.338 Federal

Most rifle buyers choose the popular chamberings when making their purchases. That's why .308 is still such a big seller across North America.

The family of .308 cartridges are all very accurate in skilled hands. I'm not suprised that 338 FEDERAL shoots amazing groups, too. But if a hunter assumes that a .03 inch larger bullet kills better then he has been deceived. North American hunters have proved time and time again that .308 shooting 180 grain bullets is a very deadly moose and elk cartridge.

Jack
 
But if a hunter assumes that a .03 inch larger bullet kills better then he has been deceived.
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This is easy to say, but you've offered exactly nothing to back it up. A .03" difference doesn't sound like much, but it offers 20% more frontal area. (Frontal area is radius SQUARED x PI), so small changes in radius make big changes in frontal area. The heaviest practical bullet in a 308 is 180 grains. A 225 .338 bullet offers 45 more grains. So 20% more frontal area and 45 grains (25%) more weight does make a difference.


North American hunters have proved time and time again that .308 shooting 180 grain bullets is a very deadly moose and elk cartridge.
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I don't recall anyone saying that it wasn't. That doesn't mean that the 338 couldn't represent an improvement.
 
If you look at old Savage ads, the .303 was the moose cartridge to go to. I guess it just shows that we really don't need new cartridges. I was really surprised when all the short and super dooper magnums came out. Last ditch effort for the major gun companies in the U.S. I suppose.
 
The 338 calibers are roughly 20% more frontal area then the 30 cals, while that is a noticeable difference the .35 calibers have a whopping 35% more. If you want a larger displacement hole I think the ol .358 is better then the new comer inside 200 yards. The 338 Fed has one weakness it cannot effectively wield the higher BC 225-250gr for which the .338 cal is famous for.
 
A .03" difference doesn't sound like much, but it offers 20% more frontal area. (Frontal area is radius SQUARED x PI), so small changes in radius make big changes in frontal area. The heaviest practical bullet in a 308 is 180 grains. A 225 .338 bullet offers 45 more grains. So 20% more frontal area and 45 grains (25%) more weight does make a difference.
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.03" is about the thickness of your fingernail. After a 200gr .308 bullet and a 200gr .338 bullet have been recovered from game you cannot tell which were which after measuring the expanded bullet. Fire 10 of each and measure them and the sizes of both will overlap when measured.

But that .03" has a huge effect on a bullets SD and BC. A 200 gr .338 bullet has comparable SD and BC to a 165 gr .308 bullet, and will perform about the same once it hits a game animal. A 180 gr .308 bullet will out penetrate a 200 gr 338 bullet moving at the same speed. It will shoot flatter and have less recoil.

You CAN get a little more speed from a .338 shooting the same weights. A 200 gr 338 bullet will start off about 100 fps or so faster than is possible with a 200 gr bullet from a .308 and offer slightly more energy at the muzzle. But there is nothing in NA a 200 gr Accubond from a 308 @ 2500 fps won't kill. The better SD of the 308 will will out pentrate at any range, and the better BC means the .308 bullet will be moving faster within 100 yards, it will shoot flatter, and have better energy even though it starts out slower.
 
The .338 Fed is just for people who want something different. The .308 really doesn't do anything better until you get past 300 yards. Even comparing 200 grain .338's to 180 grain .308 bullets, the MPBR difference is 9 yards in favor of the .308 giving both a MV of 2600 fps. Both offer enough energy and penetration to handle any big game animal in the lower 48, so it is pretty much a wash for normal hunting which cartridge you choose to hunt with.
 
.03" is about the thickness of your fingernail. After a 200gr .308 bullet and a 200gr .338 bullet have been recovered from game you cannot tell which were which after measuring the expanded bullet. Fire 10 of each and measure them and the sizes of both will overlap when measured.

But that .03" has a huge effect on a bullets SD and BC. A 200 gr .338 bullet has comparable SD and BC to a 165 gr .308 bullet, and will perform about the same once it hits a game animal. A 180 gr .308 bullet will out penetrate a 200 gr 338 bullet moving at the same speed. It will shoot flatter and have less recoil.

You CAN get a little more speed from a .338 shooting the same weights. A 200 gr 338 bullet will start off about 100 fps or so faster than is possible with a 200 gr bullet from a .308 and offer slightly more energy at the muzzle. But there is nothing in NA a 200 gr Accubond from a 308 @ 2500 fps won't kill. The better SD of the 308 will will out pentrate at any range, and the better BC means the .308 bullet will be moving faster within 100 yards, it will shoot flatter, and have better energy even though it starts out slower.
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I appreciate that you're mentioning the right concepts, such as BC and SD, but you're switching bullet weights back and forth to get whatever's favorable to the point you want to make. If you compare bullets of similar SDs, you'll find that the 308 and the 338 have virtually identical trajectories out to 400 yards, which as far as anyone has any business shooting at game with cartridges in this class. The 338 will still be bigger and heavier. Is it enough of a difference to justify an entire new cartridge? Probably not. The market certainly doesn't seem to think so.

Look, I don't think the 338F is God's gift or anything, I just wanted to show that there is a LOT more going on than simply saying "there's only a .03" difference in diameter" as if that explained everything.
 
I went with 338fed becuase it runs more or less with 338WinMag out to 200 yards, which is about all as far as I have any business shooting anyway.

If I was a better shooter (had more $$ and more free time) I would probably switch to .308Win and talk about how 400 yards (or whatever) is as far as I can really ethically shoot.

Inside 200 yards against moose and caribou I agree a 308 would be just as effective. But if Mr. Bruin comes to visit while I am field dressing my freezer meat, I'll take the .338 please.

FWIW my DPMS 338Fed shoots real nice when I feed it loads worked up in my Sako.

EDIT I am using Varget and loving it. I get about 2600fps with 210-215gr bullets, but my scope holds zero from -40dF up to +80dF.
 
I've had good luck shooting Speer's 200 grain bullet in my .308 rifle. Accurasy is quite good. Ballistically, this load is comparible to 300 Savage shooting a 180 grain bullet.

A .03 diameter advantage goes away upon impact with the animal. Rapid expansion and deep penetration are what cause massive tissue distruction. That's why animals' topple over quickly.

Is the 338 FEDERAL a useful big game cartridge? Of course. Does it offer any more killing power than the .308? In my opinion, NO.

The middle bores have suffered slow sales in North America for several decades. An exception is the old 35 Remington which is very popular here in Pennsylvania among deer and bear hunters. It's a very lethal cartridge for the typical hunting distances of this region.

Jack
 
Let's put this .03" diameter difference in perspective. That's almost exactly the difference between a 270 and a 30-06 (.308-.277=.031). Is there a large amount of overlap between the two? Yes. Is there a distinguishable difference between the two? Also yes, certainly if the amount of ink and electrons dedicated to discussing it is any indication.
 
I don't get it.

Maybe I'm just too old to understand all this boutique and niche caliber business that's been going on over the past 20 years or so. Seems to me that very few of the recently introduced loads offer any real advantage over what we've had for decades. Traditional calibers like 300mag, 30-06, 308, 7mm, 270, 243, 223 cover almost all the bases already.
 
Figure there are about 16 handgun rounds and a dozen rifle ones that cover the gamut. The rest? Both a blessing and a bane, imo. But, it is a first world problem to be sure.
 
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