My all-weather 338 with my reload I can keep a .75 group at 100 yards. Shoots really well! Took a whole lot of shooting to come up with the load though.

Ok, I found a used ruger m77 338 with walnut stock and iron sights online for under $400. Exactly what I was looking for.

Now, I'm a guy of average build. Do you think I cound handle the 338 with any kind of accuracy? I know this supposadly works great on elk. How well will they work on deer sized game?

"Hey ya'll, watch this"

I am 6' 2" and my buddy is 5' 7". We both shoot the 338 with a 215 gr. bullet. The recoil isn't too bad. The heavier bullets kick a lot harder. I have taken two muleys and an elk with mine. First muley 289 yrds, second 367 yrds.

Really? What is it compairable to? The biggest I've ever shot was a 30-06 with 180 grain bullets. The only bad thing is, that stock on the m77 looks like it would kick like a mule even if it wasn't a magnum.

"Hey ya'll, watch this"

I would compare it to a 12 ga with a 3" shell. It's still going to jolt you a bit. The more you shot it the less it will affect you.I personally would not own another ruger 338 m77 with a wood stock. I would get the all-weather. Can get a new one for around the $400.00 you mentioned. I paid $399.99 at dicks sportings goods.

Edited by - 338magman on 01/27/2003 21:49:56

Edited by - 338magman on 01/27/2003 21:52:21

Ok, now I'm not the greatest at math, but my calculations are,
a 270 with a 150 grain bullet generates about 19ft.lbs of recoil.
The 338 with 250 grain bullet generates about 29ft.lbs of recoil.
With the 210 grain federal, it makes in at about 28ft.lbs.

If I'm not mistaken, the military's rule of thumb is the average soldier could only handle a rifle that generates about 28 foot pounds of recoil for an extended period of time. So it would seem that the 338 is a real "thumper" and with bad stock design could make you sore for a day or two. But tolerable (not exactly comfortable) for the average shooter. While it is true that the 338 is fairly good as far as recoil goes, I know that I wouldn't be able to pull off a good shot without flinching under stress. I think I'll stick with a heavy loaded 30-06 for now.

I can't stand a synthetic stock.

"Hey ya'll, watch this"

I have had a 338 for a number of years now and found that recoil is not a problem. Especially if you reload. The factory loads can really pack a punch. For deer I go with a 175 gr Barnes X or a 200 gr ballistic tip. Reloaded with a slow burning powder I can run off a box of shells at a target and not get banged up by recoil.

I am with Trailhound, the 338 mag, perhaps more than any other cartridge needs to be handloaded to get the full range of use out of it. You can reproduce loads slightly lighter than 3006 factory all the way up to something generating 3500 ft lbs of muzzle energy with 275 gr bullets, and not have a lot of trouble getting accurate loads through out the entire range. I have even shot roundballs in a 338 mag, run a 36 caliber ball through a 338 cast bullet sizer and load it on top of five grains of bullseye with a filler and you have a 60 gr bullet at about 500 fps. Good for close range squirrels and like sized backyard varmints. Extremely versatile cartridge for the handloader!

I shot a 12ga 3" 1-3/4oz slug a few times today and tried to "roll with it" and I did fine. Didn't hardly felt a thing. Recoil should be no problem.

"Hey ya'll, watch this"