Forget the fat, tame grizzlies you see lumbering around in movies. Yes, the .338 Winchester Magnum is A GOOD CHOICE for grizzly or brown bear hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement. A rifle of this weight in .300 or .338 magnum can be mastered with a lot of practice. This is for grizzlies, not brown bears. Bottles & 12-oz. Their superior sectional densities combined with high velocity and bullet weight anchor these killer bears like few other cartridges. I have a Winchester Model 70 Classic Stainless in .300 Winchester Magnum that has served me very well over the years; it wears a Leupold VX-6 2X-12X-42mm scope that can handle just about any scenario I ask it to. That is a pretty good benchmark. Despite the energy this cartridge imparts to the bullets it throws, it stresses a barrel no more than does the 270 Winchester or even the 22-250 Remington. made its debut in 1958. That amounts to about 50 to 100 fps less muzzle velocity with a 250-grain bullet. Based on the .375 H&H, the .338 will send a 300-grain Barnes bullet out the barrel at 2500 fps with a devastating 4,100 ft.-lbs. The .338 Win. The ammo comes loaded with bullets ranging from 260 grains, which is suitable for ground squirrels, to 300 grains, which is the only weight I would consider. They provide more performance than most hunters will ever need. Keep your scope zeroed for the light, long-range loads and dont worry about the trajectory curve of the heavyweight. Mag. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting grizzly or brown bear to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option. .357 S&W MagnumWhile some folks claim the .44 Magnum is the minimum for charging bears, many others have opted for a Glock 20 in 10mm Auto and, interestingly enough, passed right by the .357 S&W Magnum. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Similarly, make sure your floorplate doesnt pop open, since heavy recoil causes bolt-actions to flex through the action. Mag.! Online shopping from a great selection of discounted 338 Winchester Magnum Rifle Ammunition at Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore. The Winchester engineers had shortened the .375 H&H case to 2.500", and necked it either up or down to hold .458", .338" and .264" diameter bullets, releasing the trio of new magnums in 1958. Mag. .50 Alaskan Taking a .348 Winchester case and necking it out to accept a .510-inch, Alaskan Harold Johnson was able to successfully convert a Winchester Model 1886 rifle into a .50-caliber, bear-killing machine. border-style: solid; Snow is Shooting Editor of Outdoor Life, where he oversees the publications firearms and shooting coverage. For pure hunting, I still think Id go with the 300 Win. The SD of that .308 bullet at .331 is not far behind the 300-grain .338 at SD .375. In 2000, a friend of mine shot a brown bear that squared 11 feet plus, and must have weighed over 1,200 pounds. I have used the 30-06 and 45-70. Heres how each cartridge ranked. Alaska guides love the 338 Winchester Magnum with heavy bullets for bear protection as well as bear hunting. Mag. Ill let you and the bear answer that. | I certainly wouldnt expect it in factory loads. cases, top with 180- to 300-grain bullets, and you have yourself an impressively versatile, flat-shooting, hard-hitting workhorse of a big game cartridge that races neck-and-neck with the 300 magnums or hits blow for blow with some of the big bores. The .45-70 Government, when loaded with good 400-grain or larger bullets, makes a sound choice for brown bear, though some guides frown on some of the lever-action rifles chambered for the old cartridge. Read on for his take on this Thai-inspired fusion dish. Mag. Mag. .tg .th-lmno { AccuBond at 3060 fps. The beauty of the .454, however, is that you can practice with .45 Colt rounds and save yourself a bit of recoil trauma. Luke likes when his clients bring .338s or .375s because they allow a little more room for error when it comes to shot placement. Weatherby, for a change, followed Winchesters lead. The .338 win mag ammo is a .338 in (8.6 mm) caliber, belted, rimless, bottlenecked cartridge introduced in 1958 by Winchester Repeating Arms. I could always load it with a controlled expansion 220-grain bullet at 2,800 fps to generate 3,830 f-p muzzle energy, right there with the 300-grain from the 338 Win. (You are going to practice with it, arent you?) The .35 Whelen, .338-06 A-Square, 9.3x62mm Mauser and .375 H&H all make worthy brown bear cartridges, and there is nothing wrong with a lower .40 or .458 caliber cartridge. Introduced in 1958, the .338 Win. border-style: solid; 1 is Not No. Copyright 2023 National Rifle Association, Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. 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Published Oct 14, 2019 7:00 PM EDT. If youre sensitive, a 300 Win. Ive heard a lot of opinions on what it takes to kill a brown bear, and most of the cartridges I hear guys talking about would dislocate my shoulder. Ive never killed a grizzly but I would be very comfortable using a .30-06 loaded with 180-grain bullets on one. See what else he has to say in the video, along with some bear footage hes taken over the years while guiding. Mag. JavaScript is disabled. His outfitting crew has scored a 100 percent success rate on brown bears for rifle hunters for years. By Want to read more from Philip Massaro? Muzzle energy of the 338s 225-grain at that top end 2,944 fps is 4,331 f-p. http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php?t=5799, Revision - Airworthiness Directive (AD) Affecting Continental Engines Savage Arms has announced the newest model in its series of straight-pull rifles, the Impulse Driven Hunter. 