Mar
30
.338 winchester magnum?
ByI have a question about .338 winchester magnum,
i want to mainly know its fundamental differences from the .338 lapua and if it is as powerful, accurate and long ranged as the lapua
its just that my grand father just bought a .338 win mag hunting rifle and i was not aware of a .338 caliber other than the lapua, so i just thought “holy shit, what is he going to use this for” seeing as how we live in australia
also, is the .338 win mag the most powerful caliber a remington 700 comes in?
4 Comments
March 30th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
338 Winchester Magnum is quite popular and has been for decades. The Lapua cartridge is a military oddity that’s shown very little popularity. The Winchester cartridge one of the belted magnums that came out, along with the 300 Winchester Magnum, as necked-down versions of the 458 Winchester Magnum. Even then, the odd size was not new, with the obsolete 33 Winchester having been the same caliber.
Since the Winchester cartridge is so popular, it has competitors: the 340 Weatherby Magnum, the 338 Remington Ultra Mag, and the huge 338-378 Weatherby Magnum, which is almost as large as the Lapua case.
Perhaps he’s going to use it for buffalo. It could even be considered small for that task.
The Remington 700 comes in dangerous game calibers, much larger than 338. 375 H&H, 375 RUM, and 416 Remington Magnum are available to rattle your fillings if you have the need.
March 30th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Well the cartridge has been around since the mid-50s. Compared to a .338 Lapua the Win. Mag. case is shorter, smaller around and belted. It is not a powerful as the Lapua. Of course the Lapua was developed as a long range precision rifle cartridge not for a typical hunting rifle.
I know folks in the USA use it for moose, bear and elk and some even use it for deer hunting. I’d bet he wants to use it for buffalo, or possibly just to have it because he can.
The Remington 700 comes in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, .416 & 8mm Remington Magnum, the full line of Rem. Ultra mags 7mm, .300, .338, .375 plus the custom shop would likely make it in .340 or .375 Weatherby Mag on order. All of those are more powerful then the .338 Winchester Magnum cartridge.
March 30th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Sever, the 338 and 264 win mags were introduced at almost the same time in the 1950s. I’ve read 53 and 56 so I can’t tell you 100% when. Of the two the 338 has become a choice of hunters in the US for game from white tail deer up to brown bear and bison. Its over powered for most game in North America but it has a great variety of bullet weights and designs for handloaders to customize their hunting needs. I have two 338s and use them with 180 gr ballistic tips on white tail and mule deer and can load a 300 gr soft point for grizzly and musk ox. In certain areas of Africa it is the minimum caliber allowed to hunt with. I have taken lion, leopard, water buffalo, hippo, and zebra with the 338. I have found the caliber to be highly accurate and it has found a following in the western ranges for elk hunting here in the states.
A couple of the other contibuters have answered your question about the other calibers Remington offers in the 770 rifle.
As a comparision, from my personal use and experience the 338 win mag will do anything the 338 lapua will do out to 500 yards. After that bullet drop does become a factor. If you do some research on both rounds you’ll find some ballistic changes at 300 yards. With good optics and being comfortable with shooting the 338 it will make a nice all around rifle.
March 30th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Take a look here at this page — This should answer your question…..
Actually there are a few .338 Magnum cartridges….