Kiwi Bloke, the discussion is about whether a belt is needed or not. Rimmed cartridges are not part of this discussion.

As for the 338 Win. Mag., I have used on for over twenty years and love it. It is accurate, easy to load and hits hard. A lot of people talk about heavy recoil but I would suggest that they have either never fired one, have a poorly fitted stock or don't know how to shoot. I have a 1965 Winchester Model 70, the on that all the critics hate, however the stock is much slimmer than many of the latter models and it fits me perfectly. The stock is more like a Mannlicher Schoenauer stock, quite slim through the grip and forend and you can belt out one round after another without any discomfort, and I am neither tall nor heavy. It has a 21 inch barrel and wears a H30L Aimpoint. It is fast to point, stable to shoot, feeds perfectly and is very fast to repeat. As far as recoil is concerned, it is neither harsh or uncomfortable and is certainly less noticeable than my mates Tikka T3 in 9.3x62 even though both guns weigh almost the same. Don't get me wrong, I love the 9.3x62 round as well, however the 338 is still a superb cartridge for most larger game species. Unfortunately it seems to be getting a bit of bad flack lately for some reason.

Waidmannsheil.