.300 Winny or .338 Winny? Opinions please
 

I'm wanting to add a larger caliber to go along with my .270 Win. to use for a possible elk trip and to STOMP the local hog population. I've been really looking at Rugers left hand stainless/laminate model. It just really seems to fit me well.
I've only shot a .300 Winny a few times over the years and have never shot the .338 Winny. I'm looking for opinions in the difference in recoil. I've heard folks go on and on about how brutal the .338 Win. is....and I've also heard many who say the .338 Win. was more pleasant to shoot than the .300 Win. because it was more of a "push" than a "jab".
Any info on the recoil between the 2 calibers (out of the same gun of course) would be appreciated.
Just FYI. I'm not what I would call "recoil sensitive". I shoot .30-06 and 7mm. Rem. Mag. quite a bit with no trouble.

Thanks in advance

Chuck Hawks has a recoil page on his site. Check it out.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

When I read quotes like:Everyone says so & so caliber is brutal,it makes me chuckle.No disrespect to you.Your question is an honest one.I have shot a .338,but not the .300.I can honestly say the .338 kicks less than my Mossberg 500 w/3" slugs or 00/000 buckshot.The .338 for me was a joy.The load was a 230 gr. fail-safe out of a 24" model 700 Rem.

One camp will for one...the other camp will be for the other. Personally I could make either work for me the rest of my big game hunting days.

First choice would be the .300 cause I've had a few and shot them much more.

Recoil has a lot to do with rifle weight, stock shape, recoil pads, and other factors..

For me neither the .300 mag or the .338 is a lot of fun to shoot from the bench...They both kick pretty hard.. However, I wouldn't describe either one as "brutal"...You don't feel recoil when you're hunting anyway.. If you have no problem with a 30-06 with heavy bullets or a 7mm Mag you shouldn't be too intimidated by either one..

If you want a real substantial increase in killing power, I'd go with the .338 and stick with heavy bullets... The effect of a heavy medium caliber bullet on game must be seen to be appreciated...

Change this to .300 Win.Mag vs. .340 Wby and you'll have yourself a contest!

but .300wm vs. .338wm, .300 win.mag all the way!

the .338wm is a 210/225gr bullet cartridge IMO, the .340 is a 225/250/275grainer, and if you're just gonna be shooting 210's out of a .338wm, I say just get a .300wm with 180/200 which would be heavy for caliber vs. light for caliber.

To me the .300wm, 338wm, 340wby all kick, and if you're not recoil sensitive, get yourself a .340wby! If you can shoot a .300, you can shoot a .338, IMO my .340 is more pleasant to shoot than my .300win.mag.

btw case capacities...
.300wm 90.4
.338wm 85.6
.340 wby 102.1

the .338wm has about the same as a .257wby! .338 is shorter than the .300wm.

I do love 338's though, so picking a .300wm over a .338 is hard to do, it would be hard to go wrong with any of the 3...

I believe they say the .340wby shoots as flat as a .270 but with 100grains more of bullet weight!

Btw the 7mmRM with 175gr vs. .300wm with 180grs, is not a whole lot different...I think you need a .338 caliber....then you'll have North America covered...since brown bear starts at 338cal...

.340 Wby.!!!! (1st Place)

2nd Place.....300 Win.Mag.
3rd Place......338 Win.Mag.

http://www.weatherby.com/product/amm...rtridges/40331
http://www.chuckhawks.com/340Wby.htm

To be honest, your .270 will be plenty for either hogs or elk. If you want a new gun though, I would go with a 300 win mag.

I own both a 270 and a 300 win mag. The 270 was given to me by my dad as a gift. I prefer the 270, because it's less recoil and has put down a lot of game. I'm keeping the 300 win mag in case I ever get to hunt really big bears.

I'd rather 7mm :)

I would say that the .300 wm would be closer in a line-up behind your .270.

I went with a .338 wm because my line-up includes a 7MM RM, and I wanted a magnum that could take care of brown bears as well.

I hope to buy a .270 & a .300 wm someday, just to fill-in any gaps.

Good luck with your decision !

You already said the most important thing; in that, the rifle fits you well !!!

Don't make too much of OTHERS talk of "percieved" recoil !

I would go with the .338 Winchester myself. Not to start a flame war, but it seems that it is entirely reasonable to shoot either 225 grain or 250 grain bullets with the .338 Winchester. Those are substantial bullets. "Substantial" may be interpreted two ways -- heavier mass, which is a positive attribute when hunting heavier game, but also more than likely a more solidly built bullet than lighter bullets.

