Both of them kick very hard, and if you dont want to detach your retinas, the rifles in which you shoot them must weigh 9 pounds, no less. Mag. Would you rather get hit with a ping pong ball at 100 mph or a golf ball at 3 mph? Mag., came out in 1956, made from a shortened, necked-up 375 H&H case. Federal Premium 338 Winchester Magnum 225gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claw Rifle Ammo - 20 Rounds. Answer: In a way, they are. A strong 400-grain bullet at 2,400 fps is highly persuasive. Loaded with a heavy Nosler Partition, Barnes TSX, Hornady GMX, Swift A-Frame, or the like, the .338 Win. What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a grizzly or brown bear in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. But many elk hunters are rolling with the 338 Win. This is an instance where a 7mm Remington Magnum or .300 Winchester Magnum would be right at home, in a good bolt-action rifle. An honest assessment suggests the 338 Win. You could carry it all day. Will that make a difference in terminal performance? Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .338 Winchester Magnum is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest grizzly or brown bear - and to this question, the response again is yes, the .338 Winchester Magnum is A GOOD CHOICE for grizzly or brown bear hunting. Like the .338 Lapua, it is a great candidate for the 300-grain long-range bullets now on the market. I hope that later he can post the story of the hunt. AccuBond (.550 BC/.281 SD) at 3025 fps. This put some cartridges at a disadvantage since only factory advertised velocities were used. Thank you, sir! Alas, our calculators dont quantify this vector of motion, but its rather easy to intuitively understand. proved good enough for old Elmer Keith, its good enough for me. The load I have developed uses 72 grains of Reloader 19 with the barnes triple shock 225 grain bullet. If the minimum energy range exceeds the minimum expansion range, the minimum expansion range becomes the maximum effective range since unexpanded bullets are much less effective regardless of how much energy they possess. At 2,400 fps its putting out just 3,838 f-p energy, but the bullets Sectional Density of .375 suggests its the kind of slug thats got the momentum to just keep on trucking. }. Whether you can actually safely reach that MV is the question. Ursine disputes are not always settled in three shots. The 458 Win. The .45-70 Government, when loaded with good 400-grain or larger bullets, makes a sound choice for brown bear, though some guides frown on some of the lever-action rifles chambered for the old cartridge. } 1 or Browning BAR, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with using the good old .30-06 Springfield, .270 Winchester or .280 Remington. The .338 Win. To put the numbers above in perspective: the 300 Winchester Magnum pushing a 210-grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range (B.C. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting grizzly or brown bear to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option. During the spring conservation order, you can hunt with outfitters from Arkansas to Saskatchewan. A .225 gr. The second newest cartridge in this test, the .338 RUM has been around since 2002. Also, everyone should know that the above velocities collected from various handloading manuals are not guaranteed. font-family: Arial, sans-serif; .357 S&W MagnumWhile some folks claim the .44 Magnum is the minimum for charging bears, many others have opted for a Glock 20 in 10mm Auto and, interestingly enough, passed right by the .357 S&W Magnum. border-style: solid; is what usually comes to mind. The Creedmoor is the hottest cartridge on the planet. Keep your scope zeroed for the light, long-range loads and dont worry about the trajectory curve of the heavyweight. The heavier the bullet you shoot in any cartridge/rifle loaded to maximum pressures and MV, the greater the recoil. If there is any possibility a hunter might make a shot at less than 100 yards, a tough, controlled expansion bullet is required to avoid the bullet disintegrating when it hits a large animal at close range. Here is some common Brown Bear advice you did not ask for. The Winchester's Model 70 and the Remington Model 700 you referred to, among others, are just long enough to accommodate cartridges in the .375 H&H Magnum class (3.6 inches overall length) such as the Remington Ultra Magnums. Luke likes when his clients bring .338s or .375s because they allow a little more room for error when it comes to shot placement. In the question of Is the .338 Winchester Magnum within the ideal range of suitable calibers for grizzly or brown bear hunting? our answer is: Lets look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. As yet, no one