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.338 Federal

Started by Corley5, January 02, 2009, 11:02:42 PM

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Corley5

Anybody shooting one or have any thoughts on the cartridge  ???  I saw a DPMS AR chambered in it and had never heard of the round.  I did a little research and it sounds like a very versatile N Amercan big game round for everything but the big bears.  Ruger and Sako are  chambering bolt guns for it.  Only drawbacks I see are lack of cheaper ammo for it.  Federal is still the only one making rounds for it and at 45 bucks a box...  But since it's a necked up 308 it's pretty easy to reload but I've also read that Federal uses a powder blend and it's hard to duplicate the factory ballistics.  Dad hasn't had a new gun in a long, long time and I'm thinking of getting him one in bolt action as combination birthday, father's day gift.  It would be something a bit different than our other rifles :) :)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

WH_Conley

Never heard of it, necked up .308, lot of knock down over a shorter range, be like hitten somethin with a sledge hammer.

If mainline companies like Ruger and Sako are chambering it probably in the next reloadong manual there will be loads for it.
Bill

Norm

What do I think...I think I'm going to adopt ya!

Make mine a left hand model. ;D

Corley5

 



This is what I had in mind.  Sako 85 stainless, synthetic  ;D ;D  They are available in LH models  ;) 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

isawlogs

 That looks like a sweet gun  :-*   
Speaking of left and right hand shooting . I had to learn to shoot all over again after my work accident back in 91 . I shot from the left shoulder before never closing an eye to shoot . After the shoulder injury there was no way possible for me to shoot from that shoulder from then on .  :-\ I had to learn to shoot from the right .  ::) I had a few bolt actions that where lefty's .. Man what a mess  ::) I traded in for some pumps , and went at putting some rounds out the barrel and trying to hit something . Not an easy task but I manage to gain some ease with the pump . On one of my first hunts after the relearning process I shot at a few deers with no sucsess  :-\  My dad was with me one time and I shot at a deer and he sortof mentioned that I was shooting about a mile back from the deer .  :o I was not closing my left eye while shooting and it was picking up the front sight on the gun and I was pulling the trigger . After that I have learned to close my dominate eye and have been eating venison again  8)

  Corley .. that come with sights ... I like having both a scope and see through mounts to have option of shooting with the sights .
A man does not always grow wise as he grows old , but he always grows old as he grows wise .

   Marcel

cheyenne

Is the 338 the same as the 338 win. mag. if so it will take down anything we have and packs one heck of a wollup on both ends. Use to have the win. mag and sold it and got a 280 Ruger..... 2nd. best gun I own.....Cheyenne
Home of the white buffalo

farmerdoug

I believe it is just a .308 winchester necked up to .338.  The .308 is smaller than the 30-06.
Doug
Truck Farmer/Greenhouse grower
2001 LT40HDD42 Super with Command Control and AccuSet, 42 hp Kubota diesel
Fargo, MI

Corley5

Here are the published ballistics for the Federal Premium factory loads for the .338 (taken in a 24" test barrel):

180 grain Nosler AccuBond - 2588/2676 at 100 yards, 2359/2224 at 200 yards, 2143/1835 at 300 yards.
185 grain Barnes Triple-Shock - 2547/2664 at 100 yards, 2353/2275 at 200 yards, 2169/1932 at 300 yards.
210 grain Nosler Partition - 2415/2719 at 100 yards, 2211/2279 at 200 yards, 2016/1895 at 300 yards.

Here are some others for comparison:

                     Velocity/Energy@Muzzle   @100yds      @200yds       @300ds
.280 Rem. (140 PSP)        3000/2797   2758/2363   2528/1986   2309/1657

7mm Rem. Mag. (160 BT) 2950/3091  2766/2718  2590/2382   2420/2080

30-06 Spfd. (150 PSP)      2910/2820  2617/2281  2342/1827   2083/1445
30-06 Spfd. (180 PSP)     2700/2913   2469/2436  2250/2023   2042/1666

.308 Win. (150 PSP)      2820/2648   2488/2061   2179/1581   1893/1193
.308 Win. (180 PSP)      2620/2743   2393/2288   2178/1896   1974/1557

.338 Federal (180 BT)   2830/3200  2590/2670   2350/2215   2130/1820
.338 Federal (210 NP)   2630/3225  2415/2719   2211/2279   2016/1895

.338 Win. Mag. (225 SP) 2920/4259  2678/3583  2449/2996   2232/2489

.338 Ultra Mag (250 PSP) 2860/4540 2647/3888  2443/3314  2249/2807

.358 Win. (200 PSP)      2490/2753   2171/2093   1876/1563  1610/1151


  The 338 has better ballistics than the 308  8) 8)  The 338-08 is a wildcat that's been around for quite sometime based on the 308.  The 338 Fed was introduced in 2006 as a commercially certified cartridge chambered in factory rifles.  Sako was the 1st to offer a rifle in it.  Ruger also offers a bolt and I've heard Kimber does also.  DPMS and Armalite both offer AR platforms chambered for it.
  The 280 Rem is a great cartridge.  Grandpa shot many deer with one and Dad has killed a couple with one after retiring the 30-30 a couple years ago.
  The Sako doesn't come with iron sights  :-\  It's meant for optics only.  I've got a Rem 740 in 30/06 with see thru scope mounts and it seems kinda top heavy to me but I'm used to low mounts on the other rifles  :)  :)  I used to be really good with iron sights.  I've got a Model 69 Win. 22LR bolt with peep sights that I could drive tacks with when I was a kid.  Haven't shot it in years and it was the last rifle I shot with open sights  :)  I need to see how I do with the open sights on the AR-10B  :) 8)  I have an issue shooting handguns as I'm right handed but my left eye is dominate.  Doesn't bother me with long guns but with a handgun at arm's length in my right hand I find myself sighting with my left eye  ::) 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Chuck White

Quote from: cheyenne on January 04, 2009, 09:36:41 PM
Is the 338 the same as the 338 win. mag. if so it will take down anything we have and packs one heck of a wollup on both ends. Use to have the win. mag and sold it and got a 280 Ruger..... 2nd. best gun I own.....Cheyenne

cheyenne;
No, they are definitely not the same.
The 338 Win Mag is a long belted magnum cartridge, whereas the 338 Federal is (as previously stated) a necked up 308 Winchester case with a 338 slug seated in it!

~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

fuzzybear

   I know a 338 mag will drop a grizzle with no problem. My brother shot one this summer that tried to make supper out of his wife. Three day later she shot a black bear that tried to make him supper.  It was a rough year bears here. Too much rain and not enough berries.
I never met a tree I didn't like!!

CLL

I have 300 win mag, but have read a lot good about the 338. My shells are $40-45 box depending on where you buy them.
Too much work-not enough pay.

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