Win 70 in .338?

[wisconsinteacher]

A guy my wife works with has a Win Mod 70 US made in .338 for $500. He is the second owner and has not shot the gun. He got it to hunt out west but that is not going to happen. I held the gun today and it is very clean with a few marks on the butt stock. The guy who he bought it from sold it due to open heart surgery and it was too much to handle after surgery. It has a Limbsaver pad, no scope, no rings. Is this a good deal on a Mod 70? My biggest rifle is a 3006 and I don't know if I will ever hunt anything bigger than deer so it is kind of hard to justify. I am thinking it would be cool to have, but is there something better to have for hunting and shooting?

 

[DrMike]

The .338 WM is a true all around cartridge. There is more recoil than a 30-06, but it is not unmanageable. It doesn't seem like an exorbitant price if the rifle is in decent shape. Since you are going to have to scope it, see if he will take $450 or so for it. That is the price I would anticipate paying for a good used Model 70 here in Canada, and I would think they should be slightly less in the US.

 

[SJB358]

If it is decent you will do well for 450-500 dollars. You could always recoup your money on a M70 at that price. That would be hard for me to pass up if I didn't have a 338 already. Scotty

 

[killdeernow]

Have to go w/what Dr. Mike and Scotty said:

Great caliber and good price!

 

[BK]

That would be hard for me to pass up if I didn't have a 338 already. Scotty

That might be hard to pass up even if I did have a .338! (Says the guy who doesn't like .270s but somehow ended up with three of them.)

 

[Elkman]

Excellent price for a great rifle, and a great caliber, lots more recoil !

 

[JD338]

Nice rifle for sure. The 338 Win Mag is an impressive round. IMHO, its close to perfect as an all around hunting round. It will hammer deer, beqr, elk, moose as well as African Plains Game.
The 210 gr PT is your bullet and this combo will quickly become one of your favorites for deer hunting. :wink:

JD338

 

[wisconsinteacher]

The guy talked to my wife today and said he could go as low as $450 for the rifle. I am thinking about putting $100 down on it and then paying the rest after I roof a house or two this summer.

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

$450.00 is a good price. Besides, it will give you an excuse to come out west and hunt Elk!

 

[DrMike]

Good price. Grab it and run.

 

[JD338]

Jump on it, that is a good deal!
Mount a VX-3 2.5-8x36mm scope and you will be set for anything in NA.

JD338

 

[wisconsinteacher]

I think I will put some $ down on it and then save up the rest. I guess if I got it, I could sell it for the same price if I needed to get rid of it. I have never shot a rifle larger than an 06 and many around my home town feel that anything bigger than an 06 is not needed for deer. I know it is not needed, but I am guessing the .338 could drop them like a brick. I know the recoil can not be as bad as a 3.5" turkey round. I am going to think it over and let it sink in for a day or two. I don't think he is going to be moving it any time soon.

 

[JD338]

The 338 Win Mag is way more than you need for deer hunting but let me tell you, it will pole ax deer! Put the bullet in the chest of a deer and it will go straight down. Your tracking days are over. :wink:
The 200 gr AB and 210 gr PT at 3000 fps has very manageable recoil, way less than any of the heavy turkey loads.
Good luck on your decision.

JD338

 

[wisconsinteacher]

I have been reading about the .338 Win all night and see that a lot of people claim min meat damage. I just don't know if I should get it or not. One part of me says go for it and use it, maybe someday you will hunt out west. The other part of me says don't get it you have an 06 that has killed a lot of deer. I do reload so that would help in the long run, but I am still not 100% sold that I need it. I want it but do I need it is the question.

 

[6mm Remington]

I have been reading about the .338 Win all night and see that a lot of people claim min meat damage. I just don't know if I should get it or not. One part of me says go for it and use it, maybe someday you will hunt out west. The other part of me says don't get it you have an 06 that has killed a lot of deer. I do reload so that would help in the long run, but I am still not 100% sold that I need it. I want it but do I need it is the question.

It is quite evident that you have RADD (Rifle Addiction Deficit Disorder). You are correct that you don't need it, but it's a great cartridge and we all only have a short time on this earth to enjoy ourselves once in a while. It does not sound by the way you are pondering this that you are a person who spends foolishly or on a whim. Just once in a while we have to do something nice for ourselves as well. From your handle I assume you are a teacher? :mrgreen: :lol: Goodness knows for taking care of our kids and trying to help prepare them for life and not getting near enough money for what you do, get the darn thing :!: Do I hear a second on this one?

Enjoy your new rifle!
David

 

[DrMike]

Few of us "need" the vast majority of rifles we own. If we are asked to justify owning them, we can create a plausible reason why they are needed. However, when we are brutally honest, if we have a 270, 280, 308, 30-06, etc. we know that it will work in the overwhelming instances when we hunt game of almost any size. It is the challenge of making a rifle shoot well, rolling our own ammunition and then taking game with that which our hands created, plus the challenge of trying something new and different that excites us. It would be a dull world if there weren't another challenge looming for us. Undoubtedly, you will enjoy the .338. Don't focus on the recoil. Make up some mild loads with lighter bullets. Ensure that the rifle has a decent recoil pad, put in ear plugs and don ear muffs, then fire one of the mild loads that you created until you are comfortable with the rifle. If there is no thrill in firing something new, no pleasure in mastering the fire-snorting beast, then sell it or trade it for something that you can justify. I doubt that you will have any trouble recouping what you have invested in the rifle.

 

[Greg Nolan]

It's a good price for the rifle as you described. If you're not going to hunt elk or big bears the lighter bullets all the way down to the 180 gr. will work with least recoil. As far as meat damage it will depend on the bullet as much as the caliber. Use a premium bullet such as the AccuBond or TSX and you won't have much problem. I have shot most of my mule deer with the 338 Win. as targets of opportunity while elk hunting and havn't had any worse bloodshot meat than a 30-06 with core locked bullets would do. It's all a matter of what you plan to hunt. If you think you might go out west I'd get it. I believe it's the one caliber I would own if I could only own one gun. It's the American equivilent to the 375 H&H for Africa.
Just my opinion of course.
Greg

 

[SJB358]

The 338WM is an awesome cartridge. Being it has such a wide range of bullets you can easily tailor it to anything you wish to hunt here in the US/Canada. I bought mine in 95, my old man wanted to use it for his Brown Bear hunt. Well, his Brown Bear hunt was put off some, but he ended up using it to kill elk, deer, black bear and other stuff before he finally had a chance to use it on Brown Bear. I almost had to pull it out of his hands! Very versatile rifle, I can't imagine needing too much more for anything. It is accurate and will reach out far and work really well up close. Scotty

 

[wisconsinteacher]

I do have RADD. I told myself that I would not buy a gun this year. My wife just rolled her eye's when I talked to her about it. There are two things that make me really want the rifle. #1 I don't have a Winchester rifle and #2 I don't have a rifle over .30. The hardest part about doing this is the fact that I finally finished building a 6.5 Grendel this past fall. From what you guys have mentioned, it is a fair price and I can enjoy shooting deer with it in WI. I am thinking, I will put $200 down on it and save up the rest this summer.

 

[SJB358]

I don't think you will be disappointed! Great rifle and cartridge! Scotty