The .338 Winchester Magnum may just be the perfect all-around caliber for any hunting situation on this earth, on dry land. It is powerful enough to bag the biggest game and accurate enough to hunt the smallest game. Comparable in power to the famous .375 H&H; magnum the .338 is also a comfort in the field where dangerous game such as Grizzly bear roam.
The .338 Winchester magnum was introduced in 1958. It was derived from the mighty .458 Winchester magnum necked down to .338. Why the odd caliber? Many say this came about due to some experimental shooting and tinkering by noted gunscribe Elmer Keith. Well before Winchester gave birth to the .338 Keith had done some substantial work with his own round ultimately known as the .333 O.K.H. He believed in throwing big heavy bullets downrange. Working with Winchester Keith’s ideas came to fruition with the .338. This caliber did indeed throw big heavy bullets downrange. The famous 30-06 Springfield will fire a 220 grain bullet. It is the heaviest bullet that bore will adequately stabilize. And it is a real thumper. In comparison the .338 can propel a projectile as heavy as 275 grains and do it in a cartridge approximately as long as the 30-06! It does so with about 25% more muzzle energy.
It is also flat-shooting. With a 200 grain aerodynamic spitzer bullet and sighted in 3 inches high at 100 yards the .338 hits dead-on at 300 yards and is only about 15 inches low at 500 yards. Yes it can do everything the 30-06 does and more. This is not to belittle the great ’06 but just a comparison that establishes the .338 as a better all-around caliber.
The .338 is accurate. At 100 yards with a good handload and rifle it produces groups of 1/4 inch or smaller. There are many other smaller calibers touted for their accuracy that cannot beat this. Some foreign and domestic police departments use this caliber or the larger .338 Lapua for sniper work.
It is powerful. With bullets of 250 grains or more traveling at 2800 feet-per-second the .338 creates almost 4000 foot-pounds of energy (fpe) at the muzzle! In comparison the .308 Winchester (7.62 NATO) delivers about 2500 fpe at the muzzle.
Some people fear the recoil of a rifle of this caliber. I used to. My father owns a .338 Browning rifle with a synthetic stock. I have fired this rifle many times at the range. I would say the recoil is stout but not punishing at all. In fact I fear shooting his old .303 British much more. The recoil of the .338 can be described as long and slow as compared to say, a 7mm Remington Magnum which is short and sharp.
The .338 Winchester Magnum is so well-respected that its factory loaded ammunition can be found all over the world. It is a very popular round in Alaska and Africa and of course the United States.
