.338 Win Mag Recoil?

I don't think my reply went through. Having had both rifles,( not in an Encore ) if you can handle the hot stuff through the 45-70, the 338 won't be a problem. I guess the lead sled could help, but I can't see paying the price for one.
 
Thanks. The only reason he has a lead sled is he is paralized on his right side due to brain cancer, so it was either buy a lead sled for the big stuff and start learning to shoot lefty or give up shooting. He'll go up to a 30-06 without the sled but does not trust his skill and ability yet to try anything bigger without the sled.


Thanks again
 
How bad the recoil is depends on the person shooting the rifle and the stock design. I like the 338 WM and i don't think the recoil is all that bad. My 338 Win mag was the Browning A-Bolt SS . I gave this rifle to my son and purchased myself the Remington 700 SS in 338 REM ULTRA MAG. I don't think the recoil is all that bad but i will say i really don't like more than 30 rounds at one bench session. I don't like the Lead Sled because i believe you should shoot your rifle off your shoulder just like in the field . The best way to reduce recoil is to wear good hearing protection. If you really cut down on the noise , felt recoil feel much less. The 338's are great hunting rifles and any experienced hunter should be able to handle one. Someone new to the big magnums should remember, they don't kill any better than your 270 or 30-06 if you don't put the bullet in the vitals. A gut shot animal is a gut shot animal no matter what cal rifle you shoot it with. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif
 
Actually lots of folks enjoy shooting the big boomers and recoil doesn't seem to be a bother. Learning to shoot those higher recoiling guns accurately is for many, me included, the fun part of gunning.

They do an excellent job on big game and usually with far less meat damage than some of the high velocity small bores such as the 270 for example.

I've never owned a 338, but an 8mm Rem mag has been my go to the woods deer and elk rifle since 1978. I've had several 375 H&H's and shoot a friends 300 light weight Ultra-mag regularly. If I was going to buy another magnum rifle it would be one of Remingtons .338 Ultra-mags. Do I need that to kill game here in the lower 48, well no, I could simply shoot them in the head with my 204 Ruger, but I like the big boomers.

I do shoot a bunch of different rifles from the 204 Ruger, the 243, the 280 Remington, the 308 Win and up, but I do like being able to shoot those small groups with a big gun and I do use a lead sled for benching when I can but I also shoot from hunting positions for practice.

It doesn't matter what we hunt big game with as long as it's legal and you enjoy it go for it.
 
Bob, Would you mind shooting this 458 Winchester mag in for me. I rate shooting this gun right up there with having my fingernails pulled out.

Goodstuff008.jpg
 
Well, I survived. Recoil was no where near as bad as expected, hard recoil yes, harsh recoil, no. Very comparable to the hot 45/70's I've shot with more of a push than a punch. The scope gave me a love tap or two, but no blood. It grouped around 1.5" at 106yds, I hit my limit at 13 rounds 338 Win Mag, 12 rounds 358 Winchester, 15 rounds 25 WSM, 4 rounds 30/06, and finished with 2 rounds of 338 Win Mag all done off of sand bags in a t-shirt. The last round of the 338 I just called it quits. The 358 grouped awesome, under an inch at 106 with the 225NBT and RL7.
 
I like shooting the 458 WM . I killed a few groundhog back in the 70's with one just for the fun of doing it. I was shooting the 500 gr solid and it worked very well on the whistle pigs. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Bob,

You shot a ground hog with a 458 Win Mag!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif Your 460 Weatherby must have been at the gunsmith. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Greg
 
Quote:
I like shooting the 458 WM . I killed a few groundhog back in the 70's with one just for the fun of doing it. I was shooting the 500 gr solid and it worked very well on the whistle pigs. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif



What? No 50 BMG on hand? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Raidman, that rifle is gorgeous! What kind of scope... a 1.5-5 power maybe? Well, I just took the plunge...I am buying a .338 Win. Mag. next month. Not because of this thread, but I will admit it was very informing. I don't need that caliber around here, but I do plan on going to Idaho, Montana, Canada and Alaska...definitely in a year or so and I wanted it mainly for bear. I've thrown up the notion of trying 180 grainers and maybe going after a Oklahoma/ Kansas whitetail this season. I will admit that I'm not the biggest guy at 170 lbs, but it does have a muzzlebrake. I have shot tons of guns up to 300 Win. Mag.,.30-06 and a muzzlebraked Weatherby .30-378 Mag. They don't bother me at all. The funny thing is I used to be such a magnum crazed guy and I thought that was over, but I got such a good deal that I couldn't pass it up.
 
Quote:
Bob,

You shot a ground hog with a 458 Win Mag!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif Your 460 Weatherby must have been at the gunsmith. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Greg



My buddy run a gun shop in the early 70's and he took the 458 WM in on a trade and wanted me to try it and see how it shot. So i took the rifle and a couple box of 500 gr factory stuff and proceeded to whack a few groundhogs with it . It surprised me how accurate it shot those big bullets and a few groundhogs got surprised to. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif The hardest kicking rifle i have ever shot is the 378 Wby Mag . Believe me it will pound you.
 
