I have been using the short magnum cartridges, but the info on the 338 Federal caught my attention. I purchased one in a Tikki 3 Lite ( I own 6 Tikki 3 Lites ) and received it in the second week of the WV deer season. The only 338 bullets I had on hand were 200 Nosler Balistic Tips. I loaded some and stopped at the range on the way to the hunting camp. The accuracy was excellent. The next morning a nice WV buck made the mistake of showing himself. After placing the crosshairs on the high shoulder and touching the trigger , I was amazed how quickly the buck hit the ground. Except for extremely long shots , my 338 Federal has taken the place of my short magnum rounds. I have always had 308's so brass was plentiful in my reloading shop which is another plus for the 338 Federal.

You cant rechamber a 338 federal to a 338-06. you can do a 338-06 AI or a 338 nicholson but not the A-square standardized chambering. sorry. Problem is the the 30-06 case tapers more than the 308 case does at the 1.25" mark. so you cant clean up the chamber w/ a reamer. you will have to set the barrel back .15-.20 and then rechamber. good thing is you can custol throat for long heavy or cast bullets. but its no cheaper than just rebarreling.your best bet is to buy a remington ADL used and have a barrel fit for it.

Aw shucks, never been a finer squirrel gun than a .50 BMG! No, I'm not serious, but come on now, those who keep wanting to magnumize everything! I agree that the 338 Federal is a marginal step up, and yes the 338-06 can make more sense in some (many?) instances. On the other hand, you can get Federal's (and probably some other's) high energy high dollar wanna be mag rounds with the special powder for .308 180 grain 2750 fps(if you believe their ballistic claims) and still approach .338 Federal energy levels. Funny, some see energy as everything, others the amount of penetration, others swear by the size of the hole. All can be helpful!But from what I hear from the critics is more ego than material. Who says a .338 Federal cannot adequately take an elk (IF the one squeezing the trigger does their part!) Please don't tell granddad that he couldn't possibly kill all those deer, elk, bears, & whatnot with his old octagon barrel 30-30! Maybe those deer laughed themselves to death when they saw him with such a light yet slow & underpowered round? If you really enjoy you ego building shoulder busting ear splitting magnums fine and dandy, it is your shoulder & pocketbook. Their advantage is honestly only about 50-60 yards (where it is so extremely difficult to estimate distance and how high to hold over), but the fact that you are pushing so much more burning powder out the barrel (in addition to the bullet) causes the recoil to increase more than the benefit downrange. Here is where the short fat magnums do a much better job than the old belted magnums- they do the same job with less powder thus less recoil. But even here there is usually excess. None will stop a large bear better than a well loaded (yet much lower pressure) 45-70 in a modern & strong lever action rifle. And an elk felled by a .308 is just as dead as when shot by a .375 H&H. But who ever said the 338 Federal had to be best at everything from mice to elephant? Who ever even said it had to be best at anything at all?! It should work fine at reasonable distances for anything you might need it to except angry grizzlies at short distance. If you want more, fine, use a shoulder cannon. I think too many pay too much attention to gun column hype, ammo maker's advertisements (first two are often the same), and beer enhanced discussions with buddies about how you MUST have such massive overkill. And to think that our ancestors ever survived hunting with objects made of wood, sinew, & sharpened stone! I wonder if they had such discussions about absolutely needing to upgrade to Og's magnum spear points? Nah, they were too busy enjoying their fine barbecue mastodon. Besides, advertisers hadn't been invented yet!

I have the Sako 85 in .338 Federal. I initially wanted the 338-06 A-Square (Not the 338- A-Square) as offered once by Weatherby in the Ultra light model already mentioned, but they stopped production. Then with the 338 Federal I had nearly the same cartridge and a gun I liked better to choose. I have only had moderate accuracy from it, but it's such a lovely operating gun and the loads are quite the performer from such little powder. The 200gn soft point Speer put a huge exit hole in a pig. It's a pity that Nosler stopped making ballistic tips in .338 as they are well suited to the 338 Federal, better than to the 338 magnums where over expansion may occur. The 200gn ballistic silvertips I load with 47.8gn of ADI 2206H (Hodgdon H4895) and get 2720fps. That's a flat enough load for any sensible shot at game this cartridge is intended for. There's no need to drive it that fast really, but it's nice to know that the little case can deliver so much energy if needed (3285 ft.lb). The 210 partition and 215 sierras are probably great bullets for this too in the field. I've loaded the 215 sierras and they shoot well enough too, but not taken them out in the field. I must say that the recoil is most pleasant and the noise is much better than a .300 win.

