.338 Fed or .358 Win

[Gunner46]

You haven't stated if you were looking at a Mfg over the counter purchase, a re-barrel, or a re-bore. It actually made my decision to go with the 338 Fed simpler.

A straight purchase will severely limit your choices with the 358, but the 338 isn't all that much better, just better.

PRICE, is an issue with either, as is selection of action, barrel length, stock type & configuration, etc, etc.......

After breaking down all the options and weighing what I was going to spend, how hard was it going to find what I actually wanted.... I went with the 338 Fed rebuild, based off of a Ruger RA 308.

That turned out to be a pretty good choice, Thank God, cuz it could have gone to Hell in a hand basket pretty quick. I just wasn't comfortable with re-boring up to the 358 caliber, just cutting too much out of the barrel, in my opinion and there really isn't that much of a difference between the two at eastern ranges.

What IS a difference is bullet selection/bullet weight range/ bullet SD. The 338 gets the edge in my opinion. 160's @ 3000fps to 225's (yes 225's) @2450fps.

If you feel like discussing it further, PM me.

Gunner

 

[Gut Shot]

I've got a Ruger in 338Fed. I knocked over a couple of elk with the 185gr Barnes TSX in handloads. It worked just fine. I suspect the 358 would have done as well.

 

[WoodsQuest]

You haven't stated if you were looking at a Mfg over the counter purchase, a re-barrel, or a re-bore. It actually made my decision to go with the 338 Fed simpler.

A straight purchase will severely limit your choices with the 358, but the 338 isn't all that much better, just better.

PRICE, is an issue with either, as is selection of action, barrel length, stock type & configuration, etc, etc.......

After breaking down all the options and weighing what I was going to spend, how hard was it going to find what I actually wanted.... I went with the 338 Fed rebuild, based off of a Ruger RA 308.

That turned out to be a pretty good choice, Thank God, cuz it could have gone to Hell in a hand basket pretty quick. I just wasn't comfortable with re-boring up to the 358 caliber, just cutting too much out of the barrel, in my opinion and there really isn't that much of a difference between the two at eastern ranges.

What IS a difference is bullet selection/bullet weight range/ bullet SD. The 338 gets the edge in my opinion. 160's @ 3000fps to 225's (yes 225's) @2450fps.

If you feel like discussing it further, PM me.

Gunner

I’d be rebarreling a Ruger 77. How fast can a 358 spit a 180 out? Also, any advantage to loading pistol bullets in the .358 for cheap plinking?

 

[Don Fischer]

Well, with the bullet's being talked about, I can't see one reason to go to either. Get a 308 and it will handle bullet's up to 200 grs fine!

 

[Ben Long]

You guys make my head hurt. How do your brains store all that info?

 

[Millsworks]

If I was gonna order a barrel in .338 federal, I wouldn't likely want one less than 22 inches.
Muzzle rise on a heavy rock chucker can be hard on a guy.
I have a 338 win mag with a 22 barrel and I wish it had a 26.
I had to put a muzzle brake on it to make it more user friendly and sure hate the ear busting noise.
I have no trouble with the recoil, but muzzle rise will cause the scope to bite ya, and hard to get back on target after a shot.
A couple extra ounces of barrel weight does wonders to tame muzzle rise and some felt recoil.
A 24 inch barrel swings on target plenty fast enough for most.

 

[mtmuley]

I think the OP needs an .06 mtmuley

 

[std7mag]

Personally i'd vere away from the 338 simply because of bullet selection.
The wide variety of bullets for 338 were based upon the cartridge de jour.
Namely the 338 Lapua Magnum. The Fed can't in any way match those velocities.

Of the 2 choices i'd be in the 358 Win camp. With the Nosler Partition.

Really as was mentioned there isn't anything in the NE that a 308 won't handle.

 

[WoodsQuest]

I have an old crude Savage 110 in '06. It's big, clunky, built on a looong action, but it's a tank. I know I could thread a .308 barrel on the Hawkeye and handle most anything, but that's not what it would be about. If I took the plunge I'd want something different that not every Joe was using.

I've heard the above regarding 338 bullets being designed for magnum velocity. I think that's part of the reason the 338 Fed hasn't taken off. I contacted Barnes and they assured me all their 338 bullets will perform down to 1800fps. How that works in practice, I don't know. The biggest difference I'm finding between the two is ballistic coefficient. The 33s seem to be more slippery than the 35s. On the flip side, the 35 looks to be able to handle bullets up to 250grs better.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I vote for the 358 Win. A big bullet at moderate velocity is a fantastic game getter. The 225 TSX in Barnes should be just fine in that, with a top velocity of 2400 - 2500 FPS will get you out to 250-300 yards before you hit 1800 FPS.

 

[Gunner46]

"Personally i'd vere away from the 338 simply because of bullet selection.
The wide variety of bullets for 338 were based upon the cartridge de jour.
Namely the 338 Lapua Magnum. The Fed can't in any way match those velocities...

