Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 338-06 Rebore or Rebarrel

I have a M70 Classic Stainless FWT that I am thinking of turning to a 338 since I already have another M70 30-06 FWT.

I like the fact that JES is about $300 to rebore it, but at the same time can't help but consider getting a Brux/Bartlien/Rock Creek and just doing it from scratch essentially.

What does your experience tell you? Spend the money for a better barrel, or save a few bucks and keep the gun "in tact" essentially.

If you're running 200gr bullets, what are you getting for speed?

I have a number of rebores, rifle and revolver, and they all shoot very, very well. My rifle rebores were done by Cliff LaBounty some years ago. The first was a 338-06 done in 1995 and it is a consistent sub-1" piece. The others (35 Whelen and 9.3x62) similar. You will hear otherwise but I am a big fan of rebores paricularly if sights or a special contour are involved. I see JES charges $225 for a rebore, quite a deal.

My Model 70, 338/06 is a rebore.. it was a brand new unfired 270, but it was bought at Walmart in Montana, right after their hunting season, so I got it mega cheap....

mine is a great shooter... and with the 200 grainer, using Rl 15, it will clock 29-- fps....same using IMR 4895....

my preferred 200 grainer is the Hornady SP...

Will the Model 70 Featherweight barrel profile be too thin at the muzzle for a .338/06 rebore? Last time i measured it, it didn't leave much if the 22" length is to be maintained.
John

What's the minimum required? The .548 means the walls are .12 and if I took it to .338 I'd have .10.

It would be pretty light, probably more fun to pack than to shoot.

DF

Trade me your fwt for my classic stainless 06 and you will have an extra .05 to work with... :-) problem solved!

I recently had a Kimber Montana done by JES. Its $225 for blued barrels and $250 for stainless so very affordable. It was worth rolling the dice on vs. buying and fitting a new barrel if it didn't work out. Mine started as a .270 and bored it to .338-06.

The barrel diameter at the muzzle is .560. so at .338 hole in the end it left .111 on each side of the barrel.

Here is what it looks like on the end of the barrel now bored out as such:


Sure it heats up quick but seem to keep things well under an inch with 200 grain Hot COrs and 210 Sciroccos. I had mine cut from 24 to 21" barrel to make it handier in the brush when its strapped to my pack.

I'd try some 200 grainers in one of your 30-06s, try some of these

http://www.shootersproshop.com/nosl...0-200gr-partition-spitzer-blem-50ct.html

Need to shoot copper so if I want to go heavier than 180 I need a bigger bore. Gives me the option to shoot 250s too.

Ok, then shoot 180s.

I doubt that there is much difference between a good hit with a heavy 30 cal bullet and the same weight range in .338 (thats from a guy who has 5 rifles in 33 and 35 cals), but if you want a 338-06 go for it.

If it were me I would rebarrel as I would feel that a FW at 22 is too thin and would likely be muzzle light for good shooting. It isn't that hard to get good groups from a muzzle light rig from a bench but some weight forward does help with offhand shooting.

I would first take a gander at the folks that will turn a custom contour without asking for a first born. I have used Hart and ITD (Douglas barrels) and find ITD especially inexpensive and that way you can get a contour that will balance well, require minimal modification of the barrel channel and have enough meat at the muzzle.

I really like my .338-06, but knowing what I know now as opposed to 12 years ago when I built it, I would have just built a nice .30-06. Though that would never had cured the "what if".

I'm thinking of doing the same thing with a 700 270. It looks like JES and ITD will do it for $225. Does that include chambering (neck and throat)?

My JES rebore fouls beyond stupid in 338-06

Gun is accurate enough, on the order of about 1.5 moa.

If I had to do it over again, and after over 1000 passes probably with diamond lap and JB etc... and treating the bore twice now with UBC, I"d have simply rebarreled...

I am, out of my Pre-64 M70 FWT '06, and I have 250s covered in my Sav99 358 Win.

My rebores were all hand lapped by Mr. LaBounty. No fouling what so ever. Last load I worked was for a BC grizzly hunt with my 338-06 and the 225 gr AB under VV-N550. It liked the combo.

Clearwater has done 2 for me. I've been very happy with thier work.