A while back a friend came over with his 338 win. savage hog hunter. We were shooting a 3/8 mild steel plate set at a slight angle to deflect the bullets down at 500 yards. He was shooting 225 g sp I was shooting my 280 ackley with 162 A max. the dents where I hit were twice a deep as his 338. I would not have believed it. It would leave me to believe that the 338 is running out of steam at that range. He said he is going back to his 7 mag.
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338 win mag ver 280 Ackley
- Thread starter Tnwhip
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mountainman56
Well-Known Member
Different bullets perform differently on steel. 175gr Barnes bullets from a 300 win will stick in a 1/4" plate at 500 yards whereas 150gr ballistic tips from my 280 AI punch holes that look like they've been drilled despite the fact they are travelling almost the same speed. I bet if your friend was also shooting Amax there wouldn't bee as much difference.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
The .338 WinMag is not one of the "hotrod" .338 calibers. And yes, it will start dropping off velocity fast at that distance. Especially with the short barrel the Hog Hunter has. If I remember correctly, isn't it only a 20" barrel?
I may be wrong about it being a hog hunter, I looked and they don't make in in a 338 win mag. I know it wasn't a long barrel and it had a muzzle break, but he could have had that put on.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
They used to make them in .338 WinMag... Not sure if they still do.
Savage 111 HOG HNTR 338 WIN TB $465.00 SHIPS FREE
yep that is it.
Varberger757
Well-Known Member
In general, comparing these two totally different calibers due to terminal energy, is ruled out! lightbulb
No. I was a 338 Win mag
6.5x300 WBY
Well-Known Member
yes it could of been a 338 win mag but in that short of a barrel its basically a 338 federal in performance.
Some quick comparisons on a ballistic calculator with your average speeds of those cartridges and bullets shows almost identical energy at 500 yards (+ or - 20 ft. lbs.) , not taking into account the very short barrel on the 338. You'd probably give the edge in energy to the 280 due to short barrel on the Hog Hunter. Could have something to do with the wider diameter of the 338 bullet displacing the energy over the steel surface or just the bullet construction. Choose the right bullet and both should work great on game. If you've never carried a shorter barreled rifle through thick woods for a few days in a row, it's worth a try. You may find the compromise in ballistics quite acceptable.
