.338 Win Mag?

I own a 7mm Rem Mag and am looking for a "next step up" rifle for large game (elk, moose, caribou, bear) and for reasons of ammo availability & cost, have focused on the .338 Win Mag. Please comment on this caliber and ammo for said use. Also, I'd be interested in comments about similar magnum calibers that might be better or as good. Thanks!

I think if you are wanting to step up I would look at the 300 Mags first and then the 338's.

As far as the 338 Win Mag is concerned its a great round. I have owned 2 of them (one Ruger and one Remington). Both were very accurate but both hated hated heavy loads. I sold them only because I have a 340WBY that is pretty much lights out for anything I put in the cross hairs. I highly suggest you shoot someone elses 338 before you step up that far above the 7 Mag because the recoil once you reach the 338 level is more than most shooters can handle. Its a beast!

your not going to gain much by moving up to the .300 mags if you have a 7mm mag.

i would look to a .338, .338 ultra or a .340 weatherby.

If recoil is an issue, might look at the 338 Federal also.

I have one and would say the recoil is way less that what I was expecting.

Other than recoil, the 338 Win Mag would be a good "next step up".

I haven't ever owned a 300 Win Mag so I can't speak to them. I did own a 338 Win Mag and shot it quite a bit.

I bought a new Ruger M77 in 1984 to hunt Elk in Colorado. Before I ever fired it, I had a KDF recoil reducer threaded onto it. I'm not ashamed to admit it; I'm a recoil sissy. It reduced the recol to less than my 270 so I was a happy camper. The down side is that it was so loud that it created a hole in this dimension every time I fired it. Once in the Grand Tetons in Wyoming, a hunting buddy was about 2 miles from me when I shot a Mulie. He told his Wife "Well, Bud just killed one. That's the loudest rifle in the mountains". And he was right on both counts.

I shot 250 gr Nosler Partition handloads. While I never had a chance to shoot an Elk, I killed several deer with it. I was talking to a VP with Leupold once (they owned Nosler) and he told me that my rifle with my load should be able to shoot completely through a Moose from brisket to ham. He was serious but I never tried it so take it for what it's worth.

The only "fail" I found with the 338 was its inability to shoot light bullets. I bought some Sierra 200 gr bullets to load and they were so short they almost looked round. I could never get them to group well and occasionally the hole in the paper wasn't round. From what I've heard, the 300 has an advantage there.

The 338 was a great rifle/round but considering it's lack of versatility, if I had it to do all over I'd try the 300. JMO.

338 WM is an awesome round. One of the heaviest recoiling rifles I've ever shot was a 338 WM. It is very punishing. But, it hits hard with big bullets.

With the right bullet, your 7 mag will take all the game you mentioned. I'd look at a heavier bullet with the 7 mag as a good option. A 162 A-max will go clean through an elk and black bear with good expansion (from previous customers' experience). The A-max makes a great hunting bullet.

I don't think you will gain much going to a 300mag over your 7mm mag. I would pick the 338 Win. Mag. as it is a much better "large" game cartridge for moose, bear, etc.,

The 338 Win Mag is the #1 cartridge chosen in Alaska for big game up there.

Funny you say that... all the people I know from alaska use 308's.

I would agree with chad, you 7mm is very capable of any and all of the above. Unless of course you just want another gun, then simply get what you want.

matt

I have a Winchester .338 wm and love it. It is a great gun for the animals you mention-maybe the best. The recoil is not an issue with me it seems more like a push to me. Everyone and every rifle is different though. Good luck!

Oh I use Federal Premium 225 grain Trophy Bear Claws.

7mm Rem Mag and Nosler Ballistic tips will wallop anything on this continent.

Lots of punishment coming out both ends, you DEFINITELY know when the gun goes off. It's as much recoil as I care to take without a brake. If you are sensitive to recoil, you'll have no option but to put a brake on. If you're ever my way, you can shoot mine and see if it's something you like.

There's a good selection of .338 diameter bullets if you reload. I like Barnes in mine, but also shoot SSTs.

As others have stated, you shouldn't feel undergunned with your 7MM.

Grizzly at 200 yards? How about oops there it is at 50 yards? Not trying to be smart for I don't know. I intend to go to Alaska one day and am thinking go big for that once in a lifetime opportunity.

If you can handle the recoil the 338 WM is a great round. I have an outfitter friend in Montana that hates that round. Most that showup with it cannot handle the recoil.

The more I shoot the more I realize that recoil is more mental. Shot deer with the 30.06 and never felt it. 20 or 30 rounds at the range then it might work on my shoulder. I need a better recoil pad.

I'd like to shoot a .338 just to see though.

