Best .338

[Bos Javanicus]

IVW...338 Wrong way to go for Africa......really???? To be perfectly honest a .308 or 30-06 would be more than satisfactory on 99% of African game! Actually. I bet more game has been taken today with a .30 cal in Africa than any other. Obviously there are a couple of animals which must be legally taken with a .375 and above, but African game isn't bullet proof.
I live in Australia and more Buffalo have been shot in this country with a .303 than all calibre's combined, the next calibre would be a .308. In the early part of the last century over a hundred thousand Buffalo were shot for thier hides and a single man could, without too much difficulty shoot a thousand head a year and all these with a .303. A .338 is more than enough thump for legally taking 99% of African game.
Anyway, if anyone wants to use anything larger than .338 in Africa, then good on them, and best of luck to you. But to say a .338 is the wrong way to go?? Sorry, but I think that's a bit silly.

 

[dwboso]

Take a serious look at a Kimber Montana...Excellent rifle,Great shooter ,lightweight for caliber,BUT the most pleasant to shoot .338 I've ever owned...and I've owned several!

 

[ve7poi]

Have a look at noslers new 33nosler haven’t shot it but looks like a good one

 

[dwboso]

To each his own, but 338 WM is about as good as they get in the 33's unless you're going in for the ultra long range stuff. 33 nos, lapua, ultra mag, and some others are ballistic clones of the 340 weatherby. The 338/378 is the baddest on the block by far,IF you can stand to shoot it!! I would rather shoot my 458 Lott,or my 500 NE double,than shoot any of the overbore 33's. I don't mean that as a knock,but all these are longer,heavier,noisier and the recoil is fierce..IMO,these are all bad traits in a hunting gun that you have to tote around,especially in hot weather or steep country. I've shot a 338 WM extensively....believe me when I say you'll never need anything else. On another note,I read in an earlier post about 375 H&H being more pleasant to shoot..That is not my experience. While I don't have an H&H<I do have a ruger #1 in 375 Ruger and it's way worse on recoil than any of the 338's I've shot,even w a mercury recoil reducer in the stock. It's also heavier out of the box than most 338's Just my 2 cents

 

[IvW]

IVW...338 Wrong way to go for Africa......really???? To be perfectly honest a .308 or 30-06 would be more than satisfactory on 99% of African game! Actually. I bet more game has been taken today with a .30 cal in Africa than any other. Obviously there are a couple of animals which must be legally taken with a .375 and above, but African game isn't bullet proof.
I live in Australia and more Buffalo have been shot in this country with a .303 than all calibre's combined, the next calibre would be a .308. In the early part of the last century over a hundred thousand Buffalo were shot for thier hides and a single man could, without too much difficulty shoot a thousand head a year and all these with a .303. A .338 is more than enough thump for legally taking 99% of African game.
Anyway, if anyone wants to use anything larger than .338 in Africa, then good on them, and best of luck to you. But to say a .338 is the wrong way to go?? Sorry, but I think that's a bit silly.

I think you totally misread my post mate.
I never said a 338 WM is the wrong way to go, I was referring to wanting to step up from 338WM to 340 Weatherby, that is the wrong way to go! Read it again below and get the facts straight before jumping to conclusions and going on the rant.

Brettp said:
I've shot a lot of 338 win mag. I'm looking to build a 340 wby now. I want the extra thump in Africa.

I said:
Wrong way to go for Africa.

The only extra thump you will achieve is to your shoulder.

If you want to deliver more thump on the other side step up to a 375 H&H Magnum, that would be all the thump you need.

 

[dwboso]

IVW Never even seen or read your post.....My 'rant' was an answer to the original post... 338 win mag or one of the other 338's..... I don't have any idea what you are talking about

 

[Dr Ray]

So I'm still in grad school and a ways out from getting to Africa, but I am starting to build up my arsenal for the eventual trip. Currently have a .270 win and a 30-30 model 94, but I would like something a bit bigger for eland and zebra. Anything 338, but particularly interested in the Lapua or any of the Weatherby offerings. What does everyone else use, what have they used it on, and how effective was it? I will decide on the platform after I decide the cartridge.

My suggestion is that ask the outfitter what 338 ammo is available in case yours goes astray.
I suggest that most likely it would be the 338 win mag. I use a 338 win mag in Sako stainless steel model 85. I like the 225 grain bullets which give the best energy levels in that range.

