.338 Federal The.338 Federal was introduced by Federal Cartridge in 2006 and is the first cartridge to bear the Federal name. The pressures listed for the .308 Winchester and .338 Federal above are both measured using the transducer method while the .358 Winchester pressure was measured using the crusher method. The .338 Federal was released in collaboration with the Sako rifle company of Finland. Winchester manufactured the .358 Winchester in the Model 88 lever action rifle and the Model 70 bolt action rifle for a time. Additionally, all three cartridges have basically the same maximum pressure. All that being said, the .338 Federal and .308 Winchester both have the same published maximum average pressure of 62,000 psi using the transducer method. 338 Federal Powder Minimum Maximum Charge (grains) Velocity (fps) Charge (grains) Velocity (fps) *IMR … Its heavy recoil hurt its score in this test. He emailed me a couple of months ago with a request for an episode about the .358 Winchester and what its suitable for hunting. .338 Federal ammo and .358 Winchester ammo are MUCH less common than .308 Winchester ammo. Buy some great .338 Fed hunting ammo here. It was created by Federal Cartridge and Sako in 2006 and intended as a big game cartridge with reasonable recoil for lightweight rifles. I found an unused DPMS .338 federal barrel and installed it on a SAA upper (couldn’t find a DPMS at the time plus the SSA is an immaculate piece of gunmetal). You need to carefully analyze your potential needs and choose the one (338 Federal vs 308 Winchester vs 358 Winchester) that you think will fit them best. It is based on the.308 Winchester case necked-up to accept.338" bullets. (Ron Spomer/) Clearly, the .338 Federal is a strong contender as a black bear cartridge. In addition to all being excellent choices for deer sized game, these cartridges are also suitable for bigger creatures under the right circumstances. People seem to REALLY like those 200gr Fusion loads for the .338 Federal, and with good reason! As you can see, the .308 Winchester has the least recoil out of the bunch, with recoil progressively increasing with the .338 Federal, and .358 Winchester. Indeed, the .358 Winchester was one of the first cartridges designed using a modified .308 Winchester case while the .338 Federal is a relatively new SAAMI standardized rifle cartridge. The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare .308 Winchester vs .338 Lapua Magnum ammo rounds. This means I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase. As of late 2019, the company produces .338 Federal ammunition as part of their Federal Fusion (200gr Fusion Soft Point), Trophy Bonded (200gr Trophy Bonded Tip), Power Shok (200gr Nosler Ballistic Tip), Trophy Copper (200gr Trophy Copper), American Eagle (185gr Jacketed Soft Point), and Federal Fusion MSR (185gr Fusion Soft Point) rifle ammunition lines. Well, if you want the ability to run heavy subsonic loads, 280 to 360+ grains, the longer 338 Federal case will put the ogive of the projectile back inside the case. Thanks for your support. Opening day Michigan deer season, Ellsworth. To me, this gun gives the maximum amount of power for the minimum amount of pain. Especially for shots inside 200 yards, both cartridges are excellent choices for bigger game with their larger diameter and heavier bullets. I like the 338 bullet selection because there are many more choices. This is a significant advantage for the .338 Federal vs the .308 Winchester and an even bigger advantage for the .358 Winchester. Released in 2006 as a joint venture between Federal and Sako, the .338 Federal may be one of the wisest choices that the big-game hunter who likes a lightweight, sweet-shooting short-action rifle could make. I have seen some 160 grain loads pushing 3100 fps without pressure issues using TAC powder. I feel no need to experiment with loads as long as I can get my hands on Fusions, Very interesting Jim. Remember though, the figures here are for a 7.3 pound rifle. The cartridge is simply the .308 Winchester necked up to hold .338-inch bullets, and will fit perfectly in a short-action receiver. Obviously, since it’s just the.308 case necked up to hold a.338-inch bullet, it’s not going to match the muzzle velocity and flat trajectory of its parent. Book an excellent African safari hunt here. Would you like to learn more about some other extremely capable deer hunting cartridges like the .308 Winchester? I ordered Buffalo Bore and Hornady ammo and went to the range. The caliber is capable of producing better than 3,000 foot-pounds of energy and, since it is based on the.308, brass is widely available. All rights reserved. I usually loaded 250gr Speer Hot Core bullets at max loads. The .308 Winchester uses .308″ bullets, the .338 Federal uses .338″ bullets, and the .358 Winchester uses .358″ bullets. Are you sensitive to recoil? It was also available in the Savage Model 99, the Ruger Model 77, and a few rifles by Mannlicher-Schoenauer. There is still a pretty good selection of .338″ bullets out there (including most of the above), but they’re not quite as common as .308″ bullets. The .338 Federal came out a few years ago, and it's based on a .308 case, so it can be used in short actions like the .308, .243, etc. This is illustrated in the table below comparing Buffalo Bore, Federal Fusion, and Hornady factory ammunition loaded with 150gr (.414 BC) and 180gr (.503 BC) Fusion Soft Point bullets in .308 Winchester, 200gr Fusion Soft Point bullets (.416 BC) in .338 Federal, and 200gr InterLock Soft Point (.282 BC) bullets and 225 gr Barnes Triple Shock X (TSX) bullets (.359 BC) in .358 Winchester. 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards and will fit perfectly in a gas 308,! Love the.338 Federal the.338 Federal really shine when compared to the.308 up to hold.33.: DSP-AR-10.308-T-1 Categories: rifles, TITAN AR-10 it will do to a 30-06 only. Case it will do to a 30-06 their limitations, both cartridges are also suitable bigger. Into that same argument would be really cool however the 358 Win these, 200 Interlocks 200... 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