Serious Question- 338 Federal

WhelanLad

WhelanLad

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Why are you guys laughing?

I am being serious, :) I do make sure of that, You see I might be selling the 270 and have the 35 Whelen for sale too, but if the sale goes ahead of the 270 I will trade the Whelen in on a Tikka t3 in 338 Federal, which is currently scoped but can negotiate a deal without..


Has anyone used them?

I'm trying to get some sort of idea of how a 225gr would go out of the 338 federal case (308w) what would real life velocity be in the range of, out of a tikka, so is that 24? or 22 inch.. proberly the latter.

The lightweight rifle will be used for in close work to 200m Max, and be a big brother to the 7mm08, replacing the Whelen.



the other realistic thing about this is use of 180gr projies and most likely AR2208/ Varget thru the whole range, long Action T3 will allow me to seat out as far as throat allows..



How does it realistically stack up against the 35 Whelen? 358win? & handloaded RCM?


Thanks lads

cheers
 
If it was me, I would get the 338 federal and rechamber it to 338-06 since tikka t3's are all built on the same length of action. Im sorry that doesn't answer any of your questions. Just my $0.02
 
I'm selling the Ruger 1 303 too mate!! it was too close to the 308. realistically around 2300 fps for around 220gr , early online claimed velocities are 210gr at 2600... which would be a bit bold

WL
 
for 200 meters id tackle a sambar stag no worries I think with a accubond or something. especially in under 100!

I'm keen I think

see how this sale goes this arvo

WL
 
a serious question about less guns for getting only one on gunnutz wrong question on a wrong forum ...

if you are to change all your rifles for one get a 366 wagner and do not come back lol ...

enjoy your day.
 
haha good on ya!


might be worth looking into sourcing Dies from Canada! much more easily obtainable! ill cross that bridge when I get there mate
 
For interest sake,

how much would 338 fed dies be in your local?

plus I wonder freight, lets say $20.


ill look into aus prices... if someone could kindly look into their local stuff?
id be lucky to find aus stuff

WL
 
I like the 338 fed but figure its at its best with the 200 grn range. seems to loose a lot of speed with the heavier weights. I use 200grn in my 338 06 as well. they kill extremely well. as for trading a 35 whelen for one I don't know. I wouldn't trade a good 35 whelen for a 338 fed I would just buy the fed and keep both. the only advanatage the 338's have is its easier to find bullets than in 35.
 
WhelanLad said:
For interest sake,

how much would 338 fed dies be in your local?

plus I wonder freight, lets say $20.


ill look into aus prices... if someone could kindly look into their local stuff?
id be lucky to find aus stuff

WL
Click to expand...

WL,

never seen 338 brass over where i live only factory but there is no shortage of 308 brass for sure.
 
The .338 Fed is the answer to a question nobody asked. Maybe just get some 160 gr. partitions for your 7mm, it will likely kill just as well. Seriously, I would rather have a .308 than a .338 Fed, and the .308 is to close to the 7-08 to be worth the bother of having both.

Btw, if you keep cleaning house, you're going to have to talk to the mods about getting your handle changed from Whelenlad to Kimberlite.
 
If you are concerned about velocity and want to shoot a bullet over 200 grains, why are you dicking around with the .308 case? Time to move to the WM case.

Selling a Whelen and then asking about the velocity of the Fed doesn't make sense to me... just load the 225's for accuracy, don't look at the chrono and go shoot some animals.
 
I would stay with the 35 cal as it does what u are looking to get out of the 338fed and a bit more if u load it to max
Maybe look at stocks for the rifle to get it close to the tikka if that is what u prefer
 
The .338 federal chambering is probably best applied for a light weight short action short barrelled thick bush or high country with around the .200-.210 grain boat tails, for an all round light caliber that shoots predictably to medium range and is potent enough at close range IMO. I would like to see Howa,s mountain rifle with something like a 2-7 scope in this chambering (too bad they don't make it), but it is kind of a niche caliber in that respect as well.
 
Loading bullets long won't work in a Tikka as the magazine won't allow much more or sometimes just sami length before feeding issues arise. .338 federal has peeked my interest as well but with a bunch of .30-06's in the safe it just didn't make much sense.
 
cody c said:
The .338 federal chambering is probably best applied for a light weight short action short barrelled thick bush or high country with around the .200-.210 grain boat tails, for an all round light caliber that shoots predictably to medium range and is potent enough at close range IMO. I would like to see Howa,s mountain rifle with something like a 2-7 scope in this chambering (too bad they don't make it), but it is kind of a niche caliber in that respect as well.
Click to expand...

This is how I envision the .338 Federal as well. Short light brush gun. I have no experience with the caliber but I like the idea of it for this application.
 
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