The .338 Federal, AKA: 338 Win Mag super short!

I have this old trap gun and trying to find out information on it.ash molded gunlettering f.c.taylor cost louis pat. june2.14please call any time 1630-975-1968 cell. hm 1630 671 9931a.s.a.p. thankyou

Clay, if you were half the man you pretend to be, you would have joined the Marines instead of the Air Force...

I have been shooting the 35 whalen for 40 years now its my everything gun 180 gr ss pistol bullet for deer loaded down. 225 gr bt for moose elk 275 gr for brown bear,for get the 338 federal its a new toy to sell more guns. 35 WHALEN BEATS THEM ALL HANDS DOWN

Re-barreled a Savage Scout to the .308 Federal, cut to 20". I love carbines. They are just handy and long barrels for my money are in the way. That said: Took a spike elk at about 75 yards in the timber with 200 grain Nosler Accubond, 46 gr. H335. Have no idea of velocity but by the book I'm guessing 2500-2600 fps. But who cares? One instantly dropped elk. High in the shoulder and I've never seen one hit the ground like that. Nobody seems to be saying so but this is the ideal short action elk cartridge. .338's are a magic diameter for the big deer. Trajectory from my gun is fine with this load at +3" at 100yds. On at 200yds. With an elk any where out to 250 yds. just shoot AT 'em!

RoyI think you would give up more than you would ever gain. With a 200 gr in both the recoil wil be very much the same. However the 338 lets you shoot a 250gr which will be better for moose but not realy better, thats dependent on the definition of better. You will definatly loose on the lighter end. no 130's or 150's which are great for whitetails and antelope. flater shout so you dont have to be good at range estimation. I'm basing this on what my brother did about 40 years ago he converted a 30-06 to a 338-06 for a friend. The guy didn't want to buy a 338 Win mag because he thought that it would kick to hard. So convert the -06. worked fine for the elk hunt he went on. then to go deer next year welllll it worked and then he went antelope hunting, no more flat shooting at longer ranges.Better to have 2 rifles you just have to convince the wife.

Can anyone remember the "J.D. Jones.338 WOODSWALKER "Wildcat load using a 8.15x46mmR case ? If you have a copy of the"ABC's of RELOADING", 5th. Edition by "Dean A. Grennell you can see one. Maybe someone could pass on some info about this wildcat load....(By the way, Grenell recieved the OUTSTANDING AMERICAN HANDGUNNER AWARD in 1989). This Book, (the ABC's of reloading) is a MUST READ for all you guys reloading.

To Clay: Clay I still load the .308 with the 168gr. hollow point boattail match Bullets in Lake City National Match brass,(not for hunting of course) but for paper and Icesickles on the cliffs. Lots of fun.I like shooting the M-60 machine gun in 7.62 NATO(.308win. ) but again I like my Rem.700...

It's a "cute" cartridge. Probably would be fun to reload and shoot one as an oddity, but stick to a 30-06 if you want a real workhorse cartridge. 30-06 will take just about everything in North America cleanly.Not only that, if you forget a box of shells at home, you have a chance of borrowing some 30-06 rounds from a hunting partner or buying it at a local shop. Good luck on finding some of these oddball cartridges in a local shop.

Clay: Being retired Air Force And Amy combat Engineer, I totally agree with your Comments on the .338, I was also the Company Marksmanship Cordinator and when I stepped to the 1000 yd. line, I wanted a M-14 in my hand. I believe in picking the Cart. for the intended Job at hand. We started in Vietnam with the M-14 butsoon found that this was not a brush Gun, so we went to the M-16. I felt like in Iraq, the larger, longer rang Weapons would have been better. I'm always cautious about new Bullets Because many go by the wayside and your sitting here with a lot of riffle but no fodder for it. Iwaited a little while before buying the.17HMR But I believe it will be around for a while.

I'm A .308 fan, having a Rem.700ADL in.308win. for hunting here in Eastern Kentucky is as good as it gets. most deer here are taken at 75-100 yds.. If I were to go west on larger game and longer range, probably op for a 7mm mag or .338 federal. I like the Idea of different cartridges but when I go to the woods, my .308 is what I reach for. Love reloading the .308.(Wide range of bullet selection). Keep us posted.

