Best .338 Winchester Magnum Ammo
Every load we price, sorted by cost per round delivered to your state
We track 4 .338 Winchester Magnum loads from 2 dealers. The cheapest delivered to AR, shipping included, is Hornady Precision Hunter .338 Winchester Magnum 230gr ELD-X Ammo at $2.53 a round.
The .338 Winchester Magnum is a bolt-rifle cartridge for elk, moose and brown bear, often carried as a guide's backup gun in rifles like the Model 70. Winchester introduced it in 1958 on a shortened, belted .375 H&H case. It fits a standard .30-06-length action and fires .338" bullets, most often 200 to 250 grains.
The loads on this page run 200 to 230 grains at 2,800 to 2,960 fps. The 200 grain Power-Point and the 225 grain SST are cup-and-core bullets for elk and moose at normal ranges. The 225 grain Barnes TTSX is solid copper for deep penetration and lead-free zones. The 230 grain ELD-X has the highest BC here and is the one to pick for longer shots.
All .338 Winchester Magnum Loads
Compare ballistics and prices across 4 products
| PRODUCT ↕ | GRAIN ↕ | VELOCITY ↕ | ENERGY ↕ | BC ↕ | USE CASE ↕ | BEST PRICE ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Barnes VOR-TX .338 Winchester Magnum 225gr TTSX Ammo
225gr
• 2800 fps
|
225gr | 2800 | 3918 | .514 | — | $3.21/rd |
|
Hornady Precision Hunter .338 Winchester Magnum 230gr ELD-X Ammo
230gr
• 2810 fps
|
230gr | 2810 | 4032 | .616 | — | $2.53/rd |
|
Hornady Superformance .338 Winchester Magnum 225gr SST Ammo
225gr
• 2840 fps
|
225gr | 2840 | 4029 | .515 | — | $3.67/rd |
|
Winchester Super-X .338 Winchester Magnum 200gr Power-Point Ammo
200gr
• 2960 fps
|
200gr | 2960 | 3890 | .308 | — | $3.09/rd |
.338 Winchester Magnum Trajectory Calculator
Calculate drop, velocity, and energy at any range
Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
- Over .300 Win Mag: bullets 30 to 50 grains heavier and wider, for deeper penetration on moose and bear.
- Fits a .30-06-length action with a magnum bolt face, so rifles stay a normal size.
- Carries enough bullet weight for large bears, where a .30 caliber magnum is marginal.
Cons
- Recoil is noticeably heavier than .300 Win Mag, and most shooters flinch without practice.
- More gun than deer, pronghorn or sheep need, with more meat damage at close range.
- Heavy .338 bullets drop more past 400 yards than high-BC 7mm and .30 caliber magnum loads.
- Belted case headspaces on the belt, which shortens brass life for handloaders unless dies are set to the shoulder.