offers a 250 grain AccuBond in factory ammo for the 33 Nosler, and it would have scored closer to the .338 RUM with a 250. Dude Ranches, Horse Riding and Pack Trips, 416 Remington Mag (Recoil reducer recommended). Is it fun to shoot? In English, that means that heavy .338 Win. font-size: 18px; 250 gr. For shots well beyond 500 yards, consider the Nosler AccuBond LR, Swift Scirocco, Berger, Hornady ELD-X, Hornady SST, or Sierra Game King. The Winchester engineers had shortened the .375 H&H case to 2.500", and necked it either up or down to hold .458", .338" and .264" diameter bullets, releasing the trio of new magnums in 1958. Copyright 2023 National Rifle Association, Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. 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The newest .338 magnum, the 33 Nosler arrived on the market in 2016. JavaScript is disabled. Well after poor performance on a brown bear at 100+/- yards, tracking it into an alder patch and having to finish her with a 375 Ruger mag. is ideally suited to a wide range of big game including elk and moose. load in the same weight rifle will come back with 24.3 foot-pounds at 13.2 fps. What about the other assumptions? Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. | Available in shorter versions like the Smith & Wesson 629 with 4-inch barrel, the .44 Mag. Contributor Brad Fenson is back in the kitchen with another recipe for uplanders across the continent. For pure hunting, I still think Id go with the 300 Win. Both of them fire 250-grain bullets at a real-world velocity of 2,850 fps. If you handload, go for 250-grain or 275-grain Swift A-Frames. We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. Answer: Yes, if your loads used the same bullets at the same velocity as those in the article. Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. The .458" and .264" bore diameters were certainly no strangers to the hunting and shooting community; those bore diameters date back to the . I am getting excellent groups (1 -1 1/4 inch) with a muzzle velocity of 2875 ft/sec. While 225-grain projectiles have become the more popular in recent years, the 250- and 300-grain bullets are ideal for large animals such as elk, moose, and the big bearsif one can tolerate the recoil. Mag. 8. in 1962. Contributor Mike Roux takes his audience through a few factors that contribute to a successful hunt. It was Winchesters second belted magnum based on the 375 &H case of 1912. Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online. Question: Would you say the results of the best .338 magnums of your tests/comparison would be the same if reloads were considered? } Its chambered in nearly every major manufacturers rifle and has a plethora of ammunition choices as well. That way youre instantly bear ready. That is a pretty good benchmark. 7. border-color: #656565; Mag? For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Detailed performance figures are summarized in the table at the articles end. Want to read more from Philip Massaro? Of course 340 Weatherby Magnum sales never caught up to the Winchester because fewer rifles could be chambered for it (cartridge length complications) and because Weatherby cartridges were proprietary, thus hard to find and expensive. Near the end of a stalk on other game, switch loads. The .338 Win. Answer: Recoil is a consideration with any cartridge. The .338 caliber magnums provide all the power most hunters could ever wantor need, but bullet selection is vital to realize their full potential. font-weight: bold; It too needs a magnum length action and few companies other than Weatherby chamber rifles for this powerhouse. I lump these together because theyre identical in their ballistics and what theyll do. And a hunter desiring flat trajectory and long reach along with best bear protection can load the magazine with 300-grain bonded bullets, then carry some 180- to 225-grain, high B.C. 338 Winchester Magnum Ammo for sale online or in-store at Sportsman's Warehouse. Fuzzy, if your comfortable with your set-up, run with it. Heres how each cartridge ranked. Approach it from an angle where it cant see you. Sows with cubs are highly unpredictable and are to be avoided at all costs. While some may consider it the minimum, its plenty powerful enough to stop an onerous bear. Just $1 per month , Rounds you can trust when hunting North Americas largest predators, By A brown bear boar thats been heavily into the salmon will go well over 1,000 pounds and can get as high as 1,400. shooting different bullets (MPBR calculated using high B.C. | Like the Spartans xiphos blade, the handgun is a much shorter secondary weapon intended for up-close-and-personal encounters. Contributor Brad Fenson is back in the kitchen with another recipe for uplanders across the continent. As the bear charge drill in his course demonstrates, the average bear attack will happen at 50 yards or less with an 800-pound animal moving at 30 mph. