Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 338-06 as an all-around rifle? Other options?

Thats interesting- Just now did the math - The 338/06 has about 16% less case capacity than the standard 338, so if the 338 Winchester Magnum gets 3000 fps, at the same pressure the 338/06 should run 2900 fps- Apparently, they were keeping the pressures down in the older manuals-
From my experiences, I'll stick with the 30/06.

Royce,

I know you've done some 338 work, have you ever owned and used a 338/06? Honestly I always thought you'd kind of enjoy the old round.

After years of using my .340 it's been a very nice change. I can have a rifle at a reasonable weight and get very good results with out all the bump of the 340.

Plus, I kind of like thumping critters with a 250 Noz loafing along @ 2500 or so...grin

Thx and I hope your season is going well!

Dober

i have been eyeballing this cooper for 3 months now. if it lasts past newyears im gonna drop an offer on it.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=144665323

I just recently put my 338-06 together. Mine is a Rem 700 Action, McMillan Hunter Stock, 23" Lilja #4, and topped with a Kahles 3-9x42. It weighs 8 1/2 all up and handles great. I am currently shooting the 225 Accubonds at 2650 at .50 MOA. I have pushed the 210 Scirocco's to 2750 and have not shot any 200 grainers in it. I bought a box of Nosler Custom 200 AB's and they only shot 2600 fps out of my barrel. They were sub MOA though. I just took the gun to Canada and put my reloads in the Nosler boxes and had no issues. Headstamp was correct with Nosler brass. It has been really fun to play with. I shot some 160 TSX's at about 3000 fps but have stopped load development for now with them. You should be able to get to 3150fps with those. I agree that it is a fantastic all arounder.
Lee

My 338/06 runs the 210 Scirocco IIs at just over 2700 with 61.6 RL17. Have some H4350 loaded up waiting to try out too.

Edit: it's a Savage action with Accutrigger, 22" barrel on a duramaxx stock. 2.5-8 Leupold VX-3 with B&C reticle. Weight is 8.5 lbs.

Hard to beat the 30-06...my one and only goto gun. A true classic. Nothing Canada has to offer that I wouldnt shoot with it.

Very true...and pretty hard for me to get away from it. I think I'm probably bouncing around the 30-06 and the 280AI the most in my head actually....

Same can be said anywhere going I spect. Very tough to go wrong with a 06. And yes that's very tough for me to say....

Dober

I just checked with the deer in my freezer and he liked the 30-06 to!

Well heck yeah he does, it's probably warmer in the freeze that is was for him out on the prairie...grin

Dober

Mark
M y druthers in rifles changes on a day to day basis- One min ute I want a big slow bullet, the next I want a high velocity winger, the next an old lever action- Thats all fun- I just shudder a little when I see someone ready to go throw a bunch of money at a caliber he hasn't tried but thinks he is going to see an entire higher plateau of killing power-I don't think that's going to happen. I say that with some confidence, not because of my own meager experiences, but because writers I trust like Phil Shoemaker and JB say the same thing.
In my experience, the cartridges made by necking up the 30/06 lack the penetration of the 30/06. A recent post by Phil Shoemaker supported my suspicions, I believe.
Also, those old 180 grain 30 caliber bullets with their high ballistic coefficient give just a little more edge in tussling with the wind deflection, and it always seems to be windy where I hunt.

Royce

Is it just me or is something strange when the best we can come up with is over 100 years old?
The other popular choice (7mm-08) is almost a kissing cousin of the 7x57 which is over 100 years old as well.
It makes me wonder why they even bother with "new cartridges".
I like my 35 Whelen because nobody can borrow shells from me, when they run out, they drive to town!
whelennut

Don't have a .338-06, but do have a .338 WM. Always thought the .338-06 would be a great general purpose rifle if your live in a place that larger game is readily available. 180 Accubonds for deer and stuff and 210 Partitions for the big stuff.

Expat

Royce-I think you're talking about the Whelen is that right? What bullets were you using in it?

And speaking of levers, me thinks we should do a spring bruin 45/70 hunt...grin

Thx
Dober

"I think I'm probably bouncing around the 30-06 and the 280AI the most in my head actually...."

Funny you say that. I bought a 30-06 and put together a 338-06 this year and I have Bartlein 7mm barrel on order for my 280AI project. Great minds think alike huh!

WhelenNut, then there's always the 6.5x55 and 260

Count me in as a 338-06 fan, I was up to four at one time, but have since settled on two.

I think the 338-06 can make a pretty good case for an all around cartridge. But the 30-06 does have popularity behind it.

I am running 210gr TSX's @ 2850 with Varget and 200gr Hornady SP's with Rel 15 @ only 2735. I can push the 200gr faster, but it shoots lights out and is very pleasant on the shoulder. It has seemed to work pretty good on deer too. It shoots to the same POI as another load I have with 210gr NP's @ 2725 fps.

What in the world couldn't you kill with a 250gr premium bullet out of a 338-06? How flat does a 180gr @ 3000fps shoot? There are only a few critters that would leave me wanting for more rifle.

Same can be said of the 30-06 with 220gr and 150gr bullets also, but I wanted something a little different and feel the bigger diameter is just a little better. At least in my own mind.

IMO, I felt that Remington should have introduced the 338-06 instead of the 35 Whelen. They would have had a cartridge to compete with the 338WM. Especially given this countries love affair with 338's, and love/hate relationship with the 35's.

My other go to cartridge is the 270 Win.

I've got a couple of them. I really like them, but my go to elk rifle is still the 35 Whelen. And the 308s, and my 3 '06s, and a couple 8x57s, and I can't forget several 45-70s.

Now that you mention it, they're allmy favorites.

I just really like that big, fat 250 grain slug out of the Whelen.

My feeling about the 338-06 is that the manuals tend to load it rather anemically due to all the wildcats of yesteryear floating around with dubious chambers and actions.

I felt totally comfortable running a 225 Hdy at 2,680 in my 22" bbl'd 338-06 (H4350). 250's went 2,550.

Were I running a 338-06 today, it'd be a 210 NP at around 2,750 or a bit more. The 200 NAB or NBT would be dandy as well (as you've proven on elk).

The 338-06 is a VERY cool round that deserves better than its SAAMI name, "338-06 A-Square"...

Guess it could of been the 338 dober dawg...grin

Dober