Just let go of 2 of my "other" babies to get something I have been wanting

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Yes, definitely do your research and work up carefully if/when you start experimenting with smokeless...

Ever try Hodgdons Triple 7?? It is a direct black powder equivalent (like Pyrodex, only much cleaner burning) and I use it in my old Thompson Center Renegade black powder rifle. It is an "old school" side , octagon barrel type. In-lines were still a year of 2 from coming out when I bought it. I cannot use the pellets like the modern in-lines do because of my sideways ignition. I switched to Triple 7 because the old Goex FFG is getting harder to source around here thanks to stiffer regs on black powder vs smokeless causing many dealers to just let it go.

I have had a few hiccups with the Triple 7, mainly poor ignition.. I switched to Winchester magnum no.11 caps and that helped alot. I plan to convert to a shotgun primer setup to insure the most reliable ignition possible. Other than that, it performs the same as old Goex and burns MUCH cleaner....

Might be worth a try in your 50-110??? With due diligence in caution and research of course...

My standard hunting load in my muzzle loader is 100gr Triple 7 (same charge I used with FFG) pushing a 375gr Hornady Maxi Hunter bullet. Pretty close to what you are doing with your 50-110 if you are using similar weight bullets. But I wonder, does the fact you are using a metallic cartridge as opposed to my muzzle loader change any rules of the game for you????

[RIDE-RED 250r]

So, I picked up my new rifle from my LGS last tuesday. I have to say, my first impressions when seeing and handling this rifle first hand are that it is everything I had hoped it would be and then some. The high polished blue finish is very much like my older Smith and Wesson revolvers, almost a smoked chrome look when viewed at certain angles. The pictures really didn't do this m70 justice....

Now, 338 WM isn't exactly common to find around my area. And being that I am not yet tooled and supplied to make my own ammo for this thing I figured I would try to find a couple boxes of factory ammo locally to get me started.. Well, that didn't work out so well... of the 4 places I hit I was able to score a partial box from a small gun shop... 16 rds. Luckily that was just enough to get her darned close at 100yds. It is grouping 3/4" about 1/2" high an 1/2" right. If I had 5 more rounds I would have been able to bring it in those last couple of fine adjustments. But I wanted to save 3 rds to hunt with so thats what I did... Still more than adequate for hunting purposes, I'm just a little OCD about these things.

Now that bad:

First time to the range to sight in was an epic fail. I have never returned home with a target with no holes in it. Yep, pulled the trigger and click. Tried several times and several different cartridges... no boom.

So, after a bit of playing around I figured out that the firing pin was for some reason not protruding through the bolt face when fired.

On the side of the rear bolt shroud (which houses the firing pin and safety) I noticed a small roll pin, and another identically sized small empty hole next to it. So I got to wondering... is there is supposed to be another roll pin in that second hole and if for some reason it was seated to deeply and wound up inside the bolt shroud and interfering with the firing pin?

Took the firing pin out of the shroud..(tricky) and there it was, a small plug for the hole in the shroud! I reinstalled the firing pin (MUCH trickier than removal!) installed the plug in it's proper hole, flipped the safety to the fired position and BINGO!!! Problem solved!

So that was the only problem, minor as it turned out to be I was very dissapointed there for a bit.

But after today's session at the range I am head over heels for this new Winchester! The 338 barks (even with muffs on) but its is actually no sharper in terms of felt recoil than my synthetic stocked Remington 700 ADL chambered in 270. I attribute this to the very well functioning Pachmeyr Deccelerator recoil pad and the fact that the rifle has some weight to it.

Biggest differences I notice about my new Winchester compared to the 700 ADL I have been using for the last 8 years or so is that it is significantly heavier, and the barrel seems a mile long! It has a 26" bbl compared to the 22" on the Remmy. 4" doesn't sound like much, but when you are used to the handling characteristics of a 22" bbl and then walk through the woods with a 26", it feels like a huge difference!

Hunted with it for the first time tonight..came close to bagging a deer too but I could not take the shot for safety reasons. That would have been so cool to bag a deer first time out with it!

Bottom line: Overall, I am more than happy with this new rifle and have zero regrets.

[Slingblade]

Very Cool. I've been waiting for a shoot report. I've never owned a caliber that large, but I kinda want one.