Are you talking the .338 Lapua Mag??? One difference is that the Lapua will have a TON more recoil. The Lapua performance wise is more like a .338 Ultra Mag, but at lower pressure.Jim

I have a 284 winchester with a short bolt action and will rebarrel to 338/284. I am impressed with the .338 Federal, but the 338/284 offer more alternatives to loading by having a higher capacity short case to load up or down. Have never understood why the 284 did not take off years ago. Guess did not have enough gun gurus to praise its real potential. 338/284 should really be an marvelous alternative to 284 owners.

does any one know were i can get used barrelsso i can change the caliberon my 110 savage bolt action rifleim lookingfor 25-0635 whelen458 winchester mag45-70450etc

I liked the sound of the .338-.08 so well that I rebarrelled a rem 700 sps that was chamered in .308 win to the .338 federal. This was a perfectly good rifle that I had never missed a deer with, but I still wanted to try this caliber on alabama mountain whitetail.I had very good success with this round. I killed (4) mature bucks,& I don"t have any regrets about altering one of my favorite rifles.I shot federal premium factory loads with 180 gr nosler accubond bullets.I have purchased a set of rcbs dies and plan on developing the perfect load for my gun this spring.

A lot was written about the Federal 338 in the few months after it came out. But how many rifles were actually built, shipped and purchased by hunters or shooters since then? How many rounds/boxes of the 338 Federal cartridge were manufactured, shipped and purchased by shooters and hunters since? We need to know these answers before we plunk down $800-$1200 for a new rifle chanbered for the 338 Federal. Aside from this missing information, the cartridge does seem pretty good, Federal and gun writer hype aside.

I'd be curious to see how the .338 Federal performs over a chronograph. I can't see a cartridge with a .308 case driving a 200-grain .338 bullet faster than a 200-gran .308 bullet can be delivered from a .30/06 unless Federal has some special "wonder powder" we've never heard about. I wouldn't be surprised if the actual ballistics are about 200 fps slower than advertised.I'm also wondering if a 200-grain .338 bullet is any more effective than a 180-grain .308 bullet given the fact that the latter has a superior sectional density and ballistic coefficient.

Ruger is apparently the leader in firearms manufacturing in America. By offering the 350 Rem Mag, 358 Win, and 338 Federal, they are covering all the bases. Browning and Remington could take a lesson from Ruger. Stock one more reamer and sell more guns.

Several posters here and on other sites immediatly bring up the advantages of a 338/06 over the 338/08 in terms of power/range. Both cartridges have been around as wildcats for a long time. If you consistantly shoot farther than 250 yds for moose or elk then go with the 338/06 or bigger. If you usually shoot game at less than 200 yards like myself then the 338/06 does nothing that the 338/08 can't do for you with less recoil and powder in a shorter action.

I built a 338-06 40 degree improved, on a ruger m77 mk11.all weather. With a 210 nosler partition...I got .50" groups at 100 yds! I took 2 Elk with it...one at 350 yds!!! When you go past the .308 cal., you are going to increase your felt recoil. the recoil from the 338-06 was not uncomfortable..in fact I found little difference between it and my friends 300 wsm. It (338-06) is a great choice for the western hunter...not my choice for the great bears though,the 338 Win Mag is the better choice with larger bullets. The 338-06 has a slight advantage over the 35 Whelen, It handles the 225 and 250 gr bullets a little better. Speer manual #13 has the 338-o6 A square information...take a look.

I’m disappointed that Federal put out the shorty 338; they should have put out a 338 based on the 30-06 case. I had a 35 Whelen for some years and liked it a lot, but would have rather been able to use the 225-grain bullet at the same speed that Federal has with the short 210-grain. Then I could have had my husband load me these for elk when he loaded for his 338 Win Mag. I, as a rule like heavy bullets for the caliber, like 140-grains in my 270 Win and 180 to 200-grain in my 300 Win mag. We both thought the 8mm Rem Mag was a joke, they should have put out a 338 Rem Mag based on that case, then it would have been very successful! Now they have the Ultra Mag on that 404 Jeffery case, which seems to be a good idea, but overlooks the practicality of the full magnum.It seems like the main cartridge companies are always playing it cute, loading some new fangled thing more for discussion over coffee and rolls than getting in touch with what hunters really need. I’m not saying all are bad choices, the 7mm Rem Mag is great and one of my favorites I can shoot well as is the 7mm-08, which is my light rifle for deer. Yet so many are just flops like that short 350 Rem and their 264 with the short barrels that hampered the potential of these loads. Even the 35 Whelen was compromised by Remington’s need to make to work through their automatic rifle, otherwise, they could have loaded it hotter!My husband, a world hunter used full magnum in 284, 308, 338, 375 and 416, the last being the only that was loaded properly by the factory. He hated the Weatherbay 300 and 340 for their lack of accuracy due to the bullet being to far off the lands to allow Roy to develop those high pressures. All his were based on the 8 mag and the 416. I was content with the 300 Win mag, as it has been about the most recoil I can stand, but the 338 on a 06 case would really be nice as a closer range elk round, otherwise the 300 works fine.

