.338 winmag

[ziggy]

Haha Bewsh, those things reach a fair old way don't they shares in a powder company time?

 

[bewsher500]

nah! 10gr more thats all
I am at 80gr of H1000 under 208gr Amax in the 300WM

300Edge is 86-91gr range for 250gr Bergers

 

[ziggy]

Are you going to be a little devil whispering into my ear?

 

[ziggy]

Well, unless something goes pretty wrong, it looks as though I'll be having this... Now the question is, keep it as it is or turn it into something else...

 

[trichinosis]

actually at factory speeds its got less energy pretty much across the board
The MV drop as you step up to 250-285gr bullets drops into the 2450fps range
the 300wm can push a 200gr at between 28-3000fps

Looking at the Vihtavuori reloading guide both calibers push a 200gr bullet just a bit shy of 3000fps. The 338wm just a tiny bit faster, which probably doesn't make any difference.

IMO the 338wm suffers from habits formed in the old days before premium bullets. A 200-225gr bullet is a lot more pleasant to shoot and is enough bullet weight. Shooting big bovines with a body weight of a metric ton you might need a 250gr or heavier. For those kinds of animals you would be better off with a bigger caliber, anyway.

 

[bewsher500]

Looking at the Vihtavuori reloading guide both calibers push a 200gr bullet just a bit shy of 3000fps. The 338wm just a tiny bit faster, which probably doesn't make any difference.

IMO the 338wm suffers from habits formed in the old days before premium bullets. A 200-225gr bullet is a lot more pleasant to shoot and is enough bullet weight. Shooting big bovines with a body weight of a metric ton you might need a 250gr or heavier. For those kinds of animals you would be better off with a bigger caliber, anyway.

Very modest mv figures for the 200gr in 300wm, there are numerous people pushing 208gr at close to 3000 out of 26" barrels
which probably means you could wring the neck of the 338 as well and get better results with hand loading

 

[Bavarianbrit]

That's rubbish. A .338WM can be shot on any private HOAC range as it's only 4000 FPE.... so can .338 Lapua, which is sub 5000 FPE.

As you've had it for 8 years unshot then your FLD's assessment was right. Even If you'd justified it for 'Range Use Only' you would have lost it due to lack of interest.

If the OP is serious he can buy it as 'a target rifle'. The next complication will be ammunition. IF there's any ammo around it will be Expanding, but cases & Sierra 250gr MK can be found. If he PM's me, I can arrange an 'approved range' session no bother.

I live in Germany with the UK used as a second home so it did not bother me too much as I have around 45 other firearms on my German wbk (FAC) I bought it as it was very cheap from Frankonia and I thought that I might get up to Alaska with it but work got in the way and now at 66 I guess I will not be fit enough for the rigours of the wilderness, but you can never have too many guns IMO thats after 8 years of living in the USA = ask Muir he understands.

 

[trichinosis]

Very modest mv figures for the 200gr in 300wm, there are numerous people pushing 208gr at close to 3000 out of 26" barrels
which probably means you could wring the neck of the 338 as well and get better results with hand loading

A better result is very subjective. I don't see there being any difference between the two cartridges for mid-range hunting in terms of energy. It comes down to whether the shooter feels a larger caliber gives them an advantage all else being the same. It's a given that the 300wm is the better choice for long-range shooting.

On the same note I don't feel like hot-rodding the final fps out of a cartridge is the thing to do. If the 338wm doesn't do it for you, get a Lapua. Or if the 300wm isn't doing it for you, get a RUM. For all practical purposes I don't feel like a few fps here or there is going to make enough of a difference to be worth it.

The pressure tolerance in modern bolt actions is absolutely stunning. You can hot-rod a cartridge to the orbit of Mars without really moving into the danger zone. With that said everything is available, so why hot-rod, when you can get a rifle that does what you are looking for out of the box.