Recoil is real, how you handle that recoil is mostly mental. I have one rifle that knocks my hat off my head about half the time I shoot it, still can shoot good groups with it. But when I take it out of the safe I know I am going to get punished for that decision, but that is ok. I do not shoot over a box of ammo with it when it goes to the range though

Years ago I watched my Dad and two of his friends shoot a 375 H & H Mag. They were working up a load and they all had to take turns at it.

If I could only have one center fire rifle to handle all my hunting needs it would be the 338. While the recoil is heavy that's usually only noticed on the bench, during the excitement of the hunt it's rarely felt. If your a hand-loader it's even better you can punch pills out of it that range from 160 grain all the way to 300 grain, with velocities from 3500 fps with the 160's to 2500 fps with the 300 grainers. The 210 grain Nosler Partition at about 3100 fps would probably be my all around bullet of choice for mule deer, elk, black bear and even moose under most circumstances. I'd probably go to 250's plus for larger carnivores, with velocities ranging from 2700 fps with the 250's to 2500 fps with the 300's. I've got a friend that thats all he hunts with, he loads it down to about 2700 fps with the 180's for whitetails and it's no stiffer than the 06 or the 7Mag. He loads the 210 at 3000 fps for elk. Thats the only 2 loads he shoots through that rifle and I find neither punishing off the bench. Let me add as someone whose lost a significant amount of hearing due to a life around guns, stay away from muzzle brakes unless your willing to have hearing protection with you at all times, I'd invest that money in a good recoil pad instead. I'm not a fan of muzzle brakes, their a danger to your hearing and anybody around you.

If you are wanting something different I would look at the .375 H&H. It does have a little more recoil than the .338WM but it is marginal. I really liked mine and it was different than everybody elses big bla bla bla... whatever. You will never be undergunned on the planet. It is also one of the few cartridges accepted in Africa for big game that still has decent trajectory to take plains game. I took an Aoudad at 284yds with mine and was pretty comfortable doing so. The only draw back is cost of ammo unless you reload.

I do not know of any of theses big Magnums that are a pleasure to shoot from the bench.

I had three...Ruger No 1 w/break...1/2in groups, Savage Weather
Warrior...same hole, Ruger Mod 77 w/mountain stock...1in groups..

I usually loaded 185gr X bullets in the No 1...cull shot w/it
for yrs. prior to giving it to my nephew who was moving Anchorage

Like the round..with a break...Not the short bbl on the Savage..
really affects the velocity...DD

Lots of good advice here. The .338 WM is THE Alaska round, but over the last decade or so, I think there is a trend toward the .375 H&H way up north. I've been to Alaska 14 times now, 13 with the .338, and will be returning this spring for bear.

Recoil is something that you acclimate yourself to. I always use a sissy pad when shooting off the bench, and I've found that there is a noticeable difference in recoil between the 200-210 gr bullets and the 250s. John Barsness, Phil Shoemaker, and others have written that there there is no difference in the performance of the 210 NPT and 250 NPT on game; I can't say that I fully agree here, but that is something to consider. Nonetheless, you won't notice the recoil in field situations, especially since you'll likely be wearing heavier clothes. A muzzle brake is the most dreadful abomination that the devil ever visited upon riflemen, and you'll not find one of these contraptions in my safe, nor will you meet ANY hunting guide who likes one.

I've shot more game with the 210 Nosler PT than any other bullet. A moose, caribou, black bear, elk from AZ, and even a Texas whitetail come immediately to mind. With the 250 NPT, I've taken a brown bear on Kodiak Island and a B&C grizzly from the Seward Peninsula. When I go back to POW Island this spring, I'll be shooting the 210 NPT. In the fall of 2013, I'll be moose hunting again, but I may shoot my .300 WinMag with 200 gr Noslers instead....I haven't decided.

Barnes and some of the other monolithic bullets are getting raves these days, but I haven't shot them from a .338. I've taken 2 mule deer and an elk with Barnes bullets from other calibers, and I'm sure they will perform well out of the .338 Winny. Noslers have worked for me for over 4 decades, have never failed, and I can speak highly of their suitability in the .338.

If you were to hold a gun to my head and make me select just 2 rifles for North American biggame hunting, I'd likely choose the 7mm-08 for here in Texas and the .338 Win Mag everywhere else. I own a safe full of hunting rifles in many iterations, and some calibers come and some go, but you will always find a .338 there.

I'll put a plug in for 338 rum.Its everything a win mag is and more .It has a very flat trajectory and hits with the hammer of Thor.I shoot 300 grn smk andd it has 5184 ftlbs at the muzzle and retains 3196 ftlbs at 500 yrds.It's a sweet combo.My 14 yr old son took his buck this year with this rig at 286 yrd.Never untracked.