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338 Federal vs 308 Win

33K views 33 replies 27 participants last post by  shane256 
#1 ·
im looking for a new deer/black bear rifle and cartridge and considering either 338 federal or 308 win. i looked up the ballistics on federals web page and there very close in performance. im sure the 338 is going to cost more and be more difficult to find ammo. is it worth the extra trouble.
 
#2 ·
I'd go with the 338 fed. I like the idea of the larger, heavier bullet. Which rifles are now chambered in that round or are you having one made? Yes, ammo will be more expensive and not as easy to come by. But, it's a good excuse to start reloading.
Jumbo said:
im looking for a new deer/black bear rifle and cartridge and considering either 338 federal or 308 win. i looked up the ballistics on federals web page and there very close in performance. im sure the 338 is going to cost more and be more difficult to find ammo. is it worth the extra trouble.
 
#4 ·
Either choice is a good one for deer and black bear.

Personally, I'm working toward rebarreling a 308 Rem. 600 to 358 Win., but I also considerd the 338 Federal. Only 1 rifle out for the 338 Fed. so far and, as with the 358 Win., I expect there will never be much factory ammo around. To me both the 338 and 358 are really handloading propositions,which is fine, but I'll probably go with the 358 for my needs. I'll be hunting at woods ranges and I already have a couple of 35s to share components with.

If you will only have one rifle I think the 308 is probably what you want. Dozens of good factory loads and about as wide a range of handloading choices as there is.
 
#5 ·
If your rifle is going to be for deer and black bear, why not just get a 308? I could list many reasons for choosing the 308, one being that it will take Elk at medium distance.

The only reason to have a 338 Federal is that you then have a conversation piece. With the 358, you might have some advantage in the brush with heaver bullets at lower velocity, say for a 40-yard shot, with less meat destruction. I have used the 358 in a browning BLR for years as a 'more than 35 Remington' for brush hunting.

If you need a bigger gun, it is wiser to buy a 30-06 or 35 Whelen.
 
#9 ·
1st - Crunch the ballistic-numbers on both-cartridges...
...Then - look at the AVAILABILITY and COST of each cartridge...vs how much you'll need to PRACTICE and SHOOT each one.
- AND the availability and cost of rifles chambered in each one.

- Then match the above up with the mission of your rifle and your NEEDS vs your WANTS.

Once you look at the history and all the numbers related to each cartridge...I'm faithful you'll make the right decision.
 
#10 ·
M1Garand said:
I've looked at the 9.3 x 62 for a while. I missed a nice custom at a gun auction a year ago and am still kicking myself. CZ makes a great one. JP, maybe I misread your post but are you saying the 9.3 is a .35?
No, Better!! Again, check out Allans armory, or Sarco. They both have nice 9.3x57 and 9.3x62 for under 400.00. All are Swedish builds. Some are under 300.00

A 9.3x57: http://europa.meccahosting.com/~a0000ae7/aapictures.php?ItemId=141210SC 141210SC is the Item.

And another: http://europa.meccahosting.com/~a0000ae7/aapictures.php?ItemId=140913SC

He is slim on 9.3x62 now, but send him an e-mail and he will hook you up!
 
#11 ·
jpattersonnh said:
No, Better!! Again, check out Allans armory, or Sarco. They both have nice 9.3x57 and 9.3x62 for under 400.00. All are Swedish builds. Some are under 300.00

A 9.3x57: http://europa.meccahosting.com/~a0000ae7/aapictures.php?ItemId=141210SC 141210SC is the Item.

And another: http://europa.meccahosting.com/~a0000ae7/aapictures.php?ItemId=140913SC

He is slim on 9.3x62 now, but send him an e-mail and he will hook you up!
Gotcha..I'll have to check it out. I'm getting a decent tax return and a hole is burning in my pocket for a new gun.
 
#12 ·
Jumbo,

Here is my take on this. I have always had good luck with the 308, it is a very good round and you can buy good ammunition at discount stores for it, as well as some very good premium loads.

The 7mm-08 is also a good road and became very popular with metallic shooters. It will do about the same thing as the 308, has a little less recoil and has slightly better downrange energy with 140-150 grain bullets. The 308 does better with a heavy weight bullet and therefore is a little better on large game.

The 260 is just a little flatter shooting with 120 grain bullets, but a little slower with 140 grain pills.

The new 338 Federal is just that new and it may do well and should have a slight edge in power, as will the 358, but the 358 has stood the test of time, but it is not as easy to find.

All availability is not an issue if you hand load, even so, from what I see the smaller than 308 are the popular ones among hand loaders as they are east on recoil and fun to shoot.

I hope this helps you make a good choice.
 
#13 ·
Jumbo said:
i was looking at federals site and noticed that the 7mm08 produces pretty close numbers to the 308. would that be enuff for black bear? i hear alot of good things when it comes to white tail.
7mm-08 is a very "mainstream" cartridge that would also be a good choice for your uses. If you don't handload I think it's a better choice than any of the 308 based cartridges (243, 260, 7-08, 308, 338 Fed., 358), other than the 308 itself.
 
#15 ·
I would go with the .338 just because I like it. I am going to buy one the very day Remington comes out with one in the 700 XCR. Ok, don't mention that to my wife. It is our secret.
 
