would like to build a 338-06

savagelh

savagelh

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I picked up an older savage 110 in 30-06 a few years ago. It shoots fine and is a good working rifle, It has a dbm with the release on the side of the stock. I was thinking that I would prefer a 338-06 for a dedicated moose and elk gun. I already have a couple 308's that I use for everything else. Is re-barreling to a 338-06 reasonable or am I way out to lunch? What would I expect to pay? I like the action and it has a great trigger and it is in ok shape. Would I be restricted by the oal of the magazine?
 
Suspect a standard action will not stand up to a magnum cartridge. Needs to be a magnum action. The mag most certainly will matter, but the two cartridges are the same OA length with the bullet. Not an issue.
Ain't nothing a wild cat .338-06 will do a standard .30-06 will not.
 
338 06 isnt a magnum its just a 30 06 with a bigger bullet. it should only need a new barrel. you cant use a magnum action it would be the wrong boltface.i have one but its a ruger.
 
order a prechambered barrel in 338 06 from mystic precision. have it head spaced and go. as long as its the same contour it should drop in.its a great cartridge. i like 200 grn in mine.
 
sunray said:
Suspect a standard action will not stand up to a magnum cartridge. Needs to be a magnum action. The mag most certainly will matter, but the two cartridges are the same OA length with the bullet. Not an issue.
Ain't nothing a wild cat .338-06 will do a standard .30-06 will not.
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sunray... why do you feel you have to respond to every thread out there? Just getting your post count up? Especially the ones you have no knowledge about. A 338-06 is not a magnum cartridge, it is a simple 30-06 necked up to accept a 338 bullet. And there is no difference in strength between a standard action and a magnum action either. And a 30-06 will not come close to doing what a 338-06 will.
 
http://www.higginsonpowders. com/pricelists.html
guntech said:
A 338-06 is not a magnum cartridge, it is a simple 30-06 necked up to accept a 338 bullet. And there is no difference in strength between a standard action and a magnum action either. And a 30-06 will not come close to doing what a 338-06 will.
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I have one and it certainly hits a lot harder than the old 30-06. I would do just as explained above and order the prechambered barrel and your good to go!

I love mine, one of the few rifles that are not leaving the safe!
 
sunray said:
Suspect a standard action will not stand up to a magnum cartridge. Needs to be a magnum action. The mag most certainly will matter, but the two cartridges are the same OA length with the bullet. Not an issue.
Ain't nothing a wild cat .338-06 will do a standard .30-06 will not.
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guntech said:
sunray... why do you feel you have to respond to every thread out there? Just getting your post count up? Especially the ones you have no knowledge about. A 338-06 is not a magnum cartridge, it is a simple 30-06 necked up to accept a 338 bullet. And there is no difference in strength between a standard action and a magnum action either. And a 30-06 will not come close to doing what a 338-06 will.
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Ohhhhhh Sunray.... I love the signature. Spelling and grammar count. Apparently having the slightest bit of a clue about wtf you are talking about isn't important though...

And a 30-06 WILL come close to doing what a 338-06 will do. You can load heavier bullets in the 338 but the 30 has better BC for the same weight which has its advantages especially at longer ranges. Its a trade off one way or the other - higher SD and BC or higher weight and bigger hole. The same? Certainly not. But they are pretty close.

Go 35 whelen. Go big or go home!
 
hmm now you have me thinking of a 35 whelen. I must admit I know nothing about it. I think 338-06 would be the perfect balance between the two. I may have to get ahold of jerry if I want this project to come to life.
 
savagelh said:
hmm now you have me thinking of a 35 whelen. I must admit I know nothing about it. I think 338-06 would be the perfect balance between the two. I may have to get ahold of jerry if I want this project to come to life.
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The 338-06 outperforms the 35 Whelen. Higher velocity, flatter shooting, more retained energy. It really is a fine cartridge. The 210 or 225 grain bullets are my pick.
 
guntech said:
The 338-06 outperforms the 35 Whelen. Higher velocity, flatter shooting, more retained energy. It really is a fine cartridge. The 210 or 225 grain bullets are my pick.
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I cant help but feel like the 338-06 is too similar to the 30, whereas the 35 gives you something that is more substantially different. Realistically no animal is going to tell the difference from one to the other, so its the same trade-off going 338 to 35 as it was going 30 to 338.

Interestingly, according to the reloading data on the Hodgdon site the 338 has a velocity advantage over the 35 whelen with a given bullet weight... And I mean like 100-150fps... Anyone know why? 35 whelen lower pressure or something? And if that is the only difference, then shouldn't they be pretty damn similar in the same action where you could push the 35 whelen to the same pressures as the 338?
 
