338 Winchester Magnum

[RayAtkinson]

In my lifetime Ive only seen or had the 210 Nosler fail, not fail but didn't perform in that it blew up inside a big cow elk, but she only went 25 yards and died..Not big deal but I did switch to the 225 Accubond and partition and never a problem..most bullet failures end up being poor marksmanship IMO, always the bullet failure excuse even though the animal was never recovered..I shot my largest bull elk (389) with a 300 gr WoodleighPP . placed the bullet in the last rib as the elk was departing Idaho in a hurry, the bullet came out behind his ear and that put him in neutral on the spot...Ive never seen such penetration and the exit hole was 2.5"s x 4 inches best I could guess..

Honestly bullet failures are all but a thing of the past, some sports should have been around in the 40s and 50s...cup and core and thin jackets, the worst offender of all was the highly praised Rem Bronze point, the best bullet then was the rem corelokt and it holds its own even today..

 

[John Telford]

I’m also a huge fan of the 338 win but I have also lost a Blue Wildebeest due to a bad shot caused by a loose scope mounting! It fell over at the shot but soon recovered and jumped up and ran into the bush as though it was missing the annual migration! My recipe is 250 g Hornady loaded to 2450 for the bush. I have used everything from 6.5 Grendel, 6,5 Mannlicher,308win, on blue wildebeest the 338 I feel is not too much gun but Rather have a six pack too many than a can short..

 

[bruce moulds]

ray,
my failures with nosler partitions have not been poor bullet placement.
they have been hitting shoulder blades at an angle, and the nose just blew off.
when this happened, a big hole blew out next to the inlet hole.
it looked like the animals were covered in dust.
the problem was that when the noses blew off the remainder of the bullets were seriously deflected.
i find this performance potentially dangerous in certain circumstances, but good for lung shooting deer.
going to swift solved the problem, delivering like some people believe the nosler partition claims to but fails.
i still load the partition in my 280 and stw for lighter boned shock susceptible animals and chest or head shots happily.
but never again in anything 338 and up.
bruce.

 

[Divernhunter]

I took my 338win mag on both trips for PG. Shot Steenbok to Eland with all one shot kills. I used Swift 225gr A-Frame hand loads. Shots from 200 to 480 yards. That is the exit wound

 

[Capebuffalo]

Interesting observation... In Richard Harlands book, The Hunting Imperative , Richard dedicated a complete chapter to this phenomenon, in Zimbabwe/Mozambique and other African countries a tree know as the "Msimbiti or Iron wood (msimbi= iron in Nguni/Xhosa /Shangaan ( need to get the Latin description) ..this tree really has the capability of deflecting even the large/super bore bullets since they grew into dense forests and de-flexion of solid bullets will occur ..Richard Harland described hair-raising events of a cow elephant charging them in this dense Msimbiti forest where he shot the cow with the .458 Mannlicher a foot away from the cows fore-head...the cow was not visible within five paces of them, so dense these trees grows..
This was a hair raising experience and he had to kill twenty elephant cows that charged them to try and kill them...

Baie interessant, Gert!

 

[RayAtkinson]

Probably the greatest all around caliber in history of big game hunting and . stroke it witih 210 Nosler partitions or 250 s for bigger stuff and your good to go.. I have a film of my shooting PG and buffalo with the .338 Win and it worked as well as anything else Ive used..and its as good in the bush as in the open plains...

 

[meigsbucks]

The .338 Win mag is one of my favorites of all time. I’ve been using it for about 40 yrs, but it hasn’t been to Africa… YET.
I’ve used several bullets in it:
210 Nosler: disappointed in penetration on elk but destroyed the lungs. Great on deer.
225 Hornady: only shot one deer with it. Bullet made exit but very destructive.
225 Barnes TTSX: my go to bullet
250 Sierra: came apart on a mule deer
250 Speer Grand Slam (2nd version): I’m glad I still have some. Excellent penetration and expansion.

I did take a .338 RUM loaded with the 225gr Swifts to Namibia. I’m really liking this round.

 

[Joker12]

With proper bullets the 338WM will handle anything that Africa offers. Its all been taken by lesser cartridges in the past.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Very good all round plains game choice. Especially with the 250Gr Nosler Partition factory load.

 

[Capebuffalo]

Very good all round plains game choice. Especially with the 250Gr Nosler Partition factory load.

The 338 Win Mag is just one of those rifle choices you can not go wrong with in all of North America, and on all the plains game in Africa....you never feel under gunned with this rifle.

 

[Capebuffalo]

I am unsure what you mean by the "big stuff." I think the 338 is plenty big for all plains game. I use a 250 grain a-frame but see that most like the 225 grain. If you are not taking DG then why take two guns so close in performance? Instead, take the 338 and then something like a 243 or 22 mag to have some real fun. Let the 338 be your big gun.

A few African countries, provinces, and PH's will allow a 338 Win Mag on dangerous game. Clear it out with your PH and take the appropriate bullet in your ammo.