 

[Lbarr265]

My suggestion is that ask the outfitter what 338 ammo is available in case yours goes astray.
I suggest that most likely it would be the 338 win mag. I use a 338 win mag in Sako stainless steel model 85. I like the 225 grain bullets which give the best energy levels in that range.

I’m a while out from getting any outfitter, at least a couple years. Just starting the dreaming and equipment purchasing phase lol

 

[IvW]

IVW Never even seen or read your post.....My 'rant' was an answer to the original post... 338 win mag or one of the other 338's..... I don't have any idea what you are talking about

@dwboso, Oh man, read my last post again! It starts with quoting what Bos Javanicus said, had nothing to do with your post.

Never mind next time I will put @whoever, that was @Bos Javanicus.

So apologies if that caused confusion.

.338 Win mag is a great African caliber for PG in Africa.

 

[Bos Javanicus]

IVW
If you are going to say a 340 is no good....explain why.

 

[IvW]

IVW
If you are going to say a 340 is no good....explain why.

The OP is looking for a step-up from his .270 for African plains game up to and including Eland.

The only hunt I could remotely think of is if you intend hunting mountain nyala in the Ethiopian Highlands, you may consider a 340 Weatherby.

You do not need a 250 gr bullet with a Mv of 2963 fps to hunt eland.

Why anybody would want to make that a 340 Weatherby is beyond me and a very bad idea for many reasons. First shot placement being the most important.

Very few hunters can handle the recoil of a 340 Weatherby which leads to very bad shooting which in turn leads to wounded/lost animals.

In order to control this vicious re-coil most are fitted with muzzle breaks(which in some case increase the barrel length), this is also disastrous for the trackers and PH due to the muzzle blast.

Weatherby offers this cartridge only with a 26 inch barrel which makes the rifle unwielding for use in the bush.

The ammunition is prohibitively expensive.

The Weatherby in this caliber only has two rounds in the mag, seeing as the first shot may well not be good you will only have one more shot to fix the mess before you need to reload.

When hunting in Africa, you may be hunting Eland the one minute and be shooting a Bushbuck, Steinbuck, Duiker or whatever crosses your path the next, with most other common rifles/cartridges you will be fine, with the 340 Weatherby you will not. Hitting one of these smaller antelope with that amount of velocity and energy you will be lucky to have an intact skull to show for your efforts.

The ability to handle this caliber as well as the handling characteristics of the rifle are the biggest issues with this caliber.

The OP would be much better off with a 30-06, .300, .338 WM or the king of the medium bores the 375 H&H that he can shoot with confidence/competence, rather than with a 340 Weatherby.

If it has to be .338 caliber you can't beat the .338 Win mag.

I bet you not one experienced PH on this forum will recommend a 340 Weatherby for PG hunting in Africa for a first time visitor.

 

[Spooksar]

The OP is looking for a step-up from his .270 for African plains game up to and including Eland.

The only hunt I could remotely think of is if you intend hunting mountain nyala in the Ethiopian Highlands, you may consider a 340 Weatherby.

You do not need a 250 gr bullet with a Mv of 2963 fps to hunt eland.

Why anybody would want to make that a 340 Weatherby is beyond me and a very bad idea for many reasons. First shot placement being the most important.

Very few hunters can handle the recoil of a 340 Weatherby which leads to very bad shooting which in turn leads to wounded/lost animals.

In order to control this vicious re-coil most are fitted with muzzle breaks(which in some case increase the barrel length), this is also disastrous for the trackers and PH due to the muzzle blast.

Weatherby offers this cartridge only with a 26 inch barrel which makes the rifle unwielding for use in the bush.

The ammunition is prohibitively expensive.

The Weatherby in this caliber only has two rounds in the mag, seeing as the first shot may well not be good you will only have one more shot to fix the mess before you need to reload.

When hunting in Africa, you may be hunting Eland the one minute and be shooting a Bushbuck, Steinbuck, Duiker or whatever crosses your path the next, with most other common rifles/cartridges you will be fine, with the 340 Weatherby you will not. Hitting one of these smaller antelope with that amount of velocity and energy you will be lucky to have an intact skull to show for your efforts.

The ability to handle this caliber as well as the handling characteristics of the rifle are the biggest issues with this caliber.

The OP would be much better off with a 30-06, .300, .338 WM or the king of the medium bores the 375 H&H that he can shoot with confidence/competence, rather than with a 340 Weatherby.

If it has to be .338 caliber you can't beat the .338 Win mag.

