Differences in .338 cartridges?

brokenanew · February 12, 2013, 11:09 PM

Once this dry spell begins to dim and gun haters start to crawl back in their holes, I plan to reacquire my interest for a .338.

I'm not overwhelmingly knowledge about this caliber and the cartridges. Help?

What are the different .338 cartridges and differences? Pros and Cons? and any other knowledge you may have on that particular round. Thanks!

Regolith · February 12, 2013, 11:29 PM

It'd be easier to start at what you plan to do with it and go from there. The main differences between the various .338 rounds is case capacity/power and length, so it really depends on what your application is.

trg42wraglefragle · February 12, 2013, 11:32 PM

338 must be the new AR15.

Decide what you want to do with it and you budget first.
That'll dictate what to get.

handlerer2 · February 12, 2013, 11:33 PM

I own and reload for 340WBY, which most would consider extreme.

Some others are 338wm, and the ones that are wildcats should'nt be.

338\08, 338-57, 338-06, 338 RUM, 338Edge, 338 Lapua, 338-378WBY, isn't there a 338 RCM?

I consider the 33's the most efficient caliber hot or not.

In the hot versions no animal on the face of the earth is safe

kahrguy · February 13, 2013, 05:19 PM

Now go and wikipedia each cartidge and make notes!!

PawPaw · February 13, 2013, 06:08 PM

Let's not forget the .338 Federal. I've had a hankering to re-barrel one of my .308s for that cartridge.

ligonierbill · February 13, 2013, 07:24 PM

Well, I shoot a .338 Win Mag. The pros are big bullets at pretty good velocity, but more than that, the high BC of many of these bullets allows them to retain a lot of energy downrange. My Savage is fairly light, and while it does get your attention, the rumors of vicious recoil are just that, rumors and exaggeration. Good bullet selection if you load your own. Mine is certainly accurate. If you don't quite need 4,000 ft lb, look at the .338-06. Good reputation, ballistic twin of the .35 Whelan, but more bullets and better BC. If you really want to reach out, the 340 Weatherby is the ticket.

Magnum Wheel Man · February 14, 2013, 09:30 AM

mine is 338 Win Mag in a Browning Stainless Stalker with a B.O.S.S. the gun is very accurate...

last year I got a 5 gallon bucket of new nickel Federal 338 Win Mag cases, that had no flash hole, for scrap price... had my buddy with a lathe put flash holes in them all, so I'm set for life with cases, as I already had 250 of them

... I also happen to have ( likely) a life time supply of LR Magnum primers, that I inherited from my father in law... the bullets are spendy, but as mentioned, they have great potential to transfer energy...

... I also have a Stainless Stalker in 375 H&H... with a 2" shorter barrel, but in penitration tests, side by side with both rifles, with Federal Factory Premium Safari ammo with Trophy Bonded Bear Claws, the 338 was almost unstoppable... much more penitration than the 375 H&H in my informal testing... I'm planning on stretching my range & finding a good 6-800 yard load for the 338 this summer...

brokenanew · February 20, 2013, 08:48 PM

My purpose is being able to through a heavy round past 1000 yards. Mostly for play but maybe, occasionally for heavy game. I have been looking at the 300 wsm as well but the .338 sounds like so much more fun

Theres a
.338 lapua,
.338 Federal
.338 Remington Ultra mag
.338 Norma
.338 Winchester mag
Are there any others? Whats the differences between these?

skywag · February 20, 2013, 08:54 PM

.375/.338

Kind of what a 375 Winchester Magnum would have been if they made it.

MarkCO · February 20, 2013, 09:26 PM

I love the .33 caliber bullets and I have a few .33 caliber rifles after having tried most of the other .33s.

Kind of in order of energy...

.338 Federal is a .308 case necked up to .338 with realistic velcoities in the 2700 fps range for 180s. Equivalnet in enrgey to the .30-06, but with a bigger hole and less recoil.

.338-06 is a .30-06 case necked up to .338 with realistic velocities in the 2750 fps range with 210s. Exceptional accuracy and an good energy increase over the stock .30-06.

Then there are a handful of .338 Magnums based on various cases with various philosophies and a corresponding range of accuracy potential. The .338 Winchester Magnum being the elder stateman and with decent accuracy. The .340 Weatherby also sits here. Most of these are in the 2900 fps range for the 210/225 with a few getting just to 3000 fps. Some, like the .338 RUM, are necked up .300 magnums which keep them for getting much more performance and out of the next paragraph.

