Reality about 338 Win Mag Recoil

Pity me.

I got a great deal on a 338 Win Mag. A Kimber Montana. 6.25 pounds.

Except, it was a great deal if you don't engage the old thinkatron. Too much gun in too light a package! I anticipate a difficult time moving it.
 
When i was handloading and casting my own 12gauge slugs. I met a guy at one of my local shooting spots. He asked to try out some slugs. In turn he handed me a handful of 338win mag and a brand new sako laminate stainless. I don't recal the model


I smiled and said sure.

The sako didn't fit me well. I didn't care for the feel either.

Anyway. My H&R ultra slug kicked more then the 338.

That's my 2 pennies.
 
Bartledan it probably isn't as bad as you think it is.

Not to say that is won't kick, but my .338 i under 7lbs and I am a normal human being and capable of shooting it.
 
I would say its relative, I have a 338 in a tika hunter, I wouldn't want to shoot it all day but its not intolerable, I also hunt Northern Alberta, and although may would say its over kill, I would suggest I have never over killed anything. Especially when you tangle with bears. Superb down range energy and bullet drop, great range of bullets, don't think you can go wrong with it.
 
Bartledan said:
Pity me.

I got a great deal on a 338 Win Mag. A Kimber Montana. 6.25 pounds.

Except, it was a great deal if you don't engage the old thinkatron. Too much gun in too light a package! I anticipate a difficult time moving it.
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not much pity, more like envy, i love the kimber line of rifles, so slick, simple and light, im toying with the idea of parting ways with my 338 to make room for a kimber to join the herd, dont get me wrong, i love my xbolt, but something about the kimber...mmmmmmm
 
I might be crazy, but I think the .338 and iron sights is a great combo.

For me at least, sighted in dead on at 100, where I point it within reasonable hunting ranges, it hits. No holding over really necessary.
 
I will disagree with the first 2 pages of posters.

I found the two 338's I had tough to shoot, the recoil bothered me. More than a 375H&H actually.

Through trial and error I discovered two things, one I don't like carrying a rifle that weighs more than 8.5 pounds with scope, sling and a full belly and two in a rifle that weight with medium weight bullets and a full power load the most powerful rifle I enjoy shooting is a 300 Win Mag.

I found the Rem 700 338 I had very difficult to shoot well, stock fit must be perfect and it wasn't.
 
The reality of recoil is that most shooters are done by the time they reach the 30-06/7 Rem level and its best to work up to that. By the time you get to the .300 Win Mag you've lost just about everyone. That reality is largely mental, and it can be overcome. Those that do cross-over whether comfortably or eventually just make a ramp out of empty casing and stroll over the hurdle, usually can just keep right on going into calibers that really kick. Things that make a .338 feel like a 243.

So the answer to whether a shooter can handle the small and medium magnums is probably not. If the the question is whether a dedicated shooter can learn to like it then the answer is yes, absolutely. If the question was whether they will actually do it instead of of talking about it the answer changes back to probably not. Recoil is mostly in your head. If it wasn't, then how would people ever get used to it? It's not like they get a callous on their shoulder after the 100th box of shells, or develope some form of permanent numbness. The only thing that changed is their perception; their mind has gone from thinking it is under some sort of attack to learning that it is actually no big deal and they will still be standing there iuninjured when it's over.
 
I have a Savage 220f slug gun...was suprised at the difference in recoil between 23/4 and 3 inch...i shoot a 30/06 comfortably not sure if you need more but if you can do it go for it I would but have a really bad neck...otherwise I think a 375 HH is as romantic a caliber as there is.....
 
Dogleg said:
The reality of recoil is that most shooters are done by the time they reach the 30-06/7 Rem level and its best to work up to that. By the time you get to the .300 Win Mag you've lost just about everyone. That reality is largely mental, and it can be overcome. Those that do cross-over whether comfortably or eventually just make a ramp out of empty casing and stroll over the hurdle, usually can just keep right on going into calibers that really kick. Things that make a .338 feel like a 243.

So the answer to whether a shooter can handle the small and medium magnums is probably not. If the the question is whether a dedicated shooter can learn to like it then the answer is yes, absolutely. If the question was whether they will actually do it instead of of talking about it the answer changes back to probably not. Recoil is mostly in your head. If it wasn't, then how would people ever get used to it? It's not like they get a callous on their shoulder after the 100th box of shells, or develope some form of permanent numbness. The only thing that changed is their perception; their mind has gone from thinking it is under some sort of attack to learning that it is actually no big deal and they will still be standing there iuninjured when it's over.
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^^^^Good post. After a rather light caliber rifle that kicked the heck out of me, i challenged myself. Right up past 40. Recently i have backed off to a light shooting 30-06. Last range time with the big guns was really discouraging. The lack of shooting heavy recoiling calibers and a major crash had me flinching.

