I just ran into a copy of Guns and Ammo and I saw that federal was making a new round called a .338 Federal. It is essentially a necked up .308. That sounds like absolutely the "perfect" Encore round. I almost had a custom barrel made of that but decided against it as it was a wildcat. I also decided against the .338 JDJ as it was proprietary and all that mess. It looks like I was wise to wait. Does anybody know anything about this? I'm across the pond in the sandbox for 9 more months, but there may be a 12-in .338 Federal present to me from me when I return. If anybody has any additional info on the round or any on the wildcat version I would sure be interested in what you have to say.

i read the same article so i don't know anyhting on it other than that...seems to be a great round, though. but i wanted to take the opportunity to say stay safe over there and thank you for your sacrifice in serving our country. thank you, stay safe, and God bless. we support you and what you do.

i heard it was going to be on the 307 case an thats belted or some thing.... if it is i dont beleave that i would get one.. not tryen too be cheap but case cost or being able too get them would be a personal issue with me were if its on a 308 case ide order one next month if they came in a 15 inch barrel

dave

According to the press release from Federal and Sako:
"The new .338 Federal is a cartridge that provides the
energy of a 7mm Rem Mag in a necked-up .308 case."

For more, see:
http://federalpremium.com/default.asp?menu=1&s1=4&s2=6&id=80&brand=5&year=2005

it is on the .308 case to the best of my knowledge.

i think i got enuff barrels .....but i sure have dreamed of a .338 a long time n agree that it should be a near perfect encore round.

Yup the 338 Federal is a 308 case necked up to 338.

The 307 is a 308 with a rim, no belt. The 307 has a little bit thicker wall demension, but the external dimensions are the same. The 307 was introduced in 1982 by USRA Company for the beefed up angle eject model 94.

This is only my opnion but I would suspect Federal is jumping on the band wagon with everybody else. Winchester brought out the 325 WSM when everybody was expecting the 338 WSM. So Federal jumps in with a "new" cartridge with thier name on it.

I think it's kind of neat. I too feel the 308 lenght, based cases are just right for 15" encore barrels.

In a handgun length barrel I would expect the performance to be very similar to the .338JDJ#2...with very similiar case length and powder capacity. The edge would go the the Federal case being able to run higher pressure in a stronger handgun...Encore or Striker/XP-100.

I load a .308 Winny w/ 46gr Varget and a 168gr SMK to 2700fps in a 26" barrel. My .338JDJ#2 shoots 52gr RL-15 (very similar to Varget) and 180gr NBT to 2500fps in a 15" Contender barrel. Knock off 11" from the .308 and I bet it does not get 2500fps w/ a 168gr bullet.

They are also saying 7mm RM performance from a .308 case...maybe if you only look at the kinetic energy figures at the muzzle. The 7mmRM makes 3498 ft.lbs of energy at the muzzle w/ a 175gr bullet at 3000fps. The 338-06 (not 338-08) shoots a 215gr bullet at 2700fps to make 3481 ft.lbs or energy. The 338-08 (essentially the .338 Federal) should get very close performance to the 338-06 as the .308 Winny gets very close in performance to the 30-06. Other than the muzzle energy figures...the 7mmRM will still blow the .338 Fed out of the water for down range performance. I still think the 338 Fed would make a great handgun round.

Not a rant...just a by the books comparison. I can't stand when media projects tells "un-whole truths" about cartridge comparisons.

Friend EW,
In the sandbox huh? Been there, done that, retired now. My son fought in Iraqi Freedom, my fight was Desert
Shield/Storm. Chewed the same sand in my oatmeal too. I sent my son off with these words, may they comfort you as well:

"May God stand between you and harm, in the Empty places you must walk".

Be well, fight hard, our prayers are with
you.

Keyman (Non sibi sed patriae, Not self,
but country)

This round is starting to interest me. I have already have a 338JDJ#2 and a 338WM, so this barrel would fill a nice niche in my aresenal. BTW, the 338 caliber is fast becoming my second favorite right behind the 6.5 stuff.

Stay Safe, and hope to see you in the States real soon. We appreciate all you've done for our freedom.