Won a Tikka T3 .338 Federal this weekend!

Handles · 10-26-2009, 08:43 AM

I'm not sure what to do with this gun. I have my very accurate and trusty Ruger .270 for the whitetail hunting that I do. My schedule doesn't allow for time off in the fall for an elk hunt etc.
Everything that I've read about the .338 Federal has been very positive.
Ideas?
Oh my buddy won a .308 Howa too. It was a good night at our table.

bugsNbows · 10-26-2009, 08:58 AM

Congrats on winning! Keep them both...one can NEVER have too many toys! Beware, somebody on here will probably ask you to send them the gun... LOL.

driftrider · 10-26-2009, 09:07 AM

Well, you could always sell it. Or if you know any friends that are not hunters you could let them use it as a loaner gun so they can hunt with you. Or you could just keep it. It's your gun, after all.

Mike

okgobbler · 10-26-2009, 09:16 AM

or send it to me. OK, I'll pay for the shipping.

popeye2 · 10-26-2009, 10:00 AM

Congrats on having the lucky table. You should have purchased a lotto ticket ticket too

If your normal range for deer hunting is 300 and less then load up the 338 Fed with either 180 or 200gr grain bullets and go hunting. Go with a rapidly expanding type of bullet and you'll be amazed by the results. Although not my primary deer rifle, I've used a 338-06 on deer for long time with great results.

salukipv1 · 10-26-2009, 12:16 PM

sell it and get a .338win mag!

2 guns, 2 guys, 1 table? psssh You guys stink!

rjhans53 · 10-26-2009, 06:08 PM

The only draw back I know of is that factory ammo is hard to come by and on the pricey side of life. That being said a 200 gr speer sitting on 4895 does a really good job. Recoil is stiff because of the 200 gr bullet but not any worse than a 06 pushing a 180 gr. 308 brass necks up really nice and on the 2 I have the brass seems to want to last forever, I pitch it after 10 rounds.

Handles · 10-27-2009, 07:04 AM

Thanks for the input guys. I'm thinking about keeping it the more I read about how practical the caliber is for all around hunting at 300yds and less, and how accurate the caliber tends to be (in a variety of rifles shot) and that Tikka's themselves are accurate rifles.
More than likely in the future I'll use the .338, and possibly reload some soft 100/110 gr. loads for the .270 for my son to use in a few years.
But who knows, it might be for sale soon too...

Josh Sorensen · 10-30-2009, 09:28 PM

the barnes 185gr TSX Is a real winner in the 338 federal. My buddies son shot a nice bull moose with that combo this year. One shot at 70 yards, bang-stagger-flop.

rhans53 · 11-01-2009, 09:06 AM

it has more than enough (by the ballistic tables) to handle a elk out to 300. I really can't say on that longer range stuff but the buck I shot this am @ 25-30yards went a grand total of 20 yards after a double lung shot