Need to go and burn some powder, get accustomed again.
 
I have my 338 375 8mm mag and 458 all glassed into the stocks. I think this makes the better rifles. i have 338 rugers and a winchester.
 
Shot around 50 rounds of .338 from the bench today from my T3 Lite with skinner sights. Still alive, unscathed. I could have shot a few more but was approaching my limit.

I have to say 250 grains at around 2550 fps is a pretty pleasant load, and I think the round nosed hornadies would perform well on larger game at these velocities but I'm no expert. 225 grain Hornady factory loads, listed at 2840 from the muzzle, on the other hand holy crap!
 
conor_90 said:
Shot around 50 rounds of .338 from the bench today from my T3 Lite with skinner sights. Still alive, unscathed. I could have shot a few more but was approaching my limit.

I have to say 250 grains at around 2550 fps is a pretty pleasant load, and I think the round nosed hornadies would perform well on larger game at these velocities but I'm no expert. 225 grain Hornady factory loads, listed at 2840 from the muzzle, on the other hand holy crap!
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Why did you shoot 50 rounds from the bench with iron sights? Isn't that like $150?
 
Why does anyone do anything? Why would anyone shoot 50 rounds anytime? How will I ever achieve Dogleg* like iron shoulder offhand shooting ability if I don't put 1000's of rounds down range?


I don't know why I'm justifying my behavior to you, but here goes:

I had the hornadys left over from hunting season and the rest are reloads that cost far less than 3 dollars a round, especially considering the good deal I got on projectiles from a fellow gun nutter.

Also a receiver sight is not a traditional iron sight, and other people may be more capable with irons than yourself. I was easily shooting 2 moa...

*not a dig at dogleg, I hope someday I will be as capable a shooter as him.
 
conor_90 said:
Why does anyone do anything? Why would anyone shoot 50 rounds anytime? How will I ever achieve Dogleg* like iron shoulder offhand shooting ability if I don't put 1000's of rounds down range?


I don't know why I'm justifying my behavior to you, but here goes:

I had the hornadys left over from hunting season and the rest are reloads that cost far less than 3 dollars a round, especially considering the good deal I got on projectiles from a fellow gun nutter.

Also a receiver sight is not a traditional iron sight, and other people may be more capable with irons than yourself. I was easily shooting 2 moa...

*not a dig at dogleg, I hope someday I will be as capable a shooter as him.
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Listen, I was just asking. You don't have to "justify yourself". Try to relax a little, ok? :)

Little tip, though: you'll get more out of shooting from field positions than you will from the bench.
 
Besides OP, the 338 is not a good choice for what you said you would be asking of it....elk and sheep......You would be much better served with a 30 cal magnum for either one of these critters and moose and likely bear too. The perceived recoil will likely be less and your useable ranges will be increased significantly. The 300 WM will drive 200 gn bullets as fast or faster than a 338 will drive them and with a higher BC and a much better terminally performing bullet...........I have used both extensively and found the 338 to be a poor killer compared to 30 magnums. If you really want to kill the sh!t out of things for as far as you can see them, then load 200 gn ABs in a 300 RUM to it's maximum potential and turn it loose on game.........but now recoil does come into play.
The recoil of the 338 is indeed more than your run-of-the-mill big game cartridge, but as Dogleg says, it is easily within ones ability to overcome, however I think you are stressing your self to overcome something that there is no need for, when the 30 magnums are superior anyway.
If you really want to step up and you are willing to convince yourself that recoil is movement not pain and therefore nothing to fear, and you wish to use 338 bullets I would highly recommend the 340 Wby.........it is a noticeably superior cartridge to both the 30 magnum class and the 338 WM, but that level of performance does not come without a price, that being recoil. Never mind the cost of brass, as I make all mine from 375 H&H brass and bullets are the same whether feeding them to a 338 or 340, so the cost of feeding is the same either way, but you are in a whole new class of performance
 
^ The loads I have been playing with and use this hunting season for my .338 WM where as a sub 250 yard iron sighted montane forest gun. For iron right purposes it shoots flat enough for me because of the lack of holding over. The load I had the audacity to shoot from the bench was my attempt to cook up what is just above a hot .338/06 load for deer. I feel like it would do some serious damage to larger ungulates or bear within those limits.

I have had another very experienced elk hunter say something very similar about the .300 win mag being a better choice for elk. He also preferred the terminal performance of the .30 cal.

I'm sure the .340 wby delivers the goods at ranges I would never shoot at and on game on other continents. Curious if someone with your sheep hunting experience would prefer a smaller/faster caliber? Is the benefit to the .340 that is delivers both long range flat shooting and the downrange energy of med-bores?

I honestly don't know how tough a sheep is, but I'm curious is 7mm cartridges would work better for them, they always seemed a popular choice.
 
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