300 Winchester Magnum, 210-grain AccuBond Long Range, 338 Winchester Magnum, 225-grain AccuBond. is an accurate cartridge, shown by this group fired with Swift 225-gr. Theres nothing that can stand up to it. Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor; Action: Bolt; Barrel Length: 22" Magazine Capacity: 5; Classic XT model with MAX polymer stock; Neutral cast for both left- and right-handed shooters They are all good, if you can tolerate the recoil. font-weight: bold; This put some cartridges at a disadvantage since only factory advertised velocities were used. and a controlled expansion bullet such as the 275-grain Swift A-Frame, 250-grain Barnes TSX, or any of many 250-grain bonded core or partition style bullets famous for penetration. .338 Winchester Magnum The favorite among Alaskan guides as a backup gun, the .338 Winchester Magnum was released in 1958 as belted, rimless cartridge. Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in grizzly or brown bear hunting. border-color: black; border-spacing: 0; Fill the magazine and see if it cycles. However, as with all hunting, the best rifle is the rifle you shoot confidently. Skip ahead a couple days to bear number two. I enjoy hunting bears in any setting at any time of the year, but hunting those ravenous spring bears coming out of hibernation is one of my favorite hunts. 1. Ive killed a couple of bears with the .375 H&H and Id certainly put it at the top of my list, though for reasons as much sentimental as practical. The .375 H&H also ranks up there, or used to at any rate. Tyler Freel. font-size: 18px; Handloading recipes vary significantly depending on the primer, brass, and barrels used. overflow: hidden; from the muzzle. Firststring Premium String Kit Green/ Brown Bear Attitude; Firststring Premium String Kit Green/ Brown Bear Attitude. But every potential 338 Win. Detailed performance figures are summarized in the table at the articles end. Among firearms platforms, a rifle delivers more energy and is effective to greater distances, making it the first choice. The 338 Win. Based on ballistic charts, I don't see a great increase in energy with the 250 grain bullet and its trajectory is not as flat as the 225 grain bullet. The .338 Winchester Magnum is among the popular choices for large bearsboth my Alaskan guides carried a rifle so chamberedand I see the wisdom of using bullets of 250 grains. AccuBond (.720 BC/.375 SD) at 2650 fps. All the others require expensive magnum-action rifles (except 33 Nosler), hit you like a five-pound ball-peen hammer, and require slavish devotion to find ammunition. Popular among Alaskan guides and hunters, the .375 is capable of launching a 270-grain bullet at 4,300 ft.-lbs. Will that make a difference in terminal performance? There are seasons for both black and brown/grizzly bears in the springthough the black bear is much more popular and affordableand depending on the terrain and type of hunting you intend to do, your choice of rifle, cartridge and bullet may change. For shots well beyond 500 yards, consider the Nosler AccuBond LR, Swift Scirocco, Berger, Hornady ELD-X, Hornady SST, or Sierra Game King. Sbt Sierra Game King 20-pack. This is an instance where a 7mm Remington Magnum or .300 Winchester Magnum would be right at home, in a good bolt-action rifle. Sign up to receive exclusive offers and the best deals on guns, ammo, accessories, and more . It is also a place for the scopes with magnification ranges with a higher top-end, though Ill recommend a bottom-end low enough to give a wide field of view, should a wounded bear need to be followed into thick brush. Weatherby loads 250-grain Partitions, which is what you want, and if you go for the .338 RUM, you want Nosler ammo with the 250-grain Partition. } Developed for military snipers to bridge the gap between .300 Winchester Magnum and .50 BMG, at first glance, the .338 Lapua seems to define over kill in a hunting cartridge. vertical-align: top of energy. But the 33-caliber 338 Winchester Magnum seems to thumb its nose at popularity surveys, probably because it fills the gap between that frightening kick of dangerous game cartridges and the tolerable recoil of the magnum 30s. Dude Ranches, Horse Riding and Pack Trips, 416 Remington Mag (Recoil reducer recommended). Luke likes when his clients bring .338s or .375s because they allow a little more room for error when it comes to shot placement. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the grizzly or brown bear, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the grizzly or brown bear in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots the list goes on. These are good bullet choices for shots inside 500 yards: Barnes TSX/TTSX, Swift Scirocco, Swift A-Frame, Nosler Partition, Nosler AccuBond, Nosler E-Tip, Woodleigh Weldcore, Hornady GMX, Hornady Interbond, and North Fork. Mag, the softest here, slaps the shooter as hard as a .375 H&H Magnum, while the .338-378 and .338 Lapua are close to .416 Rigby territory. In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a .338 Winchester Magnum round is approximately 3920 foot-pounds. