This is a good bullet weight for delivering reasonably flat trajectory. The difference is due to the larger surface area of the bullet on which internal gas pressures can push. case can push its more aerodynamically efficient 180-grain bullet. This is about 100 fps faster than the parent. A full-house load might drive it about 2,750 fps from a 24-inch barrel, somewhere in the 2,650 to 2,700 fps range from a more convenient 22-inch barrel. 338 bullet is light for this caliber, but fast. Bullet energy doesn’t fall below 1,500 ft/lbs until 330 yards, and at 500 yards it’s still packing 1,000 ft/lbs of energy. At 300 yards a 10 mph right angle wind will bump it 9 inches. 342, you’ll have to watch the wind deflection. It should be perfect for pronghorns, although with a B.C. Given the weight retention and penetration potential of the Barnes TTSX, this relative lightweight should more than suffice for whitetails, mule deer, sheep, and mountain goats. But even if you handload to just 2,800 fps, this is the ultimate flat-shooter for the.

160-grain Barnes TTSXĭouble Tap ammo reportedly loads this all copper hollow point to the. MPBR was calculated for an 8-inch target. This data was gleaned from Nosler’s Reloading Guide 8 and Hornady 10th. Let’s compare ballistic data from four different bullets to pad the. It either anchors game quickly or inspires a blood trail a blind house cat could follow. It keeps pace with popular and effective cartridges. 338 Federal and, more importantly, why aren’t more deer, elk, bear, and moose hunters shooting it? Here is a potent cartridge that fits the popular, light, handy short-action rifles. Why aren’t more writers writing about the virtues of the. That was about the time the 6.5 Creedmoor hatched. Federal, in conjunction with Sako, legitimized it in 2006. 338 Federal languish in obscurity? It was a successful wildcat back in the 1970s. 338 is a potent, short-action cartridge capable of killing any North American big game animal. 308-inch-makes a major difference in killing performance, but stepping up to. I’m not convinced a small increase in bullet diameter-say from a. Those, the old timers insist, put deer down now-hard. And it’ll slap your shoulder with 12 ft/lbs less recoil.Īll of this should impress the many North American hunters who celebrate the mid-caliber deer rounds of the good old days, like the 32 Winchester Special and 35 Remington. At 300 yards the Federal will drop just 1.5 inches more than the Winchester Magnum.

Zero both for their Maximum Point Blank Ranges (MBPR). If that doesn’t impress you, look at it this way.

30/06 throwing 180-grain bullets and at 300 yards drops only a measly 1/2-inch more. 338 kicks out more muzzle energy than a 7mm Remington Magnum pushing 160-grain bullets. But here’s the thing: When loaded with 180-grain bullets, the little. 338? It’s hiding in the basement.īefore we dive more deeply into why this cartridge gets no respect, let’s outline what it does. 260 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08 Remington, and now. Most shooters have no problem with short-action cartridges if they throw bullets faster than the. 338 Federal launches its 180- to 250-grain bullets from a small, short-action case (.308 Winchester). 300 magnums will handle any game stateside and most anything anywhere else on the globe. So why is it so uncommon? Well, it has a couple of “issues” that turn many hunters off. This efficient short-action cartridge flattens game like the hammer of Thor without kicking you in the shoulder like a stubborn mule. 338 Federal is the best deer and elk cartridge you’ve probably never fired or maybe never heard of. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.

338 spectre for hogs