Got my eye on a two really nice rifles. They are the same model. One is chambered in 338-06 and the other is in 275 Rigby. If I am to buy one or the other, it will be my go-to rifle. I mostly hunt deer, but every few years I have a moose or elk tag.

What is the 338-06 recoil comparable to? I am not recoil shy per se, but I am also not gonna be running out and buying some sort of ultra mag either.

Any help would be appreciated.

I run 50 grains of 4064 with a 250 grain RN... and 60 grains of H 380.... the 4064 load kicks like an 06 with a 180 grain bullet...

the H 380 kicks like an 06 with say a 200 or 220 grain bullet...

definitely noticeably less than anything in that caliber range with the word Magnum attached to it...

It is heavier than a 30-06, but not as unpleasant as a 300 Mag. More of a push that a fast hit. You can load it to very acceptable recoil for your deer hunts with 200 gr bullets.

But gun weight and stock shape make a lot of difference.

If you said you hunted mostly elk and moose, with the occasional deer, I would say 338-06 is a good choice. Since the ratio is reversed, I would probably go with the 275 Rigby.

A 30/06.

The 7 Mouser would kick less and dump the occasional elephant....

Recoil: .338-06 is like a .30-06 with 180's or heavier, depending on your setup. I had a mauser in a heavy stock, and with RL-15 under 210 TSX's, it recoiled noticeably less than my 700 Whelen shooting 250's.

Skookum: Having a Rigby in your stable means that at least 38.334% of the Campfire will bow down to you regularly. There's no contest on this one. And yes, it will take elk & moose without fuss: light TSX's driven fast, or 175 Partitions loafing along, it remains as competent & capable as ever. The Rigby/7-Mauser is the cartridge that delivers the punchline, "No, son - let's walk down the hill, & f*ck all the cows."

FC

Hell the recoil from a .338-06 is nothing to even be concerned about

I'd think the 338-06 would kick like a light loaded 338WM. Ie a lot more than a 7mm/275.

338-06 recoil with 225-250 gr bullets is about the same as 300 WM with 180's. If you are shooting bullets 200 gr or less recoil is a bit more stout than a 30-06 with equal bullet weights.

plug in the numbers and calculate here.

http://www.handloads.com/calc/recoil.asp

I have a .338-284 which is a ballistic twin to the .338-06 and I have a 7x57. The 7x57 gets used more and to me is a better general use round. The .338-284 kicks about like an '06 with heavy bullets, the 7x57 hardly kicks at all.

They both kill stuff.

DF

338-06 with 225 grain bullets at 2560 fps is a stout push. It may sound very obvious, but it is similar to 35 Whelen shooting a 250 grain bullet in the high 2400's. With heavier bullets it doesn't rattle your fillings like a 300 or 338 Win Mag does. 338-06 with 180/200 grain bullets will give you more of sharp magnum jolt that is a bit uncomfortable IMO.

I guess a lot depends on perceived recoil due to stock fit, gun weight, etc. I would think a light weight .338-06 with heavy bullets could get ones attention...

My .338-284 has some heft, not heavy but enough mass so it's pretty comfortable to shoot. And, I generally use 180 gr. NAB's or 200 gr. Combined Technology (silver and black NBT's) bullets. The 160 gr. TTSX shoots really well in this gun.

For heavier bullets, I'll pick up the 9.3x62.

DF

Get the Rigby.

You never know when you're going to have to shoot a man-eating tiger one-handed.

I have a light synthetic stock on mine, and with 250 grain Bullets, I don't really think the recoil is anything to worry about.... guess it has to do with what you are expecting...

sure it has more recoil than my Model 70 in 7mm Mauser, but both are easy to shoot accurately in my opinion....

my 338/06 is a Model 70 with a 24 in factory barrel bored out to 338/06.... the barrel originally being chambered in 270

Personally I wouldn't want to be without either of my two... the 7mm Mauser and the 338/06,, being a hand loader...

With the availability of a seemingly never ending supply of '06 brass .338 bullets, I say:

"What recoil"?

I wouldn't think it would matter.
Personally, I would shoulder and handle the rifles and pick the one that felt "right".

Having owned 2 Rigby rifles, I know you are paying for the grill badge and there are many accomplished gunsmiths today who perform equal quality work. although I do miss the double, but not for hunting purposes, it is really a toy in the modern hunting world.

John

What a conundrum to have. Recoil is not an issue with the 338-06. I have owned multiple rifles such chambered.

I think you should buy both. How is that for enabling?

Wow!

That's a great use for a .270, bore it out to .338-06

Ingwe would be proud of you...

DF

I have the AI version not primarily by choice but couldn't pass on the price of the barrel.Is it better than a standard 338/06 ?..probably not much if any especially to a dead critter.Totally agree with DF and also ones own personal recoil tolerance.

The 160 TTSX through mine is the real deal but mostly surprised at how flat it shoots.



Had this custom .338 mold made last winter 220/240 grs each,they're very accurate and more than adequate for deer or speed goats.

Dont have a 338-06 but I have identical rifles remington 700 classics in 35 whelen and 3006. The 35 whelen ,particularly with 250 gr bullets has significantly more kick than the 30-06 with 180s.Hope this helps.

