From: Gale McMillan <" gale"@mcmfamily.com>
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: Ballistics on 30/.338 wildcat?
Date: 11 May 1997 16:49:14 -0400

Bartbob wrote:
#
# Fred Huntington (of RCBS) first necked a .338 Win. down to 30 caliber.  It
# soon caught on as an excellent long-range target cartridge and very
# quickly put to rest the idea that the .300 H&H Mag. was the way to go.
#
# As it burns several grains of powder less than a .300 Win. Mag., it
# typically is a more accurate cartridge.  Lower muzzle velocity spreads are
# more easily attainable with the .30-.338.  There's less air space (higher
# loading density) in the .30-.338 compared to the .300 Win. Mag.  And
# muzzle velocities can be within 50 fps of a .300 Win. Mag. with the same
# barrel length, bore, groove and chamber dimensions as well as the same
# peak pressure.
#
# Military rifle teams all used the .30-.338 as their 1000-yard any-rifle
# cartridge.  But expenses required to get ammo was a significant factor in
# switching to the .300 Win. Mag.; more significant than the slightly better
# accuracy it had.

The reason that the Army went away from the 30/338 was due to the
beating it took every inter service match for a good many years by the
Marine Corp.  I cannot understand your defending a dog of a cartridge
when the records are there for anyone to see.  The Army tried to win
with that cartridge for years and went so far as to have me build some
rifles to shoot against the rifles I had built for the Marines.  And
they still lost!  If you want to make a 30/338 shoot better just shorten
the neck to 300 Win length and then all you will have to put up with is
a couple of hundred fps less velocity or just a little more than an 06.I
openly invite a contest between your 30/338 and my 300 Win .  Since Iam
an old man I guess you wouldn't mind me sitting at the bench.  And I
will shoot one of my old home made buttoned barrels.  That ought to get
you to lay some odds!Col. Pullium of the Army shooting team sat in my
shop and said that If he was going to beat the Marines he thought he
would have to go back  to the 06 or give up and change over to the 300W
Gale McMillan