Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 338-06 standard or 338 A square

When Mr Alpin of A square had it standardized as the .338-06 A Square he had four differant shoulder angles in other wise identical cases. He settled on the original (as designed by Elmer Kieth 338-06 OKC and designated it the 338-06 A Square I thinki this was in 2004 or 2005.

I think I'll just wait to hear back from Mr. Charles.

I may be the one, but I think there is a lot of un-due confusion on this topic.
I think that a 338-06 or a 338-06 A-square or whatever unless it is an ackley improved is the same thing, a standard 30-06 necked up to 338 and nothing else.

You never hear someone saying that a 30-06 and a 30-06 springfield has a different shoulder angle. I think A2 as some mentioned above is just the name of who standardized it not a different cartridge.

The 30-06 and 338-06 have a shoulder angle or 17degrees and 30 minutes or 17.5 degrees if I remember my math. LOl

some others that have the same SA include the 25-06, 270, 280, and 35 whelen and maybe some others.

I hope DZ will chime in on this one, he would know.

I'm glad I built my .338-06 and got the Redding dies before the "A-Square" thing came about!

I have used some Weatherby brass for mine, as well as .35 Whelen necked down. The Wby brass definitely does not have a 34 degree shoulder, they look the same. I am using standard Redding .338-06 dies. This cartridge should be a factory round, it is only 100-150 fps behind the .338 WM which I also love. I can't think of anything better for elk-sized game and all African plains game.

Now that I've seen several different drawings with different dimensions, the one I originally looked at may have been wrong.

I guess you can't believe everything you read on the internet.

Hate to be one that digs up "OLD BONES" but did this question ever really get a solid, concrete answer?

if i remember i can take a picture tonight.....ive got a 338-06 that ive run Weatherby 338-06 A-Square rounds through.....granted i havent shot the thing in a couple years but i seem to remember no change in the shape of the case before and after i pulled the trigger....

Thanks Rattler...

Here's the spec drawing I was hoping to go off of...

http://www.norma.cc/content.asp?Typ...y=4&Rubrik=Calibers&Title=338-06 A-square

all i can do is show yah a pic of a unfired round and a fired case side by side and i know my chamber is just the standard 338-06 "wildcat".....actually may be able to do it over lunch and yah wont have to wait till tonight....

Thank you for doing this for me...

just dug out my A-Square loading manual.....it says the 338-06 A-Square has a 17 degree shoulder.....

Wow...! Now I have a real reason for having a .338 RCM instead of running in circles with a .338-06 A Square... ...

(I'm kidding...OK... ...)

Dennis

the only reason i am familiar with this is i had my 338-06 built shortly after Weatherby came out with theres and wanted the chamber to be the same to make it easy to get correctly headstamped brass in case it ever followed me to Africa.....the gunsmith who put it together called whereever he gets his reamers from and was told the old 338-06 wildcat and 338-06 A-Square were one in the same so i didnt have to worry bout it......got a box of the Weatherby loads for grins but most of whats been run out of it has just been necked up 30-06 brass....

I'll be taking my G33/40 which is in 338/06 for a walk come Sunday morn looking for an elky for the freeze. I've got 200 NBT's loaded with R17 a load that I just started working with. It runs the 200 out @ 2911 fps which should be adequate...grin

Dober

1B made the comment about Weatherby withdrawing from the 338-06 case because of proprietary issues. Could it have been because of low sales? Not many of them out there. Expensive rifles at the start and hard to find factory ammo may have sealed it's own fate from the beginning.
Could have been one them deals where many said "if they just made one I'd buy one". Then few actually do. Anyone here ever say that if FoMoCo, GM, or Mopar start re-making Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers they'd just hafta have one? Huh?
Now let's see how many rush right out and buy the new skinny M84 Long Action Kimbers after saying "if only...".

If there was ever a sales slam dunko it'd be the 84L, no doubt at all to me that it's gonna rock big time.

Dober

I agree sales will rock, alot of them by accident. Not necessarily by the guys who sit around and dream about wispy LAs. Most gun loonies are tightwads, me included, and won't run out and buy new guns. We can "custom make" one for less. Or wait and find one used after hunting season.
Anyone here have their order in yet? Local shops will be glad to take half down.

Dober, your running exactly 2 fps faster than my 23" Hart was doing with NBTs, I guess the RL17 is MO Betta than IMR4320

Seriously I talked to a guy in Oregon I beieve, previously owned the Buzztail Brass co. IIRC. He told me he built a 338/06 AI and it shot slower than a Std. so they cut off the chamber and rechambered for the standard, and it was faster? Go figure.

Based on that, I did mine in standard. Simple, effective, VERY accurate, modest recoil, and another round or two in the gun JUST in case, vs. a Win Mag. I later bought a WM just to compare recoil. I shot 1/2 MOA all day with my then wildcat - pre- Asquare as I had to order a custom die set from Redding....WHEW not cheap even then....but my Win Mag, I was not doing so well. I sold the Mag quick.

SO, to the OP, I would HIGHLY recommend the 338-06 if you handload, and to K.I.S.S. and not do any 'improved' version, as the MAJORITY of improvement has already been done with you open up the 06 case to 338, improving your expansion ratio, giving you 3500+ lbs of ME on tap, and with 200 Noz thru 225s, you can reach plenty far on most game i.e. Elk.

I was getting 200s at 2909, 215 2790, and 225s 2670. WW brass, IMR4320, std. primer.

I personally feel the 338-06 is an unsung hero in sensible non magnum all around NA game rifle cartridges. Others run next to it like 35 Whelen/350 RM, for mid bores, and perhaps the 9.3s (more mass but little more trajectory as well).

Why this round never caught on more is beyond me, kills VERY well, and yet does not punish one's shoulder. That's nice in my book.

If it were truly Marketed, to me it BLOWS away a 270/280/30-06 in killing large game w/minimal fuss. Not that the above three are inadequate by any means, esp. w/todays bullets, but if I were in a remote wilderness, esp. where large bears roam, I'd feel a little better pushing larger bullets. Afterall, it's the bullet that kills, not the name 'Magnum' on the back of a brass case.

Oh, the guy above who really sold me on the 338/06, after reading tons by Finn Aaggard and Steve Timm, etc. told me of a bull shot around 370 yds, a 225 PT drilled both shoulders and exited about the size of a silver dollar. He said, "what more power/performance can you ask for?" I agreed.

Dober, post pics after the hunt! Good hunting.`