And theres no doubt what my guide pal has to say on the subject. As a geologist, Nelson has killed four bears in defense of life and property (DLP), including two black bears and two grizzlies. border-style: solid; This can be of considerable importance. Ive used a .260 Remington on elk and a .338 Federal on moose, neither of which are particularly large, and Ive also used a .450 Marlin on caribou and have shot a whole petting zoo worth of crittersincluding the tiny duikerwith my .416 Rigby. .tg .tg-sklq { BM3GN3 Grizzly bear, Ursus arctos horribilis, standing on the riverside. The second important assumption is slightly-suboptimal to optimal shot placement. Both of them kick very hard, and if you dont want to detach your retinas, the rifles in which you shoot them must weigh 9 pounds, no less. You are using an out of date browser. . The 180-grain 300 Win. Best .338 Winchester Magnum Ammo, Rifle Ammo. Savage Arms has announced the newest model in its series of straight-pull rifles, the Impulse Driven Hunter. border-color: #656565; The .338-378 has devoted fans in the long-range hunting sub-culture, but only exceeded the .340 Weatherbys muzzle velocity by 119 fps; a small reward for the huge recoil it produces. Developed for military snipers to bridge the gap between .300 Winchester Magnum and .50 BMG, at first glance, the .338 Lapua seems to define over kill in a hunting cartridge. It was Winchesters second belted magnum based on the 375 &H case of 1912. The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet. If youre sensitive, a 300 Win. 250 gr. Always consult with the bullet or ammunition manufacturer as to your needs before you choose. Answer: In a way, they are. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. BC quantifies a bullets aerodynamic efficiency, and SD predicts relative ability to penetrate into a game animal; the larger each number, the better. All calculations were based on the heaviest Nosler AccuBond bullet available in factory-loaded ammunition for each caliber, unless otherwise noted. It is recommended that you use a bonded bullet without a thin jacket. 6. Mag. Yes, the .338 Winchester Magnum is A GOOD CHOICE for grizzly or brown bear hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement. A black bear at close range can look like a blob of black fur, and a low-power scope can help place the shot properly, giving a wider field of view. Still the most popular .338 magnum in the world, the .338 Win. Snow One bullet/load the right 250-grain from a 338 Winchester Magnum strikes a fine balance between trajectory, punch, and penetration. In the question of Is the .338 Winchester Magnum within the ideal range of suitable calibers for grizzly or brown bear hunting? our answer is: Lets look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. Mag. A handgun is worn on your person, however, and is invaluable because it stays with you, whether youre answering natures call or stopping to field dress a game animal. vertical-align: top .338 Winchester Magnum The favorite among Alaskan guides as a backup gun, the .338 Winchester Magnum was released in 1958 as belted, rimless cartridge. What is the average weight of an adult male grizzly or brown bear? At the minimum, tape your floorplate shut, or have a gunsmith pin it shut. Magnums standard length means it can be easily and inexpensively chambered in mass- produced bolt-action rifles and even autoloaders (Browning BAR.) Mag. font-weight: normal; After the first shot immediately shoot it again and again if needed. Grizzly Or Brown Bear. Ive killed a couple of bears with the .375 H&H and Id certainly put it at the top of my list, though for reasons as much sentimental as practical. Straight down. AccuBond (.720 BC/.375 SD) at 2650 fps. The .35 Whelen, .338-06 A-Square, 9.3x62mm Mauser and .375 H&H all make worthy brown bear cartridges, and there is nothing wrong with a lower .40 or .458 caliber cartridge. SAAMI specifications for 338 Win. shoots flat, hits hard, and fits in standard length actions. Detailed performance figures are summarized in the table at the articles end. The accurate answer is it depends. Mag. Question: Why would Recoil even be considered in a .338 caliber? The newest .338 magnum, the 33 Nosler arrived on the market in 2016. will dig in deeper then most 250 gr. Would you take one on your grizzly hunt? Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo. They possess both high ballistic coefficients (aerodynamic efficiency), high sectional densities which allows them to penetrate deep into large, heavy animals, and considerable weight which also promotes penetration and energy transfer. text-align: center; Over the decades, several cartridges have proved themselves as worthy against the nastiest bears North America has to offer. border-color: black; The heavier the bullet you shoot in any cartridge/rifle loaded to maximum pressures and MV, the greater the recoil. Its also capable of sending a massive projectile, like Buffalo Bores 430-grain hard-cast bullet, at roughly 2000 fps and 3,600 ft.-lbs. Mag. Never, ever, walk up on a downed bear with an empty rifle. I certainly wouldnt expect it in factory loads. Brown bears and grizzlies, although closely related, are distinctly different animals. To no ones surprise this impala ram traveled after the shot. border-collapse: collapse; Loaded with a heavy Nosler Partition, Barnes TSX, Hornady GMX, Swift A-Frame, or the like, the .338 Win. In English, that means that heavy .338 Win. was inspired by big-bore aficionados such as Elmer Keith. The .338 Winchester Magnum is among the popular choices for large bearsboth my Alaskan guides carried a rifle so chamberedand I see the wisdom of using bullets of 250 grains. I hope that later he can post the story of the hunt. Mag. Mag. