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Post by x101airborne on May 29, 2022 9:01:48 GMT -5
Talk about a cartridge that died off quick (in my opinion). I actually own one. I thought it would make a real hog smacker but actually I was lured in like a coon to a shiny object. It does do its job though. I have killed 3 hogs with it, all under 200 yards but it doesn't do anything better that I can tell over any of the other cartridges that have been available for over 50 years.
The other day I was waiting on paperwork to be called in for a new handgun and saw a box of old stock 338 Federal 200 grain soft point, 22.00 for the box. I grabbed it. Once home I got on Ammoseek and only two places had 338 Federal and they both were around 100.00 a box! Glad I have been making my own cases from mil-surp 308 all these years. Guess I should have laid in a supply of factory ammo back when I could have, but I am cheap except when it comes to firearms. Finding the light weight bullets that will actually expand at that low of a velocity is kinda a pain. Hornady has two that will work, one is an SST and the other a Flex-Tip I presume designed for the 338 Marlin Express. Sierra tech on the phone pointed me to a Pro Hunter but they recommended pushing the velocity envelope since this bullet was meant for 338-06 and 338 Win Mag. Then I have to try to find them in stock.
I have a 235 cast flat point that I use in my 338-06 and the Federal. I guess I will have to just stick with that.
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aciera
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,958
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Post by aciera on May 30, 2022 18:22:08 GMT -5
A friend of mine bought a Model Seven when they first came out. Immediately had it rebarreled to 338-08. Never regretted it. And this was a man that shot the barrel out on a John Buhmiller built 338WM hunting. Shot the 338-08 into his late 80s
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Post by bigbrowndog on May 30, 2022 18:27:56 GMT -5
Trey, look for Nosler ballistic tips or accubonds, the 210 partitions should work well also as the soft front end should provide some expansion.
Trapr
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Post by Encore64 on May 30, 2022 18:29:51 GMT -5
The Speer 200 grn works well too. Have used it a lot in my 338 JDJ for years.
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Post by x101airborne on May 30, 2022 20:16:01 GMT -5
Thanks fellas. I will look to see if I can find any of the suggested bullets.
Does anyone else find it odd that the 338 Federal died so soon?
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Post by bigbrowndog on May 30, 2022 21:45:28 GMT -5
No, personally it didn’t do anything the 358 and 308 already did, and the 358 has a cult following but still poorly represented by major factories. To me the 338 Federal was someone’s pet project that ot approved with little reasoning, much like eWinchesters choice to go 8mm on their short mag instead of stick with 338, poor choices and writers hyping them up got folks to buy them and then poor sales and no support. The list is longer than you think,…..308 marlin, 338marlin, 338 fed,325 wsm, 223 & 25 wssm, the RUMs, etc…….I think the new batch of 6.8 and 277 will do the same thing, as will the larger 6.5’s
Trapr
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Post by x101airborne on May 30, 2022 22:23:38 GMT -5
I do tend to agree with your assessment Trapr. Lots of hype with no support.
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Post by squigz on May 31, 2022 5:54:03 GMT -5
I've successfully used Nosler Accubonds in mine since I've gotten it in both the 180 and 200gr offerings settling on the later. I've wanted to try the Barnes 160gr bullets, just never saw the need too. I love the Fedderal, I think that if I had to pick two off the 308 family I would go with the 7mm08 and the 338 Federal as my favorites, but realistically speaking it doesn't do THAT much more than the 308 or the 358.
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Fowler
.401 Bobcat
Posts: 3,546
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Post by Fowler on May 31, 2022 13:54:59 GMT -5
If we are really being honest what are all of the new cartridge's other than marketing ploys? Is the 6mm ARC really enough different from the 6mm Creedmoor or even the 243 to even bother with? No especially if you want to speak of practical rounds such as a 338 Federal, but a 338/08 isn't exciting is it? All of it is the new wonder cartridge of the month to sell new rifles, ammo, reloading supplies etc. Does a deer really know the difference when they are hit in the lungs from a 150gr bullet that came from a 270, 308, 30/06, 280 or what not else? No but that doesn't sell new rifles. But then a 250gr bullet at 1200fps is pretty much the same in anything from a 44sp up to the 454 so we are guilty of it too with our wheel guns, just more willing to have multiple guns in the same calibers than rifle guys seem to be.
I have wanted a 338/06 for years, I like the 338 mag I have had for 20 years but at times it just seems more than I need, especially since the rifle weighs under 8lb with the scope. Figured I would enjoy the 338/06 more without the recoil, of course the thought of just downloading what I have a tad bit since the 338/06 wouldn't probably weight any less or handle any different, and save me a couple thousand bucks would make way too much since so thats what I did.
Now I might rechamber my 1895 Winchester from 30-06 to 338/06 or 35 Whelan just to be different but it is a entirely different rifle being a iron sighted levergun, but we are splitting hairs here.
Ill get off my soap box now...
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Post by bigbrowndog on May 31, 2022 14:47:13 GMT -5
Funny you talk of 338/06 and 338wm, some of my favorites as well. I wanted a short 20” 338 to be a companion rifle to my 26” 338wm custom that was done for me in the 80’s. It is my no F’in around hunting rifle, if I’m able to choose my own rifle to hunt with and the animal requires or conditions could warrant 338wm power it is my go to rifle. I tried shortening a Win 70 CRF SS to 22” to see what kind of velocity loss would occur, and when it dropped as much as it did, I decided to sell and try a 338/06 instead, my idea paid off and I was able to equal velocity and use less powder and even go with a 20” barrel. My 338wm is still my no F’in around gun for everything from deer to elk, but the 338/06 is pretty handy in a 20” gun, and using the newer powders provides much better performance than previous data shows from older articles.
