.338 Federal..........who’s got one?

C

Crankylove

New member
Seriously thinking of changing directions on my .358 Winchester AR build. Been looking a lot at the .338 Federal lately, and starting to lean that way over the .358. Haven’t bought a barrel yet, so it’s not too late.

Would be mainly used for plinking and hunting (elk, deer, antelope, coyotes, rabbits), at short to medium range (200-250 yards max).

I already reload for my .358 Win and some other oddball cartridges, so finding ammo, or high ammo prices aren’t really a concern.

Currently also own rifles in .22 Hornet, .223 Rem, .243 Win, .270 Win, 7.62x54R, .30-‘06, .358 Win., and .375 H&H.........so I’ve already got anything I could want to hunt covered, this is more of a “because I can” build.

I was intitally going with the .358 because i like the cartridge, I’ve already got the dies and reloading components, and I don’t personally know anybody with a .358 Win. AR, or with any .358 for that matter.

I also don’t have anything chambered for .338 Federal, or know anybody that does, which is good enough reason for me, and would add another oddball/uncommon caliber to the group, which pleases me.

So, anybody here have a rifle ( of any type) in this chambering? What ranges are you shooting at? Bullet weights/ammo preferences)? Would you by one again?
 
I bought a Ruger Model 77 Hawkeye All Weather stainless bolt action chambered in .338 Federal for my son a few years ago. It is reasonably accurate and effective. He took a small mule deer buck with it and considers it his bear gun, for closer range hunting for game closer than 300 yards. We stick with 180 gr Nosler Accubonds, and 200 gr Hornady, Speer or Remington bullets. Seems the best powder is IMR-8208XBR, with Ramshot TAC being close behind. We also have some 210 gr Nosler Partitions to load for it, if he decides to take it elk hunting where he could encounter a grizzly.
It is a lot more handy in the bush than his Model 70 .270WSM with it's 27" custom barrel. The .338 Federal is basically a slower, fatter .308 Winchester, that hits a little harder at closer range. IMO, a fine medium range cartridge, with much better bullet selection than a .358 Win.
 
I have been mulling over my next hunting rifle/caliber for quite awhile now and have pretty much settled on a Browning BLR in .358win. I wanted something Alaska worthy but not a magnum and no bolt-action. My other option was a Remington 7600 in .35 Whelen, but they're rare as hen's teeth.
I also considered an AR in .358win, but wanted something a little more traditional for the field.
I considered .338fed but don't feel it's a step up enough from the .30's to make a significant difference. So personally, I'd go .358win.
 
One note on bullet selection for these two calibers. From what I've seen and read:
- most of the 338 caliber bullets are made to be fired at 338 Win Mag velocities are aren't meant to open at the slower speeds of the 338 Fed. This is not ALL of them, but many.
- conversely, many of the 358 caliber bullets are made to be used in mid-velocity cartridges like the 35 Rem, 358 Win, etc.

I chose the 358 Win because I knew I could get good performance at a lower velocity from readily available bullets.

But the 338 Fed is interesting. Just choose your bullets carefully.
 
.33

Mentally, I've got a soft spot for the medium bores, .33 and .35, but I don't own one, other than a .357 carbine. The rage for some time now, has been long range shooting/hunting, and the short action mediums (not the 338 Lapua!) come up wanting in that department. The short mediums should be ideal thin skinned game, deer/black bear/hog numbers, and likely are, but nobody wants to admit they take their game at sub 200 yds. Usually way less. I shot a buck this week at about 35 yds (Mini30). Such logic has sold scores of .300 and 7mm mags to whitetail hunters east of the MS who really don't need the extra reach, but can't do without.

When the .338 Fed came out, I was intrigued, but I figured it would not fly. Neither has the .358 Win. One combo that has also intrigued me, is the .338-06, which drives the .33 slugs (and there is wider variety of same) at higher/flatter velocities than the short action cases.

Truth is though I don't need them, and can't justify one.
 
