What about the .338-06 think I got sick !!!

Mobeasto

Mobeasto

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Hi there I Have a Tikka T3 SS 30-06 .. I'm realoding for it.. find it cool but i'm always wanting to get more of it.. So now I'm thinking of a wildcat that use 30-06 brass ( rellay like the 06 brass and got a lot ) and read some great thing about the .338-06. What do you think of it, For Moose Could it be enough for maybe a bit more than 300 yards.. What about the recoil.. And also Is it worth the Pain or not..

What is the less expensive way to do it.. Just rechambering and rebore my actual barrel or just put a new barrel on it.. Do some of you havealready done this with you rifle ??? how much did it cost you..??

I know there are .300 wm or .338wm or everything magnum but I'm no big fan of the magnums .. Just trying to get some advantages of magnums without some of their disadvantages..


all thanks in advance

David
 
The 338-06 is a fine caliber so is the 35 Whelen either one would do and you can find factory brass for both. I have both and preffer the 338-06 but thats just my opinion.
 
once you get past the BULLET diameter, the main advantage of the magnums ( any magnum you care to mention) is SPEED- typically you pay for that SPEED in terms of REDUCED BRASS LIFE, BARREL LIFE, AND losing 2 rounds in your magazine- not to mention INCREASED POWDER CONSUMPTION- i've got only the ONE magnum, a 338 wm, and that's reserved for BIG BEARS - the rest is all handled quite adequately by a 308 winchester/180-personally i can't see ANY advantage going to a 33 over a 30 unless you're counting BULLET WEIGHT, and then it's only 30 grains over the 06- 220 vs 250( typical ) for the 338- even with my beloved 275 grain loading ( which they don't make anymore) it's not going to kill game any "deader" than the 06- if you're worried about recoil try some 220s in your 06 first, - that will be a little lighter than the 338/06, but not by much
 
I've got one on that started as a Rem. Sportsman 78 .30-06. Ron Smith in Wimborne, Ab. bored it out to .338-06.However, from what I understand, a new barrel may give better accuracy than a bored out oneBut these are hunting rifles, right?.At least that's the word from the barrel maker.To me, the advantage is the ability to run 210's.But even with 180's, you gain a bit more velocity than you get with the .30-06 with the 180. The dies are are bit more than standard dies, but brass is plentiful.
 
Mobeasto, it isn't so much the calibre or the velocity as it is your ability to shoot it well. If you can't put the bullet where it needs to go, it won't matter if you're shooting a 50BMG.
As mentioned, the 30-06, loaded with 200 - 220 grain bullets is devastatingly powerful. If it's constructed properly, the bullet will smash bone and penetrate wonderfully. The sectional density of the 30 cal bullet is much higher than the 338 cal.

Now, I have two 338-06 rifles. A model 70 and a Ruger NoI. I really like both of them. In all honesty though they don't work any better than a 6.5x55 (T3). Now, even though I don't see much use for the big magnums, I don't mind other people liking or useing them. They will give a bit of extra reach but not much else. The 338-06 is a good in between cartridge. It isn't magical by any means but neither is a 338RUM.

If you feel you are under gunned with a 30-06, you aren't. 200 grain and heavier 30 cal bullets are spectacular performers out of a 30-06. The T3 is a relatively light rifle. The 30-06 loaded with 200 grain bullets will recoil just as hard as a 338-06 loaded with 225 grain bullet. Many people go to 185/200 grain bullets in the 338-06 to reduce recoil. That negates everything you switched to the cartridge to gain.

All of this being said, if you want to go to a 338-06/35Whelan, just for the experience, go for it. You won't be disappointed. They are both so close in performance that there is little if any difference between the two, other than that there is a better selction of bullets for the 338 calibre.

My advice to you, IMHO, learn to shoot the weight of bullet you feel most comfortable with well. Practise from prone, standing (with a shooting stick if needed) and kneeling. Don't forget leaning from a tree and if you use one, off your bipod. When you are confident in your abilities, then decide if you need more power.

I now use a 6.5x55 with 140 and 95 grain bullets for 98% of my hunting and a 7-08 for the other 2%. Neither moose, bears, deer, elk or coyotes have noticed they weren't hit with a 338-06. My shoulder which gives me trouble has though and I don't feel the least bit under powered.
 
i think the 338 06 is a great calibre. loaded up in a light rifle its got a bit of recoil but much less than a 338. in a 23 inch barrel i can get 2850 with a 200 grn and 2725 to 2750 with a 225. a little slower than my 338 but more comfortable to shoot. it shoots a heavier bullet faster than the 30 06 shoots a 180 grn . both my 338 and 338 06 are fairly light.
 
bearhunter said:
As mentioned, the 30-06, loaded with 200 - 220 grain bullets is devastatingly powerful. If it's constructed properly, the bullet will smash bone and penetrate wonderfully. The sectional density of the 30 cal bullet is much higher than the 338 cal.
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The 338-06 puts a 225gr bullet out as fast as the 30-06 does a 180gr bullet. Sectional density of the 225gr is 0.281 and the 180gr is 0.271.

The 338 puts a 250gr bullet out at ~2550fps and the 30-06 puts the 220gr out at ~2450fps. Sectional densities are 0.313 and 0.331, respectively. The 225gr is 6% better, not exactly "much higher" and the 338 carries 100fps more with a 14% heavier bullet.

The 338-06 is really just a hot-rodded 30-06 throwing somewhat heavier bullets at similar velocities with slightly better trajectories. Either one will put anything down in NA without beating you to death with recoil.

The 338 really shines with heavier bullets, if you don't like the recoil those generate I think you are better off sticking with the 30-06 and 180gr bullets.


Mark
 
mmattockx said:
The 338-06 puts a 225gr bullet out as fast as the 30-06 does a 180gr bullet. Sectional density of the 225gr is 0.281 and the 180gr is 0.271.


