muncylabman

Question for anyone out there; I just bought a Remington in .338, stainless, laminated stock. Beautiful gun. Alot of guys are telling me that it's gonna kick the crap out of me, why beat myself up, etc. [] Anyone shoot one? What's it like? I previously owned a .35 Whelen and shot that accurately...hopefully I will able to become accurate w/ this as it will be my main gun. Also the scope to go on it. I am looking at a Nikon 4-12 x 50 Buckmaster. Is this a good choice for this gun? Any help, advice, info or assistance is appreciated. THANKS![8D]

DugL

Probably the only time you will notice the recoil on your new gun is when you shoot it from a bench. Not that you should not shoot your rifle from the bench, just prepare for it with the right equipment. If the recoil bothers you have the gun ported. I not famillar with the Nikon scopes, so I have opinion or expericneeither way. Good luck the the new gun.

James B

I had a couple of 338 rifles. I could never seen any benifit over the 300 Mags. I didn't like the Buckmaster scope that I had but most here seem to like them pretty well. Mine had eye relief problems.

ELKampMaster

Muncy, yes I have a couple 338WinMags and other stuff both smaller and bigger.

Tell the "gurls" to go worry about themselves and you'll worry about you. Our ChristineB (moderator) shoots a 375 H&H which is a notable step up from a 338WinMag and the Barnes book is full of testimonials from ladies shooting bigger than that. So if they can, then I'm betting you can, BUTTTTT don't succumb to the American School Of Hard Knocks Firearms Learning Methodology! You have to use some smarts on this deal....

Don't shoot it like you would an '06.

** First make sure the stock is long enough that your thumb as you wrap it around the Wrist of the rifle is a good 1/2 to 3/4 inch from your nose/upper lip.

** Second, if it doesn't have a quality recoil pad on it like a Pachmayer or Simms pitch it and replace it OR if you need to add a little length to get nost/upper lip clearance then just slip a Pachmayer or Simms "slip over" recoil pad and you'll get your length and be double recoil padded.

**Third, I don't know about Nikons, but one place Leupolds shine is eye relief; when you move above 30-06 it becomes more important just based on physics, Leupolds have some of the consistently long eye reliefs in the business.

** Fourth, in terms of getting a friendly introduction to your new baby, make your first shots with 200 to 225 grain bullets (and NOT the Federal Hi Energy 250 gr. stuff).

** Fifth in terms of introduction is to make your firstshots standing up WITH NO BENCH REST. This is not a accuracy sesson, that comes later, this is a "get introduced" session. [Read "No Surprises" --- surprises are bad]. For the first two shots just look OVER the scope and put the rounds somewhere into the back drop, then you can look thru the scope later. Get a "gut feel" for the report, the recoil, and the jump up, if any. This item MAY be over kill, but I don't know what you are used to or up for; hence it is better to go needlessly cautious and have a long "marriage" than to volunteer for the ever popular "school of hard knocks" and just jump in and hope for the best (the American standard).

** Sixth, when you do decide to sit down and bench rest assume an upright posture,NOT the heavy lean into it -go down on the table - pile drive the recoil intoyour face and down spine. Toss the screw jack aside (way to low even on high) get yourself 12 to 14 sand bags and sit with your stomach touching the bench and your back straight up and down - now you can roll with the recoil instead of getting hammered.

** Seventh, have a little talk with yourself:
-- Is there going to a major explosion just inches from my brain and face. Yes. Is that okay if I handle myself properly. Yes.
-- Is it natural for me to instictively and emotionally to "cower" with such an event taking place. Yes. As an intelligent animal, can I override my instincts to make happen what I want to happen for accurate and painless shooting. Yes, but it don't happen by accident.
-- Forbidden actions: If as you are pulling the trigger and the sear is starting to break you find yourself dreading the shot, closing your eyes, or oh just wishing it would end, then STOP, put the rifle on safe, set it down, look up and review the discussion with yourself that we've just had here. ABSOLUTELY refuse to take even a single shot under intimidation, if you can't mentally rally and do it right, then take our one of the gallery guns you have brought along and play with it pretending you are working with "the big boy". When you feel you "have your crap together" then revisit the big one. If you can't get it together that day then don't shoot. NEVER take a single shot under intimidation, let your new weapon know right from the start that you are the MASTER and it is the TOOL and that it will be your way or the highway. I cannot overemphasize this attitude enough. Once you "put your rifle in its place" then you can go on to a productive relationship, on the other hand let it get the upper hand and you are screwed unless you act quickly and decisively to prevail.

** Eighth, especially in the beginning, go to the range with a friend you trust who will single load the rifle for you when you are not looking. His job is to sometimes put a shell in (1/3) and sometimes not put a shell in (2/3). If you have ever flinched on a dry fire in front of a witness, then you know how absolutely embarrassing it can be. Having more dry-fires than real-fires will cause you to master the mental game in the early going. This exercise is possibly one of the most important techniques here because it doesn't allow you to lie to yourself (or others).

** Ninth, if you pay attention and do it right, then when the rifle fires you will have a fleeting picture in your mind for just a bit of where the cross hairs were at the moment of firing before recoil breaks the scene. You will know "good shot" or "bad shot" before you even look to see where you hit. Being able to do this is key to getting sharp and itonly happens if your eyes are open.