After that you move on to the .338 "Supermags". There are a few in this category that are necked down larger magnums getting true hotrod speeds in the 3000+ fps range with 225/250s. The .338-378 Weatherby can touch 3500 fps with the 180s, but the accuracy is poor. The .338 Titan is a personal favorite. The .338 Lapua Magnum is just a shade faster than the normal Magnums with 225s at 3200 fps, but is not belted which aids in accuracy. It also will handle up to 300 grainers with ease placing it in the Supermag category. The .338 LM is a favorit of many long range shooters when they need more than the 6.5s and less than the .41s and .50s.

reynolds357 · February 20, 2013, 10:58 PM

I have a couple of .338 Win Mags, three .340 Wby mags, a .338 Lapua, and my personal favorite the .338 MTM.

handlerer2 · February 21, 2013, 03:47 PM

[I] own and reload for 340WBY Really appreciate it.

I have never heard of 338 MTM. Please tell me about it. Thanks

Magnum Wheel Man · February 21, 2013, 04:00 PM

as long as we are talking wild cats... is there a 338 based on the 8mm magnum case ???

tjh · February 21, 2013, 05:30 PM

there's also a 338 marlin and ruger 338 rcm .

reynolds357 · February 21, 2013, 07:10 PM

338 MTM is based on 416 Rigby with almost no taper and the necked pushed rediculously forward and a neck roll that is very reminiscent of WBY. It basically used interchangeable data for the .338-378 WBY.

GeauxTide · February 23, 2013, 09:06 PM

I'm partial to the 338-06. A 200 at 2810 ain't shabby.

brokenanew · February 25, 2013, 09:07 PM

Wow really good info. I am looking at a .338 Lapua on a custom built Savage platform. Not sure on the specifics yet but it looks sweet! He is asking $1850 which struck me as low. I don't recall but I don't think a scope is included.

Thoughts?

Im liking the way the Lapua sounds at this point.

reynolds357 · February 25, 2013, 10:22 PM

Is it a custom built Lapua, or a tricked out Savage built Lapua? To me the best Lapua for the money is Armalite.

wooly booger · February 26, 2013, 03:04 PM

Savage is making a factory tactical 110 in .338 Lapua. $1850 is about right. There are two use them at our range. Very accurate and a nice brake design makes them quite pleasant to shoot.

reynolds357 · February 26, 2013, 03:09 PM

There is nothing about them worth $1850. Maybe $850, but not $1850. I paid $900 cash for my Armalite. I have never seen another one that cheap, and the sticker on this one was way over that, but I got it for that. Its twice the rifle of the Savage, and I would not even think of paying $1850 for it. I really paid less than that for it because that was out the door price.

brokenanew · February 26, 2013, 05:26 PM

Yes Wooly. The rifle I spoke of was actually a Savage110BA. It just looked so bad-a and Ive never seen one that I thought it was custom. That and the owner primarily just sells his own creations/customs.

Now Im trying to figure out how to purchase it. Money wise and all. Because then Ill have to get .338 dies and good scope. May just take my Millet LRS-1 off my Remmy700 .308 and put it on the Savage 110 .338. Then just put a cheaper Bushnell (200$) or something back on the Remmy. After reading reviews on the accuracy of the Savage 110BA, Im sold.

Which leads my next question if I choose to go high end off the bat for the Savage 110. My first choice would of course be a Night Force. Heres my question...
What is the difference between lets say the Night Force Precision benchrest 8-42x which is about 1500$ and the
-NightForce 5.5-22x56 NXS Ill. Reticle Riflescopes - w/ optional ZeroStop, Velocity 1000 Reticle at 1800$

I'm not going to be shooting the scope with anything under 14x more than likely. This is 500+ yards so being limited to 12x on min doesn't really bother me. Why the price difference?

February 12, 2013, 11:09 PM	#1
brokenanew Member Join Date: September 14, 2012 Posts: 83	Differences in .338 cartridges? Once this dry spell begins to dim and gun haters start to crawl back in their holes, I plan to reacquire my interest for a .338. I'm not overwhelmingly knowledge about this caliber and the cartridges. Help? What are the different .338 cartridges and differences? Pros and Cons? and any other knowledge you may have on that particular round. Thanks!

