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338 ultra mag RECOIL?

ironcitymadmanironcitymadman Member Posts: 2 ✭✭
edited January 2003 in Ask the Experts
I thinking of buying a 338 ultra mag for Elk. How bad is the recoil?
The largest caliber I've shot has been 30-06.
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    bluewaterhunterbluewaterhunter Member Posts: 23 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    My brother in law has a Remington 700 in .300 Ultra Mag. Bought for an elk hunt. He topped it with a Leupold Vari III (4-16) I think. Trigger adjusted to 3lbs with no creep and 0 overtravek. I can not speak for the .338 but having personaly put two full boxes through the .300 I feel somewhat qualified to help you. I hope this helps.
    I also own and shoot frequently a .30-06. I think I read the felt recoil of the 06' is around 15 pounds and the .300 is pushing over 25lb's. I had the extreme displeasure of sighting this rifle for my brother in law. We hit zero at 200 yards with 3/4 4 shot groups at 100 yards and just over an inch and a half at 200. NO FUN AT ALL!!!!!
    Punishing recoil with factory pad. After seven shots I was done and went back to my .308 700 PSS from the bench. It felt like a .223 after the Ultra mag.
    But...
    We setup a 3/8 hardened steel plow point at 75 yards and shot it five times. IT NEVER MOVED OR TWITCHED, WE THOUGHT WE MISSED IT. Upon closer inspection it had five very neatly melted holes through it! nicely grouped.
    We also dropped a 170 pound white tail at a measured 400 yards using Remington partition 220 grain. The bullet hit just behind the front shoulder and a tad high. Entry wound was typical .30 cal. But the other sight is a different story. Practically cut her in half.
    That said I think logically the .300 will shoot farther flatter and still deliver the required ton of energy out as far as the next zip code.
    I am now having a Packmeyr decelerator gel pad installed. They say it takes about 25% of felt recoil out. I'll believe it at the range.
    The next step may be porting. They claim it can reduces it to .243 equivalent. Not sure about this either. Question what this may due to long range accuracy.

    Bottom line... The .300 will no doubt kill about 99.5% of any species of animal on the planet. And it is flat shooting and accurate. Why a .338?

    Good luck.

    "Lead, Follow, Or Get Out Of The Way."

    Charlie
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    agloreaglore Member Posts: 6,012
    edited November -1
    Probably about 45 foot pounds of recoil with a 250 grain bullet.That really is a big leap up in recoil from the 30-06 at about 19 foot pounds with a 180 grain bullet. You can get used to it after quite a bit of practice. If you reload, you can always load it down in velocity and work up to your level of recoil tolerance. Other than that, it should be a piece of cake.

    AlleninAlaska

    He who dares not offend cannot be honest.
    -- Thomas Paine
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    Jim RauJim Rau Member Posts: 3,550
    edited November -1
    I have loaded for a customer (and shot from the bench) a 338 RUM w/ the syn stock. It kicks the snot out of you. Standing off hand it is manageable. I own and shoot a 340 WBY, and a 338 WM. I am a sissy, I have the High-Tech muzzle brakes on both. The party who ownes the 338 RUM finaly put a brake on and he likes it A LOT better now. Recoil is very subjective, the only way to tell if you can handle it is to try it. [;)]

    Self defence is an ablsolute and natural right. Keep your powder dry! J. Rau, Alaska
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    Jim RauJim Rau Member Posts: 3,550
    edited November -1
    PS: As aside note, I would not recommend you down load any mag. calibers. They preform best and are most accurate when loaded to their potential. If I were you I would go with a 338 WM. Unless you are going to shoot 500+ yds the 338 WM is all you will need.[^]

    Self defence is an ablsolute and natural right. Keep your powder dry! J. Rau, Alaska
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    bambihunterbambihunter Member Posts: 10,694 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    In my humble opinion, there are ways to reduce felt recoil while sighting in a rifle at the range, and I haven't EVER noticed recoil while shooting at game - and this includes my .458 win mag.

