Tell me your 500+ yard .338 Federal kills

[skipglo]

Pretty much everyone reflects the same thoughts here. When I think of stepping up I stepped UP! Choosing the 338 Federal is stepping down IMHO. A 300 win shooting a 212 or 208 etc...is more sensible with far more reach. If you want range and energy go 338 Lapua, 338 RUM 338 edge....only reason I would steer away from Edge is availability of components at this time.

 

[BPollard]

You can stabilize a 300 grain bullet with a 10 twist, but the 338 Federal isn't suitable for bullets that heavy.

No need for 300 grain bullet in at 338 federal A 210 petition or 215 sierra game king or a 210 tip triple shock will drop a lot of Kritters

 

[Varmint Hunter]

For a 500yd mild shooting rifle I'd neck that 338FED back down to where it came from and shoot some Berger 215 hybrids. But that's only if you want to stay with a .308 case. A 300WSM would make much more sense to me.

 

[BPollard]

I don't know about hunting deer but my hunting partner LOVES the 338 federal, he has 3. His family has killed multiple Alaskan animals with them, caribou, Buffalo and dall sheep, but none were at your intended range. When he had to take a long shot (621) on a moose he didn't grab the Fed, he picked up his 300WM.

YMMV but there comes a point where it's just not worth stretching the ballistics beyond what a round was designed for and it's time to step up in cartridge size. My friend is now doing a 338 Sherman Max to overcome the limitations of the Fed.

I find this gentleman's work very enlightening, you might consider his excellent write up on the 338 Fed., which I agree is an under rated cartridge overall, but not really suited to "long range".

.338 Federal

.338 Federal history, power and performance

www.ballisticstudies.com

That's a 210 partition out of my federal 600 yards would be pushing it.

 

[Aoudad shooter1975]

This guy wacked a nice blue sheep with a 338 federal at pretty long range

We have shot quite a bit of stuff with a 338 federal and 338 RCM but most has been 300 yards and under

 

[ihuntak]

This guy wacked a nice blue sheep with a 338 federal at pretty long range

We have shot quite a bit of stuff with a 338 federal and 338 RCM but most has been 300 yards and under

490 yards and an 18" barrel with a fairly basic optic. It would've been interesting to know what bullet was used (presumably a Hornady) since they sponsored the show. Sheep aren't hard to kill and he said it was a heart shot.

 

[Sage70]

I don't have a 338 Federal but I do hunt each year with a 338-06 and they are very similar using the same bullets and the same powder. The only difference is the 338-06 is faster. I took a mule deer in 2020 at over 250 yards with a 180 grain AccuBond and that is my longest kill to date. I consider my rifle to be a 300 yard big game rifle and I wouldn't choose to shoot further. I have a pair of 338-06 rifles with 22 inch barrels and I use the 180 grain AccuBond, the 210 Partition and shoot steel with the 200 grain Speer. I hunt in open country and I won't go to heavier bullets because they are too slow. If I wanted to hunt big game at 500 yards I would choose my 280 Remington because it is a better long range rifle. Don't get me wrong, I have rifles in many calibers but if I had to choose only one big game cartridge it would probably be a 338-06 because it makes one fine rifle.

 

[captrjc]

In a short action you could run a
338-300wsm with a bolt mod and be darn close to your goal.

 

[BPollard]

Or a 338 winmag

 

[skipglo]

Or 338-325 wsm!

 

[Alberta Wexit]

338W.M. or 350 Remington mag. Both are good. Probably better for 500 yd distances.

 

[skipglo]

338W.M. or 350 Remington mag. Both are good. Probably better for 500 yd distances.

Merry Christmas from one Albertan to another!

 

[Alberta Wexit]

Back at Ya. stay warm.

 

[Montucky Roamer]

Sucker was necked the wrong way for 500 plus type kills. Not it's wheelhouse.
The 260/6.5 creedmoor will do all that without any sweat on deer, elk, moose, bear. 140 or 147 eld in the right spot will fill your freezer. And make it a LOT easier to HIT the right spot. And the eld or a Berger will maximize tissue damage and kill boringly consistently.