I had a 338 Federal built on a m-98 mauser action as soon as reamers became available. It was put together as a "stalking" rifle for deer & feral hogs. I consider it a 338-06 "lite" which ain't a bad thing,as my 338-06 is overkill for the medium small whitetail and exotics in my area. I'm getting 2550 fps with 200 gr. Comb. Tech. silvertips. It's true that there is nothing new under the sun,as this duplicates the old 8x57 round. I don't need a .338 Win. mag or even 338-06 for 50 yd. shots in heavy brush. The old 98 action is a perfect platform for this round with a longer mag box than a true short action,rounds can be loaded slightly longer for more capacity. This combo is one of the more "realistic" rifles that I've put together and destined to see lots of use.

Today (August 28, 2006), I shot my .338 Federal Tikka T3 (stainless/synthetic), equipped with a 3-9X scope in the rings provided.I formed cases from .308 Winchester Ranger Match brass, and tried loads with 200-grain Nosler Ballistic Tips and 200-grain original Barnes X bullets over 46 grains of IMR 4895 powder, and 210-grain Barnes Triple Shock and 215-grain Sierra Spitzer Boat Tail bullets over 45 grains of IMR 4895. All loads used the Federal 210 Match primer, and all cases were given full prep (uniformly trimmed, flash hole deburred, etc.) prior to loading. None of the loads showed signs of excess pressure. All primers remained rounded, and there was no hint of sticky extraction. I would've liked to try more powder, but all loads were mildly compressed.The original X bullets left copper fouling (as always--Barnes didn't discontinue those bullets because they were GOOD), and the Nosler and Triple Shock bullets shot into 2 MOA at 100 yards, but the 215-grain Sierra load grouped under 1 MOA at 200 yards (3 shots into 1.75 inches). Recoil was brisk in a rifle that scales slightly over 7 pounds with scope, but it's nothing a typical elk hunter can't handle. The Tikka trigger worked well right out of the box (slightly over 3 pounds), and the barrel didn't get too hot shooting pairs of 3-shot groups before letting the rifle cool.I hope to use it this fall in western Montana.

I really like this new cartridge overall. It holds a lot of potential in general, and I think it will do much better than the .358Win for two main reasons. First, when the .358 Win came out, it was overshadowed in writings by the .243, which also came out the same year (I think it was 1955). The second reason is that there is a much wider variety of .338 bullets available to handloaders than there are of .358 bullets.I personally love the .358 Win, and think it's a wonderful, well rounded cartridge. Recoil is mild, and the larger diameter and weight of the bullet definitely do improve it's effectivness on game.What the .338 Federal definitely needs is some backing from domestic arms makers though. If we don't see it appearing in domestic rifles, it will never make it.I'd love to see Savage chamber it, and I think it would work remarkably well in a lever action model, like the Browning BLR.

Bigger may be better but over the years I've seen too many macho men trying to shoot the latest shoulder cannon without flinching, then walking away from the range with 6' groups at 100 yards and thinking they are ready for the hunt. Shooting should be fun, not a test of bravery. I am a big fan of the 30/06 and the .308, including the derivitives of same. I have hunted for 30 years with the '06, but since buying an old Winchester Model 88 (I'm a left-hander) in .308 I find myself loading and shooting more .308 and less '06. The caliber is just a pleasure to shoot. This .338 Federal will be in my gun safe and on my lap on a deer stand as soon as it shows up in a blue-collar gun like the Rem 760 pump or Ruger 77 bolt.

Not sure about the .35 rem Model 7 being rechambered for 358 win without modifying bolt face. Model 7 is out this year in 350 Rem Mag. I guess Remington should be expected to push the 350 rather than 358... to my disappointment.

Can a .35 remington model 7 be rechambered for the .358 winchester without making modifications to the bolt?

Just a passing comment/suggestion, take it for what it's worth. To make disparaging remarks about anyone in such an article is not helpful. Bashing Hillary Clinton in passing isn't really pertinent to the subject at hand and is somewhat petty. Better to just stick to the subject at hand. Before anyone labels me a Clinton-lover, I don't really care for her but I also don't live in NY. She is their problem/concern/liability/asset/whatever.

