338 Federal

The 338 Federal should be a great short to medium range big game round for deer, bear, elk and moose.
My only concern is with the 180 gr weights, one would get better ballistics from .308 rather than .338. With a 200 gr AB or 210 gr PT, should work well from deer to moose out to 300 yds. The heavier 225 gr and 250 gr loads would not generate enough velocity to longer shots with good expansion. Remember, 338 cal bullets have beefed up jackets to withstand 338 magnum velocities.
Not knowing what , where, or how you hunt, I can't say too much more about this round other than if you want one, go get one.

JD338
 
Thanks for the insite, It just seems odd that they make a big deal about a necked up 308. I probably won't get one since the biggest deer around here would be luckly to weigh 200lbs 225 tops. I am glad though that there are still new cartridges coming out to fill every nitch there might be.
 
I'm surprised that this wasn't made into a factory load long ago. I think that it would be a great deer/elk combo round for a small person. Shorter action, lighter rifle, and it doesn't knock you on your butt or give you the magnum flinch. To go along with JD338 I would skip the 180's and go right to the 200 AccuBond. That would have a nice max point blank range of around 250 yards.
 
I think I would stick 210 partitions in it. If I had one.

I think it should be a great hunting round. Should be incredibly easy to shoot.
 
Elmer Keith always said "use enough gun" and I've become more and more a believer in that. The .338 bullet makes a nice big hole and at the 338 Federal velocities it should penetrate real well. That could make up a little for the kind of real world shots we make when hunting, especially with big deer and elk. It should be a real help for people that are recoil sensative but want to hunt the big ones. If I got one I'd start with the 200gr for overall and 225 for the close, thick stuff on elk. I've always been amazed how a larger caliber of the same cartrige will throw a heavier bullet faster. .308 vs.338 Fed. This looks like a winner but boy there's a lot of competition out there from all the new short wiz-bang calibers. I hope it lasts.
 
live to shoot":19x7wjzg said:
It just seems odd that they make a big deal about a necked up 308. I am glad though that there are still new cartridges coming out to fill every nitch there might be.
Click to expand...

Its called marketiing and the gunwriters are given a lot of perks to promote the marketing.

JD338
 
I personally don't see a niche for this catridge except as maybe a moose/bear round for a younger hunter/recoil shy person in Alaska/Canada. The 358/350 Remington magnum are better rounds for the big stuff and as far as light weight short actions, the WSM line is way better.

Brad
 
Personally I would take a 358 Win over it. JMHO.
 
I don't think that I would get one either, but I do think that they are going to sell a lot of them.
 
It's interesting, but it doesn't fill a need. Of course, if filling a need meant success for a cartridge, we'd see a lot more 8mmRemMags and there would be no 7mm-08, only a 7x57. I think this one is up for grabs, but I am not impressed overall. Ballistically, it parallels one of the most underrated cartridges out there (at least on our side of the pond) - the 8x57JS Mauser. Take a look at the bullet weights, velocities, and such, and you'll understand. But you have to think about European pressure standards in the 8mm. I won't be buying one. I would opt for something like a 35Whelen first, although recoil is higher.
 
I think a 308 or a 358 is a better caliber because the bullets in those calibers are designed for their velocity. However if it is not tried as a giant killer, shots are kept at lower ranges, and the lighter bullets are used I think it will be effective.
 
This rifle has a "niche" is all it has. I think its pretty stupid to come out with such a cartridge. Way to make a slow cartridge even slower. I mean, I think we coulda done away with standardizing a 25-308 or something along those lines. I dont know, I guess I'll never really understand as to why to have all these short range, brush guns as I live out west and dont intend moving back east, again. Just my opinion.
 
This cartridge has a niche is all it has. I think its pretty stupid to come out with such a cartridge. Way to make a slow cartridge even slower. I mean, I think we coulda done away with standardizing a 25-308 or something along those lines. I dont know, I guess I'll never really understand as to why to have all these short range, brush guns as I live out west and dont intend moving back east, again. Just my opinion.
 
I hope it makes a go of it. I think it is an excellent development - wish it had happened sooner.

I currently have an early BLR in 358 Winchester. I'd really prefer the gun in the new 338 Federal as I like the selection of rifle bullets available in 338 caliber better than those readily available for the 35 calibers. Please, before anyone starts - I know that there are plenty of bullets out there for the 35 calibers. However, for what I use the gun for, I'd rather use a 200 grain Ballistic Tip or 210 grain Partition bullet than the readily available bullets in that weight range in 35 caliber.

I LIKE the performance of the medium bores - huge blood trail, minimum wasted meat. I just find that for me, when I jump above 33 caliber I start looking at the 375 or larger calibers.
 
dubyam":2maetl9v said:
... Ballistically, it parallels one of the most underrated cartridges out there (at least on our side of the pond) - the 8x57JS Mauser. Take a look at the bullet weights, velocities, and such, and you'll understand. But you have to think about European pressure standards in the 8mm. ....
Click to expand...

Since I have an 8x57JS (in a Rem 700 Classic) I made a little comparison chart.

8x57-338Fed.jpg


The 8x57 and .338 Federal are very close, at least with the listed loads from Federal so far. It will be interesting to see some chronograph results from a sporter rifle of .338 Federal ammo to see how closely it matches the stated factory specs.

Of course, the .338 Federal will fit into a short action better than the 8x57 will. I just like standard length actions; each to his own likes and dislikes.....

Still, I think the .338 Federal is an interesting cartridge. I'm glad to see a new mild-mannered, medium bore cartridge being introduced. Of course, I'm just a medium bore "junkie" as I own an 8x57, .338 Win Mag, .35 Whelen, 9.3x62 and a .375 H&H. :grin: I don't know if I'll buy a .338 Federal but there is certainly nothing wrong with the concept.

-Bob F.

http://www.federalcartridge.com/
http://www.rws-munition.de/
http://www.sellier-bellot.cz/
http://www.sb-usa.com/
 
I too, cannot see buying a 338 fed., however, it could be a good close range elk rig, say in something like the Kimber84(sorry POP!) using the 210 grain Partition or an AccuBond.
 
I wonder what the .338Federal would do with a 200gr bullet? In looking at your chart, it appears that it should be around 2650-2750fps, while I see in several sources a 200gr for the 8x57 doing around 2650-2700fps. The only difference here would be the SD and BC, although the differences would be slight in both cases. It is a matter of a standard versus short action, I suppose, but I just have trouble finding the .338Federal in my crystal ball, so to speak. I think the thing is going to be met with lukewarm intensity, and will go the way of some of the WSM's, SAUM's, and WSSM's. It just doesn't do much for me, when I can get a 358Winchester shooting heavier slugs with much better energy, and about the same trajectory.
 
I wonder what the .338Federal would do with a 200gr bullet? In looking at your chart, it appears that it should be around 2650-2750fps, while I see in several sources a 200gr for the 8x57 doing around 2650-2700fps. The only difference here would be the SD and BC, although the differences would be slight in both cases. It is a matter of a standard versus short action, I suppose, but I just have trouble finding the .338Federal in my crystal ball, so to speak. I think the thing is going to be met with lukewarm intensity, and will go the way of some of the WSM's, SAUM's, and WSSM's. It just doesn't do much for me, when I can get a 358Winchester shooting heavier slugs with much better energy, and about the same trajectory. Of course, speaking of rounds relegated to obscurity...
 
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