.338 Federal
.338 Federal between .308 Winchester (left) and .358 Winchester (right)
TypeRifle
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerFederal Cartridge / Sako
ManufacturerFederal Cartridge
Produced2006
Specifications
Parent case.308 Winchester
Case typeRimless, bottleneck
Bullet diameter.338 in (8.6 mm)
Neck diameter.369 in (9.4 mm)
Shoulder diameter.454 in (11.5 mm)
Base diameter.470 in (11.9 mm)
Rim diameter.473 in (12.0 mm)
Rim thickness.049 in (1.2 mm)
Case length2.01 in (51 mm)
Overall length2.75 in (70 mm)
Primer typeLarge rifle
Maximum pressure62,000 psi
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
180 gr (12 g) AccuBond 2,830 ft/s (860 m/s) 3,200 ft⋅lbf (4,300 J)
185 gr (12 g) Triple Shock 2,750 ft/s (840 m/s) 3,105 ft⋅lbf (4,210 J)
210 gr (14 g) AccuBond 2,630 ft/s (800 m/s) 3,225 ft⋅lbf (4,373 J)
Test barrel length: 24" Pac-Nor
Source(s): Nosler Load Data,[1] Hodgedon Reloading Data Center[2]

The .338 Federal is a rifle cartridge based on the .308 Winchester case necked up to .33 caliber. It was created by Federal Cartridge and Sako in 2006 and intended as a big game cartridge with reasonable recoil for lightweight rifles.[3]

Comparison

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

The .338 Federal was designed by Federal Ammunition and it is a SAAMI standardized cartridge that was released in 2006. In the table below is a comparison between the .338 Federal and the older .358 Winchester, another cartridge based on the .308 Winchester.

.338 Federal Performance Comparison
Cartridge Bullet Weight Muzzle velocity Muzzle energy Load[a] Recoil in 8 lb (3.6 kg) rifle
gr g ft/s m/s ft·lbf J gr g ft·lbf J
.338 Federal 210 14 2,630 800 3,225 4,373 47 3.0 23.42 31.75
.338 Federal 180 12 2,830 860 3,200 4,300 47 3.0 21.84 29.61
.358 Win 200 13 2,490 760 2,753 3,733 49 3.2 20.07 27.21

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Load values specify typical powder weight for this level of performance.

References

  1. ^ "Nosler Load Data" (PDF). Archived from the original on February 5, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "Take Aim at Rifle Reloading Data | Hodgdon Reloading". Archived from the original on 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  3. ^ Cartridges of the World 11th Edition, Book by Frank C. Barnes, Edited by Stan Skinner, Gun Digest Books, 2006, ISBN 0-89689-297-2 pp.75,104

External links

Federal Premium Ammunition
Cartridges derived from the .30-03 Springfield
Category