338 Winchester Magnum

[Capebuffalo]

New member here and this is my first post. I thought I'd add a few of pics to thread.

Way back in 2000 (where has the time gone??), my friend Kate and I hunted plains game in the northern Limpopo Province (north of Alldays; near the Limpopo River) of South Africa. This was our first hunting trip to Africa. (I had been on a photo safari trip to Botswana in 1998.)

Kate's rifle: Ruger M77 Mk II in .338 Win Mag
Handload: 250 gr Nosler Partition at 2651 fps (chronographed, 10-shot average)
(I loaded the ammo.)

Here's two that she was very happy with and proud of:

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BTW, Kate is all of 5' 2" (157.5 cm) in height. She handled the .338 very well. She reminded me of Osa Johnson. (Osa was also 5' 2" in height)


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"Osa Johnson holds a Model 1895 Winchester in .405 Winchester, one of three that the Johnsons took on their 1924 Africa expedition."

The Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum

Safari Museum in Kansas - Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum

Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum featuring exhibits, including cultural heritage and Visual History collection resources. Tap for

safarimuseum.com

BTW: A few years later, Kate took a nice black bear in Canada with the same rifle and load. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo to post of that one.

Cheers! Bob F.

Hello Bob

Thank you so much for your post!
I grew up in the northern parts of the Limpopo province of South Africa and hunted many times in the Alldays area, on both sides of the Limpopo river (South Africa and Botswana), and shot my largest kudu bull in the river bed of the Limpopo with a 7x57 Mauser (cannot remember the ammo I used), back in the mid 1980's. Your post brought back so many golden memories to me.... After many years of hunting plains game in Africa and north American game, I also concluded (all factors considered) that the 338 Win Mag might be one of the best, if not the best, cartridge to use on all African plains game and all North American game, without worrying if you will be able to defend yourself if dangerous game are around....

 

[Schüler Jumbo]

The .338 Winchester Magnum is a well balanced cartridge. It delivers substantial power in a very shootable package. Winchester had it right in the 1950’s with introduction of the trio:
.264 Win Mag Westerner
.338 Win Mag Alaskan
.458 Win Mag African

I made the longest shot on game I’ve ever made at 412 paces with a .338 Win and 250 gr bullet. I liked the old Woodleigh 300 gr bullets and like the Nosler Accubond 300 gr. bullet. High BC & SD bullets are available for caliber.

 

[Killo]

338 win mag
Zambia 2022
PH Johny Duploy

 

[dgr416]

I have used the 338-378 weatgerby 40 years now its asesome .Almost all of my rifles are ruger 77s tang safetys and stainless mark II .They are super sccurate I have shot many clover leafs at 100 yards and 1.5 inch groups at 300 yards with them .I have shot tons of game with them .

 

[allranch2025]

Thought you might find this interesting

https://sierrabullets.com/content/load-data/rifle/308/30-338-winchester-magnum.pdf

 

[Arac]

In the late 1990's there were a couple of huge grizzlies near Houston, BC that were killing cattle. One was called The Phantom (1012 lbs) and the other was "only" 975 lbs. I've seen both of these brutes and they are freaking enormous. Here is the story of what happened to The Phantom - and, it adds to this post because there was a .338 WM involved:

The Phantom of Hungry Hill

The smaller bear is in Houston at the visitor centre:
Houston Visitor Centre.

 

[BGGMKLR]

Hello Bob

Thank you so much for your post!
I grew up in the northern parts of the Limpopo province of South Africa and hunted many times in the Alldays area, on both sides of the Limpopo river (South Africa and Botswana), and shot my largest kudu bull in the river bed of the Limpopo with a 7x57 Mauser (cannot remember the ammo I used), back in the mid 1980's. Your post brought back so many golden memories to me.... After many years of hunting plains game in Africa and north American game, I also concluded (all factors considered) that the 338 Win Mag might be one of the best, if not the best, cartridge to use on all African plains game and all North American game, without worrying if you will be able to defend yourself if dangerous game are around....

Well said...and spot on.
Best
Spike

 

[M70375!]

