Introducing the .338 Federal. It's a necked up .308.


http://www.federalcartridge.com/defa...nd=5&year=2006

Anoka, MN – December 2, 2005 – The new .338 Federal is a cartridge that provides the energy of a 7mm Rem Mag in a necked-up .308 case. It’s the ultimate big game caliber designed with reasonable recoil for today’s lightweight rifles. It exhibits great performance on a variety of large game and is the first ever rifle cartridge to earn the right to bear the Federal name on its headstamp.

Federal Cartridge Company pioneered the Premium ammunition category in 1977. With decades of successful manufacturing, forward-thinking and outstanding quality, only one thing was missing—Federal’s own cartridge.

This void is now filled with a unique combination of two time-tested designs—the .338 bullet atop the versatile .308 cartridge case. It’s a combination that’s been made a legitimate cartridge by the development efforts of the engineering and ballistics staff at Federal in collaboration with Sako rifles. A larger diameter bullet in the shorter-action .308 case generates approximately 200 feet per second more velocity than a standard .308 with a 30-caliber bullet (when comparable bullet weights are considered).

The .338 Federal delivers the only modern .338-caliber load that isn’t a magnum configuration. It gives big game hunters a larger diameter bullet for more weight and overall energy on target—without magnum recoil.

According to Federal President Mark DeYoung, "This product breaks new ground for Federal and compliments our emphasis on product innovation. The .338 Federal captures the capability of the longstanding .308 case, and offers the respected performance of the .338 bullet, a favorite of big game hunters. These two mainstays have been proven time and again and are now brought together into a quality factory load. This cartridge also offers an advanced option in support of the current trend for lighter rifles. The .338 Federal offers hunters more muzzle energy than a 30-06 Springfield—equaling that of a 7mm Rem Mag. It’s a non-magnum offering that boasts magnum energy. The round delivers devastating performance on game, including deer, bear and elk and we’re proud to put our name on it."

Three Premium load offerings will be available in the fall of 2006:
P338FA1: 180-grain Nosler AccuBond 2830 fps
P338FB: 210-grain Nosler Partition 2630 fps
P338FC: 185-grain Barnes Triple-Shock 2750 fps

Product will be available in spring of 2006. Keep an eye on the Federal and Sako websites for more ballistic information and availability updates.

About Federal Cartridge Company
Headquartered in Anoka, Minnesota, Federal Cartridge Company has been providing hunters and shooters with high-quality rimfire, centerfire and shotshell ammunition since 1922 and is part of ATK’s Ammunition Group. For more information on Federal, visit www.federalpremium.com.

About Sako
Since 1921, Sako has been producing what many experts consider the best bolt-action sporting rifles on the market. Their core knowledge manifests itself most notably in the form of superior accuracy: every rifle leaving Sako's Riihimaki, Finland, factory is tested to shoot 1" groups at 100 yards or better. Also, Sako actions are greatly prized by custom gunsmiths for their precision engineering, smoothness and trigger-quality. Sako also manufactures their sister-brand Tikka, which is becoming increasingly popular in the United states for the incredible value it provides for the price. Both the Sako and Tikka brands have been part of the Beretta family of companies since 2000. Find out more at www.sako.fi.

About ATK Ammunition and Related Products
Headquartered in Edina, Minnesota, the ATK Ammunition Group is a leading supplier of small and medium caliber military ammunition, ammunition propellant, commercial and military smokeless powder, law enforcement and sporting ammunition, ammunition related products and an operator of two U.S. Army ammunition manufacturing plants. The organization employs approximately 5,000 people. More information is available at www.outdoorwriters.atk.com.

About ATK
ATK is a $3.1 billion advanced weapon and space systems company employing approximately 15,000 people in 23 states. News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com.


I want one.

 

I'd rather have the .325 WSM. Its got amazing ballistics and I've seen some great reviews on it. I just think that a necked up .308 isn't enough for big game. Check out http://www.shortmags.org/shortmags/r...ctoryloads.htm

I have a 300 WSM and I love it. Plenty for what I do, but if I were to go for bigger game (i.e. brown bear, moose, etc) My first choice would be the 325.

