.338 Federal

Drunkenfarmer · #1 12-12-2009, 10:31 AM

Hi, I'm new to this forum and a little new to hunting / shooting. All my friends do and I never got into it untill my GF got me hunting. I'd had always been interested ni shooting and living on a farm I had plenty of space to do so and I'm now looking to add to my Cabinet.

I read alittle about the .338 federal alittle here and there and when i talked to the gun smith where I've made other buys ( 270 Savage and a 17HMR to shoot ground hogs as well as work on my aim ) He said he had a .338 federal Ruger 77 Hawkeye, Stainless with cammo stock ( the 22 barrel model ) for 600$. Well its a dam nice looking rifle and i like the info on it, its just I'm worried about getting ammo for it. Thats the reason the guy who owned it b4 sold it, I don't want to drop cash into a gun that is almost impossible get bullets for.

Also I know its based on a 308, I might later on get into reloading and would like to know if i do buy this gun how difficulet it would be to " neck up " the 308. Do you need special dyes or can you just " force " the .338 into the 308 case. ( I'd think that be rather hard to impossible to do )

Any imput would be great and I hope soon.....LOL the GF said that rifle could be a Xmas pres.....

AB2506 · #2 12-12-2009, 10:55 AM

338 Federal is a factory cartridge. No reloading required if you don't want to. 338 Federal dies are made, no necking up of 308 required.

If you like the rifle, buy it. Hype says it provides 30-06/7RM power in a shot action.

Traps · #3 12-12-2009, 11:04 AM

You can get a box of 20 for $31, wholesale is carrying a 200 grain offering this year. Last year they only offered the 185 and 210 grain loads both with premium bullets at about $50/box. I handload for it, what I do is buy the box of 20, shoot it then use the brass.

foothillsman · #4 12-12-2009, 11:20 AM

Getting the 338 federal ammo may be problematic when it first comes out. Oddly enough, it's the common ammo such as 303, 308, -06, 270 300 wm 7mm rem mag that disappear off the store shelves when ammo becomes scarce.
Necking it up is very easy. 308 win brass of any type works fine. Using the 8mm expander ball and finally the 338 expander ball to neck up. Make sure the expander balls are polished and don't be shy about using enough lube. Then run it through the 338 Federal sizing die one last time.
You will need a good reloading press such as the rcbs rockchuker or something compareable. The press and the table it's mounted to will need to be very solid. You may decide to put the finished brass neck up and filled with water to 1/2 inch below the shoulder. Heat the neck and shoulder evenly all the way around to a dull red with a propane torch. This will ensure the shoulders and necks are adequately soft after this process. Trim necks to proper overall length. Trim wall thickness of the neck.

I suggest that the first time that you reload the reworked brass, that you load the bullet into the rifling. As a precaution this ensures you have adequate headspace. After that you can load the brass normally.

Or just buy factory ammo

Traps · #5 12-13-2009, 01:21 PM

This article may answer some of your questions for handloading and the sort:

http://gunsandammomag.com/cs/Satelli...gs=pagenum%3D1

Ammo availability is not a problem at places like wholesale sports.

Drunkenfarmer · #6 12-13-2009, 05:20 PM

Well thanks for the info. I went and looked at it a again and got shown a Savage model 16 stainless brand new in 300wsm for 750$ and a model 14 with a wood stock in 325wsm but I like the bullet selection in the 300wsm. So going to sleep on it i guess... LOL

Traps · #7 12-13-2009, 08:35 PM

If your new to hunting go shoot a 300WSM before you buy so you know what your getting into. You might be surprised, or I should say your shoulder might be surprised after a short day at the range.

Go test drive before you buy.

Drunkenfarmer · #8 12-20-2009, 03:50 PM

I hear you there Traps and like too BUT not too worried seeing I'm a 6 foot 2 200 hundred pound dairy farmer. I should probably be able to handle a little kick.

Traps · #9 12-20-2009, 07:03 PM

My bad, didn't realize you are a 6'2" 200 lb farmer, you should be able to handle the big bores no problem. Try out a 378 Weatherby, that should show you how little kick there is to the 300 WSM.

PoppaW · #10 12-20-2009, 07:39 PM

Its not always size but attitude helps

Drunkenfarmer · #11 12-27-2009, 02:26 PM

Well. I bought it AND I bought the Norinco M14 they had too. It was too good of a deal to pass up.

bullrambler · #12 12-28-2009, 11:11 AM

The description of the 338 Federal - Ruger in stainless / "reads" like a good buy indeed. If I was in the neighbourhood, I might have some difficulty walking away from that one.

The Savage 16 Weather Warrior in 300WSM is a good shooter. But as per usual, get a decent scope. I found out that one of the least expensive ammo produced good groups. Later to drop three Caribou. But all rifles can be found to be more accurate with some experimentation. The 300WSM has more kick then a 30-06 but a tad less then a 300 Win MAG.

Have fun...

Drunkenfarmer · #13 12-28-2009, 04:14 PM

Posted in the 'Best Christmas Deals' thread with pic's of the Ruger