.338 Fed Dead or Alive?

I recently looked up the .338 Fed online and there is no talk about the round. Threads are years old.
I did find quite a bit of ammo out there though.
I have a .308 that I thought to re barrel or bore to .338 Fed but is it any good after all the dust has settled or did it not live up to its claims?

If so what is a good cartridge for this cal. for deer and Elk? 180 to 225 out there from many companies with different bullets..
Heavy for deer (DRT) but effective, prefer just one round so as to stock up on ammo in case it is destined to die off.

I want to hear about this round and how it has performed, not about 10 other better cals. and where it is in the world today.
Dead or Alive??

Lou

limping................should be dead.....but will likely live on supported by those that do not want to hear about better, cheaper or more versatile options.
Not enough stopping power increase over a heavy bullet 308 load. Too many good "heavy" .308 bullets on the market.
The "light" .338 bullets suitable for the case capacity are handicapped for long range and it does not have the horse power for "heavy" .338 bullets.

Shooting 225 sst's it is a deer hammer out to 300 yards. Neither I not the SIL have tried it any farther. It seems to have less kick and more of a push than my 308 with 175 MK's. It may or may not fizzle out but it is a very capable round.

It lives, but mostly in AR10s and it is a tad Anemic although a nice round.

You can get American Eagle ammo for $18 a box for plinking compared to 338-06 at $75 a box for premium ammo is about the cheapest for that.
If you handload it doesnt matter.

I would have to disagree about little TKO increase over a 308 though.
With the right bullet its a real sledge hammer and I have seen noticeably more drop in their tracks DRT with the 338 fed.

You can load the 160 gr TTSX to 3000 FPS in 338 fed so in that configuration a flat shooting slammer of a bullet.

Good moose or Elk to about 250 yds or so with the right bullet, but it is a bit on the Anemic side.
For either I would use a different round.
Better Deer and hog round IMO especially hogs.
Just bowls them over and they dont get up.

Heaviest I would load it up to would be a 210 TTSX
185 gr CEB copper raptor is nice but I have been hunting with the 160 gr TTSX the last few years and it just drops everything pretty much in its tracks. At times I have loaded the 185 and 210 TTSX too.

If you have a long action then build a 338-06. Better harder hitting cartridge.

Brownells has 338-06 barrels in stock. Adds another +-200 FPS. You can drive the 160 TTSX to about 3250+ in the 338-06.

Have you tried your 338 fed against a 208 a-max from a 308?
The heavy loaded 308 was what I was referring to for the sake of comparison. However, while I shoot heavy 308 I do not shoot the fed as the longer range ballistics gave the edge back to the 308 so I never could justify pursuing the fed.

Yes - Actually I shot a 300# Boar Hog at about 300 yards with that Amax and it hammered him.
Thats one of my favorite 308 Bullets.

I have some 308 - 135gr Cutting edge Copper Raptor bullets but have yet to shoot a hog with one. Missed my chance last week
when they outsmarted me - LOL. Have loaded a 6.8 SPC with the normal Raptor and they also drop animals in their tracks or close to it.

Also will try the 110 gr Raptor in 6.5x55.

I will probably sell this. .308 tr10 5R heavy barrel with suppressor threads.
I really got it to rebore to .338 but if it was nothing but hype I dont want to proceed.
As it is 180s sighted in at 1.5 high @100 is -4.9 at 200 using federal factory ammo.

Otherwise no use for the heavy barrel.
Just got it sighted in for opener

Here is my Opinion.
338 has substantially more DRT power than 308 so I would just buy a new 338 whatever barrel.

Although the 338 FED has a lot of whack and recoil is minimal, for Elk I personally would go for a cartridge with more umph.

Since its going on a Savage you could rebore and chamber it to whatever 338, but for the same $ you could probably get
McGowen to build you a custom Barrel.

If a short action I would build a 338-284 or a 338 RCM. If going on a long Action or a 338-06, 338 winmag or other 338 variant.
338-284 is hand load only.

Although the 338 fed will work pretty well and the recoil is low its a tad on the weak side for Elk.

That said I sold my 19" 338-284 barrel to a guy in Colorado and he loaded it up with 185 gr TTSX bullets at about 2850 FPS and gave it to his father in law to hunt with. Said he killed a 850# cow elk at about 100 yards. Said it took two steps and tipped over. I have that barrel back now.

Barnes has a load on their site for a 185 gr TTSX at 2700 FPS out of the 338 FED 24" barrel and if you run the external ballistics on that it looks decent.

Zero at 200 yards, 2" max ht, 9" low at 300, 26" low at 400.
At 300 yards 2000 FPS 1700 FPE.

Ok so a rebarrel instead of a rebore.
Can you name a few affordable, decent barrel mfgs?

I am not familiar with some rounds you mentioned. If you could elaborate a little the difference from .338 fed.
Keep in mind this is a short action.

Lou

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Originally Posted by savage re15

Ok so a rebarrel instead of a rebore.
Can you name a few affordable, decent barrel mfgs?

I am not familiar with some rounds you mentioned. If you could elaborate a little the difference from .338 fed.
Keep in mind this is a short action.

Lou

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McGowen is good but the last barrel I got from them took almost 4-5 months.

338 federal is a 338-08 IE a 308 necked up to 338 and a short action cartridge.

338-284 is a 284 winchester (7mm) necked up to 338 and a short action cartridge. Holds more powder - .473 cartridge head and close to the same as a 338-06. Handloads only and make your own brass from 284 brass.

338 RCM is a factory 338 ruger compact magnum. Factory short action cartridge and a magnum cartridge.

338-06 is a 30-06 necked up to 338 and a long action cartridge. .473 cartridge head.
It is now a legit cartridge and ammo is available but cost roughly $75 a box. Easy to make the brass from 30-06.

338 winmag is a factory 338 winchester magnum cartridge. Factory long action cartridge and a magnum face cartridge with a magnum belt = Stout recoil.

There are also other 338 wildcats and factory cartridges.

For barrel makers E R Shaw is about as inexpensive as you can get and still get a decent barrel.

Get ahold of Jim at www.apachegunworks.com . He seems to have the best lead times right now since he limits the number of orders he takes in per month. He makes great barrels and I currently have 5 from him with more to be ordered soon, machine work is great and accuracy is awesome and his prices are better than most.

It seems to be dead but to offer a different perspective I think sadly so. This is a useful cartridge with ample bullets for reloading and cheap brass. For reloaders a very standard burn rate and plentiful powders. I am a 338 win mag owner so I wouldn't buy but if you have a short action 308 bolt face and are shooting 300 yards and in this cartridge shoot fit the bill.

Im in. What is my like new 5r .308 barrel worth?
Its threaded for suppressor and the longer version of the tr10.

Lou