February 13, 2013, 06:08 PM	#6
PawPaw Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Location: Central Louisiana Posts: 3,137	Let's not forget the .338 Federal. I've had a hankering to re-barrel one of my .308s for that cartridge. __________________ Dennis Dezendorf http://pawpawshouse.blogspot.com

February 14, 2013, 09:30 AM	#8
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	mine is 338 Win Mag in a Browning Stainless Stalker with a B.O.S.S. the gun is very accurate... last year I got a 5 gallon bucket of new nickel Federal 338 Win Mag cases, that had no flash hole, for scrap price... had my buddy with a lathe put flash holes in them all, so I'm set for life with cases, as I already had 250 of them ... I also happen to have ( likely) a life time supply of LR Magnum primers, that I inherited from my father in law... the bullets are spendy, but as mentioned, they have great potential to transfer energy... ... I also have a Stainless Stalker in 375 H&H... with a 2" shorter barrel, but in penitration tests, side by side with both rifles, with Federal Factory Premium Safari ammo with Trophy Bonded Bear Claws, the 338 was almost unstoppable... much more penitration than the 375 H&H in my informal testing... I'm planning on stretching my range & finding a good 6-800 yard load for the 338 this summer... __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

February 20, 2013, 09:26 PM	#11
MarkCO Senior Member Join Date: October 21, 1998 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 4,308	I love the .33 caliber bullets and I have a few .33 caliber rifles after having tried most of the other .33s. Kind of in order of energy... .338 Federal is a .308 case necked up to .338 with realistic velcoities in the 2700 fps range for 180s. Equivalnet in enrgey to the .30-06, but with a bigger hole and less recoil. .338-06 is a .30-06 case necked up to .338 with realistic velocities in the 2750 fps range with 210s. Exceptional accuracy and an good energy increase over the stock .30-06. Then there are a handful of .338 Magnums based on various cases with various philosophies and a corresponding range of accuracy potential. The .338 Winchester Magnum being the elder stateman and with decent accuracy. The .340 Weatherby also sits here. Most of these are in the 2900 fps range for the 210/225 with a few getting just to 3000 fps. Some, like the .338 RUM, are necked up .300 magnums which keep them for getting much more performance and out of the next paragraph. After that you move on to the .338 "Supermags". There are a few in this category that are necked down larger magnums getting true hotrod speeds in the 3000+ fps range with 225/250s. The .338-378 Weatherby can touch 3500 fps with the 180s, but the accuracy is poor. The .338 Titan is a personal favorite. The .338 Lapua Magnum is just a shade faster than the normal Magnums with 225s at 3200 fps, but is not belted which aids in accuracy. It also will handle up to 300 grainers with ease placing it in the Supermag category. The .338 LM is a favorit of many long range shooters when they need more than the 6.5s and less than the .41s and .50s. __________________ Good Shooting, MarkCO www.CarbonArms.us

February 21, 2013, 04:00 PM	#14
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	as long as we are talking wild cats... is there a 338 based on the 8mm magnum case ??? __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

February 12, 2013, 11:29 PM	#2
Regolith Senior Member Join Date: September 30, 2008 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 400	It'd be easier to start at what you plan to do with it and go from there. The main differences between the various .338 rounds is case capacity/power and length, so it really depends on what your application is.

February 12, 2013, 11:32 PM	#3
trg42wraglefragle Senior Member Join Date: April 21, 2008 Location: new zealand Posts: 856	338 must be the new AR15. Decide what you want to do with it and you budget first. That'll dictate what to get.

February 12, 2013, 11:33 PM	#4
handlerer2 Senior Member Join Date: April 26, 2010 Location: Yellowstone Co, MT Posts: 489	I own and reload for 340WBY, which most would consider extreme. Some others are 338wm, and the ones that are wildcats should'nt be. 338\08, 338-57, 338-06, 338 RUM, 338Edge, 338 Lapua, 338-378WBY, isn't there a 338 RCM? I consider the 33's the most efficient caliber hot or not. In the hot versions no animal on the face of the earth is safe

February 13, 2013, 05:19 PM	#5
kahrguy Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2012 Posts: 561	Now go and wikipedia each cartidge and make notes!!

February 13, 2013, 07:24 PM	#7
ligonierbill Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2007 Posts: 2,456	Well, I shoot a .338 Win Mag. The pros are big bullets at pretty good velocity, but more than that, the high BC of many of these bullets allows them to retain a lot of energy downrange. My Savage is fairly light, and while it does get your attention, the rumors of vicious recoil are just that, rumors and exaggeration. Good bullet selection if you load your own. Mine is certainly accurate. If you don't quite need 4,000 ft lb, look at the .338-06. Good reputation, ballistic twin of the .35 Whelan, but more bullets and better BC. If you really want to reach out, the 340 Weatherby is the ticket.

