerous game runs into legal problems in some African countries. The suggestion that you can eat right up to the bullet hole on game shot with a .375, justifiably or not, is seldom attributed the .338. Perhaps that's because many .338 shooters choose light for caliber bullets, for that explosive .270 Winchester bullet performance. My solution for a light weight medium is a .375 Scovile (a 9.3X62 resized to .375) in a 6.5 pound rifle, which should compare favorably with the 9.3X62.

Finn Aagarrd offered an interesting perspective in his comparison of the 9.3X62 with the .375 H&H. It was his opinion that when game of similar size was shot, the terminal performance between the two cartridges was indistinguishable. The paper ballistics would suggest this can't be true, but Finn's observations had been carefully recorded over a very long period of time, and he had proven himself to be a very credible observer. I think most would agree that the 9.3X62, would produce significantly less recoil than a .338 Winchester when each was fired in similar weight rifles. If terminal performance in line with a .375 H&H can be realized without the drama of the recoil and blast associated with the larger cartridges, the choice should be a no brainer if a true lightweight rifle is desired.
 
Comparing similar bullet weights in vastly different calibres really doesn't accomplish much other than prove that physics works. My point on recoil was that the .338 shooting a 185 grain bullet was considerably less than the 375. Comparing light for calibre bullets in each instance would be a more equitable comparison.
 
Give me a 375, with the top choice the 375 Ruger.

I got rid of my 338 when I noticed it did the same thing as a 300 or 7mm. If I wanted one rifle and didn't have a 30 or. 7mm I might choose the 338 though.

Well no, I wouldn't really. But others might. :)
 
sheephunter said:
Comparing similar bullet weights in vastly different calibres really doesn't accomplish much other than prove that physics works. My point on recoil was that the .338 shooting a 185 grain bullet was considerably less than the 375. Comparing light for calibre bullets in each instance would be a more equitable comparison.
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Like I said, light .338 bullets for .270 performance. If a 180-200 gr bullet provides optimum performance in a medium to large capacity .30 caliber cartridge, how is there an advantage to shooting the same weight bullet in your medium? You actually give up the performance you would have with a smaller diameter bullet of equal weight. In order to balance the performance of a 260 gr .375 bullet, your .338 bullet should weigh 225 grs. If the combination of high velocity and low recoil is the point of the exercise, a medium maybe isn't the best way to go. Its not that the combination doesn't work, its just contrary to how I look at it, which is fine, as your methodology clearly works for you.
 
Boomer said:
Like I said, light .338 bullets for .270 performance. If a 180-200 gr bullet provides optimum performance in a medium to large capacity .30 caliber cartridge, how is there an advantage to shooting the same weight bullet in your medium? You actually give up the performance you would have with a smaller diameter bullet of equal weight. In order to balance the performance of a 260 gr .375 bullet, your .338 bullet should weigh 225 grs. If the combination of high velocity and low recoil is the point of the exercise, a medium maybe isn't the best way to go. Its not that the combination doesn't work, its just contrary to how I look at it, which is fine, as your methodology clearly works for you.
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The point is you have that wide bullet-weight option for a variety of situations and I'm not sure how making a bigger hole is giving up performance......isn't that the point of going to bigger calibers? Speed is far from the only measure of performance. Sure you can make speeds or bullet weights match between lots of different calibers but that really doesn't give much indication of terminal performance, recoil, etc....it just demonstrates that you can match the two. Low recoil and speed are part of the decision making process but so too is hole size and in some cases penetration.
 
Owning one of anything from 6.5mm to .375 makes all the others in that class redundant... which doesn't mean you shouldn't own a bunch anyway...
 
I have one of each, and they both get the job done with authority for moose, elk etc...bang/flop is the usual result. Recoil is about the same between the two, stout but manageable. Does one make the other redundant here in BC, probably...but I'm still keeping both!

I usually use a 7mm RM or 30-06 for deer, but will also try the old .35 Rem at some point...that'll be fun :)
 
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