I'm not a big bore fan. Others like them and I say more power to ya if you like shooting them. The biggest caliber I own is a 270, although I do have a 280 and 308 on my "to get list". I have always perferred the challenge of bullet placement to raw knock down power.

The 338 Mag is a great cartriage. My nephew use to hunt with one but after seeing it reduce a 160lb whitetail to 40 pounds of useable meat I decided I had no need for something that destroys on both ends.
 
Bearcat, Thanks for the update. Yet another person who has actually shot the .338 wm and found the recoil to be very manageable.

The .338 is not a big bore. Most would agree that the .375 is the beginning of the “big bores.”

Big bores are not an excuse to forgo bullet placement.

Tarry, Your nephew was using the wrong bullet, not the wrong cartridge. Folks shoot an awful lot of 100# doe with .50 cal muzzle loaders and 12 ga shotguns (both of which kick me harder than my .338). Nobody considers that to be over kill. Load the .338 up with a tough 225gr bullet, slow it down to around 2400 fps and you’ve got a load that is very meat friendly. One whole heck of a lot more friendly than .270 ballistic tip cruising along at 3200fps.

Furblaster, if you want to add something to your rifle, IMVHO, you’re (and everyone around you) going to be MUCH better off adding a limbsaver pad over a break. You just don’t need the break with the .338. The only guy I know that had a break on his .338 ended up selling it. It was just plain too loud to shoot – even with plugs and muffs both in. Shoot a few and decide for yourself.

I’m not a big guy either. In fact, I weigh the same as you – 170#. It seems counter intuitive, but “smaller” guys tend to be able to handle recoil better than “bigger” guys. Slightly built people move with the rifle as opposed to big heavy guys that just absorb all the recoil. Not an absolute, just a general rule.

The .338 is a great round, especially for an ’06 guy. Trajectories for a 180 gr .30-06 and a 250gr .338 round are extremely similar. Do I need it for deer sized game and elk? No, not really, (though I do still believe it to be THE elk cartridge – for me). But it is nice to know that when I retire and that dream brown bear hunt becomes a reality, I already have a rifle up to the task. A rifle with which I am infinitely familiar, have shot hundreds and hundreds of rounds through, carried for years and years, and piled up game from Alaska to Africa and everywhere in between (a guy can dream cant he /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif. Beware the man with one gun!

Not for every one, but don’t let all these internet reports of brutal recoil discourage you from snuggling up behind one. Perceived recoil is different for everyone. The only way you will know is to shoot one for yourself. You might just be surprised /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
A good recoil pad on a .338 makes a huge difference. I had a Ruger 77 back in the early 80s - that straight stock (really too short for me to start with) and hard rubber pad was rough. The bolt knob would rap my index finger knuckle every shot. A Pachmyer triple-mag pad did wonders. If I were shooting one today I would put a limb-saver pad on it, and I would want one with a well-designed stock (like the Sako). The .338, while not absolutely necessary for elk, is a premier elk-and-larger round. And will really bust rocks at long range, too. Elmer thought it was a great deer rifle.
 
Actually, it was probably junk before that /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Just kidding, couldn't resist.

When I bought mine, it had a Leupold VariX III 3.5-10 with an A.O. on it. Pulled that off and put a Bushnell Elite 4200 3-9X40 on it. It has served well.
 
Quote:
you can't go by caliber alone when evaluating FELT recoil.



Very true.

I've fired a .308 that hurt (hard plastic butt plate that I think was cut at the wrong angle), and a .375mag that was (much) easier on the shoulder than my 12ga slug gun (which I used to fire a lot).

Felt recoil is affected not only by the design and weight of the gun, but by how it's shot. If your hunkered down at a bench or (God help you) prone, there's very little "give" to your shoulder/body and even a light .308 can hurt after awhile.

If you are standing and leaning into the shot and all "tensed up", not only gripping the rifle firmly, but pulling it into your shoulder hard trying to manhandle it (lots of big guys do this), it's going to hurt.

If you are more relaxed and LET your shoulder recoil with the rifle (don't fight it), it spreads the recoil impulse over a longer time, and reduces what you feel dramatically.
 

If you are more relaxed and LET your shoulder recoil with the rifle (don't fight it), it spreads the recoil impulse over a longer time, and reduces what you feel dramatically.



BINGO!

The guy that first introduced me to the .338 used to call it "rollin with the rifle."

The .338 isn't really a hot magnum. It doesn't slap ya like some do - i.e. the 7mm Rem Mag. It's more of a shove. It kinda pushes ya around a little bit. That is, if you let it. Fight it, and you're not going to like it.
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top