Can anyone tell me about it? I've looked it over and seems to be a pretty sweet gun. I kind of gather its a necked up 308 with similair performance. I'm no expert though just wonderin if anyone has experience or knowledge of this it would be appreciated.

Good round, will perform on par with the 308 using the lighter 338 bullets.

Good round IMO. Haven't started reloading for it yet but with the Barnes TSX factory load in the Tikka T3 it averages less then 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards. I would not hesitate to use it on elk inside 300 yards. Inside 200 yards it is equal or a little higher in energy than the 30-06 with 180gr bullets.

The 338 federal does better with heavy bullets like 180 and 200 grains than the 308. But then the BC is a little less for those weights than the 308.

I have a DPMS LR338 AR10 pretty awesome gun! Its very accurate as long as you can maintain the recoil. Kicks pretty hard! Gun without my scope is 7.99lbs so for an ar10 its pretty light. Ammo is really hard to find in store so pretty much gotta order online. I have been buying fusion from bass pro shop and its running me 35$ a box

On that dpms did you order it? Of so how long did it take I got quoted at six to eight months.

I traded a guy a rock river ar15 here on this forum

Midwayusa has the same load for nearly $10 less; without tax.

Once you pay tax and handling charge and shipping charge and have to wait in the mail im better off just buying them from bass pro.

Ammo ships ground UPS, it doesn't take that long and is not that expensive. Loaded ammo does not require Haz-Mat fee. Say your math is right. Buy 4 boxes and save yourself $30. Just saying.

Midway also has Federal American Eagle for $19.99. No idea how it shoots but the most expensive load using Nosper bullets is 40. The TSX loads priced locally is about 50 a box or more if you can find it and 39.99 from Midway. Less Tax almost covers shipping cost

If you shoot the light bullets it is probably a pretty decent round but the case doesn't have the capacity to get the big bullets moving fast enough to do what they need too.

My 2 cents...you would be much better off with a Lapua or Edge.

It would cost me 42.00 for one box shipped from midway
Bass pro is 32.99 plus tax

Depends on the use. Ir you are shooting over 300 yards you are correct. Inside that one elk and smaller game the federal 338 works and dead is dead. Plus ammo cost is less, rifle cost is less, recoil is less with the 338 federal. Plus lets see a 338 Lapua or Edge in an AR10, do not see that happening.

Depends on what you need. Shipping on 5 boxes is the same as shipping on one box, Drops price to $30 a box if ordering, or saving over $5 a box, and not buying those impulse items at BassPro.

Yeah youre right. When the time comes to want to buy some more i will probably consider it.

It seems like the 338 Federal suffers from some terrible marketing on Federal's part. The 308 is renowned for accuracy, and use for all sorts of game, and you'll never hear a bad word from anyone that uses a 358 Win. For some reason though, the 338 Fed is an after-thought.

Go on to a hunting forum and strike up a conversation about the 35 Whelen. It won't be long before someone chimes in with a comment on the 338-06. I would think this same thing would apply to the 338 Fed, but you just really don't hear many folks considering 338 at all unless it's in the win mag chambering.

Even at the modest velocities the 338 Fed offers, I gotta imagine that a 225gr Accubond would be nasty on anything you hit with it.

If that is your use, my opinion would be a AR10 6.5 Creedmoor would do better than anything you listed (a 260 a close 2nd but mag length is the downfall there). Or if you are looking cheap ammo, light recoiling and MUCH better resale go with either a 30-06 or 308. There is a reason they aren't popular and it because they don't have the boiler room to do what most folks do with a 338 and that is shoot long range stuff. So many other decent, cheaper, less recoil options for a < 300 yard shot.

I ain't saying your wrong, just a different opinion. Matter of fact I agree with you but if the OP buys a 338 Fed he better not look to sell it because there are a lot of guys with my mindset toward the 338's. Oh and I don't have one...matter of fact I bought a Tikka 338 Federal and had my smith spin the barrel off and he is waiting for me to send him a barrel. I got it a SMOKING deal...why....because the guy couldn't sell it.

Yup, I hope will agree to disagree. For almost all hunting in this country magnums are not really needed. Sure I have hunted with them and will continue to sometimes but truthfully they were not needed for the critters I have used them on. Any of the Elk I have killed would have been just as dead with the same shot from a 308 or 338 Federal as with the magnums I used or any other one. The folks at Sako saw the use for the 338 Federal and were the first to chamber it. Makes for a good Moose cartridge inside 300 yards which when you think about it says a lot for the cartridge. If it works for Moose it would work for anything that most of us will ever hunt.

What cartridge are you going with on the Tikka?

its basically a 8mm Mauser with more expensive bullets in a shorter case

If folks take elk with a bow, you shouldn't have much trouble with a 338 federal at 300 yards.

Any well placed decent hunting bullet that's 185gr or more and traveling more than 2000
fps should ruin a moose or elk's day with anything except maybe a butt shot (even that may
work if you place it well and you have the right angle).

JMO

current field & stream (I think it was F&S) featured an Alaskan Brown Bear & Moose hunt with the .338. The results spoke volumes for the round out to 300 yds.

Without a doubt

Not sure at this point I have been all over the board. I have a 6BR and a 6.5 Creedmoor and love both of them and I thought either a 6.5x47, 6x47 or even one of the wildcat fast. 6mm? But the 30BR has peaked my interest as of late so who knows?? I just shoot bench stuff at clays and steel so it will be big and heavy whatever I end up with

I have always liked slow heavy bullets.

First load I worked for my 270 was 150 grainers moving 2500 fps. They Performed great both on targets and deer. I have stepped them up a little in velocity now, but they had no problem what so ever killing deer and hogs before.

Think about it like a muzzleloader or a 45-70, big bullet going not real fast, but will put a hurtin on darn near anything withing its capable range. Like kmon1 said, I have a 300 wby, bought it to go elk hunting with, but in all reality, there isnt an elk out there you couldnt kill with my plain old 270 win.