While I like the idea of the .338 Win. Mag., that damn cartridge just plain hurts me every time it try to shoot it off the bench. I jave two, both Winchster M70s. One is a post 64, pre68, 24" barrel and walnut stock with hardly any grain pattern. Kind of a strange story behind that one which is why I've kept it.* The other is a New Haven Stainless Classic with 26" barrel and a 2.5" muzzle brake making the rifle's barrel 28.5". I can't see that the brake helps at all with the recoil. Currently have lead bars in the forearm channel and in the hollow butt of the plastic stock and I still find it a bit uncomfortable from the bench. I can shoot either rifle reasonably well offhand or from a sitting position but not off the bench which is why they're only rough sighted in. Frankly, without the lead bars and the plastic stock that comes on the rifle, the gun is way too light for the cartridge. Two, both rifles came the aftermarket Limbsaver recoil pads that have turned to goo. If I have to make a change it will be one hell of a messy job.
* The story is when I was at a local outlaw swap meet there was this guy who was trying to raise money to get back home to Idaho. He claimed that he'd bought the rifle from Elmer Keith which I took to be a bit of BS but I listened to his story. He said he had the bill of sale signed by Keith and he's send it along with the reloading stuff if I left him with an address. I gave hm a slightly different name and the address where I worked., let the secretary know that if a package came for a PB that it was for me. I happened to be working the day shift when the package came. Full set of RCBS dies, a bunch of fired brass and a few boxes of reloads. The was also a letter of apology for not including the bill of sale as he said he could not find it. Said if he did he would send it along. I had my son in law run the gun to see if it was stolen or not and it came out clean.
I have shot bigger more powerful rifles that the .338 Win. Mag. but for some reason that one just beats hell out of me. I've never figured out why.
Paul B.
