Anyone here shoot&/or reload .338 Win Mag ??


THX

Over here,

but my experience with .338 is limited to
Alliant RL-19  75 gr, 77 gr, and 78gr
under 225gr Hornady Spire point or 200gr Nosler BT.  

One of these days, I want to brew up a bunch of 300gr Sierras, if those are still available.  There is also an outfit in Idaho that manufactures high BC 250 grains.  Pricey though.

Not doing any shooting right now though.    

So frankly, I don't have any experience that anyone who has reloaded rifle cartridges doesn't.  

What are you looking for? FWIW, I like the cartridge, and would only rather have .308 or .30-06 for a one rifle battery.  

I shoot the .338 in my Browning BAR Safari II with the BOSS system. I'm not recoil sensative but this one pounds me hard, 3 shots and i'm done. My wife can shoot a box of 20 through it without a problem and she's  120 pounds soaking wet.

As far as reloading, its the only way to be able to afford shooting this large caliber much. Figure you will only get 100 rounds or less per pound of powder. I use IMR powder (can't remember which one off the top of my head, I reload for 9 calibers!) I have found the best results with a medium load. It's a great caliber with some serious knockdown power. Shooting off a bipod at 480 yards netted me 5" groups and that is fine with me. If you get a rifle with the boss system, make sure and wear ear plugs AND muffs, it's freaking loud.

idaho-ar15

Quoted: I shoot the .338 in my Browning BAR Safari II with the BOSS system.

How you like the BAR ?

great caliber with some serious knockdown power. Shooting off a bipod at 480 yards netted me 5" groups and that is fine with me. If you get a rifle with the boss system, make sure and wear ear plugs AND muffs, it's freaking loud. idaho-ar15

Yeah, I have an older Winchester Laredo in .300 WinMag with the BOSS & BOSS CR(no brake)

It still surprises me that the BOSS system isn't more popular.  It effectively takes care of barrel harmonics without a heavy barrel.

I've been thinking of sell the Laredo & getting a PSS in .300 RemUltra or a Sendero in .338 RemUltra & then also a BAR II with Boss in  .300 WinMag.   I figure the BOSS & gas operation would dissipate the recoil some.

Quoted: Over here, What are you looking for? FWIW, I like the cartridge, and would only rather have .308 or .30-06 for a one rifle battery.

Well I just bought a Ruger 77 MkII All-Weather
in .338 WinMag for my brother in law as a X-mas gift(with some help from my sister-in-law:)
 He's moving from SE Texas to the Portland OR area & is looking forward to hunting some Elk , Mule Deer, & maybe some Moose now that he'll be up in that part of the country.

 Im may go hunt with him some in the future & am just trying to get some info. on the cartridge from shooters & what kind of loads they've liked.

THX for the feedback!

I've got the BAR Safari MKII in 7mmRem.Mag. with B.O.S.S. and the C.R.(conventional recoil) units.  The regular muzzle brake type is louder'n shit!
The C.R. only has two holes in the end for the rod/key to slip through for removal of the unit.
I don't really notice any difference in recoil, only the noise.
I fired it recently with some cheap Federal Hi-Shok ammo and man, was it accurate!  I lucked out on the vibe setting and left it alone.  I got three holes horizontally strung about an inch wide.  This was at 25-yds. on a special target to simulate 100-yds. at that distance.  Can't wait to see what it really does at a true 100-yds.  It might not look that good, but...

In .338 Win.Mag., I've got the Remington 700 BDL-DM.  I've put maybe 2 boxes of ammo through the gun.  It kicks pretty good, but, I like it.
That's plenty of gun and cartridge for me or any animal I might shoot.  
I was originally going to get the BAR in this caliber, just like idaho-ar15 has and try to make it a "stalker" in all matte.  Now, Browning has exactly that in the catalog.  I figured the gas system would soften the recoil, and so would the weight of the gun. I wanted a detachable mag, too.
I ended up getting the Remington so I could shoot the enhanced power ammo, making it even more powerful.  I ended up not wanting a 10-lb. hunting rifle.  I got the detachable mag, so I'm happy with it.
cnatra- who's the bouncing betty in your signature?  oo-la-la!

Quoted: I shoot the .338 in my Browning BAR Safari II with the BOSS system. I'm not recoil sensative but this one pounds me hard, 3 shots and i'm done. My wife can shoot a box of 20 through it without a problem and she's  120 pounds soaking wet. If you get a rifle with the boss system, make sure and wear ear plugs AND muffs, it's freaking loud. idaho-ar15

When you say you are done, what was it that did you in?  Was it the pounding from the recoil or the blast due to the BOSS system?

The recoil is what shuts me down. The blast isn't bad if you have hearing protection. Don't let anyone stand to the side of you with the boss though, I did that while my wife was shooting and I swear my eye lids turned inside out from the shock wave!!

idaho-ar15

there's a pretty decent book called "Blood, Bullets and Backstraps" about an elk hunter out of Roseburg who really liked the .338 with the Hornadays.  Person'lly, I think that it's just because you could get the Hornadays for 14.99/100ct at BIMART sometimes  :)  At least that's why I bought them.  

You never know what the roots behind failure to kill are, but I have a friend or two that say that elk take a "lot of killing."  One decided that he had to have a .375 after having to shoot multiple times with a 7mm.  