 

I'm not a huge fan of the short mags and super short mags. Nothing really against them, just not going to run out and buy one. The .325 is basically the 8mm mag all over again. If I want to touch off 8mm rounds I'll drag out the 1893 Mauser. I'd like to shoot one of the .325's for S&G's though.

 

I dunno, seems like another answer to a question no one asked. I dunno about how well a .308 case can sling a .338 cal bullet and how well it'd work on big game.

 

Well, they claim provides the energy of a 7mm Rem Mag

That's right at 3,100 ft-lbs of kinetic energy, give or take a little depending on bullet weight. 1.51 TONS of KE. The rough estimate for 'killing power' on deer sixed game for a humane kill is 900ft lbs.

I guess Federal felt left out with Marlin, Ruger, and S&W having cartridges bearing their names. At first I though that a .338 stuffed in a .308 case was a bit odd, but I think it could work fairly well. Only time will tell though.

 

Exactly my point. A 7mm Rem Mag is on the light side for North American Big Game. If you plan on hunting moose or bear (brown) you definately need something bigger. That would be a good round for Elk, sheep, and black bear, but my opinion is to get something that would cover this entire group. For example 325, 338 Win Mag, 338 Rem Ultra Mag, or even the 340 Weatherby.

As far as the short mags and super short mags, they have a couple benefits that I really liked. First of all the throw of the action. With a standard mag, the throw is considerably longer than the short mag (meaning of course faster/easier to chamber a new shell in a bolt action.) Secondly the short mags and super short mags generally outperform their counterparts. I re-load my short mag and doing the comparison to the standard mag, I get the same performance using less powder, meaning of course the possiblilty of better performance with more or equal amounts of powder. I understand you aren't going to go out and buy one, but they really are amazing rounds when you look at the ballistics.

To each his own I guess.

 

I haven't sworn them off completely. I'm old fashioned and thus far don't need a SM/SSM bolt gun. I do need a Barrett though! Anyhow, I'd take a 30/30 moose hunting if I had to. It would do the job well too. Preferably though I'd have a 35 Rem or better.

If recoil is as reduced as it sounds it would be a boon to the recoil sensitive or those getting long in tooth. I'd like to see how the ballistics stack up against the other 338's though. I want to get an AR30 in .338 and can't decide between .338 Lapua, and .338 WinMag. The winmag is cheaper all the way around, but handloading would lessen the gap.

 

I'd go .338 Lapua if I were dead set in a loudenboomer mag like that. The Lapua isn't belted like the Win Mag is, so you don't have to go through that crap with the goofy headspacing or resizing. Match quality brass is already available from Lapua, and so's some killer factory loads - Lapua's go-to .338 load is a 250 gr bullet at 3000 fps (!). Hang on tight and squeeze the trigger.

 

The .308 case has been used to make several other rounds such as the .243 win, .260 Rem, 7mm-08, and .358 Win so a .338 diameter seems like a logical step. The round seems like it would make a fairly decent round but at what range can it keep the energy? Some of the other non-magnum .300s that have made the jump to .338 seem to hold their own at moderate ranges compared to the magnum .338s. It might be a worthwhile cartridge but why? If you want a non-magnum .338 there already are a couple to choose from. More importantly if someone was to buy a large caliber for dangerous game why screw around? It biggest advantage I see with this caliber is you gain a larger wound channel which could help on something with fatty skin like a black bear.

I already have a 7mm Rem Mag and if I want to kill something big and dangerous I will head straight to the .375 H&H and not question if I have enough gun to do the job.

Joe

 

I'd really like to see more factory support for the .260 Remington. A long range prone rifle is in my future sooner or later, and I'm pretty sure it'll be a .260.

