What's up with .338 Win Mag?

[Choupique]

In hindsight, I wish I had gotten a supergrade or alaskan instead of an extreme weather. Stainless is cool and all but I find myself wishing it was blued and walnut more and more.

 

[SloppyJ]

I'm a huge fan of the supergrade maple. I have one in 30-06. The barrel is the most picky I've ever loaded for but it's a beautiful girl. It will get rebarreled soon though.

There's a M77 .338 Win Mag at my local shop that I keep eyeing every time I go in. One day I might leave with it.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Yes, seems that times are tough for some good cartridges. 30-06 loaded with a bullet of your choice from a plethora of factory load choices. Go kill something!

 

[TaperPin]

Don’t worry about 338 ammo - everything is in short supply since everyone is geared up for the fast selling 6.5 ppc, and once they get caught up other calibers will be on the shelves again.

After reading Elmer Keith articles for years as a teenager, I was so excited to buy a 300 mag . . . but someone bought it, so I ended up with his other favorite - a 338 instead. I loved that gun and shot everything with it. Eventually it was replaced with a 340, but with rangefinders there‘s nothing the 340 can do that the 338 can’t.

 

[The Guide]

The suggestions for 35 Whelen due to lack of 338WM ammo and rifles has me laughing. Yeah let’s buy a rifle that has even less available options. I can’t remember the last time I saw a rifle chambered in 35 Whelen or a box of ammo sitting on a shelf. I’ve seen 338WM ammo and rifles in Cabelas and Bass Pro. I’ve seen ammo on the shelf in Walmart even.

Midway currently lists 10 35 Whelen options with nothing in stock. They list 17 338 WM options with 3 in stock.

There is zero logic in suggesting that the Whelen would somehow solve a single issue and only that it would create more problems with availability.

Better refine your search skills. Ammoseek.com shows 38 instances of 338WM ammo for sale and 56 instances of 35 Whelen for sale. The 35 Whelen is legal as a straight wall cartridge in the mid west and has had a huge resurgence in popularity due to that fact. The majority of new 35 Whelen rifles are single shot (with the exception of special runs by Ruger and Remington) to allow them to remain legal under the "straight wall' laws. There are several bolt action 35 Whelen offerings on gunbroker right now starting at $500. If someone was so inclined, they could get a new Tikka T3X in 270 or 30-06 rebored to a 35 Whelen and be all in for under 1k. The 35 Whelen is far from dead and has as much availability as the 338WM. I have them both and like each for different reasons. The Whelen is more fun to shoot in my opinion but that could be because it is a little Remington auto loader and swings and points so nicely in the river bottoms.

Jay

 

[35WhelenAI]

Good cartridges, the 35 Whelen and .338 Win Mag.

Fwiw, current Speer data shows the .338 Win Mag with RL26 and a 250 gr bullet (BC .436) at 2764 fps. Speer shows 35 Whelen with Power Pro MR-2000 and a 250 gr bullet (BC .422) at 2709 fps using 10 grs (or about 15%) less powder.

If a guy would get into reloading, there's an unlimited supply of 30-06 brass to form into 35 Whelen cases for as long as any of us will live and beyond.

 

[Point Man]

Don't know if Ruger still makes a 338 rifle but I had two of the 77's and they shot nice tight groups at 100 yards. I also handloaded for them also which made things a lot cheaper for me,probably still have cases and bullets for it but sold both rifles as the recoil finally got to my old shoulder and neck. I hunt my own property now so my 44 mag or 45/70 serves my purpose for deer and the 22-250 is enough for ground hogs and yotes.