338 WSM

[dozer]

Is anyone out there working with a 338 WSM. Any info would be great. Mine is a ruger no.1 custom 10 twist 24"brl. Thanks Alan

 

[1000yardstare]

Great project! What the .325 WSM should have been.

 

[Ron H]

Has anybody tried this? Sounds interesting.
Ron

 

[Nomad47]

Check over at the wssmzone forum. The wssm case has been wildcatted to 6.5, 300, 357, and 444. Someone there may have done the wsm case in 338.

 

[watercam]

I own a 325 wsm and love it. The reason it is not a 338, I believe, is that Winchester could not gain any decent velocity and still keep the OAL within their 2.80" limit. Even the 325 is handicapped because of this. I have a Kimber Montana with a magazine length of 3.00". I cut throat longer by .100" to allow more case capacity so that I could achieve some kind of decent velocity (especially w/ Barnes TSX bullets). It works well now but at the nominal SAAMI length I could not achieve factory velocity with any powder but ball, which was not accurate in my rifle.
I know that some have punched the case up to 416 but their OAL is no longer the 2.800" factory length.

 

[hogan]

Unless really chasing the velocity, give a thought to a Long Action .338/284. Short action is not the ticket for high BC bullets. I have a .338-06 and find the case just too long for the high BC bullets but it is a hunting rifle anyway with #4 shilen match barrel 23"...

The .338win offers a great deal, when chambered to headspace on shoulder rather than belt. You get Long Action magazine dimension and great flexibility for VLD bullet seating. I found the .338/300win to be a close match to the Dakota, Wby, and RUM ctgs and have a custom barreled TRG-42. .338/300 gives a very wide range of load flexibility with XMR4350 as I have used 65-78+gr with 250gr Sierra and Hornady bullets.

The .338/284 seems to me to be optimum match for barrel life and performance if can live with a bit less velocity than a magnum. Belted magnums headspaced to chamber on the shoulder offer great accuracy potential. The standard .338win was necked down to .30cal to derive one of the finest 1000yd match guns of its day. No reason not to believe if loaded moderately it wouldn't produce .30-06 like bore life. With .675 or .750 BC bullets in a long action receiver you have all the case capacity available and all the bullet performance could likely need. I went with the .338/300 to have more hunting margin since I live in Alaska, and the extra capacity for 1000+ yd shooting, (which I have yet to do!).

Study the loading manuals and oal of the bullets you want to use. If you won't be shooting anything more than the 225/230gr weight class, the .358 bore might also be worth considering for a short-action build.