Question: What is 30-338 Win Mag? I thought that was that was 308 Normag Mag?
- Thread starter Pblatzz
- Start date
The Norma has slightly less case taper and is slightly longer.
The performance is nearly identical though.
The 30-338 is what a lot of shooter's thought Winchester should have produced instead of the 300 Winchester.
The performance is nearly identical though.
The 30-338 is what a lot of shooter's thought Winchester should have produced instead of the 300 Winchester.
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
The 30-338 (or 338-06) is the 30-06 case necked up to 338 and if I remember right, improved at the shoulder.
It's not a "magnum" but has surprisingly similar (But not equal) ballistics to the 338WM.
It's not a "magnum" but has surprisingly similar (But not equal) ballistics to the 338WM.
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- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]30-338 Winchester Magnum[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Historical Notes:This cartridge was developed specifically for use in 1000 yard benchrest competition. It was created by simply necking the 338 Winchester Magnum to 30 caliber and almost exactly duplicates the 308 Norma Magnum (Norma's commercial offering has slightly less case taper and is slightly longer).
General Comments:
The 30-338 Winchester Magnum fills a void in Winchester's Magnum line, created when Winchester introduced the 300 Magnum. The 264 Winchester Magnum, 338 Winchester Magnum, and 458 Winchester Magnum all share a 2.5 inch case length. Evidently to avoid direct competition with existing 308 Norma Magnum and to better compete with the well established, and substantially longer, 300 Weatherby Magnum, Winchester opted to increase case length and push the shoulder forward on their new 30 caliber magnum (actual usable capacity increase was marginal). The Wildcat 30-338 is likely exactly what Winchester would have offered had Norma not beaten them to the punch. Ballistics are very similar to the 300 Winchester Magnum, despite the slight reduction in powder capacity. Compared to that commercial chambering, a slightly longer case neck provides superior purchase for longer bullets.[/FONT]
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
There is also a 30-338 Lapau, and perhaps a few more.
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
Geeze, wait 'till I'm done editingThat is the 338-06. And yes it is a GREAT cartridge.
Geeze, wait 'till I'm done editing
I think that subconsciously you really want to build a rifle chambered for the ultra-###y 338-06 ! LoL
In North America we generally go with caliber, then the parent case when describing a wildcat case (in Britain they do it the other way around). So the 30-338 is a 30 caliber on the 338 Win mag case (and the 338-06 is a 338 caliber based on a 30-06 case). The 30-338 is quite close to the 308 Norma, but not identical, as mentioned. Good 30 cal magnum round, good for hunting, and the ones I've had were quite accurate. - dan
Actually, no. The 30-338 and 338-06 are not the same. Ones a .30 caliber based on a .338 Win. magnum case and the other is a .338 caliber based on the 30-06 case. Dan Delisle has it right.
The 338-06 is a "tad" more efficient than both those other cartridges, although the difference is so slight no animal would ever know the difference. With 250 grain bullets the 338-06 will usually beat the 35 Whelen and 9.3 x 62 by 50-100 fps while using a bullet with a higher ballistic coefficient . (Assuming equal barrel lengths)
Actually in mine, a 250 gr bullet goes slightly faster from the 35s then the 33s, and from the 36 a little faster then the 35s. - dan
Generally, and oddly enough, a 338-06 can push a 250 faster than a .35 Whelen and push 200's faster than the .30-06. Doesn't make much sense and tough to explain, but that's the way she be.
I'd have thought that the .30-338 would have been a factory chambering in a Weatherby by now given the obscene powder capacity of the Roy. Odd that it would be assumed that Winchester would have preferred the .300 Mag to be more like the .308 Norma. The way it turned out made the opinions of a lot of experts turn out to be so much horse hockey - it's the best selling .30 Magnum of all time and the second best magnum seller ever, second only to the hall-of-fame bound 7mm Rem Mag.
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
Yes, Dan is correct, but so am I, depending on who you are talking to. Be careful, is what I was trying to get across. Cartridge designations can be confusing. Note that I did not add the words Winchester Magnum.
you don't specify what presure levels the three are loaded at, but physics will dictate that loaded to equal pressures, in equal length barrels, the 338-06 will be the slowest, followed by the 35 Whelen, then the 9.3x62, which not only has the largest bore (piston) area, but also has larger powder capacity than the two '06 based cartridges.
This is strictly a matter of larger bore area increasing efficiency and velocity with a given case capacity.
The reloading manuals use the same pressure limits for all three and the 338-06 always leads the velocity race albeit by a small margin. While your theory is correct regarding the ratio of bore diameter over case volume it does hit a point of diminishing returns as with the Whelen. The argument however is very academic as a Whelen with a "fast" barrel may be indeed faster than a 338-06 with a slow barrel and in any case the difference is so small as to be negligible. In fact the difference between the 338-06 and the Whelen is smaller than that between the 270 and the 30-06 ......................
Homesteader
CGN Regular
- Location
- In a Wallow West of Edmonton.
You may be right, but my 7600 Whelen with the factory 22" tube and 59g RL-15 spits a 250g Speer over my Chrony at 2620fps at 10deg C. So the difference is neglible. The only advantage is sectional density and maybe a better powder selection.
