.338 Federal...how good?
- Thread starter gmarr
- Start date
I've had a .338 Fed barrel from a Hawkeye , that I've been looking for a donor 760 Rem. to put it on . I'm going to trim it down to 20" and maybe turn it down some to reduce weight . You can get these guns down to 6.5# and they're real handy in the thick stuff . I've got one in .358 Win. that I built about ten years ago , I'll never part with it . I'd really like to try the .338 with 210 Gr. bullets . Should really bitch slap a hog I think , and should work all the way up to and including Elk ! When I'm hunting something that can bite me I like to put that second shot into them before they can take a step , and there's nothing faster than a pump on followups !
Winchester does not offer the 338 Federal. Nor do many others. If you want something a little different, and don't mind the fact that ammo is not as easily available then it is not a bad round.
But it won't kill anything a 308 won't kill. And you don't have to worry about the 308 being phased out in a couple of years. 308 and 30-06 ammo is everywhere with a wide selection of loadings suitable for everything in North America from prairie dogs to grizzly. The 308 shoots the same bullet weights to almost the same speeds as the 338 Federal with handloads. The 30-06 shoots the same bullet weights faster, and the extra .03" bullet diameter is about the same as your fingernail. I don't see that making any difference.
It comes down to this. Do you want something a little different, or do you want to be practical? Nothing wrong with either approach and I'm sure the 338 Fed. kills stuff just fine.
But it won't kill anything a 308 won't kill. And you don't have to worry about the 308 being phased out in a couple of years. 308 and 30-06 ammo is everywhere with a wide selection of loadings suitable for everything in North America from prairie dogs to grizzly. The 308 shoots the same bullet weights to almost the same speeds as the 338 Federal with handloads. The 30-06 shoots the same bullet weights faster, and the extra .03" bullet diameter is about the same as your fingernail. I don't see that making any difference.
It comes down to this. Do you want something a little different, or do you want to be practical? Nothing wrong with either approach and I'm sure the 338 Fed. kills stuff just fine.
