Neat rifle!
Personally I would have gone with SAS�s Lilja contour, which would put some more weight and stiffness out front, even with the shorter barrel.
A few observations on the 338-06:
I�ve had better accuracy necking down 35 Whelen brass, or using 338-06 factory brass, rather than necking up 30-06.
When using 30-06 brass, Winchester brass gave a smidge more capacity than Remington, which helped when using H4350 or RE17.
In a 22.5� barrel on a Ruger action, I see 2900 fps with 185s, 2800 with 200s, 2750 with 210s, 2650 with 225s, and 2500 with 250s.
I�ve settled on 225 Accubonds at 2650 over H4350 as a do-all. Top end load in my rifle, but brass life is quite good. This bullet exhibits a nice combination of traits. Wouldn�t be surprised if you could get 2600 in your barrel, but that�s probably about it. You may or may not see any more velocity out of RE17 with accuracy- personally I haven�t found it to be a magic elixir.