If you're a long distance shooter you may want to opt for the BC advantage that the .338 WM offers. If not I'd go 300 WM for the reduced recoil and lower cost to shoot.

I've shot both and I believe the 338 has more umph to it. I've been known to shoot my 300WM up to 30 times at a range session with no issues. I was able to detect the difference when shooting a 338.

Though like others stated. It's very subjected and heavily reliant upon rifle fit.

Tom

There is nothing a 338 win can do that a 300 win cant. If there is an animal on this planet I cant kill with my 300 then I guess I shouldnt be shooting it. 180 - 200 grain bullets will tip over everything on this continent. And if you have a 7mm remington magnum load it with 175 gr bullets and it will do the same as well. im not trying to hack on the 338 im just saying same job can be done with either gun. Just pick what you like better.

Which would be the equivalent of the .300 Win firing a 175/190 grain bullet which is pretty heavy for caliber.

A 250 grain .338 bullet has the same sectional density as a 210 grain .308 bullet.
A 225 grain .338 bullet has nearly the identical sectional density as a 190 grain .308 bullet.
A 210 grain .338 bullet has the same sectional density as a 175 grain .308 bullet.
A 200 grain .338 bullet has the same sectional density as a 165 grain .308 bullet.
A 180 grain .338 bullet has the same sectional density as a 150 grain .308 bullet.


A .300 win fires a 180 grain partition at 2960fps and retains 1600 foot pounds of energy at 400 yards.
A .338 win fires a 210 grain partition at 2830fps and retains 1800 foot pounds of energy at 400 yards.
The difference in trajectory is less than 1.5 inches at 400 yards when sighted to be zero at 200 yards.

Exactly, get a .340 Wby!

Yup that is about right but the difference in wind drift would be more dramatic. Especially as the distance gets longer.

Tom

I personally think the .338 is a better choice for hunting large game such as moose, brown bear, etc. because those heavyweight (250 grain and up) bullets hit very hard, and will flat smack animals down harder than anything out of a .30 caliber, and despite what a certain uninformed individual has been saying, it's no trouble at all to get a 250 grain bullet moving at 2700 fps or faster out of the .338 WM, which will handle anything in NA and most of Africa.

For me, there is not enough difference in felt recoil to choose one or the other based solely on that.

I'd go with the 338 Win mag

I like those new Rugers. I think you are making a fine choice for your rifle. Now your cartridge. I really like the idea of the new 375 Ruger Cartridge. You can still reload a lighter bullet if you want. I believe you can load a 225 and a 235 grain bullet. But that 375 would just knock the snot out of an elk. And they make a fine long distance rifle as well, if loaded properly. Take a look at the 375 Ruger, you just might like it. They are making them in LH rifles, and I am seriously looking at one. And I already have a 340 WBY!! But then who needs an excuse for a new rifle. Tom.

Not like we need another new cartridge, and ruger/hornady already have released the .338RCM,

but a .338-375Ruger would be a nice round, so would a .300-375Ruger, course we already have tons of 30's.

I wonder how the .416Ruger will do, become the #1 .416??

Not sure the .375ruger can compete with the .375H&H, but it seems like it would be a great parent case for the other calibers...

I've shot both calibers and don't think you'd notice much difference in either caliber's recoil if you're just shooting a couple rounds at big game. Both kick and will get the job done.

Having said that, I prefer the 338WM with the heavier 250 grain bullets for elk and moose. They have never let me down. Now if I were hunting brown bears or grizzlies, I would definitely want a 338 instead of a 300.

In the end, it pretty much comes down to your preference. If you can, shoot both. Better yet, if you can, buy both. Then you can study this problem in depth.

When did the 300 win mag get in the 338 win mag class of trajectory I'm a bit confused here? Not everyone shoots the biggest bullet they can out of a 300 win mag. For example a 338 win mag can't even begin to compare to a 300 win mag shooting 165 gr bullets trajectory wise not even close. Especially when comments come about long range shooting beyond 400yds. Sure the 338 has a bit more power but at 500yd heavy vs speed, speed is catching up quick and the smaller bullet can compete for ft lbs at that range and in some cases win the battle. If the equation was under 400 yds for all topics why not just step up to the 375 h&h or a .416 and really thump them. Apples to Oranges.