    I had some posts a week or so ago that had economical recoil-reducing hints, you might give it a look. They might not be as effective as commercial products, but hey, the price is right!
    http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=47141

    I too would say the .338 UM would be plenty (I've never been one to say overkill). I think someone would be better off shooting a .270 that they could shoot with precision than a .338 (or any other caliber) that they can't shoot very well because of the recoil. The .338 should be at least 1/3 more recoil than your '06. If you do decide to get one, remember that a heavy barreled gun will absorb some of the felt recoil.
    You might want to see if you can get your friends to let you shoot magnum caliber rifles before buying one for yourself.

    Good luck and good hunting!

    It doesn't matter what you shoot, just shoot it well...
    Fanatic collector of the 10mm auto.
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    Jim RauJim Rau Member Posts: 3,550
    edited November -1
    I use a rest full of shot, and a 'past'pad, but I have had to shot several BIG guns from the bench and even with the above they are punishing. Like I said, I am a sissy!!![:I]

    Self defence is an ablsolute and natural right. Keep your powder dry! J. Rau, Alaska
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    TazmuttTazmutt Member Posts: 862 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Ya buncha sissies ... it don;t kick no more than a .22 ! I like to hold mine againsy my check and touch it off, just for sheets -n- giggles ... [:D][:D][:D]

    "A Fear of Weapons is a sign of Retarded Sexual
    and Emotional Maturity" Sigmund Freud
    "MOLON LABE !"
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    agloreaglore Member Posts: 6,012
    edited November -1
    ironcitymadman I have probably got more experience with large caliber fiirearms than anybody responding to this thread. You can download the magnums in order to work back up so that you can get better acclimated to their recoil levels. Nobody said anything about hunting with a downloaded magnum. In the field you will not even feel the recoil when shooting at game. But if you can't hit because you are afraid of the recoil, it won't matter what you shoot.

    AlleninAlaska

    He who dares not offend cannot be honest.
    -- Thomas Paine
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    I.ShuteI.Shute Member Posts: 647 ✭
    edited November -1
    For some, recoil is exciting.
    When we go out to the desert to shoot we take rifles from .22 Hornet to .50 BMG.
    Everyone ignores the little ones and shoots the heck out of the .338 WM, .375 H+H, hot .45-70, .458 WM, .510 Wells, .50 BMG and .45 Win Mag pistol!!
    I come home with boxes of empty brass.
    One guy shoots only .30-30 and .32-20 and he sat there for 45 minutes and shot about 10 rounds of everything. Went away smiling, giggling, with a black and blue shoulder and wants to get a .338 now!
    It's o.k. if you just like the pop-guns, but if you really want to see something happen, try the big boomers.
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    pack rat633pack rat633 Member Posts: 1,052 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I've been hunting with .338 WM and .375 H&HMag for more years than I care to say. Like Alaka says, when your shootin at game, you dont notice the recoil! Sure there no fun to sight in from the bench, but I usually sight the big ones in from the sitting position, with a good tight sling, just roll with it! Its not hard to get 1"-1/12" groups at a 100 this way, most .338s are very accurate! A good pad like a DECELARATOR helps a lot, muzzle breaks are ok, but if you have good ears left(we older guys don't) I try to do without 'em, they work, but are NOISEY!! Get your .338, and good huntin. MB IN WYOMING.

    SEMPER FI MAC, SEMPER FI
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    ked-marked-mar Member Posts: 89 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    It's just like hitting you self in head with a hammer. It feels so good when you quit!!!
    K.J.S.
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    Jim RauJim Rau Member Posts: 3,550
    edited November -1
    There is some truth to not feeling the recoil while hunting. But some people end up with an 'uncoucious' flinch. I have two friends who this happened to. One was a 300 WBY and he did not feel the recoil while hunting until the flab of skin fell into his eye and the blood started dripping off his nose. (he got his elk). The other guy was shooting another guys 460 WBY 'to say he had shot one'. He shot it three times and that was about 4 years ago and last I heard he was still trying to stop the flinch. As I said, recoil is subjective. If possible, before you buy, find someone with a rifle simular in size, weight, configuration and calibier and shoot it, 'if it fits wear it'.[:)]

    Self defence is an ablsolute and natural right. Keep your powder dry! J. Rau, Alaska
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