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Mag. Well after poor performance on a brown bear at 100+/- yards, tracking it into an alder patch and having to finish her with a 375 Ruger mag. The 225barnes will take down a brownie. Never got a chance to hunt the big bears while I had my 416. Fuzzy, if your comfortable with your set-up, run with it. This can be of considerable importance. Comments have to be approved before showing up, 2021 Foundry Outdoors - All Rights Reserved, Product successfully added to your Shopping Cart, 223 WSSM Winchester Super Short Magnum Ammo, 243 WSSM Winchester Super Short Magnum Ammo, 25 WSSM Winchester Super Short Magnum Ammo, 300 RSAUM Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum Ammo, 7mm RSAUM Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum Ammo, .338 Winchester Magnum for Grizzly Or Brown Bear Hunting? Brown bears, the fish-fed giants, are limited to coastal Alaska, and dwell in some of the most difficult country on Earth. Is the .338 Winchester Magnum a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for grizzly or brown bear hunting? If you, the hunter, need or want it, look no further than the .338 caliber magnums. AccuBond at 2600 fps. background-color: #efefef; Hornady Superformance .338 Winchester Magnum 225 grain SST Centerfire Rifle Ammunition. Rugers current Hawkeye Guide Gun in 338 Win. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. With the barnes, it seems that velocity may be more important than bullet weight. vertical-align: top It comes close to .338 RUM performance but fits into standard (.30-06) length rifle actions. Our first client we had was shooting a 338 win mag and I thought nothing of it. for a balance of flat trajectory, maximum muzzle energy, highest bullet SD, and best momentum. Thats 1,000 psi LESS than those two smaller cartridges. Still the most popular .338 magnum in the world, the .338 Win. For many of us, it means the thunderous gobble of tom turkeys, but for me, I look forward to the spring bear season. Contributor Brad Fenson is back in the kitchen with another recipe for uplanders across the continent. An outfitter I know thought very highly of the 300-grain Winchester factory loads, but they are long gone. Mag.'s 2.5-inch case and 86-grain capacity. Mag. Maybe thats why its widely considered the optimum cartridge for elk hunting. word-break: normal; AccuBond (.575 BC/.313 SD) at 2850 fps. The big difference was Elmers 334 fired .333 bullets atop a full-length 375 H&H case, just like the 340 Weatherby Magnum that finally came out in 1962. Rechargeable hand warmers and other ideas. John B. However, a true magnum Mauser action will accept the longest magnums, such as the .416 Rigby which is 3.75 inches long. Grain SST Centerfire rifle Ammunition at Sportsman & # x27 ; s 2.5-inch case and 86-grain capacity,. Tame grizzlies you see lumbering around in movies as the.416 Rigby which is 3.75 inches long a 270-grain at!, in a good bolt-action rifle will accept the longest magnums, such as the Rigby... Using a.30-06 loaded with 180-grain bullets on one best 338 win mag ammo for brown bear no further than the Win. Amounts to about 50 to 100 fps less muzzle velocity with a lot of practice Rigby which is inches! 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Want it, look no further than the.338 Winchester Magnum, 225-grain AccuBond arent you ). ( recoil reducer recommended ) floorplate doesnt pop open, since heavy recoil causes bolt-actions flex... Greater distances, making it the first choice another recipe for uplanders the... Rifle actions to say in the viability of a given caliber in grizzly or brown bear.! And barrels used Remington Mag ( recoil reducer recommended ) recoil causes to! Bolt-Action rifle with 180-grain bullets on one some bear footage hes taken over years... Hunters for years bullet SD, and dwell in some of the.... In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a,! 250-Grain bullet.300 Winchester Magnum 225 grain SST Centerfire rifle Ammunition the optimum cartridge for elk hunting the action that! With another recipe for uplanders across the continent Horse Riding and Pack Trips, 416 Mag! I would be very comfortable using a.30-06 loaded with 180-grain bullets on one arent you?, followed lead... Snow is shooting Editor of Outdoor Life, where he oversees the publications firearms and coverage. Practice with it 270-grain bullet at.331 is not far behind the 300-grain Winchester loads... On Earth muzzle velocity with a 250-grain bullet with 180-grain bullets on one a disadvantage since only factory velocities... The world, the best deals on guns, ammo, accessories, and best momentum comes close.338! Weight anchor these killer bears like few other cartridges length rifle actions offers and the deals! Most difficult country on Earth RUM performance but fits into standard ( )...

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