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Suther said:
I cant help but feel like the 338-06 is too similar to the 30, whereas the 35 gives you something that is more substantially different. Realistically no animal is going to tell the difference from one to the other, so its the same trade-off going 338 to 35 as it was going 30 to 338.

Interestingly, according to the reloading data on the Hodgdon site the 338 has a velocity advantage over the 35 whelen with a given bullet weight... And I mean like 100-150fps... Anyone know why? 35 whelen lower pressure or something? And if that is the only difference, then shouldn't they be pretty damn similar in the same action where you could push the 35 whelen to the same pressures as the 338?
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The 06 case seems to be the perfect match for the 338 bullet compared to 30 and 35 calibers. It's an anomaly that has been proven.
 
guntech said:
The 06 case seems to be the perfect match for the 338 bullet compared to 30 and 35 calibers. It's an anomaly that has been proven.
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It is hard to tell due to CIP vs PSI, but it seems that the 30 and 35 only go to about 60 000psi, whereas some of the 338 loads are over 63 000 psi. (info gleamed from Hodgdon's reloading data, available on their webpage.)

Could this be because of how old the 30 and 35 are, whereas the 338-06 is a newer cartridge?
 
I already have a 30-06 that kills everything required but I built a 35 Whelen a few years ago for a new toy to play with.

I'm currently in the process of finishing off a stock for a 338-06ai that I just recently built. Looking forward to getting
the new rifle out to shoot.
 
Suther said:
It is hard to tell due to CIP vs PSI, but it seems that the 30 and 35 only go to about 60 000psi, whereas some of the 338 loads are over 63 000 psi. (info gleamed from Hodgdon's reloading data, available on their webpage.)

Could this be because of how old the 30 and 35 are, whereas the 338-06 is a newer cartridge?
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SAAMI rates the 338-06 as having a maximum 63000 psi limit while the .35 Whelen is not far behind at 62000 psi. For comparison the parent 30-06 is rated at 60000 psi due to the thousands of near 100 year old rifles chambered for it that are still in use.

The 338-06 is probably the best "balanced" cartridge ever designed on the 30-06 case. The bore size provides optimal expansion ratios with the types and amounts of powders typically used in the '06 case. The .338-06 will launch a 200 grain bullet at roughly the same velocity as the 30-06 will with a 180 grain bullet and roughy 300 fps faster than the 30-06 can do with a 200 grain bullet.

All other things being equal the .35 Whelen will be 100 - 150 fps slower than the .338-06 with equal bullet weights. Further to this the .338 bullets have a higher ballistic coefficient and sectional density than .35 calibre bullets of the same weight. While the .35 Whelen does not have any flies on it by any means the .338-06 does hit a little harder and with a flatter trajectory for slightly longer distances than it's fatter sibling.

I can also say that while I had my .338-06 built as a dedicated moose rifle it makes a great deer rifle. With a point-blank range similar to the 30-06 - say 300 yards plus - it can shoot across an alfalfa field if necessary. The heavy-jacketed .338 bullets also provide entrance and exit wounds with little - if any - blood shot into the surrounding tissues.
 
I am struggling with the concept of a 338-06 being a lot faster than a 35 whelen, in spite of a couple pretty experienced supporters. Nosler's site does not back up the claim, it gives the whelen more speed with 200, 225 and 250 grain bullets (the 06 has a 24" bbl, the whelen a 26", but that two inches does not account for the difference). I will give the 338-06 it's dues, with the higher coefficients it will retain velocity better as the range stretches out there.
 
Pat Brennan said:
I am struggling with the concept of a 338-06 being a lot faster than a 35 whelen, in spite of a couple pretty experienced supporters. Nosler's site does not back up the claim, it gives the whelen more speed with 200, 225 and 250 grain bullets (the 06 has a 24" bbl, the whelen a 26", but that two inches does not account for the difference). I will give the 338-06 it's dues, with the higher coefficients it will retain velocity better as the range stretches out there.
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Out of Nosler's published data; at the muzzle:
338-06 225 grain maximum velocity listed 2595 f/s - 35 Whelen 225 grain maximum velocity listed 2525 f/s
338-06 250 grain maximum velocity listed 2424 f/s - 35 Whelen 250 grain maximum velocity listed 2506 f/s

So with the 225 grain the 338-06 starts out more and continues all the way...
.... with the 250 grain the 35 Whelen is more at the muzzle but at 100 yards and beyond loses any advantage..

... It's an anomaly that has been proven but post 16 explains it well.
 
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