I am thinking about buying a .336. I don't know too much about the rifle can you please help me decide.?

Question

Sorry I meant .338.

Answer 1

You wouldn't have much use for a .338 unless you are a big game hunter. If you are buying one just to shoot at the range, that is a mistake, because it has substantial recoil. Just for a rough idea, the .338 is the #1 caliber in Alaska when it comes to hunters and/or guides, and you know how big the animals in Alaska are!

Good luck on the decision.

Answer 2

Are you asking about the Marlin 336?  Good choice.  Usual caliber is .30-30 Winchester.  Good beginner's deer gun.

H

Answer 3

first off, there are really two seperate things,

The rifle, and the ammunition it shoots.

Now the ammunition is the brass case, the primer (it sparks when hit by the firing pin) the bullet (the actual projectile) and the gunpowder.

It is the ammunition that gives the gun it's power.  The ammunition is the engine.  Just like you can get a car with different sized engines, you can get a rifle designed to fire one of a long list of ammunition.

So, when you ask about 338, and ask about that kind of rifle, you aren't really making much sense.

So lets talk about the platform, the rifle.  Any name brand bolt action rifle is going to be relatively the same.  Savage, Winchester, Remington, Browning, CZ, Howa, Weatherby, etc etc.  Sure, there are a ton of minor differences, and in general the more money you spend, the better product you get, but you'd be fine with a $500 Savage or a $700 Remington 700, or whatever.

Now, lets talk about 338.

That is actually just a number.  Most people mean a 338 winchester magnum when they say it, but there is also a 338 federal and a 338-06, and a 338 remington ultra-magnum, and a few more.

By and large, all those 338s are to a degree specialized cartridges.  The most famous is the 338 winchester magnum.  it is the classic Alaskan.  Seriously, unless you are going after grizzly bear or moose on a yearly basis, that is way more gun that you need.  the 338 Remington Ultra-Mag is for those few who have mastered the 338 winmag and want a bit more range.

now, the two more reasonable cartridges, teh 338 federal and the 338-06, are each more standard sized cartridges re-necked to handle bigger bullets (338 federal is a 308 renecked, 338-06 is a 30-06 renecked)  Of the two, 338 federal is newer, and much more likely to be found on the gunstore shelf.  They are good rifles for people who elk hunt, and want a bit more close range power.  They are also good for black bear, but beyond that, they aren't a good 'all around' cartridge, they are designed for very specific needs.

if you want an all around gun, get a name brand bolt action, be it a remington, a ruger, a savage, a browning, or whatever you choose.  But the key to an all around rifle is selecting one designed to shoot an all-around cartridge.

The two most popular all-around cartridges are the  30-06 springfield and 270 winchester, or if you want basically the same thing in a slightly shorter action, the 308 winchester and 7mm-08 remington.

There are a lot of other great 'all around cartridges' but those two will handle any game in North America and South America, and pretty much anything shy of elephants and the like in Africa.

other great all-around cartridges would be the 280 remignton, 7x57 mauser, 300 savage, 284 winchester, 7x64 Brenneke, 300 H&H, 303 british, 8x57 mauser, and a bunch of others.

But seriously, are you going after anything other than deer?

Two great deer cartridges are the 243 and the 25-06.  They shoot fast and flat, are generally quite accurate, great for long distance varmints like coyote as well, or mountain goat or bighorn sheep.  Not so great vs a grizzly, moose, or elk, but really how likely are you to hunt grizz?

Answer 4

well it would help if you explained a little more

1. what experience do you have with guns

2. is it a 338 or 336

EDIT: I would go with a .22 LR as your first gun at 338 WILL kick your butt........ it kicks the butt of experienced shooters and a 10 dollars a round its going to mighty expensive  if you don't want a .22 LR get a .17 HMR

Answer 5

I assume you mean the .338 win mag.

My two main hunting rifles are a 30-06 and a .338 win mag. Mainly because they have the same virtually the same trajectory for the bullet weights I shoot in them. Its is convenient because I don't have to think about different hold overs when swapping rifles.

The .338 win mag has been around quite awhile (since the 50's), so it is an established caliber that can be found in almost all sporting good stores. Is is pretty much good to go for any large game on the North American continent. It is overkill for deer size game.

I consider myself an experienced shooter and my .338 punishes me from the bench. After about 10-15 rounds I have had enough. Hunting with it I never notice obviously, but a beginner would definitely have difficulty even getting it sighted in.  

It is a belted magnum like the 300 win mag, 7mm mag, ect. In my opinion it is a great choice for a large game(north america) rifle and is a very flexible round if you reload. If you don't reload it can be quite costly.

If this a first rifle I would advise against it. Get something "smaller" like a 30-06. It is alot cheaper to shoot, very versatile, and an is also pretty much good to go for larger (elk, moose, bear) game. It can also be punishing from the bench depending on the rifle it is chambered in. If your just wanting a deer rifle look into the .270 also.