Trapr
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Post by potatojudge on May 31, 2022 17:05:59 GMT -5
6mm ARC is an AR platform round, and arguably the best long range one of the bunch. In a bolt action it's redundant, but not a bad round regardless. Efficient. The 6mm world is crowded and pretty well sorted out.
A lot of what we see is throats and twists optimized for new bullets. New bullets really are objectively better than older offerings if not always more useful for the casual hunter at typical ranges. So to make use of the new bullets, we get new cartridges. Buy a 243, you have no idea what twist it could be and it won't fit standard short action magazines with 105 grain bullets seated long. Buy a 6 CM and you're assured it'll be twisted and throated for long bullets. Plus, you'll have rounds optimized for the mag boxes or magazines currently in use.
It all makes sense, and the innovation is good for us all.
The 338 Federal is a perfectly good round. If you're looking for energy out of a 308 case its hard to beat. I'd say the 7-08 is the best of the 308 family, but the 338 isn't going anywhere. Given that the 338 Fed is best with 180-200 grain bullets, which tend to be stumpy, it's well suited for the AR10. Trajectory is good, energy is good, bullet selection is adequate. Top tier 308 brass will always be available.
Pricing and sales are a whole other story. The market has let some really great rounds die and kept inferior ones alive.
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Post by x101airborne on May 31, 2022 22:00:19 GMT -5
My issue is finding bullets that have or retain expansion velocity past 200 yards. I personally limit my stand hunting over open fields to 300 yards, but the impact velocity makes a huge difference in reference to bullet construction. Buy the wrong bullet and you are setting yourself up for failure. Now hit a shoulder bone dead on and that changes everything. Go for a in and out rib shot or high lung as some call it and you are going to be tracking for a while. Plus with the cost of counter ammunition, well that changes the game also. The 338-06 has always been a handloaders cartridge and has hung on for good reason; it just plain works. I have an Encore in 338-06 that is available to buy but just like the land in Texas; it isn't going to be cheap. I just think Federal kinda left us out to dry and am disappointed factory ammo is 100 dollars a box. I can buy dangerous game 375 H&H for that money. I have to wonder how many other "new" cartridges introduced lately will follow the same path into oblivion.
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Post by bradshaw on Jun 1, 2022 8:44:40 GMT -5
My issue is finding bullets that have or retain expansion velocity past 200 yards. I personally limit my stand hunting over open fields to 300 yards, but the impact velocity makes a huge difference in reference to bullet construction. Buy the wrong bullet and you are setting yourself up for failure. Now hit a shoulder bone dead on and that changes everything. Go for a in and out rib shot or high lung as some call it and you are going to be tracking for a while. Plus with the cost of counter ammunition, well that changes the game also. The 338-06 has always been a handloaders cartridge and has hung on for good reason; it just plain works. I have an Encore in 338-06 that is available to buy but just like the land in Texas; it isn't going to be cheap. I just think Federal kinda left us out to dry and am disappointed factory ammo is 100 dollars a box. I can buy dangerous game 375 H&H for that money. I have to wonder how many other "new" cartridges introduced lately will follow the same path into oblivion. ***** Trey.... in the early 1970’s I bought a Ruger M77 in .338 Win Mag. An accurate rifle of handsome proportions indeed, with sweet tang safety and “open” adjustable trigger. Quickly made its bones on moose and deer, but the .30-06 magazine prevented long seating. Buying, then, a pair of SAKO L61’s, a .338 Win Mag and a .375 Holland & Holland, both with phenomenal, full floated barrels. As did the .375 H&H, the .338 gave bullet makers a specific velocity range to design for. Adding a slower cartridge case to the mix muddies the bullet water. The .338-06 makes perfect sense, as the parent case is a fine Mother. Whether anyone wants to admit it, velocity matters, especially on big animals at distance. The .338 Win Mag may be a small bore next to a .416, but it’s a big bore next to a .30, as elk readily demonstrate. As others suggest, there are 200 grain .338’s which should perform on pigs from the .338/308, and I would try Hornady 200 Spire Point, Speer 200 Spitzer, Nosler 180 Ballistic-Tip, and then se what the Nosler 200 Bal-Tip does. Nosler knew again admonition that hunters would try their then-new .338 Ballistic-Tip on elk, so the jacket weighs 100 grains, same as the core. The later Accubond sets out reduce impact excitement of the Ballistic-Tip. There great Nosler .338 210 Partition is an elk bullet in the Win Mag and .338-06, but may be slow to act out of the .338 Federal. (The Federal .338 Trophy Bonded Bear Claw is too slow for deer from a .338 Win Mag; needs elk-size resistance.) Richard Beebe of Redding Reloading, shooting his .338 Win Mag, stopped a Nosler 200 Bal-Tip with an up-the-pipe shot on a big, western Canada whitetail. The Nosler .338 225 Partition is a great elk bullet from the Win Mag, but may be much too slow from the .338 Federal. Sounds like you’ve got beaucoup pigs for research. David Bradshaw
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Post by x101airborne on Jun 1, 2022 15:20:36 GMT -5
Sounds like you’ve got beaucoup pigs for research. David Bradshaw
I have a few running around. A couple years ago they rooted up my mother's flowers and she COMMANDED me to find a solution. I personally shot 238. That does not include what I trapped or what the rest of my family shot. Most of the meat was butchered and given away to good but needy friends and friends of friends. Very little went to waste. By the time the year was over I had a quite large freezer full of tamales, carnitas, barbacoa, you name it. We did not buy meat in a grocery store for an entire year yet we ate oh so good!
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