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. If you handload, or know someone who does, the two rounds can accommodate the 275-grain Swift A-Frame bullet, which puts them, for all practical purposes, on the same footing as the .375 H&H. Can Coolers | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Find More Great NRA Publications Perfect For Every Interest, Discover Everything That The NRA Has To Offer. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .338 Winchester Magnum. Nelson continues to teach a bear defense course in Alaska, instructing geologists and representatives from other government agencies how to operate a wide variety of firearms platforms in a bear defense situation. Published Oct 28, 2019 8:30 PM EDT, Anyone who says the .30-06 is not effective on brown bears or grizzlies either has never used one or is unwittingly commenting on their marksmanship. An Alaskan Bear Guide. In the meantime, if you really want to slow down an overly excited 1,000-pound bear, you might prefer that 300-grain 338 load. font-size: 18px; The big difference was Elmers 334 fired .333 bullets atop a full-length 375 H&H case, just like the 340 Weatherby Magnum that finally came out in 1962. Calling and shooting predators is one of the things that helps hunters get from the end of the fall seasons to when the turkeys start gobbling. I certainly wouldnt expect it in factory loads. With a Cerakote finish on all the metal parts and a Leupold VX-5HD scope in Talley detachable rings, this rifle gives me all sorts of options. The 338 Win. .338 magnums need controlled expansion bullets like this Nosler Partition for large, tough game at ranges less than 500 yards. Like all of Winchesters belted magnums, the 458 was short enough to fit and function in the standard, 30-06-length Model 70 action and magazine, so all they had to do was neck it down and give it a 25-degree shoulder to create a magnum 338 reminiscent of Elmer Keiths 334 OKH of the 1940s. The '06 has been the big-game king forever. The first was the 458 Winchester Magnum of 1956. text-align: left; To maximize ballistic performance in any 338 Winchester Magnum, youll want to wield a 24-inch barrel. Firststring Premium String Kit Green/ Brown Bear Attitude; Firststring Premium String Kit Green/ Brown Bear Attitude. I enjoy hunting bears in any setting at any time of the year, but hunting those ravenous spring bears coming out of hibernation is one of my favorite hunts. (You are going to practice with it, arent you?) 300 gr. In some cases, there was either no AccuBond load available for a particular cartridge or the only one available was lighter than those for other rounds. Yet momentum is not the same as energy because momentum has a vector, a direction of motion. Both BC and sectional density (SD) are noted for each bullet tested. Question: Do you think a Remington 700 is expensive? Muzzle breaks are a cheat; they produce excessive back blast and flash which both deafens and blinds (in low light) a shooter. Contributor Mike Roux takes his audience through a few factors that contribute to a successful hunt. Thats 1,000 psi LESS than those two smaller cartridges. border-color: #656565; for a balance of flat trajectory, maximum muzzle energy, highest bullet SD, and best momentum. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. Hornady Superformance .338 Winchester Magnum 225 grain SST Centerfire Rifle Ammunition. The SD of that .308 bullet at .331 is not far behind the 300-grain .338 at SD .375. This can be of considerable importance. The newest .338 magnum, the 33 Nosler arrived on the market in 2016. What rifle round would you take on your next grizzly or brown bear hunt? A-Frame bullets. A well-fed grizzly boar will scale around 600 pounds, with the really. load will recoil with about 30.2 foot-pounds of free recoil energy at a velocity of 14.7 fps. Popular among Alaskan guides and hunters, the .375 is capable of launching a 270-grain bullet at 4,300 ft.-lbs. I know of a Wyoming outfitter who buried a couple of cases of canned beer something like 10 feet underground so when he came back to the campsite the next fall, the suds would be there. .338 Winchester Magnum The favorite among Alaskan guides as a backup gun, the .338 Winchester Magnum was released in 1958 as belted, rimless cartridge. Cartridge popularity drops off dramatically after the 30-calibers. If you want factory ammo, get Swift, loaded with its 250-grain A-Frames. As Nelson points out, the first shot may end the charge but doesnt always kill the bear, which means its handy to have a rifle that can make the longer follow-up shot. 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