338 federal

[tdoyka]

i was thinking(yes, again), what would be a good deer load in the encore under 250 yards, use 200 grain bullets, and not knock my block off(had a stroke). i am getting a 444 marlin with bellms muzzle brake( as soon as mgm buys the barrel), and i have a 6.5 creedmoor, which does an marvelous job. i think(here we go again thinking) i have come up with a good caliber, the 338 federal. its based on the 308 and can shoot 180-225gr bullets. i'm guessing the recoil isn't that bad, i shot a 338rum, and i don't want to do it again!
does anybody have thoughts on the 338 fed.? or should i quit thinking and try to get the 257 roberts ai?

thanks

 

[JD0x0]

The general consensus seems to be the .338 federal is a fine cartridge but it's not really doing anything that the .308 win can't. The .338 calibers shine with heavy for caliber bullets and the .338 fed just doesn't get them to an impressive velocity. The 200-225 grain bullets aren't going to have much if any advantage over 180-200's in the .308 win. In fact the .308 bullet would likely have better ballistic coefficients and therefore, will retain their velocity over a longer range, and will not be affected by wind as much.

Also why a .257 Roberts AI? Why not a 25-06? Which should not only develop more muzzle energy and velocity but, brass and factory ammo are easier to find and probably cheaper. Unless you just want it to have something different, which is fine, I just see no real advantage. Same thing with the .338 Fed, .308 is easier to find in the stores in most cases.

 

[tdoyka]

i have a 308, and i got rid of my 25-06. i'm just real curious about the 338fed. does it kick(about the same as an 30-06 is my guessitmite), what kind of bullets shold i reload,.....

 

[olddav]

I know that this is not answering your question directly but I went from a 30-06 to a 338-06. The difference between a 150 grain in the 30-06 and a 250 grain bullet in the 338-06 the recoil was quite a bit stiffer. I had to install a Limbsaver 1" recoil pad to remove some of the pain. My quess would be that the 338 Fed will kick a good bit more than the 308.

 

[jmr40]

The 338 Fed doesn't do anything a 308 won't do except kick harder. You can shoot 125-220 gr bullets in a 308 too.

Sometimes we all overthink this stuff. You already have all you need.

 

[taylorce1]

i'm just real curious about the 338fed. does it kick(about the same as an 30-06 is my guessitmite), what kind of bullets shold i reload,.....

There is only one way to really find out for yourself, you have to get one and shoot it. Will the .338 Federal do anything better than the .308 in the grand scheme of things, not really. However it does launch a bigger diameter bullet faster than it's .308 counterpart 180's at 2700+ and 200's at 2600+. This will leave a larger wound channel and offer plenty of penetration on any deer, bear, or elk.

For bullets I'd look at the 180 and 200 grain Nosler Accubond and the 210 Partition. In Barnes I'd look at the 160 grain TTSX and 185 grain TTSX/TSX. Hornady I'd use the 185 grain GMX, 200 grain SP and FTX. In Speer the 200 grain Hot Core would be the best bullet to use then maybe a 225 Deep Curl. In Sierra the 225 grain Pro Hunter as several reports have listed the 215 Game King as too tough of a bullet for anything less than a .338 Win Mag.

210 and lighter bullets are going to give you the best performance in the .338 Federal. However in an Encore you won't be constrained by magazine length. That Said I'd still throat it for the 200 grain Accubond as that would be the longest bullet I think I'd use in the .338 Federal.

 

[tdoyka]

i am still looking at the 338 fed, the 200gr sounds pretty good.

here are some cartidges i have used/using

20 vartarg
22 long range /long/short
222 remington
223 remington
22-250 remington ackley improved
243 winchester
25-06 remington
6.5 creedmoor
270 winchester
7mm-08 reminton
7mm mauser
30-30 winchester
32 winchester special
308
30-06
45-70 govenrment
38 special
44 remington mag