Interesting on the firing pin. The last rifle I bought off gunbroker, a new in the box CZ .223, the clip would not feed right, like it was pinched on one end.

We took it apart and just like yours it was missing a roll pin, which acted as a spacer in the receiver. Replaced that and it was fine.

It makes me think some people are selling rejects or returns as new guns, without fixing them.

Either way, you did like me and just fixed it. Less Hassle. I love the new addition, now we just need a kill report. And a pic of the exit wound...

[RIDE-RED 250r]

A little more detail on that little plug that caused so much trouble at first: It is only about 3/16" long and has 4 little stake marks on one end that aid in holding it securely in place when seated. I think it may have been installed backwards so the gripping stakes were pushed through and it just fell inside, possibly during shipping. I noticed that it slides into the hole quite easily until those stakes make contact....

It shoots remarkably smooth for the caliber. Reloading tables I have been looking at state that it is capable of launching a 225gr projectile to just a whisker under 3000fps, which is very close the max that a 270 will send a 130gr projectile! Sure, there are nastier 338's out there, IE: the 338 Lapua, 338-378 Weatherby Mag, 338 RUM and so on... But I really didn't want the shorter barrel life that comes with 3200fps+ velocity.... With the velocities some of these "ultra" mags, you are looking at 1000 round barrel life or less. For me the 338 WM is just right.

I love making the thunder roll with this rifle!

[jays375]

If you are shooting deer you need light bullets.Those 225gr bullets are gong to punch a hole and that is it.So unless you make a perfect shot,things are going to be tough.For what you paid for that gun I would have been pissed it didn't fire.There is no excuse other than poor manufacturing.Did you contact the seller?

[RIDE-RED 250r]

If you are shooting deer you need light bullets.Those 225gr bullets are gong to punch a hole and that is it.So unless you make a perfect shot,things are going to be tough.For what you paid for that gun I would have been pissed it didn't fire.There is no excuse other than poor manufacturing.Did you contact the seller?

Very much in agreement with you here on all points.

As to bullet weight: yes, the heavier bullets are touted to be of more rugged construction, as expected for the type of use they are intended for. I do plan to handload and run the lighter stuff 185-225gr range. It seems the 185's are about as light as they come for 338 cal. I am only using the 225's now because this ammo is like hens teeth around here.

I have read some information that implies that the 338 favors bullet weights of 200-250gr for best accuracy. I plan to do my own testing with hand loads once I get tooled and supplied to get started. My goal is to figure out what bullet is most accurate and make an informed decision on the balance of accuracy and weight (as weight relates to performance and destructive power it inflicts on the target) If she groups as tight or close to as tight as these 225's at 100yds with 185's then it will be an easy decision. But that's the whole game...every rifle is different and has different preferences on load recipes....

As to the malfunction: I was very dissapointed, no doubt. I did call Browning (the corporate umbrella that Winchester now resides under) and they were quick to send me a shipping label to return it for warrantee, no questions asked. Contacting the seller would have been a dead end as this matter needed to be handled directly by the factory as with many things like this. Fortunately for me it was a relatively easy fix, so no harm, no foul.

As with anything mass produced there can be small issues like this that make it through QC. And as with pretty much everything mass produced I am sure they don't test fire each piece that comes off the line. Batch testing is a manufacturing norm.. maybe they pull 1 out of 100 for live testing..maybe it's 1 of 1000. But I do know this practice is widely used throughout industry. I'm not blindly making excuses, I just accept the fact that these things can happen with anything we buy at almost any price... I'm just glad it was a simple fix.

[plastikosmd]

Thx red for advise. Black is easy, but cleaning that pretty gun= not. Found some load data, somewhere around. 60g of 3031. Sounds stout. Good luck w yours, how is recoil?

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Well, the recoil on the m70 338WM is stout but very manageable if one utilizes good shooting technique. This rifle is heavy as rifles go, 8lbs 8oz according to Winchester's specs. Add the scope and mounting hardware and it is easily well over 9lbs. The Pachmayr Decellerator recoil pad helps alot too.

Would I want to fire a cartridge like this out of my Remmy 700 ADL with a 22"bbl and synthetic stock??? NO!