Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Reboring a .30-06 to .338-06

I like that gun too Steelhead, love the Rem 700. I wouldn't worry about headspace either it is a myth IMO, any headspace problems are faulty manufacturing and nothing to do with the 35 Whelen cartridge. The 338-06 is good but I like the Whelen much better, it is very versatile as has been pointed out including cast and pistol bullets to play with. Components are easy to find even here. I would have a 30-06 long before a 338-06 and load 180 gr or heavier bullets if I didn't have a Whelen.

I am amazed the myth regarding the .35 Whelen's shoulder causing headspace issues still persists. Be assured that it does not, there is adequate shoulder.

Tom,

Sometime in the early 70's, I acquired a very "beat-up" Mod. 70 30-06. The barrel had been shortened to a handy 20.75 inches (cut off right behind the front sight) and the gun had been used several seasons by an outfitter as a scabbard rifle.

The bore showed a little rust, so I shipped it to P.O. Ackley to be rebored and chambered for the .338-06. After a year or two, I had the rifle rechambered to the .338 Winchester (a bit more velocity and recoil, but a little less pressure) and still use it today for most of my elk hunting.

Probably, I could have stayed with the .338-06, killed just as many elk, and saved the price of a conversion.

M Bell

Here's a pic of my Pre 64 M70 Win that was originally chambered for an '06 but was rebored to .338-06 by Rocky Mt. Gunshop in Boulder, CO around 1980. It was restocked by Sam Knox of Denver in French walnut. It has accounted for elk and Shiras moose using 210 gr. Nosler Partitions.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/WyoHunter1/33806resize.jpg

Not to change the subject, but in the process of reboring, how do you guys go about achieving caliber remarking. The idea of someone stamping X's over the old caliber is just wrong and makes what may be a good rebore look like fecal material.

On the 3 that I've had rebored, I requested that the original caliber marking remain untouched and that the new caliber be marked/stamp on the underside of the barrel. Upon return from reboring, I've removed the old caliber marking with a mill cut and then had the mill cut engraved with the new caliber. Much more appealing to the eye.

WyoHunter10- Thats a nice rifle you got there. Good taste.

Good to know the Whelen has no headspace issue. Im still on the fence bewteen the .338-06 and the Whelen.

I prefer the .338-06 from a cartridge stand point. These days Im heading towards being a one-gun hunter. Actually down to two rifles now. For an all-arounder the .338-06 seems better suited with its slightly flatter trajectory. The Whelen has more and easier accessible ammo and components. That also factors in to my one gun decision. I also like the idea on being able to use pistol bullets for plinking/woodchucks.

Thanks for all the info fellas, probably will come down to a whim decision.

For those of you who had your rifle re-bored, what did you do for caliber stamping? Line out the old, stamp the new? Im thinking for a .30-06, you could turn the 0 into an 8 pretty easy, then turn . to 3?

I had Jesse turn 3 of my rifles to .338-06 for me.
I found after about 50 years of hunting with various calibers, I like a lot of different rifles, but few calibers. Had a couple of Whelens, but the .338-06 has impressed me the most.
I may have him turn two more of my rifles to that caliber as well. He has done a great job on them all, and I highly recommend him.

I suppose for conversation sake a Mauser in 338-06 would be the work of the devil?

The guys who bought out Cliff LaBounty have a shop that is called Clearwater Creek and Delta Re-boring, or something like that.

I bought a couple of pre-64 Model 70 actions and screwed a couple of shot-out .220 Swift barrels onto them and had them make me a pair of .280 Remingtons with 1-9" twists. The first one shot sub-MOA at 200 yards with both 150 and 160 Nosler partitions. I haven't had a chance to monkey with the second one yet.

They do good work.

Here's how Clearwater did mine. Use to say .25-06.
http://www.deltagunshop.com/clearwater_reboring/index.html

About 10 years ago I had a post 64 Win. Model 88 rebored from a 308 to a 338-08. Richard Nickels got the job about 75% done then died, I had Cliff LaBounty finish the job. Together they did a superb job.
I think they were both in their prime when my was done.
Glad to see there are still some great smiths out there.
This is how Cliff stamped mine.

That clearwater stamp is very nice. Anybody got an idea of how Jesse re-stamps them?

Yes, Jesse does the same thing.
He put .338 over the .30-06
Looks pretty good.

One of the one's I had Jesse rebore to .338-06 was a Mauser. Loved the gun, but never quite cared for the 8mm. Now the rifle is perfect in all respects.