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338 federal for rams?
Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 7:17 am
by SqHunter
Has anyone tried the 338 federal in a silhouette rifle? An advertisement I have been looking at says it has "reasonable recoil for a lightweight rifle" and at least one book says it is a very accurate round. Sounds like a solution to the sticky ram problem. I want to rebarrel my 6mm, but am trying to avoid doing it three or four times considering the cost of new barrels and reloading components. From my recent research it seems that rams can be rung with all the 6s and 6.5s, the 7mm-08, and the 308. This seems the next step up.
Thanks!
Re: 338 federal for rams?
Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 7:46 am
by Merlin
As I understand it the .338 with max loads and heavy bullets is pretty effective on rams as long as the rail and base of the target are waxed .....
Re: 338 federal for rams?
Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 1:42 pm
by 44 mag
I shoot a 6.5x47 Lapua with a 142 Sierra. If Rams are set properly then I don’t ring them. But in HP depending on the day it doesn’t matter what u hit them with they won’t fall. Just part of the game.
Re: 338 federal for rams?
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2022 5:50 am
by 375Short
I did a good deal of load development with the 338 Federal for a Kodiak Island deer hunt. It has a reputation for accuracy and my rifle did deliver. I would place recoil in the same class as a .308 with heavy bullets. You can certainly load heavy and fairly high BC bullets at very modest velocity that on paper seem they would take rams all day long. For a person with a single focused Ram vendetta it could be a reasonable choice with manageable recoil. I noticed this was an older post - did you try it?
The JBM web page has many calculators to play with, giving a good idea of ballistic data for your choice. I have used the recoil energy calculator a good deal looking for low recoil energy options.
Your lever gun killed rams just dandy, always one more than mine - good shooting
https://www.jbmballistics.com/ballistic ... aphy.shtml
Re: 338 federal for rams?
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2022 1:34 am
by SqHunter
375Short wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 5:50 am
I did a good deal of load development with the 338 Federal for a Kodiak Island deer hunt. It has a reputation for accuracy and my rifle did deliver. I would place recoil in the same class as a .308 with heavy bullets. You can certainly load heavy and fairly high BC bullets at very modest velocity that on paper seem they would take rams all day long. For a person with a single focused Ram vendetta it could be a reasonable choice with manageable recoil. I noticed this was an older post - did you try it?
The JBM web page has many calculators to play with, giving a good idea of ballistic data for your choice. I have used the recoil energy calculator a good deal looking for low recoil energy options.
Your lever gun killed rams just dandy, always one more than mine - good shooting
https://www.jbmballistics.com/ballistic ... aphy.shtml
No, I never tried it. Our local club stopped shooting high power for lack of participation, so I sold the rifle instead of going through the hassle of trying to find reloading components for a new caliber. I wish I had kept it though, the rifle was perfect in every way except caliber.
Those 30-30 ram loads I was using whip my butt!
Re: 338 federal for rams?
Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2022 5:44 am
by JohnHenry
If recoil is an issue with the 30-30, install a recoil reducer in the buttstock and a 1" recoil pad. I have this on my Marlin 30-30, and I don't notice the recoil at all, even with a 170 grain bullet.