** Tenth, once you move above 30-06 they just aren't gallery rifles anymore. Shooting lots of ammo isNOT the key. Having a good session, even if it is only a few shots IS THE KEY! Once you've done good, then stop and go play with something else and then go home. Reflect and recall what you saw, heard, felt, smelled, and tasted and replay it over and over. When you return to the bench (or what ever) EXPECT to pick up right where you left off.

I shoot cartridges from 22LR to 458Lott and that is the approach I used and the approach I have shared with others on this forum who have contacted me by email.
Good Luck!

Rebel Hog

I have anA-Bolt .338 and BLR .358 and don't feel it's so bad to shoot!
For the scope, I like Ziess and don't knowanything about Nikon.

Jeff Ovington

I got one...A Browning Stainless A-Bolt...came with a custom recoil pad,Mcmillen synthetic stockstock and Boss(muzzle,break)..
The recoil musthave been too much for previous the owner....
He put a load of money into it still didn't like it probably because of the longer barrel.So he sold it...To Me.....Came with 1.5-6Xx36 Leupold VX3 csope and 2 boxes of shells.
Paid $1000.00 Can....
I don't know how much recoil that Cal. has..But I know it probably is not as much as the Ulra Mags (both 300 and 7mm)I've shot...
I can get away with 5 shots at targets before I notice it affecting my shooting abilities.It may give a punch to the shoulder but what matters is bullet placement..
As for Scopes..Nikon Buckmaster will not last very long on a .338
They are very inconsistant in the way they are made..
Lots of Lemons on the market...Chances of getting one are high.
They are not like the Monarchs..Quality control has alot to be desired..
Save for a Leupold VX2..The are very reliable, recoil tested for a 375H&H....As are the 3200 series Bushnell,but the Bushnell doesn't have the eye relief needed for this caliber.
Good Luck

jcchartboy

I agree with Rebel in his recomendation of a Zeiss scope. Unfortunately that is an apples and oranges comparison. The Nikon you mentioned is a 250$ scope. In order to get a comparible Zeiss you would have to look at the CONQUEST 4.5-14x44 AO MC. Then you are talking about a 500$ scope.

I own a CONQUEST 3-9x40 MCand it is the best scope I have ever owned. However, the upfront price is not cheap. The one thing I can always be confident of is the fact the Zeiss will always hold its value better than 90% of the other scopes in the market. This is a big issue to think about.

If you ever decide to upgrade or change scopes, the Nikon will lose its value relatively quickly compared to other brands. That means in the long run it could cost as much to own the Nikon start to finish as it would to just to buy a Leupold or a Zeiss from the begining.

Roskoe

ElkCampMaster - some pretty good advice here on shooting hard recoiling guns. However, just get a Caldwell Lead Sled or a Benchmaster - get the gun sighted in - you will never feel the recoil in the field shooting at big game.

I have a carbine length T/C Black Diamond. Its pet load is a 410 grain Hornady Great Plains bullet ahead of 120 grains of Triple 7 with a Ballistic Bridge sub base in between. I can shoot this all day off the Lead Sled without a problem. Shot it this past Monday at an elk - got the elk - and never felt the recoil. That night, my wife pointed out the bruise on my right shoulder - starting to turn a little green and purple. Up until then, I'd never even noticed it.

And I don't know if its just me or what; but a lot of .300 Mags seem to have a more unpleasant recoil impulse than a .338. More of a sharp impluse. I'm sure the .338 has more foot pounds, though.

Vapodog

The .338 is way more than needed for deer and pronghorns. However there is an ever growing contingent of shooters using it for elk and bigger animals. They like the comfort of knowing they can defend themselves from Grizz if necessary. It has been used very successfully on Cape Buffalo (although it's not a legal caliber in African countries for that use) and that's a bold statement of it enormous power. Further it is used quite commonly for plains game and some of those animals are tough and big. Eland can run 1500 pounds and zebra are like a horse.....

I have one and also a .375 H&H and cannot tell the difference in recoil. Maybe a bit more in the old H&H cartridge. When I shoot either from a bench I put a sandbag between the gun's stock and my shoulder and that's all it takes to sight it in. When shooting at game the recoil is never noticed with either of these guns.

It's surprising in it's range and flat shooting abilities and carries more energy to 300 yards than the .375 H&H and in general represents the near ultimate in big game hunting.

Have a ball with it.

ELKampMaster

Roscoe, I gotta admit I'm tempted to get one just to reduce the number of hits my rotor cuff and retinas will take in the course of my life, and for bench shooting they may well be a good idea for a lot of folks; HOWEVER, ....

There is a crucial area of practice that CANNOT be done with the aid of a LeadSled and that is hunting situation practice: prone (watch out), kneeling, on-butt over knees, leaning off of trees, sticks, pack, etc. This is practice so one will definitely be cognizant of recoil and blast. One can generally adapt the principles of the 10 items I mentioned to this critical realm of practice but one cannot effectively adapt a LeadSled. IMHO, one cannot effectively practice for hunting scenarios or really "learn how to shoot" by staying on abench.