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Specialized long-range bullets were not used as they are unnecessary for most hunting situations. bullets for sheep, caribou, etc. Will it be significant when applied to a curmudgeonly brown bear ordering you off his lawn from 30 steps and closing? Would you rather get hit with a ping pong ball at 100 mph or a golf ball at 3 mph? .338 magnums need controlled expansion bullets like this Nosler Partition for large, tough game at ranges less than 500 yards. The .357 is also available in smaller-framed revolvers that fit smaller hands, making it ideal for women and less experienced shooters. However, as with all hunting, the best rifle is the rifle you shoot confidently. Boattail bullets and screaming velocities are not necessary for these situations, though a premium bullet might not be a bad idea, due to the high impact velocities. You could carry it all day. or any of the newer or more exotic mags out there in .30 caliber. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .338 Winchester Magnum. History. The flat-shooting .338 Win. I attribute this to the compromise that hunters who travel a lot reach to find that one do it all round that is big enough for heavy game and will shoot flat for longer shots they might encounter. sports a 20 barrel and weighs 8 pounds. As Nelson has seen in bear defense training, many shooters have cycling issues with the 10mm due to the limp-wrist syndrome, something that isnt an issue with a revolver and is the last thing you want to happen during a bear charge. Or close enough. The first was the 458 Winchester Magnum of 1956. font-size: 14px; In 2000, a friend of mine shot a brown bear that squared 11 feet plus, and must have weighed over 1,200 pounds. Brilliant writing. Perfect for elk, moose, sheep and bear. But many elk hunters are rolling with the 338 Win. What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a grizzly or brown bear in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. In terms of firearm selection, Nelson said its really about delivering a few well-placed shots on target in a short timeframe. font-size: 14px; And bullet materials and construction alter impact performance significantly. 1. What we need to know without fluff mucking up the targets. Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .338 Winchester Magnum is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest grizzly or brown bear - and to this question, the response again is yes, the .338 Winchester Magnum is A GOOD CHOICE for grizzly or brown bear hunting. Be ready. Forget about long shots. Warren Page did more bear hunting than anyone I know, and had a dedicated bear rifle. The bullets, though not extra tough, accounted for oryx and eland with one shot each, too. Muzzle velocities are the nominal industry standard for the tested bullet weight in each caliber. If you bring your 11-pound, tactical, heavy 26-inch-barrel with muzzle brake, chassis-stocked rifle, after a day slogging through tidal mud flats in hip waders and negotiating sucking bogs, aspen hells, and devils club thickets, youll find yourself groveling to borrow a hunting rifle. For black bears, in country where there is no grizzly presence, the popular deer and elk cartridges will certainly work very well; a .308 Winchester or .30-06 Springfield loaded with a 165- or 180-grain spitzer bullet will handle black bears. Just dont expect those slugs to hold up if they hit a bull elks shoulder at fifty yards. background-color: #efefef; Contributor Brad Fenson is back in the kitchen with another recipe for uplanders across the continent. They named the Model 70 rifle chambered for the .338 "The Alaskan, a pretty good indication of the type . Ive never killed a grizzly but I would be very comfortable using a .30-06 loaded with 180-grain bullets on one. Mag. They require a hunter to understand bullet construction and terminal performance in depth, especially with cartridges on the power scales upper end. For many of us, it means the thunderous gobble of tom turkeys, but for me, I look forward to the spring bear season. Ill let you and the bear answer that. Is it fun to shoot? Our first client we had was shooting a 338 win mag and I thought nothing of it. During the spring conservation order, you can hunt with outfitters from Arkansas to Saskatchewan. So, here we go, and remember, if you book a hunt, your outfitter is going to have considerable input into what you bring. The .338 win mag ammo is a .338 in (8.6 mm) caliber, belted, rimless, bottlenecked cartridge introduced in 1958 by Winchester Repeating Arms. All the others require expensive magnum-action rifles (except 33 Nosler), hit you like a five-pound ball-peen hammer, and require slavish devotion to find ammunition. Semi-automatic and striker-fired, the P320-XTEN is extremely accurate, easy to shoot even with powerful 10mm loads and holds 15-plus-one rounds. Its also been incredibly popular among Alaskan hunters and guides, especially in lever-actions like Marlins 1895 Guide Gun, which is compact, fairly lightweight and highly maneuverable in close quarters. Hmmmm, Nosler bullets and Nosler winner.just saying. Even be considered in a.338 caliber English, that means that heavy.338 Win aficionados such Elmer. Bores 430-grain hard-cast bullet, at roughly 2000 fps and 3,600 ft.-lbs best 338 win mag ammo for brown bear up! Guide pal has to say on the subject the.338 Winchester magnum strikes a fine balance between trajectory,,. And theres no doubt what my guide pal has to say on the subject AccuBond bullet available smaller-framed! 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