Never heard of anyone else who felt undergunned for elk with the 7mm, though, so I wonder if he might have been shooting poorly.  seems odd since he was an avid reloader.  

I would like to be educated as to whether the .338 Lapua offers a lot more than the .338Win.

I just like the .338 bullet.  

And that BOSS is great for clearing the benches to your right and left of pesky riff-raf.  Recoil gets tedious off the bench.  Take your time.  
 

Quoted: I would like to be educated as to whether the .338 Lapua offers a lot more than the .338Win. I just like the .338 bullet.

Yeah, I'm thinking the .338 RemUltra will fall in there somewhere , probably very close to the Lapua.   I figure the Rem brass will cost less too.

And that BOSS is great for clearing the benches to your right and left of pesky riff-raf.  Recoil gets tedious off the bench.  Take your time.

 I figure the BOSS is good for sighting in & trying loads at the range,to reduce the recoil abuse,  & the CR would be good for hunting where ideally it's only one or two shots on a given day.

My father has the .338WM BAR and I have the .300WM BAR. Both are pre-Safari with no brakes or icky engraving.

Both of us are quite fond of the rifle. While I don't find it the most accurate thing in the world, it holds it's own. My only complaint is the traditionally chitty Browning bluing. You need to keep alot of oil on the finishes of these weapons. Mine has faired better than my fathers, probably because I'm more attentive to the problem.  DO NOT leave a cold (from being outside) BAR in a foam case overnight in the warm indoors. The condensation will rust the finish in no time.

The recoil is there. They are fun to shoot at the range, brake or no brake. Its a canon compared to the little .223 "pops".

Try shooting the .338WM in a tightly enclosed 300ft masonary rifle tube (Bass Pro Shops, Grapevine TX).  The shock reflects off the end of the tube and almost knocks you off your chair! It also warps the glass in the enclosed room. If there are onlookers outside, I'll look back with a smirk before I fire. By the second shot, they are standing farther away:)

Quoted: Quoted: I would like to be educated as to whether the .338 Lapua offers a lot more than the .338Win. I just like the .338 bullet. Yeah, I'm thinking the .338 RemUltra will fall in there somewhere , probably very close to the Lapua.   I figure the Rem brass will cost less too.

I would love to see a comparison on the ballistics between the two.  I'm very interested in purchasing a Sako TRG-S in .338 LM, but the .338 UM would be so much cheaper to shoot.  I know the .338 LM is incredibly accurate, but you never hear much about the accuracy of the Ultramag.

Here is my pet load that I stole from my father.
Please work up your loads and check for signs of pressure.  My load consists of:
250gr Sierra Game Kings, over 71gr. of IMR4831, topped off with Fed 215mag primers.  This load WORKS!!  Awsome on Elk!  Measured velocity out of a 24" Rem. 700SS is @2850fps.  Published velocity for this load is 2700.  About the same out of two different rifles, so I don't know what's up with the published velocity.  This is also a very accurate load out of two different rifles.  I get groups at or under one inch consistently at 100yds out of my rifle.  

BTW, this load kicks!  I have a hard time shooting more than 10 at a time with out starting to flinch.  

I feel that this load is a little much for deer and antelope.  Unless you aim for a shoulder, I don't think there is enough expansion.  I have had several deer run 50 to 70yds after being hit.  On the other hand, it drops elk in thier tracks, right now!  I shot an antelope with this load at about 25yds facing me.  Bullet entered the mid chest, traveled the length of the antelope and came to rest in the groin(ouch).  Needless to say, antelope didn't go anywhere but down.  Stay safe, check for pressure!
guns762

 The .338 win mag is a tremendous general purpose cartridge for Alaska, long range elk, and as a general plains game cartridge for Africa. With the heavier bullets it penetrates like crazy and that IS the name of the game for the big stuff. Sure it may be overkill on caribou but what if theres a ten foot brown bear wanting to take that caribou? It surely is a bit heavy for the light stuff and a bit  light for the truly heavy stuff BUT with proper placement, and good bullets, it will work.
 I have experience with the .338 Mag on deer and elk here in Montana, it works VERY well on elk.  I also have a .338-06 which is simply the .30-06 case necked up to .338". It drives a 250 grain bullet to 2500 fps or a bit more. That is a full 200-300 fps BELOW what a .338 Win Mag can produce with the same bullet. Despite that, I have killed a few head of fairly large African game as well as elk, all with one shot. My elk this year was a large bodied bull at 280 yds. One shot was all that was needed.

 I have loaded for the .338 Lapua as well, in a Sako TRG model. Very accurate and add another 300+ fps velocity OVER the .338 Win Mag. BUT that additional velocity cost you dearly. In a rifle of reasonable weight, (8-9 pounds)the recoil is more than 90% of experienced shooters care for. Add a muzzle brake and its much better, but you pay with a brake too.

 UNLESS the vast majority of your shots are over 400 yds, AND you are a heck of an experienced shooter, AND a very calm and cool hunter.........the .338 Lapua isn't for YOU. That is my personal opinion anyway. You can add the .340 Weatherby Mag and the .338 RUM to that as well.

 For general purpose hunting of large game the .338 WM is a great round. Even loaded down a bit to .338-06 velocities it kills well.

 Frank N.