 

[Capebuffalo]

I used my Ruger 77 .338 Win Mag on my first plains game hunt. Using Winchester factory 230 grain Fail Safe
ammo, it shot through most critters, including Eland with one exception; that was a bull Gemsbock shoulder shot at 150 yards. The bullet shot through both shoulder bones, breaking the back for a bang - flop! The bullet was recovered under the off side skin and had an oval cross section! A tough bullet for a tough critter! I keep that bullet on the shelf in front of this computer as a reminder of a great hunt.
Given the opportunity, I would surely use that bullet -rifle combo on a buffalo. It shoots every weight bullet from 210 to 250 well.

I agree with your statement on the 338 Win Mag, but I would rather go with heavier than 250 grain.... 275-grain Swift A-Frame or 300 grain Woodleigh for Cape Buffalo.

 

[Capebuffalo]

Most African hunters who have experience of this calibre will agree that it is the best overall plans game calibre that exists for which rifles and ammo are readily available.
I bought mine for long range hunting in the dessert regions and initially only used it for that application; however with appropriate loads it works equally well for bush range applications on even very large game.
The big issue is bullet selection and velocity. For long range I use 185-200gr boat tails of light construction going at about 3000fps V0. Best to avoid any very strong bullets for this application as they may fail to expand.
For the bush I like the 275gr Swift A frame @ about 2400 fps. A lot of hunters prefer monometals like the Barnes TTSX or Peregrine VRG, but basically there isn't a lot to choose between the options. These loads will go right through a buffalo side on - 2 if you are not careful.
250gr is the best all round bullet weigh in conventional; 225gr in monometals.
For cats or any animal you want to achieve dramatic kills on the 210gr Nosler partition and softer bullets like the Sako Hammerhead in 250gr are good choices. I think the Sierras or Hornadys would probably perform much the same but haven't tried them.
Note that this calibre needs a bit of barrel length to perform properly. 23 or 24" is perfect.

Daga Boy
I appreciate your contributions to our forum tremendously!
338 WM is my go-to rifle in most situations, however, I prefer my 7mm-08 when it comes to deer, impala, and springbok, but sometimes you only have the one one rifle available...
So my questions to you:
1) When shooting cape buffalo with the 338 WM, do you recommend the 275 grain Swift or the 300 grain Woodleigh, and what velocities/or energy levels do you suggest for these two bullets when going for cape buffalo?
2) If 338 WM is the only rifle with you on a plains game hunt, which bullet (grain and manufacturer) do you recommend for impala, springbok etc. (Please include your recommended velocities too)
Hope to hear from you.
Thank you

 

[Capebuffalo]

Both divernhunter and Sgt_zim both make good points. However .338WM is more flexible than the .375 H&H for all round plains game. As I indicated it is important to select loads and bullets which are appropriate to range and target species.
A light bullet (185gr to 225gr) will cause massive meat damage at close range(which is what this cartridge has a bad rep for); however those loads work amazingly at long range. The difference between a load like this and a lesser calibre like a 270 or 30-06 in terms of response to shot has to be seen to be believed!
The rifle can however also be "tamed" for use on heavy game at bush ranges by loading heavy bullets at reduced velocities.
When I say 250gr is the best all-rounder I am talking bush/Savannah and strong bullets showing little lead. Swift A frames and Speer Grand Slams both work. So do monometals in 225gr.
For heavy boned animals like giraffe and buffalo in thick bush a very strong heavy bullet like the 275gr Swift A frame loaded to around 2400fps is a top choice. Alternatively a monometal in 250gr. In this guise the calibre competes with .375 H&H ito penetration and downrange punch. In fact I know of one instance in which 2 buffalo bulls were killed with one shot!
And yes, while you can get a .375 to shoot like a .338 using 250 grainers there is no way you can get it to shoot like a .338 loaded with proper long range projectiles like a 200gr SST.

Also, what will be your bullet of choice on smaller plains game when hunting in the bushveld, and then in the desert?

 

[Robmill70]

My son used my 338WM on PG in RSA with great success. He was using 250gr Speer Grand Slams and they performed excellent! I have used it in Alaska, it's an awesome round!

 

[Andrew62]

338 Win Mag is a great choice, personally, I am recoil sensitive after 3 shoulder/neck surgeries, so I now take a .308 for plains game.

 

[oscar1975]

In Spain it is imposing itself for hunting wild boar harassed by dogs due to its forcefulness. Although there are people who even use the 338 Lapua to hunt, which is already an aberration. Although I would love a 340 Weatherby Magnum which is another exaggeration.

 

[shark_za]

..most bullet failures end up being poor marksmanship IMO,

Some poor marksmanship can be compensated for with a better bullet.
A bigger hole on the wrong place, or a bullet that punches through heavy bone can make the difference.
This is why people suggest heavier is better as a general rule.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

.338 great caliber for anything short of buffalo.

 

[Dr Ray]

.338 great caliber for anything short of buffalo.

338 is not recommended for oz buffalo either.
Was told that a client of an Outfitter pumped 11 shots into a buff only to have the buff disappear and was not found