Excellent concept, but how in the world can the 338 Federal better the velocities of the 308 with a heavier bullet? The 7mm-08 does it with a lighter bullet and concentrating the energy into a smaller cross section. I will acknowledge that the larger "piston" bore should allow a slightly increased amount of work with the same pressures as a 308. But cranking up a heavier bullet (which takes up some the the case's powder volume)to higher velocities means pressure will have to be at least as high as a 308, & probably more- I would think. More modern magic through better propellent chemistry? Almost sounds too good to be true.Bottom line- this has appeal, but bigger bullets going faster means more recoil. That is a law of physics. And I'm comfortable with a 308's recoil. Maybe someday I'll own a Savage with multiple barrels. Until then, a 308 is plenty good for my deer hunting needs. My ego alone is not sufficient reason to abuse my shoulder. If I were into bear & elk, then we'd be talking a different story....

As has already been said, the 338-06 is already being chambered in Weatherby rifles. As for rechambering 338-08Feds to 338-06s', that would not be feasable for 2 reasons. #1-most 338-08s' will be built on 308WIN length actions; too short for the 338-06. #2-cartridges designed off of the 308WIN cartridge have less body taper than cartridges built off of the 30-06. The chamber would not clean up, and there would be a rather horrific hump about 3/4 the way up fire formed cases.One of the more interesting cartridges that has been developed as of late is the REM 6.8MM SPC. Just the right size for deer in a short rifle. Now that's interesting!

Ditto on getting a .338 Federal! I've already contacted several companies about the buiding of a T/C Encore barrel in said caliber, (or the .338-08...).As far as I know now there are no reamers marked as "338 Federal", though as far as I know Federal has made no changes to the old wildcat other than the name.Why a ".338 Short"? Why not?! The favorite among all my rifles is a 7mm-08. Basically a .280 Rem "Short". For me it comes down to efficiency. I can nearly equal the .280, and definately duplicate the .270, with less powder and less recoil. The short action arguement holds no water with me as I'm a single shot rifle fan.I welcome the .338 Federal to the party.

Mark my word...... Most .338-08's will get rechambered to .338-06. It will be very easy and cheap to do.... and what I would do, provided the magazines/receivers would handle the extra length.. The difference in S.A.A.M.I. Combined Overall Lengths is a little over a half inch (.630"). That assumes that the C.O.L. of the .338-08 Federal would be the same as, or very nearly so, to the .308 WIN. The C.O.L. of the .338-06 A Square is 3.440". Weatherby chambered it for awhile and some of those might still be available from the factory. I doubt that Remington would take up the cause of the .338-06, since the .35 Whelen is now a standard production chambering, for them. The .338-06 is very close to the old .333 OKH, of Elmer Keith fame, and ever bit as good as the .338 WIN MAG.

Why a .338-08 ??? The .308 was/is nothing more than a 30-06 Short, so why have a .338-06 Short ?? The .338-06 sounds like a much better idea.... about the equivalent of the great, old .35 Whelen, but with a better bullet selection. I have a Remington Mod. 700 CDL, chambered for .35 Whelen and would buy one just like it, in .338-06, not as a replacement for the Whelen, but to compliment it. What a great pair !!

338 federal, Yup I will buy one. My two favorite rounds are 243win and 338 win mag. This new one is right in the middle. I hunt the mountains of Idaho where a lightwieght rifle just makes sence. I have taken several elk with the 338 and can tell you nothing stops an elk like a big bullet. If a man is a real hunter getting within 200 yrds of any animal is not only not that difficult but its the right thing to do. At this range the 338 federal would be the perfect cartridge.

Many years ago, I thought the 308 Win was the best cartridge around. A Winchester model 70 was my first centerfire rifle I owned. That is until I started looking at the ballistics for heavy bullet loads for the 308 Win. They looked dismaly slow and failed to meet my 2000 ft-lbs requirement at distances over 200 yds. Flash forward, 30 years, the 338 Federal can do it?

s

I sure do like the idea of 1 Savage rifle and 4/5 barrels...How involved is it in changing a barrel of a Savage>

I am not sure what to think of this one. I like the concept, but I am not sure how it will sell. I am not even really sure what I would use it for. Bears and Boars maybe?Here is a novel idea for you:Buy a Savage Model 10 in 243, get a barrel nut wrench, a headspacing guage, and barrels in 260 Rem, 7mm-08, 308, 338 Federal and 358 Win. You have just assembled shooting battery with a perfect rifle for any hunt short of Cape Buffalo and Elephants. All for a grand total of about $1,000 (actually a little less)Spend some of the money you are not spending on multiple rifles on quality Optics, buy a spare scope, buy a nice case. Shoot lots of 243 ammo.You will have the ideal rifle for any hunt from mice to moose and you won't have to familiarize yourself with a different rifle each time.

test