Is the 338 federal a good elk cartridge? How about the 358 win? It's brass is cheaper.Thanks.?

Question

I guess I could form brass for either from 308 win, right? Would it be the right length after resizing?

Answer 1

The .338 & . 358 are both to large a caliber for Elk the most I would use is a .308 at the Max the most popular Elk Calibers would be:

.300 win mag

.300 wsm

.300 ultra mag

.300 weatherby mag

.300 H & H Mag

.30.06 springfield

.7mm Rem Mag

these seem to be the calibers that are most widely used.

Answer 2

OK. Let me give you a lesson in Elk Hunting.

If you hunt on public land, someone other than you is going to tag the Elk that runs.

There is always a tree in the way when you get a shot at a Elk.

There is almost always no way to close the gap on public land by stalking closer than 200 yards to a Elk.

Elk hunting whether on public land self-guided or in the wilderness with a guide in not cheap in money or expended time. Sometimes you get only one shot all season. You must know your shooting ability too. A rifle that flat out has a huge punch, if shot well by the hunter is a huge advantage.

When other's see your Elk and are stalking closer, you are pulling the trigger and killing the Elk. Just as simple as that.

This being said, you need a rifle that will "Anchor" the Elk directly where it stands. To do this you need at least a .338 Winchester Mag. with 225 grain bullets. My preference is a .338 Remington Ultra Mag using 250 grain bullets. One shot, one dead Elk on the spot, bearing YOUR notched Elk tag.

The .338 and .358 are just too small for the serious public land elk hunter. A 7mm Magnum is just a pea shooter!

Answer 3

i think the 358 is a little too big but i also think the 338. is a little big too but most people would disagree with that. The 338. is a very common elk cartridge but i would go with something more like a 270. win, 270. wsm, 300 win mag, or a 300 wsm.

Answer 4

Both those rounds will do the job just fine if you keep the range reasonable. Yes you can just resize .308 brass if you need to.