Question: Would you say the results of the best .338 magnums of your tests/comparison would be the same if reloads were considered? One of the most useful cartridges ever developed by the hand of man, the .338 will do it all. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Winter is finally drawing to a close, and spring brings with it new life, and most importantly, a new hunting season. John B. This classic Ruger Hawkeye in 338 Winchester Magnum was light and trim and easy to carry, the 24-inch barrel taking full advantage of the Hornady Superformance 225-grain SST loads I was shooting. Brown bears and grizzlies, although closely related, are distinctly different animals. overflow: hidden; Warren Page did more bear hunting than anyone I know, and had a dedicated bear rifle. His outfitting crew has scored a 100 percent success rate on brown bears for rifle hunters for years. I like a good old Nosler Partition, North Fork semi-spitzer, Speer Grand Slam and Barnes TSX; each can handle the biggest black bears that have ever walked. Forget about long shots. 5. | Snow is Shooting Editor of Outdoor Life, where he oversees the publications firearms and shooting coverage. 338 Winchester Magnum Ammo for sale online or in-store at Sportsman's Warehouse. text-align: center; Mag. It was Winchesters second belted magnum based on the 375 &H case of 1912. Find a full line of 338 Winchester Magnum ammo from all major brands at the best prices. Luke likes when his clients bring .338s or .375s because they allow a little more room for error when it comes to shot placement. Ive used a .260 Remington on elk and a .338 Federal on moose, neither of which are particularly large, and Ive also used a .450 Marlin on caribou and have shot a whole petting zoo worth of crittersincluding the tiny duikerwith my .416 Rigby. 7. The more energy and penetration the better, provided you dont select a firearm thats too powerful for you to adequately manage. 250 gr. See what else he has to say in the video, along with some bear footage hes taken over the years while guiding. Mags 210-grain load. Still the most popular .338 magnum in the world, the .338 Win. Weatherby, for a change, followed Winchesters lead. As much of the spring weather can be intermittently inclement, this is a perfect situation for the synthetic-stocked rifles. In other words, the trajectory curve of the 300s 210-grain load is almost identical to the 338s 225-grain load. Its also capable of sending a massive projectile, like Buffalo Bores 430-grain hard-cast bullet, at roughly 2000 fps and 3,600 ft.-lbs. Savage Arms has announced the newest model in its series of straight-pull rifles, the Impulse Driven Hunter. These are good bullet choices for shots inside 500 yards: Barnes TSX/TTSX, Swift Scirocco, Swift A-Frame, Nosler Partition, Nosler AccuBond, Nosler E-Tip, Woodleigh Weldcore, Hornady GMX, Hornady Interbond, and North Fork. Ultimately, its his ass on the line, not yours. is an accurate cartridge, shown by this group fired with Swift 225-gr. will dig in deeper then most 250 gr. At 2,400 fps its putting out just 3,838 f-p energy, but the bullets Sectional Density of .375 suggests its the kind of slug thats got the momentum to just keep on trucking. All the others mentioned here will continue to get the job done as well. Youre probably a lot better off with an 06 that doesnt cause you to wet yourself than with a .495 Thunderf**ker that does. Despite their Thors Hammer performance, .338 magnums are not as popular as their .30 caliber cousins for one big reason: recoil. If you handload, go for 250-grain or 275-grain Swift A-Frames. .338 magnums need controlled expansion bullets like this Nosler Partition for large, tough game at ranges less than 500 yards. That is a pretty good benchmark. The doctor may not be able to patch the holes in you if he gets up and decides to get even. Like the .338 Lapua, it is a great candidate for the 300-grain long-range bullets now on the market. .338 Winchester Magnum The favorite among Alaskan guides as a backup gun, the .338 Winchester Magnum was released in 1958 as belted, rimless cartridge. Either a long-range bullet fired up close, or a close-range one used too far away can cause ineffective wounds and result in lost game. The second newest cartridge in this test, the .338 RUM has been around since 2002. The 338 Winchester Magnum followed in 1958. It must be chambered in rifles with a magnum length action which means few rifle makers other than Remington offer a model for it. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. The .338 Winchester Magnum derived much from work done by ballistics pioneer, Elmer Keith, among others. A strong 400-grain bullet at 2,400 fps is highly persuasive. and large game (1500 ft-lbs), and the minimum velocity most hunting bullets require for reliable expansion (1800 fps). The Winchester's Model 70 and the Remington Model 700 you referred to, among others, are just long enough to accommodate cartridges in the .375 H&H Magnum class (3.6 inches overall length) such as the Remington Ultra Magnums. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. Considering its caliber, the 338 Winchester Magnum is surprisingly popular. Forget the fat, tame grizzlies you see lumbering around in movies. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. be a minimally better option. And theres no doubt what my guide pal has to say on the subject. I attribute this to the compromise that hunters who travel a lot reach to find that one do it all round that is big enough for heavy game and will shoot flat for longer shots they might encounter. Keith wanted something which would hammer through a quartering-away elk (his favorite game) out to 300 or 400 yards and realized a .338 caliber bullet driven fast enough would get the job done. Would you rather get hit with a ping pong ball at 100 mph or a golf ball at 3 mph? Mag. MPBR for a 10 inch kill box illustrates the concept. The 338 win mag ammo is the first choice among . Well after poor performance on a brown bear at 100+/- yards, tracking it into an alder patch and having to finish her with a 375 Ruger mag. AccuBond at 2941 fps. It took one shot from a .340 Weatherby and that was that. Energy would be an obvious answer. Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Grizzly Or Brown Bear Hunt. is what usually comes to mind. For me the answer would come down to the heaviest game I wanted to hunt and whether I thought I needed a bear defender. At the minimum, tape your floorplate shut, or have a gunsmith pin it shut. So that will help you get off repeat shots quicker. Theres nothing that can stand up to it. Let's look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. For brown bears, a premium softpoint is the sound choice; I like the Nosler Partition, Swift A-Frame, Barnes TSX, Woodleigh Weldcore, Hornady DGX Bonded and Federal Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. .338 Winchester Magnum The favorite among Alaskan guides as a backup gun, the .338 Winchester Magnum was released in 1958 as belted, rimless cartridge. The less recoil, the more accurate the shooter, and hence, the more effective the cartridge. Boattail bullets and screaming velocities are not necessary for these situations, though a premium bullet might not be a bad idea, due to the high impact velocities. History. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Mag) hits the expansion limit at almost 600 yards! Among firearms platforms, a rifle delivers more energy and is effective to greater distances, making it the first choice. As a general rule, more than 15 ft-lbsf is considered enough recoil to affect most shooters accuracy. Ive used my old Ruger 77 in .308 Winchester for baited bears with good success, and for other hunts have taken along a 6.5-284 Norma, .275 Rigby, .300 Winchester Magnum, and even a .375 H&H Magnum, and for each of them I prefer bullets on the heavier side of the spectrum, relying on sectional density (SD) rather than velocity. The newest .338 magnum, the 33 Nosler arrived on the market in 2016. was inspired by big-bore aficionados such as Elmer Keith. Warren Pages .35 Mashburn had a 20-inch Mannlicher-stocked barrel and weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces. The main factor is to know the maximum and minimum anticipated impact velocities and the intended game, then select a bullet that is reliable under those conditions. Answer: Yes, if your loads used the same bullets at the same velocity as those in the article. load will recoil with about 30.2 foot-pounds of free recoil energy at a velocity of 14.7 fps. Mag. Mag, the softest here, slaps the shooter as hard as a .375 H&H Magnum, while the .338-378 and .338 Lapua are close to .416 Rigby territory. of energy at 1500 fps, while the 495-grain DDupleks leaves the muzzle at 1410 fps with 2,180 ft.-lbs. Specifications & Features. Any way you slice it, the .357 has proven itself as a worthy close-range bear stopper. or any of the newer or more exotic mags out there in .30 caliber. The 338 will sure as hell get the job done for anyone who can shoot at all. Elvis was young and Marilyn Monroe was THE Hollywood sex symbol when the 338 Win. vertical-align: top While a well-placed shot from a 10mm can no doubt do the trick, the .357 Mag. Whether you can actually safely reach that MV is the question. Online shopping from a great selection of discounted 338 Winchester Magnum Rifle Ammunition at Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore. If that bothers elk, moose, bears or eland, they sure haven't told anyone. Brilliant writing. border-width: 1px; As the bear charge drill in his course demonstrates, the average bear attack will happen at 50 yards or less with an 800-pound animal moving at 30 mph. If that bothers elk, moose, bears or eland, they sure havent told anyone. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the .338 Winchester Magnum is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest grizzly or brown bear. Youre going to need something with more horsepower. 250 gr. The .338 Win. Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor; Action: Bolt; Barrel Length: 22" Magazine Capacity: 5; Classic XT model with MAX polymer stock; Neutral cast for both left- and right-handed shooters The flat-shooting .338 Win. That way youre instantly bear ready. may be the better option then the 300 Win. of energy. The .458" and .264" bore diameters were certainly no strangers to the hunting and shooting community; those bore diameters date back to the . The .338 win mag ammo is a .338 in (8.6 mm) caliber, belted, rimless, bottlenecked cartridge introduced in 1958 by Winchester Repeating Arms. About noon I hiked along the edge of a timbered draw toward another vantage point.. To no ones surprise this impala ram traveled after the shot. You must log in or register to reply here. Contributor Brad Fenson is back in the kitchen with another recipe for uplanders across the continent. A 12-gauge shotgun and slug will deliver impressive energy and is effective to moderate ranges. 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