7mm mag. VS. .338 mag

[357 magnum]

The question is what range will you be taking game and how much recoil can you take. The Best of the West has proven the 7mm at 850 yards on elk, with a 168VLD at 3050 fps. This is a very forgiving magnum for recoil and has proven it self at 1000 yard competition for decades. The 300 Mags also have the same performance, But come at a price and that is recoil. The 338 is a sledge hammer and is a real asset when it comes to dangerous game. But as any body will tell you this caliber will kick and will not offer up realistic shooting beyond 600 yards as the bullets just do not have the B.C. of the smaller rounds. Versatility from Antelope to Elk I say 7mm. Mule Deer to Elk 300's and Moose to Grizzly 338.

[borg]

The 338 is a sledge hammer and is a real asset when it comes to dangerous game. But as any body will tell you this caliber will kick and will not offer up realistic shooting beyond 600 yards as the bullets just do not have the B.C. of the smaller rounds.
Huh? I don't think anybody will agree with that.

[efm77]

I think you can also get high BC bullets in 338 as well. Between the 7mm rem mag and 338 win mag, the 7 may still shoot a little flatter but I don't think it would really be any more difficult to hit at distance with the 338 though if you can handle the extra recoil.

[tammons]

Same speed, same BC both bullets no matter what weight will have the same trajectory.
The 338 250 gr Scenar BC is .65 and the elcheapo 250 gr gameking is .6.

The 7mm 180 gr berger has a BC of over .7 so it will beat it but a 338 winmag
even a 338-06 will shoot way out there like 1000 yards plus.

Those are target bullets though, except for the GK.

Any of them will do out to 600 yards and the 338 will have a lot more knockdown power and more recoil.

The 7mm will shoot flatter with the right load and bullet.

[358Hammer]

338200SP164 .593 200 13.0 38.6 1.52 21.2 0.83 All .338 calibres, subject to twist rate
338232SP150 .726 232 15.0 44.8 1.76 24.8 .98 All .338 calibres, subject to twist rate

338267SP250 .906 267 17.3 53.0 2.09 31.4 1.23 All .338 calibres, subject to twist rate
338295SP142 1.010 This list came of the GS 338 bullet list from South Africa. We also have Lehigh Custom bullets here in the U.S. A. and his B>C.'s are right there with the GS bullet. Hat aluminum tip hunting bullets also have a good BC bullet as well.

Thirty years ago the Alaska Department of Fish and Game banned the 7 Rem Mag from any and all Bison hunts because they were tired of following up, helping drawn hunters claim their wounded animals. I have been using the 338 Win Mag or equivalent here in Alaska since the early 80's. Now we have some incredible BC hunting bullets and I hunt with a 338 Edge quite happily.

Neal

I am currently shooting a 238 grain 338 bullet with a BC of 1.1??

The last time I checked the 200 grain 7 Mag bullets were not in this BC range

[borg]

The bc of the heavier target bullets in .338 are better than any .284 I am aware of. We don't need to really beat this into the ground though. I was a little impolite regarding his mistake and I want to apologize.

[ctrout]

I am currently shooting a 238 grain 338 bullet with a BC of 1.1??



I would love to know what bullet that is because I had my heart set on the 300gr SMK with a BC of .768. If I had a 238gr with a BC of 1.1 out of my Edge, that would be an INSANELY FLAT shooter out to 2000 yards at like 3400fps. Is it machined aluminum or solid copper or something?

[358Hammer]

Lehigh Bullets



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bullet is machined from UNSC36000 brass. The advanced projectile design and controlled manufacturing tolerances advance the accuracy potential of these cartridges. Weight - 245 grains BC (calculated) - 0.869 Length - 1.800 Design velocity - 2,800-3,500 Material - This is Not the bullet designed with a 1.1 and better BC.

The creator of the super high BC bullets is only making them one at a time on a CNC lathe and can not keep up with demand currently. He has been demo'ing these bullets at 3000 with an improved 338 X 378@ 3600fps. This coming week someone is testing the brand new 1.1 BC 30 cal bullet! It is going to be shot in my version of the 30 Gibbs and 300 Mag type cartridges for length (must fit in a magazine) so AOL is very critical.

