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Bought A New Hunting Rifle

Joe C

Student of the 1911.
Hello,

Picked up a new hunting rifle tonight. Got a minty vintage Win M70 XTR in .338WM with scope for $500.00. Seemed like a good deal. Don't know much about the caliber cept that a buddy of mine said that the caliber kills on one end and maims on the other. LOL! I have an ultra light 7RM so I can handle the recoil.

But, I don't know much about the .338WM. I see that Barnes makes a 160 for it. Thought I'd use it for deer here in NE and perhaps elk until I get done building my .375BME.

Any help you all can offer would be welcome.
 
The 338 win mag is a good round. I use 200gr some but like the 225 gr for heavy game. I have killed moose and elk with one deer.
 
You'll be surprised at how well it will shoot yardage. Reasonably flat shooting. The recoil really doesn't seem to be as bad as in some 300's to me but you'll like a brake on it.
 
My hunting buddy and I have used some variation of the .338 cal for hunting since they came out in the 50's; .338 Win, .340 Wby, .338-378, .338 RUM. All great killers in the field. Easy to load, good bullet selection, accurate. In our opinion, one of the very best hunting calibers ever made. You can easily tailor your handload to the game hunted.
Let me know what you want to hunt and I will give you some suggestions
 
Good round for anchoring medium/big game at extended ranges if proper bullet used. There aren't however, a ton of good hunting bullets (in my opinion anyway) in that caliber. Look at the Barnes 225 grain Tipped TSX Boat Tail bullet Barnes just came out with. Opens up close and afar and is so lethal.
 
searcher said:
Good round for anchoring medium/big game at extended ranges if proper bullet used. There aren't however, a ton of good hunting bullets (in my opinion anyway) in that caliber. Look at the Barnes 225 grain Tipped TSX Boat Tail bullet Barnes just came out with. Opens up close and afar and is so lethal.
Click to expand...

Excuse me Mr. searcher... But what the heck are you smoking??? There's Nosler Partitions/Accubonds, Swift A-frames, All kinds of Barnes, Berger VLD, Sierra GameKing, Norma Oryx, Woodleigh, Speer Grand Slam, even the often overlooked Remington Core-Lokt, and the list goes on.
If one of those isn't getting the job done for you then you need to learn how to shoot! ;)



JoeC: 338 WM will knock down any North American Game with ease. Use something in the 210gr weight or larger to get maximum performance out of the cartridge.
 
searcher said:
Good round for anchoring medium/big game at extended ranges if proper bullet used. There aren't however, a ton of good hunting bullets (in my opinion anyway) in that caliber. Look at the Barnes 225 grain Tipped TSX Boat Tail bullet Barnes just came out with. Opens up close and afar and is so lethal.

______________________________________________________________________________

Anyone who complains about a lack of good hunting bullets not being available for the 338 just has little or no experience with the caliber. If you don't know, don't post.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the comments so far folks...except for the fella who doesn't think there are many bullet choices... :o

I'd be open to any loading options y'all might suggest. For right now I'll just be wanting to use it for the occasional Nebraski whitetail. I was thinking about the 160 Barnes...but am open to suggestions. I'm trying to buy some brass from a fellow on line if it works out, we'll see.
 
I've witnessed the 210gr Nosler Partition in action from my father in laws Sako 338 WM, it's a mean machine.

I use the 250gr Berger VLDs in a 338-375 Ruger and they are devastating.

The 225gr Accubond has a great BC and would be one heck of a hammer on deer as well.

I just think that anything as light as the 160gr you intend to use will be cheating the cartridge. The BCs on the 180gr and lighter bullets is very low and make for poor long range performance. The heavy bullets shoot flat and hit HARD!
 
Joe I would say that bullet selection for deer would depend somewhat on the range. At 250-300 the BC isn't as important as long range. Barnes is a good choice but I would try the 185-210 grs.
It has been my experience that the TSX opens faster than the TTSX. Also, no need for hot loads unless needed for LR. The 185 at 2900 or the 200-210 at 2700 are ideal for the medium range shots. You will get complete penetration from most any angle. I have taken a lot with the 210 Nosler Part at 2700 with excellent results.
Bill
 
Duly noted BigD and Bill. I'm gonna get some dies ordered this week and some bullets. Have to find some brass as I was beat in the auction.

What powders do you guys prefer for the 185-250 class bullets?
 
For powders AA 3100, IMR 4350, R19, and H4831 have given me the best results with 200 to 225 gr. I have had good groups with 200 gr Speer, 200 gr Hornady, 225 gr Hornady, 210 gr swift, and a 225 gr Sierra flat base. My barrel likes flat base bullets.
 
Depends on which bullet weight you are going to use. But usually anything in that 4350 burn rate range is a good choice. Of course referencing a reloading manual after chosing a bullet is the best method for powder selection.
 
wapiti25 said:
For powders AA 3100, IMR 4350, R19, and H4831 have given me the best results with 200 to 225 gr. I have had good groups with 200 gr Speer, 200 gr Hornady, 225 gr Hornady, 210 gr swift, and a 225 gr Sierra flat base. My barrel likes flat base bullets.
Click to expand...
+1 I have been using 220g Nosler partitions for about 15 years and my .338 is STILL batting 1.000. I've killed deer and elk at any where from 15 feet to 400 yds. with one shot. Can't believe how well this cartridge kills. If the recoil bothers you put a brake on it and a finger condom over that to keep the snow out. JMO
 
Thank you for all the help so far guys. I have several of the powders mentioned in stock. I'll post a picture or two tomorrow for you all to see. The rifle was made in 1979 and is pristine.
 
Bought A New Hunting Rifle...PICTURES!

Here it is. Near as I can tell it was built in 1979. I don't care for the scope rings but understand why he used them at the time. The scope is an oldie and I don't know much about them but am going to learn about them before I decide to toss it in the pile if I do...

The jeweling on the bolt is like perfect new. I think the butt pad may have to be replaced...it is very VERY hard. The trigger feels very nice and is right at 3lbs.

Anyways, thought you all might enjoy a look. At least I know Dryhumor and Wboggs will. ;)









 
Joe Nice pictures. Those push feed Win 70s can be very accurate. I put a 6.5-55 barrel on one and get less than 1/2MOA with no other changes.
Bill
 
Yeah Joe, love them Model 70s. That one is probably a shooter, my XTR 30-06 sure is.

Whatcha gonna name it..... Thumper? 8)
 
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