 

Why? Because they can. It's new, it's exciting, it will sell more guns! I'm sure it will fit the niche for someone who wants a short to medium range .338 and doesn't handload. As stated the .308 (the short action, near ballistic equivalent of the 30 nought 6) has spawned a number of other cartridges, .243 Win on up to the .358 Win.

Being a fan of lever guns the 338 doesn't sound bad to me. Of course I like the thuddy thuddy, 35 Rem and 45/70 so it's not like I'm all into the loudenboomer mangelems. But I do like them too.

People discounted the .17HMR when it came out. It was going the way of the 5mm RemMag, it wasn't going to be able to kill anything etc. Then the first batch came out, they were tack driving machines that some were using to whack coyotes. It's achieved cult status in some circles. Then came the .17HM2. Guns are like trucks, there's something out there for everyone. I like that.

 

Two Words: "Who Cares?"

Seems to be a waste of time & will be a sales flop. A couple of guys will buy it just cause it's new but it seems to be no reason for it's being. Like Quintin said, an answer to a question no one asked. There is no reason whatsoever to have a .338 bullet being launched by .308 levels of powder. It won't be strong enough to take long range shots at large game & 99% of hunters will select a larger true magnum such as .300 or .338 Mags for true reach out & touch something power. ANYTHING in North America can be taken down at 150 yards or less with a 30-06 Springfield & hunters have been doing so for over 100 years. The reason why Marlin (450 marlin), Ruger (480 & 204 Ruger) & the Super Short Mags are selling well is because they offer something that you can't get without getting a custom gun made.

The Marlin: kill ANYTHING (under 100 yards) power in a handy throw over your shoulder lever gun.

The Ruger's: 480 Ruger, 40% more power than a 44 Mag with LESS recoil in a gun that is exactly the same size as a current 44 Mag. 204 Ruger, 1st factory cartrige that exceeds 4000fpm WITHOUT eating barrels and costing $50/box.

The SSM's: true Magnum power in a case that is significantly shorter, in some cases, up to an inch shorter.

This .338 Fed??? Um, necked up .308 meaning a limited powder capacity. No better ballistics than the .308, in fact, they will probably be worse. The main reason this cartridge is a waste of time will be cost. It is a new chambering so it will be over-priced at the onset and you can take a 30-06 & get the same performance for $15/box for bullets and use them in the gun your Grand Dad gave you 25 years ago. My Dad uses a 1933 sportorized Enfield as his primary deer rifle. He got it when he was 13 in 1953 and it still works just fine...

KC-10 FE out...

 

It was not designed as a long range game bullet, it was designed for the regular guy who kills most of his deer under a hundred yards away.

Yet it provides enough energy, using the Optimal Game Weight (OGW), it's a 300 yard elk cartridge. Not too shabby IMO.

According to Chuck Hawks According to the OGW formula, shooting the 210 grain Nosler bullet the .338 Federal is a 200 yard grizzly/brown bear load and a 300 yard Rocky Mountain elk load. That much power ought to satisfy any rational hunter.

 

& a standard off the shelf Savage 30-06 will do the same thing for $250(for the gun at Walmart)+$40(cheapo scope)+$15(box o bullets)=$305. Hell, a 44 Mag or a 30-30 can do that. Which was my original point: What/who was this thing designed for? & who would buy it?

KC-10 FE out...

 

Killing energy, ballistics, muzzle velocity aside, I can't see the .338 Federal offering anything above any cartridge currently available off the shelf. There ain't a lot of things that can't be cleanly taken with a .30-06 and the right bullet in North America, and if you need to go bigger, any of the .300 mags or short mags should do the job just fine. The .338 mags and .375 H&H are proven performers as well.

The only advantage I can see of the .338 Fed is that it sends a .338 caliber bullet downrange without magnum recoil, but if I'm sending that much bullet downrange, I want it to go there with magnum authority.

And the only people chambering for it at this point in time are Sako, and Sako rifles aren't exactly well known for their affordability. So, we've got an expensive rifle, chambered in a proprietary cartridge, that doesn't really offer anything over an off-the-shelf '06 or .300 Mag.