Neal

[357 magnum]

Sorry I did not know about the custom order stuff for 338. I know I had some spitzer bullets I played with in my 444 Marlin. And B.C. is a factor in any caliber. The nice thing I like about the 284 and 308 dia. calibers is the over abundance of bullets on the shelf at your local sporting goods store. The 7mm is a joy to shoot and offers up the versatile round he was looking for as Elk, Gator, and Bear were the goal, and I am sure like most of us a long fun day at the range is better suited for a 7mm. My wife enjoys shooting my 7RM as much as I do. But the 7RM is a hand load to get real performance out of it, where the 300 and 338 are loaded up pretty good for factory loadings. If he is a not a reloader 30-06, any of the 300's, 8mm RM, 338, 35 Whelen, Beware of the 8RM as it is not on the shelf very often.

[Three44s]

The best BC's as a whole are found in the .264 and .338 class bullets.

But I don't subscribe to ultra long range on a great bear.

Give me a heavy when you are talking bears known to have attitudes.

A while back I acquired a .338 win mag and .338-06 barrel for my Savages and have been working with the '06 first.

To me, it's worth getting used to the added recoil ....... if it hurts on both ends now ...... then it's bound to hurt MORE ....... on the end that's supposed to do the hurting.

And yes, my goal is to end up with a .416 Taylor as well. I prefer big holes for big critters ..... penetration beats long range.



"It' my hide ...... and I'm stickin' to it!!"


;)

Three 44s

[tammons]

I just ran some loads on my 338-06.
Managed 2500 fps with a 250 gr GK over RL17.
If you run the numbers that works out to 2000 fpe at 400 yards.

That is enough for hunting a growler but personally I would rather have a 375 cal as a min.
If you want to stop one in its tracks you need a big bullet like a 416, 458 etc.

I had a 375 Ruger for a while and it was really nice. Now I have aq 458 WM for some unknown reason, but I can load it up or
down however I want and am using it as a brush gun.

Right now I have it loaded up with 300 gr TTSX socom bullet in a light load. Makes big holes.

I think my next stop when I get ready for another big bore barrel will be a 416 Ruger.

[358Hammer]

I am right there with Tammons and 3 44's.

Bullet diameter is everything here in Alaska for me. To date I haven't met an educated bear so they aren't impressed with energy. They have a very strong will to live and if the first shot is off then they require convincing to quit.

My wife hunts with a 338 WSM or Win Mag and I hunt with the 338 Edge. I am currently working/playing with a 458 Lott and the 350 grain Barnes and the 350 Hornady. The Lott in the 8 pound Striker is not for the weak of heart.

Neal

[tammons]

Bullet diameter and penetration.

Forgot where I read it but I used to have a 50 beowulf and remember reading about a guy that shot a
Big bear in Ak with a 50 beo loaded with either 400 or 500 gr bullets. Cant remember the brand but it was not barnes.

Shot it at about 150 yards and he said the bear did a complete flip got up and ran off.

[Tracer]

I will tell you to go the route of the .338 Win mag but only if you can shoot that caliber rifle accurately enough ok! Now there is a heck of a difference between the 7mm magnum using a 175 grain bullet and the .338 Win mag shooting a 250 or even a 300 grain bullet.............it is a real ELK BUSTER!!! However, remember their is also a large separation between recoil of those two particular calibers shooting those mentioned bullets.

The 7mm magnum is used by more professional guides out West than any other caliber for deer and elk.....Fact. It is much easier to shoot and stay on target for the second shot than the .338 Win mag, especially if your speaking of shooting over 300 yards our on a deer say.

The main factor is the amount of recoil to the shoulder or upper torso of your body. The 7mm mag dishes out around 25 pounds of recoil and the .338 Win mag will hit you at 33 to 37 pounds of recoil depending on the bullet weight. Something to think about is that 5 pounds of recoil is something that we all can tell the difference in and can often be the straw that breaks the camels back. If you haven't been shooting large caliber magnum rifles much, I would suggest the 7mm magnum. You might also try to get your hands on both these caliber rifles and test shoot them first hand.