Long, dark, cold...and overthinking guns. Again.

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I've been toying around with the idea of a medium bore rifle for some time. I'm well stocked in the .270-.300 class of rifle and I've used them pretty happily but like all serious gun cranks I'm always tinkering.

I've looked at length at .338-06, the .35 Whelen and the .338WM and there's nothing wrong with any of them. The .338WM is common as dirt here and the .338-06 or Whelen can be built on any old '06 action I can scrounge up.

I've had several of the .375s and a .416Rigby- the Rigby was flat out too much of a good thing in a lot of ways but the .375s were manageable enough.

So I'm thinking- would you folks jump clean over the .338 class and get a .375? Probably easy enough to load down into the 235-250gr bullets to manage recoil but still could cram a few 300gr rounds for packing out in bear country. Guess I'm thinking a .375 can be loaded down a lot easier than a .338 can be loaded UP.
 
My thinking has long gone this way. After .308 the only real step up is .375 as long as your talking about magnums. I have had a few 338s, a 338 win, and 338 RUM, both are easily good enough as an all around rifle but never really turned my crank. The 35s and 36 do. Something about heavy bullets at moderat speeds or different platforms intrigue me on the 35s.

The whelen is ok but if sticking with a long action there is no real benefit from it over the 338 win. Now in a handy lever platform the 358 or even 35/30-30 are very interesting. A light short action in 338 fed or 358 are also very interesting. Performance in the 200s-2600fps, 250s @ 2300fps keep recoil light and a short handy rifle has a lot to offer. Even the pistol caliber carbines are handy and just plain fun.

When you have all the cartridge performance bases covered start looking to different platforms.

A savage or browning blr in 358 win, or a repurposed winchester 30-30 bored out to 35/30-30 would be very handy little rifles to take for a walk in the woods! Maybe a super light short action in a medium cartridge, or autoloader or pump in 35 whelen. Just something different.

My vote if you won’t have one is a handy lever gun, a marlin or winchester in 44 mag, maybe a browning or savage in 308 or 358 win. I’m seriously stuck on finding an old shot out m94 win and having it bored out to 35/30-30 or 375 win. Leaning more towards the 35/30-30.

If you want a bolt gun why not take a look at the 358 norma or 366 alaskan 366/338 win mag. or the short action 36/350 rem mag.
 
I had a lengthy reply and lost it in the etherspace. So to keep it short, sweet, and simple get the 338 Win Mag and call it good.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
 
Vince":15r0wric said:
I had a lengthy reply and lost it in the etherspace. So to keep it short, sweet, and simple get the 338 Win Mag and call it good.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

That's sad. I was actually hoping you'd weigh in when I was writing it out- just going simple has it's advantages I'll admit.
 
You already have simple hodgdman, your nosler in 300 WSM. There is simply nothing you could want to do in alaska that that rifle wouldn’t easily cover. Simple is boreing!
 
Thebear_78":174wej5b said:
You already have simple hodgdman, your nosler in 300 WSM. There is simply nothing you could want to do in alaska that that rifle wouldn’t easily cover. Simple is boreing!
Click to expand...


True enough! Don't let my wife see me say that!
 
hodgeman - I jumped right from the .30 cals to the .375 and have not regretted it.

You've had a .375 or two in the past.

300 yard shot? Not a problem. Ferocious up close? Yes.

Easy to load down to more of a .35 Whelen power level? Yes.

I'm pretty hooked on the .375 as my "bigger than .30" rifle.

Guy
 
I jumped from a .308 Baer to a .358STA and then to a .375-358STA 20+ years ago when the 308 Baer didn't perform like I thought it should on a elk. The bigger calibers are pretty hard on the big stuff even my .416 Rem. flat hammers elk. I've only shot one deer with a 338wm despite presently owning 3 .338 caliber rifles. For me it seemed like the 375 Imp case was a really good compromise of trajectory and killing power. I've shot a couple elk over 500yds with my 375-358STA using 250gr Sierra's at 3080fps. The only animals I had to shoot more than once was a elk I shot in the ankle at 650yds and a Kudu in Africa I shot at 515yds. The Kudu probably would of died fairly quickly but I gave him another to speed it up. For me my 338's always had more felt recoil than my 375 so I didn't shoot them nearly as much and there wasn't much of a need to with the performance of my 375.

The 375JRS is one of the better improved versions for easy. It's simply a 8mm Rem. Mag necked up to 375. It gives up a little bit of capacity to a 375AI but not a ton. The improved versions are significantly faster than a standard 375 H&H. Those same 250 Sierra's would run 2900-2950 with R-15 in my standard 375 H&H. Any other powder was in the 2800fps range.
 
hodgeman":3jddaud7 said:
Vince":3jddaud7 said:
I had a lengthy reply and lost it in the etherspace. So to keep it short, sweet, and simple get the 338 Win Mag and call it good.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

That's sad. I was actually hoping you'd weigh in when I was writing it out- just going simple has it's advantages I'll admit.
Click to expand...
I'll type up a reply tomorrow as I lost what I had typed. I'll give you my reasoning but I can't do it tonight.
Take care.

Vince

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
 
I do like my 9.3X64 Brenneke; it is a hammer. However, a .375 (either H&H or Ruger) would work equally well. The mid-bores are enough for most of your hunting, and they give plenty of comfort should you encounter an ill-tempered bruin. Still, I do like my 9.3X64. :grin:
 
If I had an Alaskan zip code, I would be carrying a 358Norma. You can use any standard length action to get a very versatile and efficient cartridge. Consider a 200gr AB @ 3150fps or a 225gr AB @ 3000fps or a 250gr PT @ 2800fps or 280gr A-Frame @ 2650fps. That covers the whole gamut of big game situations that I can conjure up.
 
IdahoCTD":gnokx6ue said:
The 375JRS is one of the better improved versions for easy. It's simply a 8mm Rem. Mag necked up to 375. It gives up a little bit of capacity to a 375AI but not a ton. The improved versions are significantly faster than a standard 375 H&H. Those same 250 Sierra's would run 2900-2950 with R-15 in my standard 375 H&H. Any other powder was in the 2800fps range.
Click to expand...

Interesting... Isn't the 8mm Rem mag pretty much just a blown out and necked down .375 H&H case?

I see the advantage, having a little more case capacity, and perhaps less case stretch?

Ol' Sundra (JRS) did a LOT of work with various cases.

Guy
 
...Model '95 .405 WCF...

RVD15-H-F2-L.jpg
 
Hodgeman,

For me personally, the 375 H & H is easier to shoot than the 338 Win, as the 338 pops me a little harder. However, if I were a man and hell bent on a 338 something, I would get a 340 Weatherby. The 9.3 x 64 would also be a consideration, nice caliber. You did not like the Rigby, but if your still interested in a 400 something, the 404 Jeffery might be a consideration.

wildgene, the 405 model 95 was part of my deliberation's when I was looking for a new lever rifle, as were several other's. the finalist were the 358 Browning and the model 71, 348--i choose the 348, which might be another one for you to consider Hodgeman
 
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