sure the .300 mags and 7mmmags are capable of taking any north american game............if the shot is placed right. dont think i'd want to hunt big elk or costal brownies with it though........ there's always the possiblity of a shot hitting badly. that's when the bigger calibers are necessary.

not trying to start an argument........just my thoughts.

 

cartman308 i understand. my buddy and his boy has taken 8 elk with the 7mm, the party they hunt with all use 7mm and one guy uses the 300 win mag. none of them come home empty handed every year. there has probably been 30 elk and 4 muleys taken by this groop in the last 5 years. alot of ppl still use the trusty 30.06 for elk.

 

thanks for all the info guys, ill probably be hunting whitetails(overkill???) and gallon milk jugs of water for now.lol, but in a couple of years i plan on doing some bigger game hunting and i want plenty of time to get completly comfortable shooting my new gun.
i already got the gun and i'll be getting shells for it tomorrow. ill let yall know how she shoots

 

I don't think you know how big these guns are. I hunt costal brown bears (largest in north america) and I use the .300 mag. No worries at all.

 

I think you had your mind already made up to purchase the .338. <g>

In any case I have a bunch of big Magnum boomers (up to .458 Lott) which I have used all over the world. Tired of getting my shoulder pounded while practicing a variety of field positions, all have been modified to have a Limbsaver or other top-notch recoil pad installed. Some of my rifles have brakes but that really tends to upset your guide / companion(s) (as they will tell you when they can hear again) The ability on my 7mm BAR to replace the brake when in the field has gone far to make all companions happier.

Today, all my Magnums (except the 7mm) stay in my safe for any non-dangerous North American game. I use either my 7mm or 6.5x55 Swede (loaded with Norma ammo rather than the somewhat underloaded US stuff) and can take anything up through elk. (Please, no criticisms on the 6.5 for elk. Scandinanvian hunters have used the 6.5 for over a century. The bullet has exceptional sectional density making it a real killer.)

As for the comments that you have to "hit 'em right" with the lighter calibers, I've never killed any animal with a misplaced shot in any caliber. Just make sure you can get a second shot off quickly. And this is why I like a smaller caliber rifle than my magnums. There is very little recoil so you can get back on target instantly -- and you never have an "invisible" flinch. Finally, you never get a scope cut.

Because I do use my .375 H&H when overseas, I use it here with downloaded ammo. So loaded it really doesn't seem to have any more push than my 7mm or my .280. You might want to consider practicing with downloads in your .338. I note that several mfgs have now come out with downloads that all hit the same point of aim. Didn't check to see if they are available for your .338. You might want to take a look.

Finally, get great optics with maximum eye relief. While I hesitate to even suggest 400+ yard shots until someone has shot a few thousand rounds doing it, if you have any plans for same, you may wish to consider the Horusvision scope and PDA. I've watched long-range shooters shoot 12" balloons at 1500 yards with .338 Lapua with this setup.

Happy hunting

 

I am the proud owner of a browning A-bolt II BOSS 338 win. Its my favorite calber. Although I do recommend a muzzle break, but dont let it discourage you from getting the caliber. In my oppinion theres no such thing as overkill. I use mine to kill anything from squirells to elk; and it does a damn good job at it. Federal makes a 180gr ballistic tip NP you may want to look at. I use it to shoot white tails and the bloodshed is supprisingly low. Its a very flat shooting cartrige and at 3120FPS and 3900FT/LBS of muzzle energy its a very good all around cartrige. enjoy your rifle.

 

Outdoors1048 makes some very good points in his comments and recommendations. Sounds a lot like what I have seen and experianced over the years.

Many folks have the, mistaken IMO, idea that you must have a very heavy calibre rifle and high velocity to cleanly and humainly take game. It has been my experiance that spending a lot of money for the latest "Super Rifle" being touted by the gun writers is a waste of time. Much better results come to the hunter that spends time on the range and knows what he and his rifle are capable of. Most of the really bad hits I have seen on big game were the result of someone that had the attitude that his super rifle would make a quick kill no matter where the animal was hit due to the tremendous muzzle blast involved.

The venerable '06 is about as heavy a calibre that most folks can shoot 100 rounds a day and not display a major flinch. A lot of shooters will not be able to tolerate even this recoil and muzzel blast for extended practice.

When I first started using a rifle on a regular basis I was young and small enough I could not handle the recoil of a 30-30 in a '94 Winchester rifle. My father gave me a '94 in 25-35 which was low enough in recoil that I could use it effectivly. Since I was raised to know the limitations of the rifle at hand I continued to use this rifle for a number of years and carried it in a saddle boot for many miles. I took a number of deer, elk and bear with this rifle prior to the time the Department of Game, in it's infinate wisdom, outlawed this and a number of other calibers for use on game animals.

Since we had a number of other rifles around the place I stepped up to a '95 Winchester in 30-40 Cal. for a carry rifle on horseback. Again this is a load that many consider to be too lite for big game but I have never had an animal lost or travel more than a short distance from where first hit. The key to successful taking of game is, IMO, bullet placement and not trying to take game at extream ranges.

With that said I will also note that one of my favorite shooting activities is thinning out the groundhogs on the place with a high velocity 6MM wildcat I had built up a number of years ago. Long range shooting is the norm for this activity as are scopes and a good rest. I also own a number of big bore and magnum rifles and enjoy shooting them. I also shoot .17's in a few centerfire rounds and have a particular fondness for the old big bore black powder rifles. Matter of fact my favorite rifle to carry on the ATV and when walking is a TC Contender with a 16" 45-70 Bbl on it. Lots of recoil and jump but very light weight and handy to carry. Muzzle blast is considerable and care must be taken to have other folks well behind you.

As Outdoors mentioned, rifles like the 6.5 Swead are more than plenty for nearly all game and the folks, or horses, you are near will stagger a lot less from the blast when you touch it off.

All of this is just my opinion and I could be wrong. But you'll have to spend some time in the field with me to change my mind.