As we moved through the trees, we spotted movement about 80 yards away. It was a buck that was on his way to our party. This buck got away before we could get a good look at him, let alone a clear shot. His appearance indicated that we'd quit our previous location too soon, so we really began to scan the surrounding brush for any more bucks that might be coming. Sure enough, over west of us was a nice 10-point whitetail that had been attracted to the sound of the rattled antlers.

According to the Sheriff, the .338 Federal 185-grain Triple-Shock loading really did a number on this nice buck. He says the new cartridge shows great potential for big-game hunters.

The guide checked him with his binoculars and pronounced him a worthy candidate. In the meantime, I had taken a position against a nearby mesquite tree and put the rifle's crosshairs on the deer's right shoulder. Once I got the green light from my guide, I touched the trigger of the Sako and watched the 185-grain .338 Federal load pile this buck in the dirt. The distance was approximately 80 yards.

Shows Interesting Potential
The .338 Federal shows some very interesting potential. Being based on the .308 case means that the cartridge can be used in short-action rifles. Consequently, it provides the potential for impressive power in a very manageable package. Oh, by the way, this impressive power and manageable package does not come at the cost of heavy recoil. In the shooting that I've done with the .338 Federal/Sako combination I found the felt recoil quite manageable.

I think the real potential of the .338 Federal cartridge is going to be measured when it is matched against game animals the size of elk, black bear, and moose. It ought to be just the medicine to use when putting the sneak on a big elk in the heavy timber. I would also be very interested to see how the cartridge performs on African plains game. My bet is that it can deliver the goods to just about any medium- or large-framed game animal.

So please forgive me if I seem to live in the past when it comes to rifle cartridges. If you come across me in the woods, I'll probably be packing some sort of bolt action with a classic stock. It will probably be chambered for one of the good old cartridges that I've mentioned previously. One thing's for sure, the cartridge won't be belted.

But you'll also have to forgive me if I choose to include the .338 Federal in that mix of good, "using" cartridges. I think it's that good. In fact, you do what you want to, but I'm going to get one on order as quickly as I can.