the big and the little.

[Benbrown]

I have two .338 Win Mags and would not hesitate to use them on Coues whitetails. With a 200-grain Ballistic Tip or 200 AccuBond, they shoot plenty flat. However, given my age and stage of life (and the habitat where Coues live) I would require a the services of a gun bearer. I have lighter, handier rifles that will kill them just as quickly. If you like toting your .338 around in the mountains, go for it. Whatever trips your trigger.

[RTAYLOR]

I don't usually reply to topics, but this caught my attention. I had hunted archery elk for a while and hunted archery deer for a while until I won a .338 win mag in a raffle. The first thing I did was invest in a good muzzle break. My .338 has taken 4 deer. Two from the kiabab and two couse from down south. Upon drawing my last az tag in 2005, YES 2005 cabelas offered free ammo for the kiabab and I gladley accepted. The ammo was free but 225 gr. I thought 225 grains was a bit over kill. I shot my deer and followed up with a second just to make sure. My father shot a moster and hit a little low. This big mullie went down and then jumped back up and ran for another 300 yards. It took another follow shot when we located him. I figured before I went on this hunt that all I had to do was hit the deer anywhere and he would drop, not true.

 

After several years of not getting drawn, My father and I went to left over tags. Now the question became was .338 win mag with 225 grain bullet to much gun for couses deer. I pounder over the situation for a while. My father had a .243 that I basically adopted. You guys and gals know what is your parents is yours. Well we were not into alot of rifle hunting just mostly archery. Well due to the economic means I used my .338 and my father used the .243.

 

Before my hunt I had talked to an x-miltliary friend of a friend. Short story short was that he had done everything you have seen in the movies and more. His weapon of choice was .338 win mag. My new friend advised me he used his .338 win mag on everything except coyotes, but added that he loved shooting at coyotes at 400-500 and even 600 yards with his .338 win mag.

 

My first couses deer hunt I went out and had my rifle zeroed in at 200 yards. I had never hunted couse deer and just hunted mule deer. I thought to my self that 200 yards was plaenty. Got down south and was in for a big surprise with the geography. I was able to get on a buck and get within 320 yards. Needless to say I only had to shot one time. I hit him in the top of the shoulder and the hunt was over. I can say that deer did not know what hit him and did not suffer long. I recalled my father's buck he shot on the kiabab that after he was hit lived for about another 1.5 hours.

 

Now to my second hunt I went out and zeroed my scope in at 300 yards. And again I thought that would be pleanty. Well got on buck and got to 300 yards and spoked the deer. My simple philosophy is that you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. So the bullets went flying and lady luck was on my side. Again the deer didn't know what hit him and should have ran faster. Hunt over. Hit the buck in the neck.

 

I have recentley ran out of the 225 grain bullets. When you only get four tags in 6 years you don't go thorugh alot bullets. Horandy came out with .200 grain sst bullets. bought a box and went out and shot them. Got online and bought 6 boxes when they were on sale.

 

The following year in 2010 got on a buck of a life time. Could only get within 500 yards. Needless to say that I could not close the deal. This year went out and I'm zeroed in at 400 yards. I have a 10 inch drop at 480 yards and +18 at 300 yards. Went to go on my 2011 left over tag hunt and couldn't make it. Don't want to explain any more.

 

From my expeirence and I'm not an expert by any means but I love my .338. I have a fixed 3x9 scope, nothing special. When shooting long ranges .338 200 grain bullet is a good round. The last thing I want to do is it a deer at 400-500-600 yards and have him limp off. I can say with a .338 win mag, if you hit a couse deer they are pretty much done, no tracking and most of all no suffering.

 

I talked to my my x-military friend who advised me that law enforcement snipers use a .338 lappua or a .308. He explained that .308 is used due to the fact that the "police" don't want over penatration. He added that most military snipers use a .338 or now a .416. OK i'm not going to go buy a .416. Now while talking to my buddy he explained that he can shot as far as his range finder will go. I'm not in the same ballpark as this guy, he shots a fancey scope wiht turits that you just dial to the specific yardage. I still want to be a hunter. I shot a fixed cross hair and if I can't get close enough to my range then i don't shot, that's hunting. But I can say that with my .338 I can shoot up to 500 yards no problem. Now if I had a deer at 200 yards I wouold just grab the .243.

 

I guess is what I'm trying to say is that the military and some polcie agencyes use a .338 win mag. Ya some polcie agencys use a .308 but if you want to be ethical hunter and shoot long, long ranges then the .338 win mag is not over kill, it's just getting the job done with no suffering. I guess I've heard to many stories of guys with smaller calibers shooting "MONSTER" bucks at long ranges and then not being able to find their deer. I guess I'm trying to say is that if anybody shoots long range make sure you have enough gun and practice at those ranges. Just thinking outloud.

