338 performance

[Bob S.]

I'm in the market for a new rifle for some long range hunting. I was seriously considering having a 7mm ultra mag built but just came across a smokin deal on a remmington 338 win mag for 375 including scope. I was wondering how the 338 performs in the real world of long shots. The gun currently has no brake but will sport one if I decide to go with it. Any feedback on the 338 vs 7mm ultra would be appreciated. I plan on using it for elk out to 650 yds.

 

[ewallace]

The 338 Win would make an exellent hunting rifle for the range you want to shoot.
Crow Mag

 

[royinidaho]

Came across the same kind of deal. Kept me from rebarrelling a REM 721 to 338-06 or purchaseing a new BDL in 338 RUM.

Ended up with a left hand BDL w/VariXII 3X9

It was, to me, one of those deals that if passed up I'd loose sleep over for a while.

I am really impressed with it. Its a bit of a thumper on the back end but only just a bit more than an 06. Talk about bullet performance at distances. WOW! Haven't harvested anything yet but I should be able to hit 'em, if I don't get the fever too bad. The bullets I'm picking out of the backstops are something to behold.

You otta see what it does to a 5-gallon bucket of water. Impressive.

Elk opens, for me, Dec 1. I'll let ya know how she does.....

 

[bradking1]

i have a 338 ultra and a serious powerhouse it is. i took it to africa and whatever i hit with it fell as if struck by lightning...the largest animals were kudu and gemsbok...both being tougher than my wife's oven broiled steaks

i was shooting 215gr sierras over copious amounts of rl22...super flat and tremendous performance. both were killed at over 300 pushing 400. if you have the resources (took me forever to save enough money)and you dig making long shots...go to the east cape of the RSA. you can definitely stretch the legs on any rifle you have and test your shooting capabilities.

[ 11-25-2004: Message edited by: brad ]

 

[Jon Bischof]

Cowboy: I am confident with my .338 Win Mag out to 350 yards. I think I could go farther with some more practice at shooting out to 400. My rifle groups better with the lighter bullets than with the 250 grain.

I did use it to kill a whitetail doe this year. Federal 180 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip dropped her like a bag of cement and broke the far side shoulder. But this was at 30 yards! Hardly a test of longrange performance on game, but I practised at 100,200 and 300 yards with this load and it is very accurate in my rifle. I don't think the outcome at 300 yards would have been any different with this doe.

At 325 yards a 200 grain Winchester PowerPoint will go right through a steel farming disc that .308 Winchester bullets just bounce off of at the same range. So I have a lot of confidence in the .338 Win Mag at 325 yards. If it will go through a steel disc, it should penetrate an elk's shoulder. Looking forward to many happy wallops with this gun. Of course the .338 Ultra Mag has even more power--but it also kills the shooter, unless it is a very heavy gun.

You will just have to try shooting yours at 500 and 600 yards and see how confident you can become using your hunting rest setup of making consistent killing hits at that range. I use a graduated scope reticle so I do not have to adjust at longer ranges, I just know what part of the Mil-dot reticle to use at known ranges.

 

[Bob S.]

Thanks for the input guys. I couldn't pass up the deal on the 338. Mod 70 with scope, dies, 200+ rounds primed brass and a partial box of 225gr honady sst's for $385. I did get to shoot it prior to hunting season but did not get to hunt due to a dislocated shoulder. I will try it later after healed from surgery (next month). I plan on having some smith work done on the gun to accurize it but have to wait till I can get back to work and start earning a paycheck again. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif I'll keep you guys posted when it happens - new stock,new barrel,smithed,new scope etc. I'll take before and after pics. In the meantime I'm getting my shopping list together for the parts and dreaming about reaching out there and touching something. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[royinidaho]

[ QUOTE ]
I did get to shoot it prior to hunting season but did not get to hunt due to a dislocated shoulder. I will try it later after healed from surgery (next month).

[/ QUOTE ]

Cowboy,
I can here the stand up comic now, "You can tell you're a cowboy from Wyoming if.........."

The way you said that just struck me funny. Especially after my first three shots with a thumper. I didn't a pretty decent rendition of the broken wing crane dance for awhile. Now its piece of cake with an attitude.

Good luck on the healing part. You'll enjoy the rifle. Itsa pretty good cartridge and caliber.

 

[Bob S.]

Yeah I thought about that after I wrote it. It wasn't the thumper that caused the dislocation, I got thumped by a horse. One of the hazards working with the critters. Its too bad I can't even raise the arm to shoot if I wanted to. I don't think I could take the recoil right now, talk about developing a flinch. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif I will get better and that rifle will be sweet when I'm done with it.

 

[mjs3240]

Cowboy
The longest shot I have taken to date on game was with my 338 Win Mag Ruger 77. I got it at a steal for $250.00 from a gentleman who won it at a Mule Deer Foundation dinner. I installed a Burris 4-12 compact with their ballistic-plex reticle on it. I developed a load that sent the 200 grain Nosler Ballistic tip bullet out the muzzle at 3040 FPS. I took a Dall Sheep in Alaska last year at a lazed 427 yards. The first shot went over the ram which was laying down. He stood up and my second shot took out both lungs and exited his liver. The shot was taken with him quatering toward me. The sheep layed down and did not get up again.
MJS

 

[Jon Bischof]

mjs..: Did that Ballistic Plex reticle help you make that 2nd shot? In other words, were you using the 400 yard mark on the reticle or spacing the sheep between the 400 and 500 mark?

 

[mjs3240]

JCB:
Yes the Ballistic Plex scope helped me make the 2nd shot. I placed the scope on the Ram between the 400 and 500 yard cross hatches. I am a believer in Ballistic Plex scopes and lazer range finders. I was using a Leica 1200 range finder which is an outstanding product. I have been competing in Silhouette matches for the past 12 years so I am not unfamiliar with long range shooting.
MJS

 

[Warhawk]

I'm a big fan of the .338, and thank Elmer Keith for introducing me to this great caliber. I bought my first 338 after a bad experience on a monster whitetail with a .270 Winchester.

My current 338 is a Remington 700 stainless mountain rifle. It wears a 3-9x Leupold Compact scope. The biggest game I've killed with it was a 300 pound Kansas whitetail in 2001. The deer was on the run at about 50 yards and skidded to a stop on his nose. I've killed about 20 other whitetails with 338's. My "deer load" uses a 200 grain Nosler ballistic tip and my "big game" load uses 250 grain partitions. I've killed deer out to nearly 400 yards with the 200 BTs and have never had to blood trail one.

I'm planning to put together a heavy barrelled (Sendero?) in 338 Ultra Mag for long range shooting.

 

[Jon Bischof]

mjs: I also love my Burris Ballistic Mildot reticle; it has silmilar markings on the lower vertical crosshair as the Ballistic Plex, but it also has Mildots on the horizontal to help with wind correction. It shure makes longer shots quick and easy without having to crank turrets.

Warhawk: Wow sounds like you are going to build a serious long-range .338. You will be thankful for the extra weight when you shoot that Ultra-Mag. Wouldn't want to try that in a 9 lb rifle--ouch!