Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats help me decide

Gentlemen please help me decide on rebarreling a M70 push feed to either 338-06 or 35 whelen and why? I do reload so that part is not a hinderence.Also which barrel brand would be the general consensus?

How far will you be shooting? .338 has better bullets for shooting at longer ranges in the wind.

No more than 200 yards or so mainly to be used in the swamps down here in SC for deer and hogs.

Either is a lot of gun for southern whitetails and hogs. Are you going with one of these just because of the "cool factor"? If so, I don't blame you. I like the idea of having a rifle in one of those calibers.
On the other hand, I'm realizing that I'm not really interested in the recoil and I don't really have a need for anything bigger than one of my 6.8-06's (I wouldn't shoot a .270; everybody knows they're gay) and would probably be better off to just shoot a .243.
If I were rebarreling, I would think about something smaller because I would be likely to shoot it more. But one should never let practicality interfere with building a really cool rifle. ;-)

I prefer the .338-06 for the broader array of bullets that are available, but there are no flies on the Whelen. In the swamps, either would work fine with the bullets that are available.

Owned a 35 Whelen and could careless about it these days. If I wanted a 30-06 length 35, I would pick a 358 Norma magnum. I would pick a 338-06 over the 35 but would pick a 9.3x62 over ether of them.

Hard to go wrong with a Douglass.

The current M70 may have a sale-able barrel on it now with value.

Sell it as it is and buy another rifle chambered the way you want with CRF yet!

Don't listen to Savage 99, he's not in his right mind most of the time. For your rifle pick either cartridge you want, I have both a d both are fun to play with. I wouldn't change your barrel at all I'd send it off to Reboring by Jes and have the rifle back in around three weeks and be shooting.

It is definately for cool factor. my other donor m70 is being turned into a 7x57. I have plenty of other calibers to play with but want a medium bore thumper. As far as reboring it I think id rather have a new barrel.

my last jess rebore the rifle was out of my hands for 6 days.

If I lived in BC or Alaska I would have a Whelen...hands down. Where you live I would go w/the 338-06 and shoot the 180gr AcuuBond. It'll take care of anything in the lower 48 and that includes the Carolina's. powdr

I knew he was fast, but had no clue he could turn one around that quickly! I haven't heard of one of his rebore jobs that wouldn't shoot with acceptable hunting accuracy either. If I find the right donor I think I'll have him bore a .358 Norma for me.

Whelen . . .

Ok lets talk twist rate. Im thinking of running 200-225 grain jacketed bullets and maybe some 180 grn cast in the whelen. Is this going to be to fast or not.

1:12" on mine. It does fine with 158 jacketed pistol bullets down to 1,200 fps. My tube in a PacNor 5-groove #3 contour @ 22". Have not shot any cast.

Whelen will give you cheaper opportunities to plink w/pistol bullets.
Either will work for most game in the lower 48.
338 does have better heavy bullet selection.

I would seriously consider a rebore. JES did my 30-30 to 356 Win with a 14" twist. It shoots 280gr cast wonderfully.
My 358 Norma has a 16" twist and shoots 250JSP into .7". I have some old Barnes 280 and 300 gr bullets, that I plan on loading for the Norma, but don't know if they will stabilize.

Because I have the 338 and 35 bore covered, my next build might be a 9.3.

Ill be dropping the rifle off at Carolina Prescion Rifles on Monday morning to be turned into a 35 Whelen.