#18 ·
338 Federal

I too considered the 338 Fed....Tikka now chambers it....I did my research...decided on the 358 Win instead....from what I read..the 338 bullets available were more designed for the 338 Win velocities...so I looked at the ole 358 Win...brass is easily formed from 308 brass (I used Lapua)..bullets from 180-250 grs...with a nice option of shooting 158 gr 357 handgun bullets...I have a full coffee can full of these...! Dies are available...I bought Redding...now a barrel....I ordered a 12 twist 5 groove Pac Nor...will screw it on a Savage 16 SS Accue trigger repeater...using Weaver Grand Slam bases & Burris Sig rings...scope ?? Looking at the 4200 2-10x40...
 
#19 ·
Personally I am a big fan of the .308. I have two of em and love em' to death. The ammo is readily available and a decent price too. It serves my purposes well and I feel confident shooting it and getting that follow up shot. It works with me, so I figure why fix it if ain't broke?
 
#20 ·
The 308win is a great cartridge, but the 358win will shoot to 300 yards with 200gr bullets and to say 250gr yards easy with 225gr bullets. So what will it do better then a 308win? Just hit harder with a bigger/heaver bullet for more penitration.
From 358win to 243win the 308 case based cartridges all work for the intended game. Just pick the one (or two) that best meets your requirements. I have a 358win and from deer to moose out to 250-300 yards it does it all and doesn't kick bad either.
 
#21 ·
I tend to like the larger bores. I have a Remington 740 coming in that has been rebored from 30-06 to 35 Whelen. I plan on having on of my other guns (Winchester 88, Winchester 100 or Remington 740) rebored to 338 Federal. The 35 Whelen will be evaluated for accuracy and quality before I commit a rifle.
I started to have the work done, and I found a guy to do the work, but I held back. I was on line at Auction Arms and searching for Remington 740's when this rebored 35 Whelen came up. I bought it for 396.00 and it was done by the guy I had originally contacted, so this will show me his work. I was considering the new Remington 750 In 35 Whelen, but the cost put me off for a while.
 
#22 ·
I have a custom made rifle in 338 Federal. My rifle is built on a light composite stock and the recoil is similar to if not less than a 30-06. While bullets are available up to 250 grain they recommend that you stick with 200-210 grain max as the heavier bullets are too long and take up case space which limits powder.

I chose a 200 grain bullet; it's an excellent weight that will bust through bone and the stats for trajectory are pretty good. It's not a long range cartridge but it wasn't intended to be. I consider it an excellent cartridge out to 300 yards or so. Essentially it does everything a 308 will do with a little extra bullet weight for stopping power. This will be my new Elk rifle
 
#23 ·
I have both 308 and 7mm-08. Six of one and half a dozen of the other. If only one I would pick the 308. I love my 35 Whelen, But, it is a big step up from a 308. I got mine because I just wanted one. The 308 will do anything I need a rifle to do.
 
#24 ·
I've owned a Ruger 77 Hawkeye ss in 338 Federal since 2007. My SIL used the Nosler 180AB in handloads for mule deer with 'eat up to the bullet hole" results, and the shot was around 40yds! I have a handload with the Barnes 160TTSX and TAC that goes an honest 3007fps! Woodleigh makes a 180 and a 200gr bullet just for the 338 Federal speeds, but the Speer 200 is a very good bullet itself, as is the 210 PT. I'm sure the Fusion line works swell too. My point is that you have essentially a medium bore round with a 30-06 trajectory with the 180/200s and the trajectory of the 7mm Rem Mag with that 160TTSX! So hunting ranges are a snap, it cuts a bigger hole, will break bigger bones, is better for "hard angling" shots...and you can just run a 308 case up into the FL die and you got cases! (of course, with a little more work the .243/7mm08/260 etc) Life is too short to "make do" or settle for "good enough", IMO, ha. Go for it!
 
#25 ·
"is it worth the extra trouble. "
As a practical matter, no. The 308 will work fine on deer and black bear, and you will be able to find ammo at about any store, and lots of components available. Not so for the 338 Federal.
Both are excellent cartridges, but the 308 has been around forever, and will continue to be. The 338 Federal? Maybe not.
In truth, if the 308 isn't enough gun for something, neither is the 338 Federal.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Like RevJim I got a .338Fed right after it came out in '07. Mine was also a M77 SS Hawkeye and proved to be a very accurate rifle with both the 180gr Accubond and 200gr Fusions. I used it for anything I would use one of my several 308s or 06s to hunt.

While the Original post is 7yrs old and the OP now gone(?), I'd absolutely choose the .338F over the .308 for his needs. An absolute hammer on deer and the larger holes would perhaps provide a better blood trail on black bear whose thick hair can stifle the blood flow from smallish holes. A good 200gr bullet at 2700 FPS can really do some damage.

That's faster than the 180 from a 308. If you check, you'll also see that a 200gr at 2700 is also slightly faster than the Remington 200gr load for the .35 Whelen with a better bullet with better SD and BC. Ponder that for a moment.

For someone looking for a rifle that also doubled as a range rifle, the .308 would be a better choice IMHO. But my preference for hunting was the larger bore.
 
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