Really as was mentioned there isn't anything in the NE that a 308 won't handle".

So nobody should buy a 308 Win because the wide variety of 308 bullets are based upon the cartridge de jour, namely the 300 RUM/ 300 Wheatherby/ 30/338 Wthby.

The 308 Win can't in any way match those velocities?

 

[morley.tyler]

I know nothing about the .358, but I have a 338Fed and its awesome.

 

[std7mag]

Hmm, so ther was the 30-06. Designed in... Oh right.. 1906.. Before that was the 03, preceeded by the 30-40 Krag. Preceeded by the 30-30.
Followed by the 300 Savage, 308 Win, etc...

First 338 appears to be the 338 Win Mag (1958) followed by the 340 Weatherby(1962) followed by the 338 LM.
The 338 Fed, 338 RCM, 338 Marlin were much later.
So sales of 338 Fed compared to the LM, WM, oh and the Ultra Mag, are slim indeed.

So i wonder where the bullet manufacturers are going to focus their money and research?

 

[Millsworks]

I feel the bullets in .338 will likely perform fine with velocities in the area of 1600-1800 , up to 3,000 +.
Loads for the .338 federal appear to be capable of easily reaching 2,800fps or so, depending on powder and bullet weights.
Lots of people shoot pistol bullets out of their muzzleloader at velocities way lower than the caliber bullets original tested velocity. They work fine in most situations at less than half the velocities of the 44 magnum or even the 45 Colt.
Unless you load up some sciroccos in the .338 federal with a powder that burns too fast a rate, most bullets that perform well in the .338 win mag. should do fine out to 300yrds.

I suspect even a glass marble going a couple thousand feet per second will kill most animals.

 

[Gut Shot]

Hmm, so ther was the 30-06. Designed in... Oh right.. 1906.. Before that was the 03, preceeded by the 30-40 Krag. Preceeded by the 30-30.
Followed by the 300 Savage, 308 Win, etc...

First 338 appears to be the 338 Win Mag (1958) followed by the 340 Weatherby(1962) followed by the 338 LM.

So i wonder where the bullet manufacturers are going to focus their money and research?

As you say, the 338 Win Mag was developed in the late 1950's. A time when cup and core bullets were king. And many of those same cup and core bullets are still being made today. If they work at magnum velocities, why wouldn't they work at velocities that are 300fps slower? The Nosler partition was the premium bullet of the day in America and is factory loaded today in 338Fed and Win. Mag.

I wouldn't own either cartridge if I didn't hand load. Sierra makes a 215gr Gameking, and Hornady makes an Interlock. Bonded bullets are available as well, in weights under 225gr, from Nosler, Hornady, Speer, and Woodleigh. Guys have no problem with bonded bullets at .308Win velocities, there is no reason to shy away from them at 338Fed velocities. And the mono-metal bullets in 165-185gr work, in my limited experience, just fine on game.

 

[choc dogs]

You guys make my head hurt. How do your brains store all that info?

It's easy Ben, we forget unimportant stuff, like our anniversary, wife's birthday, name, etc.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Hmm, so ther was the 30-06. Designed in... Oh right.. 1906.. Before that was the 03, preceeded by the 30-40 Krag. Preceeded by the 30-30.
Followed by the 300 Savage, 308 Win, etc...

First 338 appears to be the 338 Win Mag (1958) followed by the 340 Weatherby(1962) followed by the 338 LM.
The 338 Fed, 338 RCM, 338 Marlin were much later.
So sales of 338 Fed compared to the LM, WM, oh and the Ultra Mag, are slim indeed.

So i wonder where the bullet manufacturers are going to focus their money and research?

33 Winchester pre-dated the 338 WM. It was a fast midbore for general game and at one point the fastest cartridge in a lever gun.

 

[1_pointer]

33 Winchester pre-dated the 338 WM. It was a fast midbore for general game and at one point the fastest cartridge in a lever gun.

While still technically .33s, the 318 Westley Richards and 330 Jeffery also predated the .338 Win Mag...

 

[Don Fischer]

Keep hearing about bullet selection. Like maybe it'll go for Brown Bear today and woodchuck's tomorrow. Fact is you can only fire one bullet at a time! That being it, why would anyone mess around with a larger cartridge that can fire heavier bullet's well but has light bullet available also? Just drop down a bit where those light bullet's become mid range to heavy bullet's.

 

[Ben Lamb]

While still technically .33s, the 318 Westley Richards and 330 Jeffery also predated the .338 Win Mag...

I'd like a 318 WR, personally. Neat cartridge and cool history. I do enjoy my 33 WCF. It's a fun gun to hunt with (Winchester Model 86) and I'd be happy with shots out to 200 yards. Finding the flat-nose 200 grainers is a problem though.