Looking at the three choices Savage gives, I think the 308 is the most logical choice. For me the .223 would be a nice light recoiling varmint type rifle, although I know many use it for hogs. The 338 Win is way to overboard for my taste, but it would make a nice short bear rifle for sure.
The one caliber I would love to see Savage make this gun in is 338 Federal. It has a short action and gives you ample short - medium range power. We are talking about a 200-350 yard gun I think in this caliber.
If Savage made it I think it would sell, I know I would buy one. It would be nice if they did a special run for sure !
wll
I agree! The .338 Federal makes WAY more sense than a .223 or a .338 Win Mag in a short barreled carbine. And for a hog gun I like the .338 Federal better than the .308 Win. I built a .338 Federal with a 22" barrel and I love that gun. The ballistics on the .338 Federal are really amazing.
Boy, oh boy, if ever there was a caliber that was under rated the 338 Federal is it, shoots a big bullet, short action, and power for the biggest hogs, elk, moose and bear.Originally Posted by goinssr
What a sleeper if there ever was one !
wll
I really cant understand why this caliber hasn't taken off like a rocket. The cartridge sports the power of a 7mag in a short action with a good bit less recoil. I think I'll be barrel shopping pretty soon. :)
A good wife and a steady job has ruined many a great hunter.
Some cartridges just have a magical marriage of case capacity and bore diameter and the .338 Federal is certainly one of them. The external ballistics are just amazing. I totally agree with the assessment that is a real sleeper and one of the most underrated cartridges out there, and until the gun and ammo manufacturers start putting this caliber on their "A" list it will likely live in obscurity for a long time. But it is guys like us that keep it in the light that will convince more manufacturers that there must really be something to look at here.
Last edited by goinssr; 10-10-2013 at 10:28 PM.
Your are so correct, the quality of the cartridge has very little to do with it staying alive.
My company www.doinker.com has made some of the greatest products for archery. Some the ones that have failed have been great products, some that were very successful were an after thought that I put into production.
Trying to guess what the public wants is a tough proposition !
wll
That old Doinker stabilizer has always been my favorite stabilizer on my bow. Nothing I ever tried worked better, and believe me I've spent a lot of $$$ of highly marketed junk.
Ya know after thinking about calibers for this rifle, another sleeper might be this gun in 7.62x39, maybe a 300AAC Blackout would be a winner too !
These may be better for the guys that shoot suppressed rifles because of the small case capacity. I assume those guys are shooting heavy bullets at around 1000 to 1100 fps ! They may need a 1-8 or 1-9 twist, maybe faster I don't know.
That could end up being a sweet little rifle ... we will see what Savage does for 2014 !
wll
Last edited by wlleven; 10-12-2013 at 01:19 PM. Reason: added a new caliber
Savage all ready dumped the 300AAC Blackout they said they couldn't get it to shoot.
I'm thinking .358 win would been the gun.
Well, there's another one that blows my skirt up. But the .358 will not have the appeal that the .338 Fed. has. First off the .358 Win has lived and died. The ballistics are nowhere near as impressive as the .338 Fed and the .358 bullet selection is not as good as the .338 is either. The .358 falls off very, very quickly after 150 yards or so and the .338 is just waking up. And the killing power between the two is negligible. But in a short, light rifle where the shots will not exceed 100-150 yards the .358 Win is a train stopper, and can you imagine what it would do to a hog!!!
Yes 358 is not bad, but IMHO the 338 Federal is the bomb !
wll
That is my thinking as well...Something else not mentioned is that the .338 Federal has more shoulder to headspace on than does the .358 Win. It's not a deal killer but certainly something to consider.
Well I doubt Savage will ever chamber either the .338 Fed or .358 Win. Guess it will just be up to us to re-barrel or re-bore the barrels. JES re-boring will make it a .358 Win for about $250, there is plenty of shoulder to headspace a .358 on.
Why not rebore the .308 to 338 Federal? Isn't the .338 Federal is just a .338-08?
You, can bore to a .338 Federal and JES will do it for you as well. But with two .338-06 rifles in my safe already I have no desire for a .338 Fed. I already have a .358 Win barrel, Stevens 200 action, SSS Competition trigger and recoil lug, sitting in my safe waiting to be put together. Just trying to decide on the stock I want, and I'm looking for a SSS tactical bolt handle to complete the project.
Yes, that sounds nice, but I want and ugly green stocked 20 inch barreled, accutriggered, iron sighted 338 Federal for about $450.00 !
wll
Since every bean counter at every major rifle manufacturer over the last five years has decided that the .338 Fed and .358 Win sales were not profitable. I seriously doubt you'll get Savage build a hog hunter for you in a normal production run for several years. Custom shop, build, or re-bore is your only viable option for a .338 Fed these days. So I imagine $700 is about as cheap as you'll get one done.
Yes, I think you are right !
wll
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