[loco4coues]

I don't usually reply to topics, but this caught my attention. I had hunted archery elk for a while and hunted archery deer for a while until I won a .338 win mag in a raffle. The first thing I did was invest in a good muzzle break. My .338 has taken 4 deer. Two from the kiabab and two couse from down south. Upon drawing my last az tag in 2005, YES 2005 cabelas offered free ammo for the kiabab and I gladley accepted. The ammo was free but 225 gr. I thought 225 grains was a bit over kill. I shot my deer and followed up with a second just to make sure. My father shot a moster and hit a little low. This big mullie went down and then jumped back up and ran for another 300 yards. It took another follow shot when we located him. I figured before I went on this hunt that all I had to do was hit the deer anywhere and he would drop, not true.

 

After several years of not getting drawn, My father and I went to left over tags. Now the question became was .338 win mag with 225 grain bullet to much gun for couses deer. I pounder over the situation for a while. My father had a .243 that I basically adopted. You guys and gals know what is your parents is yours. Well we were not into alot of rifle hunting just mostly archery. Well due to the economic means I used my .338 and my father used the .243.

 

Before my hunt I had talked to an x-miltliary friend of a friend. Short story short was that he had done everything you have seen in the movies and more. His weapon of choice was .338 win mag. My new friend advised me he used his .338 win mag on everything except coyotes, but added that he loved shooting at coyotes at 400-500 and even 600 yards with his .338 win mag.

 

My first couses deer hunt I went out and had my rifle zeroed in at 200 yards. I had never hunted couse deer and just hunted mule deer. I thought to my self that 200 yards was plaenty. Got down south and was in for a big surprise with the geography. I was able to get on a buck and get within 320 yards. Needless to say I only had to shot one time. I hit him in the top of the shoulder and the hunt was over. I can say that deer did not know what hit him and did not suffer long. I recalled my father's buck he shot on the kiabab that after he was hit lived for about another 1.5 hours.

 

Now to my second hunt I went out and zeroed my scope in at 300 yards. And again I thought that would be pleanty. Well got on buck and got to 300 yards and spoked the deer. My simple philosophy is that you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. So the bullets went flying and lady luck was on my side. Again the deer didn't know what hit him and should have ran faster. Hunt over. Hit the buck in the neck.

 

I have recentley ran out of the 225 grain bullets. When you only get four tags in 6 years you don't go thorugh alot bullets. Horandy came out with .200 grain sst bullets. bought a box and went out and shot them. Got online and bought 6 boxes when they were on sale.

 

The following year in 2010 got on a buck of a life time. Could only get within 500 yards. Needless to say that I could not close the deal. This year went out and I'm zeroed in at 400 yards. I have a 10 inch drop at 480 yards and +18 at 300 yards. Went to go on my 2011 left over tag hunt and couldn't make it. Don't want to explain any more.

 

From my expeirence and I'm not an expert by any means but I love my .338. I have a fixed 3x9 scope, nothing special. When shooting long ranges .338 200 grain bullet is a good round. The last thing I want to do is it a deer at 400-500-600 yards and have him limp off. I can say with a .338 win mag, if you hit a couse deer they are pretty much done, no tracking and most of all no suffering.

 

I talked to my my x-military friend who advised me that law enforcement snipers use a .338 lappua or a .308. He explained that .308 is used due to the fact that the "police" don't want over penatration. He added that most military snipers use a .338 or now a .416. OK i'm not going to go buy a .416. Now while talking to my buddy he explained that he can shot as far as his range finder will go. I'm not in the same ballpark as this guy, he shots a fancey scope wiht turits that you just dial to the specific yardage. I still want to be a hunter. I shot a fixed cross hair and if I can't get close enough to my range then i don't shot, that's hunting. But I can say that with my .338 I can shoot up to 500 yards no problem. Now if I had a deer at 200 yards I wouold just grab the .243.

 

I guess is what I'm trying to say is that the military and some polcie agencyes use a .338 win mag. Ya some polcie agencys use a .308 but if you want to be ethical hunter and shoot long, long ranges then the .338 win mag is not over kill, it's just getting the job done with no suffering. I guess I've heard to many stories of guys with smaller calibers shooting "MONSTER" bucks at long ranges and then not being able to find their deer. I guess I'm trying to say is that if anybody shoots long range make sure you have enough gun and practice at those ranges. Just thinking outloud.

 

 

My brother killed his buck this last october shooting a .308. (168 gr. bullet) He killed his buck with one shot at 701 yards. Looked like the deer had a rug pulled out from under him and he went down hard. (My brother is a sniper on a large city's SWAT team, he shoots the .308 well)

[pwrguy]

I pretty much agree with you. If you are man enough to pack a big ole rifle around around and want to put a 250 grain bullet into a 100 pound deer then go for it. There is no such thing as overkill, dead is dead. It is all about bullet placement.