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  #61  
Old 12-20-2008, 10:11 AM
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catnthehat catnthehat is offline
 
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Well, I may as well weigh into this one.
between the two, in MY neck of the woods, the 300 is a better rig, for a few reasons.
cartridge selection off the shelf
recoil

Those are two factors most people will have to look at , because many who will buy these rifles do not reload, and cartridge selection should be a priority, as should be recoil.

The 338 typically uses heavier bullets better than the lighter ones, whereas the 300 shoots very well with 180's or even 165's.

I have loaded and shot many of both in the past , and although I can shoot the 338's well, the 300's I shot were a lot easier to accurize.

I helped zero a 300 WSM Remington for a fella this fall, one of the new Boone and Crockett models .
it shot the 165 factory ammo superbly, recoil was very light of a 300 , even throwing the lighter weight bullets, and it zeroed at 200 meters with three rounds.

The fella later shot a cow up north with it, and his partner shot one with a 300 mag browning with hand loaded 180 grain ammo that I had made for him.
Both rifles shoot well, and both are happy with their choices.
That being said, neither rifle would be my choice to hunt with , and I would not look at the 338 either simply because i don't need them and cannot shoot either for more than one shot without my shoulder injury re occurring.

FWIW, I know many people who have done Africa and Alaska with 300's and never had a problem with them dropping animals.

Cat
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  #62  
Old 12-20-2008, 10:19 AM
Pathfinder76 Pathfinder76 is offline
 
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I have a friend that has literally hunted the world with a couple of 300 Win Mags shooting mostly 180gr Winchester Failsafes. A couple of years ago he switched to his custom 338 Win Mag and his reason I found interesting. He shoots allot and said that he had started to develop a flinch in the field and couldn't figure out why.He finally traced it to muzzle blast and said that the muzzle blast from his 24" tubed 338 was less obnoxious than his 300 with the same barrel length. The flinch went away after the switch.
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  #63  
Old 12-20-2008, 10:23 AM
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sbtennex sbtennex is offline
 
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It's much like comparing a 7mm Rem Mag to a .300 Win Mag. The bigger magnum simply does with heavier bullets what the smaller bore does. As far as the recoil of a .338 with heavy bullets being a "push", well that's been said about the .45-70 too. My .45-70's recoil flat out ain't no gentle shove with a max 350 grain load. It's manageable all right, and even perversely fun actually, but a push it isn't. Same old story - some rifles absorb it well and others don't. Only advantage to the .338 is simply a larger frontal area and obviously the choices of heavier bullets. Is it needed? Not typically. A .300 Mag with the right bullet can and does take down anything on this continent and a few others. The .300 Win Mag may well be the all-time winner of the one-gun-for-everything title, and I really like mine. That said, there's isn't much of anything, anywhere, I'd be afraid of if I had a .338 Mag with a real stout 250 grain bullet.
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  #64  
Old 12-20-2008, 04:44 PM
bradh bradh is offline
 
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I have shot my 300 bee lost and found it to be alright for the first bit but it ain't no gopher gun. I have ordered a Sako Grey Wolf in 338 win mag. I think the design of the stock has alot to do with the "felt" recoil. If it is extreme I will try a Mcmillan stock in a Lazzeroni design to see if it makes it more manageable. But like someone said there is no such thing a free lunch.

If you don't like recoil 30 + magnums won't be much fun for you to shoot.
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  #65  
Old 12-20-2008, 05:52 PM
BallCoeff.435 BallCoeff.435 is offline
 
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Having shot both for a long time, it's clear the 338/340 would have the greatest spectrum of capabilities. It's advantage over the 300 is that it has more energy downrange at distance. And, at short ranges with smaller game, it will never make anything 'too dead', compared to the 300.

If you think you will have to shoot elk, moose or bear at many hundred yards, and know you can do those distances on the range because you've practiced, then go for the 338 or 340. Otherwise, the 300 WinMag is the best all-round choice.

With the 300, if you are after smaller game, hand-load with 165gn Ballistic Tips and the lowest feasible powder charge that's accurate in your rifle. If you're after moose or elk, use 180- or 200-grain Noslers or Hornadys at the biggest safe charge that's accurate for your rifle, and stay under 100 yards. You'll be fine with that.