Mark
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Mark, I've got to dissagree with this. If you scan through a few reloading manuals you'll see that 225 @ 2800 is a max load for a 338 win mag (according to most), not a 338-06. The 338-06 is a good round, but way too often guys are quoting 338-06 performance that meets or exceeds full power 338 win mag loads, and that's not super helpful. My 338 win mag 225 gr SST load is 71.5 gr of IMR 4350 over a magnum primer, and I get 2830 fps on the chrony, and I'm about two grains over Hornady's listed max for this bullet.

PS - My 180gr 30-06 loads cruise along at 2880 fps without a problem, and I'm really hoping nobody is even trying to get their 338-06 to push 225's at that velocity. I can't get that out of my win mag.
 
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30-06 vs 338-06

I have the magnums up to the 300WHBY. However I just bought another 30-06. This is fine for all North American big game. If you must shoot a heavier bullet try the 200gr (partition) in the 06, it will match anything you can get out of the 338-06. However as has been mentioned shot placement is key to success. Enjoy.
Bill
 
b72471 said:
If you must shoot a heavier bullet try the 200gr (partition) in the 06, it will match anything you can get out of the 338-06.
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With equal barrel lengths the 338-06 will push a 200 grain bullet 200-300 fps faster than the 30-06.

I have probably shot over 50 deer, moose,bear, and caribou with a 30-06 and while it is still may favorite "all-round" cartridge I have to say the 338-06 puts down the bigger animals down with a fair bit more authority than it's smaller parent.

There is a very good reason those of us who have actual field experience with the 338-06 - and it's very close cousin the 35 Whelen - are so fond of these cartridges that launch a fairly heavy bullet at moderate velocity.
 
If one says the 30-06 is not capable of any and all north american game they are unwittingly speaking of their lack of marksmanship. That being said my next rifle will be a 35 whelen because I like to use heavy bullets that float instead of light screaming fast bullets. In my experience I prefer bigger diameter over speed
 
'Boo said:
With equal barrel lengths the 338-06 will push a 200 grain bullet 200-300 fps faster than the 30-06.

I have probably shot over 50 deer, moose,bear, and caribou with a 30-06 and while it is still may favorite "all-round" cartridge I have to say the 338-06 puts down the bigger animals down with a fair bit more authority than it's smaller parent.

There is a very good reason those of us who have actual field experience with the 338-06 - and it's very close cousin the 35 Whelen - are so fond of these cartridges that launch a fairly heavy bullet at moderate velocity

Yeah, blah, blah, blah....then why is it that there is so very few of them sold!!!! Not meaning to be disrespectful but come on, its a mediocre cartiridge at best. I've shot over 20 moose with a 308 win but I'm not saying it's superior to my 300 win mag or my 8 mm Rem. mag or my 7 mag or any other of my non mags...they all kill moose just as dead if the shot is placed correctly.
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Because the majority of hunters aren't really gun people. What is common, or what their fathers' used, or what their best friends' have recommended is what most hunting choices are made by. The 35 Whelen and 338-06 are more a choice of people who are willing to experiment. Nothing wrong with the other choices, but for certain kinds of hunting there are better options. - dan
 
For one thing, if you can't afford to spend at least $600 on the upgrade, don't do it. Actually, $600 would be cheap. $400 for a new bbl, $75 for dies and another $200+ for a gunsmith to take off your existing bbl and fit/chamber a new one. That is if you can find one with a decent reamer.

You would be better off advertising on the EE for one.

I went to a 338-06 after I realised the 338WM was just to abusive for me. I love it. If I had to stick to only one rifle, that would be my pick. I would certainly miss my 6.5x55 though.

One other thing to consider, that T3 is a light rifle. If you are at all recoil sensetive, you will certainly notice the difference.

As mentioned previously, the 30-06 when loaded with heavy bullets will do anything the 338-06 will do. The only real difference is that you can find better bullets in the 225 - 250 grain range than the 30s. You can also find bullets as light as 185 grains but they lose energy quite fast in comparison to the 30s and heavier 338s.
 
Northman999 said:
Mark, I've got to dissagree with this. If you scan through a few reloading manuals you'll see that 225 @ 2800 is a max load for a 338 win mag (according to most), not a 338-06. The 338-06 is a good round, but way too often guys are quoting 338-06 performance that meets or exceeds full power 338 win mag loads, and that's not super helpful. My 338 win mag 225 gr SST load is 71.5 gr of IMR 4350 over a magnum primer, and I get 2830 fps on the chrony, and I'm about two grains over Hornady's listed max for this bullet.

PS - My 180gr 30-06 loads cruise along at 2880 fps without a problem, and I'm really hoping nobody is even trying to get their 338-06 to push 225's at that velocity. I can't get that out of my win mag.
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Well, my Hornady manual has 338-06 max loads running 225gr bullets at 2700fps and they always seem to be on the low side of performance. They also list the 30-06 with 180gr at 2700fps as max, so according to Hornady they are very close and you are running your 30-06 well above their maximums. I have seen people that can't get to 2900fps with 165's in the 30-06, you may have a pretty fast one there.

I use 72.0gr of IMR4350 under a 250gr SP in my .338 Win Mag with no pressure signs at all, so things do vary. I have not chrony'd that load to see what it is doing, though. I have seen others getting 2750fps with a 250gr using similar loads. A 225gr loaded to the same energy level would be right at 2900fps. Alliant's site lists their max load with a 225gr bullet as 78.0gr of RL-19 with a velocity of 2944fps. I have loaded up to that charge with no pressure signs, but have not put it across a chronograph to confirm their (very high) velocity claims.

As always, YMMV and every loader should develop loads for their rifle.


Mark
 
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