I bet you not one experienced PH on this forum will recommend a 340 Weatherby for PG hunting in Africa for a first time visitor.

The 340 Weatherby that I own I bought second hand from a guy that bought it to go to Africa. He was not a rifle person but a Skeet shooter. Turns out he spend 4 days chasing a Impala he wounded with it, never got the Impala. Moral of the story take what you shoot best, ask any of the outfitters at the shows what to bring, 90 percent say 30-06, there is a reason why

 

[flat8]

Take this with a grain of salt - my knowledge is probably 1% compared to others on this forum. That noted, I will throw in my two cents!

Full disclosure - I LOVE the .270 Winchester. My opinion (and it's just that) is that he .270 is the one gun you need for most North American game south of Alaska.

But it's not always enough for the bigger stuff. Next to a .270, my my next rifle would be a .300 Win Mag. It will take everything in North America in the lower 48 and most in Africa - including eland and zebra. Add a .300 Win Mag to your .270 Win and you have a 2 gun solution for most the world.

My 3rd gun would be a .375 H&H.

Despite the love for the .338 Win Mag, I don't know where it fits. There's not much a that a .338 Win Mag can do that a .300 Win Mag can't handle, but a .338 Win Mag can't do things that a 375 H&H can.

.270 Win, .300 Win Mag .... and save for that .375 H&H and you're good!

 

[sambarhunter]

I just bought a .270 last week! I have sold my .338 to a AH member,well he has claimed it about a week ago.
Don`t have a .375 but I have a .358 Norma mag that will do much the same.
Long live the .270

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Recent interesting article which again shows the greatness of the 270. Spoiler alert, even though the article is entitled "Extreme Range Shooting", the author and notable others cited in the article advocate against hunting at extreme range. Something I think most of us agree on.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/extreme_range_shooting.html

 

[sambarhunter]

Great article

 

[dwboso]

To flat 8....a well reasoned post. the 300 is a great round and to each his own BUT,the 338's will do everything better than the 300's. Also,a 338 w 300 gr solids will kill anything that walks.IMO 270,338 and a good 45 or 50 and your african battery is set.

 

[flat8]

To flat 8....a well reasoned post. the 300 is a great round and to each his own BUT,the 338's will do everything better than the 300's. Also,a 338 w 300 gr solids will kill anything that walks.IMO 270,338 and a good 45 or 50 and your african battery is set.

I agree with you, but the .338's benefits come at a price of about 8 to 10 pounds more recoil vs the .300. And you still can't legally hunt DG (something I have not yet done) in most African countries. Why not just step up to a .375 H&H, and all the doors that cartridge opens, for just a couple pounds more recoil?

Somewhat related, I've been texting my PH from my one and only African hunting trip (plains game) about a possible 2019 buffalo hunt. When I asked him what he wanted clients to be carrying, this is his reply:

'A 375 is a great caliber for a client.It does not have much more recoil than a 300 mag and can shoot out to 200 yards if necessary but in saying that I personally don't like to let my hunter shoot much further than a 100 yards.I hunted 8 buff this year with clients used a 375.It goes without saying bullet placement but all 8 buff were one shot kills.'

If I do go back for a buffalo, I'll bring my .375 and probably my .270.

 

[Scott Slough]

The 338s remind of a "Porsche SUV"...sure it is faster...but to what purpose?

 

[Bullthrower338]

I agree with you, but the .338's benefits come at a price of about 8 to 10 pounds more recoil vs the .300. And you still can't legally hunt DG (something I have not yet done) in most African countries. Why not just step up to a .375 H&H, and all the doors that cartridge opens, for just a couple pounds more recoil?

Somewhat related, I've been texting my PH from my one and only African hunting trip (plains game) about a possible 2019 buffalo hunt. When I asked him what he wanted clients to be carrying, this is his reply:

'A 375 is a great caliber for a client.It does not have much more recoil than a 300 mag and can shoot out to 200 yards if necessary but in saying that I personally don't like to let my hunter shoot much further than a 100 yards.I hunted 8 buff this year with clients used a 375.It goes without saying bullet placement but all 8 buff were one shot kills.'

If I do go back for a buffalo, I'll bring my .375 and probably my .270.

Recoil difference is negligible in the grand scope of things. Nothing wrong with the 270 or 300’s but I’d still take a .33 over either. But I would rather drink a glass of Scotch with Elmer Keith than I would with Jack O’Conner, I’m sure we would agree on more subjects such as large bore rifles and heavy 44 bullets! Lol