February 20, 2013, 08:48 PM	#9
brokenanew Member Join Date: September 14, 2012 Posts: 83	My purpose is being able to through a heavy round past 1000 yards. Mostly for play but maybe, occasionally for heavy game. I have been looking at the 300 wsm as well but the .338 sounds like so much more fun Theres a .338 lapua, .338 Federal .338 Remington Ultra mag .338 Norma .338 Winchester mag Are there any others? Whats the differences between these?

February 20, 2013, 08:54 PM	#10
skywag Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2011 Posts: 254	.375/.338 Kind of what a 375 Winchester Magnum would have been if they made it.

February 20, 2013, 10:58 PM	#12
reynolds357 Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2012 Posts: 6,165	I have a couple of .338 Win Mags, three .340 Wby mags, a .338 Lapua, and my personal favorite the .338 MTM.

February 21, 2013, 03:47 PM	#13
handlerer2 Senior Member Join Date: April 26, 2010 Location: Yellowstone Co, MT Posts: 489	[I] own and reload for 340WBY Really appreciate it. I have never heard of 338 MTM. Please tell me about it. Thanks

February 21, 2013, 05:30 PM	#15
tjh Senior Member Join Date: September 25, 2009 Location: North Central Ohio Posts: 171	there's also a 338 marlin and ruger 338 rcm .

February 21, 2013, 07:10 PM	#16
reynolds357 Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2012 Posts: 6,165	338 MTM is based on 416 Rigby with almost no taper and the necked pushed rediculously forward and a neck roll that is very reminiscent of WBY. It basically used interchangeable data for the .338-378 WBY.

February 23, 2013, 09:06 PM	#17
GeauxTide Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 2009 Location: Helena, AL Posts: 4,424	I'm partial to the 338-06. A 200 at 2810 ain't shabby.

February 25, 2013, 09:07 PM	#18
brokenanew Member Join Date: September 14, 2012 Posts: 83	Wow really good info. I am looking at a .338 Lapua on a custom built Savage platform. Not sure on the specifics yet but it looks sweet! He is asking $1850 which struck me as low. I don't recall but I don't think a scope is included. Thoughts? Im liking the way the Lapua sounds at this point.

February 25, 2013, 10:22 PM	#19
reynolds357 Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2012 Posts: 6,165	Is it a custom built Lapua, or a tricked out Savage built Lapua? To me the best Lapua for the money is Armalite.

February 26, 2013, 03:04 PM	#20
wooly booger Junior member Join Date: February 22, 2013 Location: on the edge Posts: 143	Savage is making a factory tactical 110 in .338 Lapua. $1850 is about right. There are two use them at our range. Very accurate and a nice brake design makes them quite pleasant to shoot.

February 26, 2013, 03:09 PM	#21
reynolds357 Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2012 Posts: 6,165	There is nothing about them worth $1850. Maybe $850, but not $1850. I paid $900 cash for my Armalite. I have never seen another one that cheap, and the sticker on this one was way over that, but I got it for that. Its twice the rifle of the Savage, and I would not even think of paying $1850 for it. I really paid less than that for it because that was out the door price.

February 26, 2013, 05:26 PM	#22
brokenanew Member Join Date: September 14, 2012 Posts: 83	Yes Wooly. The rifle I spoke of was actually a Savage110BA. It just looked so bad-a and Ive never seen one that I thought it was custom. That and the owner primarily just sells his own creations/customs. Now Im trying to figure out how to purchase it. Money wise and all. Because then Ill have to get .338 dies and good scope. May just take my Millet LRS-1 off my Remmy700 .308 and put it on the Savage 110 .338. Then just put a cheaper Bushnell (200$) or something back on the Remmy. After reading reviews on the accuracy of the Savage 110BA, Im sold. Which leads my next question if I choose to go high end off the bat for the Savage 110. My first choice would of course be a Night Force. Heres my question... What is the difference between lets say the Night Force Precision benchrest 8-42x which is about 1500$ and the -NightForce 5.5-22x56 NXS Ill. Reticle Riflescopes - w/ optional ZeroStop, Velocity 1000 Reticle at 1800$ I'm not going to be shooting the scope with anything under 14x more than likely. This is 500+ yards so being limited to 12x on min doesn't really bother me. Why the price difference?