338-223 Straight

Historical Notes:

The 338-223 Straight originated with Max Atchisson of Atlanta, Georgia in 1972. It was intended as the cartridge for a blowback semi-auto rifle he designed. It also had a secondary purpose as a possible cartridge for use in rebarreled Model 1907 Winchester self loading rifles chambered for the 351 Winchester SL. At the time 351 Winchester SL ammunition was no longer manufactured and was difficult to obtain in shooting quantities. However, Winchester reintroduced 351 SL ammunition and eliminated that problem.

Although strictly an experimental development, the 338-223 is interesting because it is the ultimate possibility in necking up the 223 Remington or similar brass cases. There are two versions of this cartridge, one made by  necking up the full length 223 case and the other based on cutting off the 223 case at the shoulder and trimming it to 1.412 inches. The full length version presented two problems. It is difficult to make without splitting the case neck, and with an overall length of 2.54 inches, it is too long to function through the action of the rebarreled Model 1907 Winchester rifles. The short case, on the other hand, is almost the same length as the 351 Winchester SL and can be made to work in the Model 1907 rifle.

General Comments:

The 351 Winchester SL is loaded with a 180 grain bullet at a muzzle velocity of 1850 fps. The 338-223 is loaded with a 180 grain bullet at 1820 fps, so the two are ballistically almost identical. Both cartridges are considered marginal for deer, but do very well on coyote, bobcat, mountain lion, or similar predators at close range. The 338-223 project was eventually dropped because the reappearance of 351 Winchester SL ammunition made such a cartridge non-viable. One problem with the 338-223 is that it is a rimless case which must headspace on the case mouth. This works well with the short pistol cartridges, but not as well with the high powered rifle calibers. Finally, there doesn't seem to be any real need for such a cartridge.

Source: Cartridges of the World

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