7mm Backcountry
Experience the world’s most advanced 7mm rifle cartridge.
30 Super Carry
Hits like a 9mm Luger. Carries like a 380 Auto. Designed exclusively for defense.
Raptor Steel
Built in collaboration with Rob Roberts Custom Gunworks, these loads put more pellets on target through Raptor Series chokes.
FireStick
There’s never been a muzzleloading system like this. See all the benefits that set FireStick apart to provide the most convenient, safe and consistent performance ever.
Hydra-Shok® Component Bullets
The bullet that’s defined self-defense for a generation is now available as a component.
Federal X Duluth Pack
Check out the all-new lineup of Federal-branded Duluth Pack apparel and gear.
Model 2020 Waypoint Special Edition
We worked with engineers from Springfield Armory to create Custom Shop loads specifically designed for the utmost performance from the new Model 2020 Waypoint rifle.
Several .338 cartridges have hit the scene over the past 60-odd years. The rationale for most of them has been straightforward: More power for larger game. And to that end, most of this 338 ammo delivers, albeit with a cost—recoil and ammo expense. That’s why the introduction of 338 Federal back in 2006 was so noteworthy. It offers ample power for large game at most ranges with less recoil, gun weight and expense than the big magnums.
Based on a necked-up 308 Win. cartridge, the 338 Federal was the first centerfire rifle cartridge ever to carry the company’s name. It was released with Sako producing rifles and Federal offering ammunition, and its ballistics were (and are) quite impressive. Loaded with 200-grain Fusion bullets, this 338 ammo actually drops a half-inch less at 400 yards than the 308 Win. 180-grain Fusion load when both are zeroed at 200 yards, and the 338 Federal produces 100 more foot-pounds of energy.
Best of all, the 338 Federal offers these ballistics without a major jump in recoil energy or muzzle blast. Unlike other 338 ammo like the 338 Win. Magnum, which produces recoil that can be off-putting to many shooters, the 338 Federal setback is on-par with many popular deer cartridges. Depending on load and rifle weight, the 338 Federal generates between 19 and 22 foot-pounds of recoil, nearly identical to most 270 Win./280 Rem./30-06 Sprg.-class rifles, and less than the various 300 Magnums. It’s also a third less than the 338 Win. Magnum. If you don’t want to put up with 338 Win. Magnum punch, then the 338 Federal is a solid, versatile 338 ammo option for most big game hunting.
What the 338 Federal can do that neither the 30-06 Sprg. or 338 Win. Magnum can is fit into a short action. This means the 338 Federal can be built in light rifles with shorter overall lengths. Shorter, lighter guns are more maneuverable in a tree stand or blind and less burdensome to carry up a mountain. Plus, reducing gun weight doesn’t transform the mild-recoiling 338 Federal into a shoulder-pounding battering ram. As much as I love the 338 Win. Magnum, I’d have to be certain I needed that cartridge’s extended reach and extra power to choose it over the 338 Federal.
Granted, 338 Win. Magnum rifles make cross-canyon shots on big bull elk and they’re better suited for big bears, but beyond that I can’t think of very much the 338 Win. Magnum does that the 338 Federal won’t. It’s an ideal round for elk and moose at moderate ranges, and it’s not overkill for whitetails. The added energy of the 338 Federal folds hogs quickly with well-placed shots, and the 338 Federal also functions in AR-10 platform semi-auto rifles, something the 338 Win. Magnum cannot do. I believe the 338 Federal to be perhaps the best black bear cartridge since it offers ample reach, substantial power, and creates a larger wound channels than 7mm and 30 caliber alternatives. This larger wound channel means better odds of finding a blood trail, which is oftentimes a challenge with black bears.
If you’re looking for a heavy rifle to compliment your current deer gun, then the 338 Federal make sense. Odds are it will do everything you need from 338 ammo with less recoil and gun weight and lower costs.