A friend here waffled for a long time over rebarreling a rifle to .358 Win.
When the .338 Fed came out, he changed his mind and made the move. He likes it.
Me? I'd have left his rifle a 6mm Rem. And shot a .308 or .30-06 when I wanted something bigger. The virtues of heavy .30 bullets are under appreciated.
 
There are plenty of bullets that will work with the .338 Fed, you just have to realize the small case isn't ideal for heavy bullets. If you stick to bullets in the 160-210 grain range you'll find plenty of choices of bullets that'll work at .338 Fed speeds.the 180 grain Accubond, 185 grain TTSX, and 210 grain Partition are the bullets I'd be looking at for the .338 Fed.
 
you just have to realize the small case isn't ideal for heavy bullets.
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Yea, that is a downside I already deal with while reloading for my .22 Hornet, and bolt action .358 Win.

I appreciate all the input and advice, and have pretty well decided on the .338 over the .358.

I don’t really “need” this cartridge/gun to really do anything but go bang. Like I mentioned in my first post, I’ve got everything covered with my existing rifles (.223 to .375 caliber wise, and bullet weights from 36 grains to 300) and am leaning towards the .338 Federal cause I don’t have one (used that reasoning for more than one purchase in the past), don’t know anybody that has one (bonus for me, I like non-mainstream, oddball/uncommon cartridges) and it does seem to offer pretty decent performance if I do use it for more than killing soda cans and paper plates.

Looking at load data/ballistics, I would probably stick with bullets in the 180-210 weights (I have the .270 and ‘06 for lighter bullets, and the .358 and .375 H&H for heavier), although it always depends on what shoots and feeds good.
 
A 338 would fill a void in my arsenal but like bamaranger I'm interested in the 338-06. Please keep us posted on your project.
 
I don't understand the "small case" part.
There was the whole family of 8, 9, 9.3, and 9.5 mm rounds on the 57mm Mauser and 56mm Mannlicher cases and they were very popular in their day. The 51mm case of .308, .338 Fed and .358 Win is a bit smaller, but makes up for it by a higher chamber pressure and more progressive powders.
 
I don't understand the "small case" part.
There was the whole family of 8, 9, 9.3, and 9.5 mm rounds on the 57mm Mauser and 56mm Mannlicher cases and they were very popular in their day. The 51mm case of .308, .338 Fed and .358 Win is a bit smaller, but makes up for it by a higher chamber pressure and more progressive powders.
Click to expand...

With the .358, I start running out of powder capacity pretty quick when loading my 250’s, and even the 220/225’s. Loading ball powder (W748) instead of the stick powders I use in my other high powered rifles, and seating the 250’s to the max COAL that still allows function through the magazine, leaves me enough powder capacity for only about 2,250 fps.

With lighter bullets bullets in the .243’s and .308’s in the family, using the same basic case, powder capacity isn’t an issue, but my .358 doesn’t play nice like the others.

I could squeeze in a little more powder, but I don’t care to load compressed. It is what it is, knew that before I bought it. Big, slow(ish) bullets, but it’s done the job just fine on elk and antelope so far.
 
T3 in 338 Federal...a winner

Some years back I whimsied on a T3 Tikka in 338 Federal. Brass was formed from 308 cases. It would be helpful to see the velocity range for the 338 bullets of your choice. On checking these figures it appeared that was an overlap. That would allow your to use many 338 bullets. On the down side, sometimes bullets can be had to find and expensive. Yes, all bullets are expensive these days. You will find that the 338 Federal has the potential for extreme accuracy. Likewise, 358 is a great cartridge. I have not had a rifle in this caliber in over thirty years. Flip a coin? Case capacity? Check the numbers. I like 200 gr. cup and core bullets. I no longer hunt but really like to load and shoot. The Federal round appears to be having something of a revival as we speak.
 
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338-06?

Just finished a Savage action project for a 338-06. Wanted a non magnum option, have that covered with my .375 H&H. Will be loading for it during the Super Bowl.
 
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