338 is one of my favorites, with premium bullets, use it with confidence. It is a very hard hitting cartridge , very close to 375 and even out performs the 375 past 150 yards

 

[CoElkHunter]

Thought you might find this interesting

https://sierrabullets.com/content/load-data/rifle/308/30-338-winchester-magnum.pdf

Interesting article. Once fired cases L to R: .300WM, .338WM, 7mmRM. I didn’t realize the .300WM case was so much longer. If Winchester had dropped the shoulder a bit on the .300, one could shoot longer/heavier bullets out of it.

 

[allranch2025]

Interesting article. Once fired cases L to R: .300WM, .338WM, 7mmRM. I didn’t realize the .300WM case was so much longer. If Winchester had dropped the shoulder a bit on the .300, one could shoot longer/heavier bullets out of it.

I compared a 300 Weatherby Mag with a 180 gr. bullet 3,250 fps to my 338 WM with a 225 grn 2,800fps I only have experience with the 338 which I like alot

 

[Axle2010]

Interesting article. Once fired cases L to R: .300WM, .338WM, 7mmRM. I didn’t realize the .300WM case was so much longer. If Winchester had dropped the shoulder a bit on the .300, one could shoot longer/heavier bullets out of it.

Iirc when I was first reading about the 338 and 300 it said Winchester left the 300 longer to prevent accidental loading a 300 in a 338 chamber.

 

[Ray B]

Winchester left the 300 longer to prevent accidental loading a 300 in a 338 chamber.

Several years ago I read that the 300 Win mag had the dimensions it has in order to obtain the maximum amount of powder capacity in a belted case that would fit in a "standard" length action. At the time the 308 Norma was almost identical to the wildcat 30/338 so Winchester wanted their cartridge to be significantly "better", ballistics nearing the Weatherby but fitting in the shorter action.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I compared a 300 Weatherby Mag with a 180 gr. bullet 3,250 fps to my 338 WM with a 225 grn 2,800fps I only have experience with the 338 which I like alot

The Weatherby mags are very good cartridges although they require a magnum length action. I’m sure the .300 Weatherby Magnum cartridge introduced in 1944 was revolutionary at the time, but then again, only a relatively small percentage of hunters could afford the Mark V rifle it was chambered in. I’ve only owned .300 and .338 WM cartridges rifles below .375 and they’ve done everything I’ve asked of them. Winchester kind of cornered the .300 market in 1963 with their cartridge introduction and then Remington’s long action 700 Model rifle’s introduction in 1962 later chambered in .300WM at an affordable price point versus pre ‘64 Winchester Model 70 rifles at the time cornered the market on big game hunting rifles for the average American hunter.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Iirc when I was first reading about the 338 and 300 it said Winchester left the 300 longer to prevent accidental loading a 300 in a 338 chamber.

Maybe so, but lost cartridge potential resulted IMO.

 

[allranch2025]

My first 338 WM was a Sako finn bear purchased as a barrel and action, I had it set up to match the 1968 Wimbledon winners rifle, although his was a 30-338. I could hand that rifle to people I was guiding for deer and with a warning to keep their eye back from the scope, as a result it probably took as many animals in other hands as mine. Flat shooting, big bullet 225. Sorry, the stories go on for two more hours and then I cry at the end for dramatic effect.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Interesting article. Once fired cases L to R: .300WM, .338WM, 7mmRM. I didn’t realize the .300WM case was so much longer. If Winchester had dropped the shoulder a bit on the .300, one could shoot longer/heavier bullets out of it.

I just looked at this photo again. What if Winchester had extended the neck of its .338 and Remington its 7mm to the length of the .300WM case? Longer bullets would have been possible. I guess a faster barrel twist would have been the deciding factor though?

 

[allranch2025]

I really like the look of the 8mm rem mag

 

[Axle2010]

Maybe so, but lost cartridge potential resulted IMO.

I agree. If they had the same length case in the 338 they'd be stepping on the heels of the 340 Weatherby

 

[Axle2010]

I really like the look of the 8mm rem mag

I've always like the look and numbers of the 8 mm but now that I can reload and afford a rifle so chambered I can't think of anything it does that something I already have doesn't do.

 

[double rifle newbie]

hits hard. very flat shooting. tremendous penetration. absolutely one of my favorite calibers. took a caribou at 470 yards with a light-for-caliber hornady gmx hand load hunting the noatak river north of kotzebue alaska. bullet zipped right through the ribs and both lungs. never found the bullet. the caribou took one step and laid down.