The farther away you think you'll be shooting bigger game, the more you will need a faster, flatter-shooting rifle with heavier bullets. However, if you just like larger rifle calibers and can shoot them well, then that's OK too.
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  #66  
Old 12-21-2008, 09:32 AM
grizzly700 grizzly700 is offline
 
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i shoot a 7mm rem mag and it has no troubles taking an elk down i use federal 160 grain nosler partition
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  #67  
Old 12-21-2008, 10:48 PM
gitrdun
 
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Your qestion >>>>>> 300 Win Mag vs. 338 Win Mag

I've been using the .338 for years, and find it impressive both as a good long range and hard and heavy hitting caliber. No experience with the .300 WM myself but I do know some fellow hunters that are equally as impressed with their .300 as I am with my .338. Not much to go on is it?
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  #68  
Old 12-22-2008, 01:46 AM
sidetrack sidetrack is offline
 
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Default Bang! One Dead Animal

The Big Question here is, which one will kill it deader? A dead animal is good! A deader animal is even gooder!!
The only way to make it even deader, is to cook it well-done. Then you're sure it's about as deadest as it will get. Might as well eat an old shoe.
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  #69  
Old 12-22-2008, 09:05 AM
The Moose Whisperer The Moose Whisperer is offline
 
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I was surprised to see this thread resurected as it was started well over a year ago. In any event, for those interested I ended up getting a 300WSM and have been very happy with that choice.
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  #70  
Old 04-23-2009, 11:00 AM
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elkfriend elkfriend is offline
 
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Default ...and again 300 WM vs 338 WM !!

Ok, here is the thing:

I am toying with the idea of getting a Tikka T3 lite synthetic as a Mountain, Moose & Bear rifle.

The calibers I am looking at are 300WM and 338WM.
Since the Tikka is pretty light, I am wondering if a 338WM in such a light gun would be overkill, with a recoil thats not fun to shoot anymore (I dont have a recoil issue, but it should not kick like a mule to the point where its annoying).

Any experiences or insights ???

From the thread, it looks like the numbers of supporters for 300 WM vs 338WM is pretty evenly split, but if you throw a lighter gun into the mix...??
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  #71  
Old 04-23-2009, 12:20 PM
ACKLEY ABE ACKLEY ABE is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick284 View Post
You could also get yourself a 280 Remington too.

I was hoping someone would mention the 280. Great bullet selection, moderate recoil and only gives up about 15 yards to the 7 rem mag on a 10" pt blank target.
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  #72  
Old 04-23-2009, 02:40 PM
Cal Cal is offline
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wow I never realized so many people were so scared of bears. My neighbor makes 2.5 calliber canons out of forklift hydraulic rams. I think a fellow should realy be packing one of those up the mountain just to be on the safe side
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  #73  
Old 04-23-2009, 05:14 PM
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aulrich aulrich is offline
 
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I have a ported 338 it kicks less than a 30-06 in the same gun, It' shoots well, but it is loud, that cannot be understated. All in all 338 win mag is a fine round I suspect so is 300 win mag 30-06, 270 and all others in that class. Though all will have their trade offs, power vs shootablity.

I look at it this way say what if you find yourself 2 hours away from home and figure out you took the wrong gun case, So you have no gun, but a buddy has a spare rifle, given you'll be able to sight in and it is loaded with approprate heads. What round would it have to be chambered in before you drive back and get your gun. I would imagine of the ones mentioned most of us would grab the gun sight it in and go. There are so many right answers when it comes to chamberings I consider it the least important criteria in this process.

To me the gun is the important bit what are the attributes that your looking for in the gun, fit, portability whatever. How you will be hunting and how the gun fit into that plan is the important part. Figure that out, look at what are the chamberings offered then decide which one you want.
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  #74  
Old 05-14-2009, 10:57 PM
haywirebutton haywirebutton is offline
 
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Default 338 win mag

Having built, shot and owned just about every caliber known to man for the last 50 yrs.. I would have to say if you could only afford to buy 1 gun then buy a 338 win mag. If you were gonna buy factory then buy a ruger 99mk22 and put your money in the optics. I have a owned and built afew 333 okh as well as many 338 win mags i think the338 the best cartidge winchester ever moded. i wouldn't waste my time on a 300 win mag again.you wont find a better ballistic coefficient and secional density than .338 and once you master it you can play with 220 swift and 25-06 for alternative toys to long range accuracy. grant
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  #75  
Old 05-14-2009, 11:38 PM
haywirebutton haywirebutton is offline
 
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Default 338 win mag

338 win mag is more comfortable to shoot than 300 wm. definatly less flinch,less damage on the smaller game too. ever lose a whole side and rear quarter on a heart shot because your 264 win mag or your 7mm rem mag tumbled out the ass end on a heart shot? it happens sometimes.heavy brush hunting i still shoot 38-55and 45-70 in vintage wincheters they both have similar ballistics to 100 yds. grant
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