What kind of speeds are you getting with the 160 out of the -06? They work real well from a 338 Fed.

As for recoil, I think the 338-06 is a good thump, but not the sharp brain rattling crack of the big magnums.

Longtime 338-06 fan, though have not owned one for about a decade. I look at the 338-06, 35Whelen, and 9.3x62 as heavy bullet 30-06s, having non-magnum recoil. At one point, was running the 338-06 and 338WM at the same time. I perceived, the 338-06 to lose less performance out of a short barrel than the WM, in addition to having reduced recoil, and therefore found the 338-06 to be outstanding when packaged lighter and more compact than a 338WM sporter. Recoil was more than a standard 30-06, so someone bothered by a heavy for caliber 30-06 load, would probably be bothered by a stout 338-06 load. If not, for someone who handloads, the 338-06 is both effective and efficient on large game without having magnum recoil.

If starting from scratch, however, having run a 338RCM, I now find the RCM to be a better 338 chambering for a light short barreled rifle over the 338-06. But, now prefer just using a heavy for caliber bullet in the 30-06, and if that is not big enough, then a 9.3x62 for a non-magnum large game rifle.

Best

My 338-06 is a Weatherby Ultralight which weighs 7.25 lbs. all up. I has a lot of muzzle flip off of a rest which is typical of a lot of light rifles, you just need to get your hands on it and it is fine. As for recoil due to the light weight mine has a little more recoil than a 30-06 but not enough to be concerned with. Certainly less than a .300 mag. In similar weight rifles they should be very close. I shoot 180 to 225 grain bullets in mine.

Since you said you are not necessarily recoil sensitive I would not worry one bit about it, as most others have said.

3120 from my 28" Pro Hunter....58 grs 4064

I can't figure out why the .338-06 has never caught on more that it has. While I don't own one, I think it's an excellent cartridge. One would have to really try to find a better cartridge than the .338-06 for everything on our continent.

That is nothing but silly talk.

Why would anyone ruin a perfectly good 270!

Now doing that to a LA 7x57 is cooking with peanut oil.

I have had two. A moderately light 03 custom bolt gun. Even with 200 in an 06, the 338-06 with that weight is a small amount faster, so it thumps a bit better.

The other one doesn't really count. It was a rebored BAR equipped with a Deceleratot. It was nothing all the way from 200 & 210 to 250. I used it as a primary hunting rifle for several years. I thought I was tired of it and sold it, only to almost instantly regret. It is more than enough for Texas, including exotics.

On the other hand, a 7 Mauser has a great track record as a do it all round.

Best wishes,

"...perfectly good .270?"

Oxymoron for the day.

CRS is really a good guy, just a bit misdirected...

DF

How about a scholarship to Camp Ingwe's re-education gulag for pups and selected Fire contributors...

misedirected? I am twisted beyond words...BUT I am not gay!

I am so far gone down the 270 road that there is no helping me now. Too much brass, too many bullets, too much success and too stubborn to change.

I/we have killed stuff with 85 to 160gr bullets, 1900 to 3400fps, spitting distance to turret range, before turrets were the rage I might add. Gophers to elk and most everything in between.

I sure do like that "cull" 7x57 I got from you...

Rescued that poor rifle from a safe full of .270's, etc. This poor step rifle was getting NO respect...

It finally has a happy home...

DF

A good friend had a .338-06 on a '03A3 build. While I only fired one round through it I thought it felt like a .30-06 in the recoil department. Maybe a tad more but not uncomfortable at all. A .338-06 is on my wish list (like I need another rifle...).

Nice. I'll bet with that barrel you could get a lot more if you wanted.

I've got a 1/2 pad in my custom 338-06. It's not bad at all from a recoil standpoint.
This rifle shoots everything well from the 160's up to 250gr bullets.


My .338 Mag in Kimber Montana...that's another story!

Bet that sucker speaks to you, especially with heavier bullets...

If it was mine, I'd be leaning toward the 180 NAB and 160 TTSX, driving them at solid but not "balls to the wall" velocities.

DF

I've settled on the 180gr accubonds with H4350 and RL15. The 210 partitions shoot just as well. Either will do just fine. The 160gr Barnes are excellent bullets, but I tend to pick up my 30-06 with anything lighter than 180gr bullets. Having that luxury is equally as fun.

Yeah, I like having that luxury, too.

DF

I always figured, if you are concerned with recoil enough to ask about it, get the smaller cal.

Yep it could be pushed harder as I feel 3300 might be doable.

My old NULA33806 was so easy on the shoulder that I once shot a better group prone at 300 yards than a neighbor at the range could shoot at 100 from the bench with his .340 Weatherby.


From that rock I killed an elk at 309 yards.


I am currently having the rifle rebarreled to .270 for my 13 year old, deer killing daughter. None of my kids are interested in reloading so it makes sense to re-barrel to a factory round.

If I ever get the elk hunting opportunities I once had, I would build another .338/06.

Glad it is being appreciated. Fantastic rifle, just could not warm up to the cartridge.

Back to the 338-06 discussion. I have owned more than a few, and currently do not have any. It is a great cartridge, but nostalgia got the best of me and have a 300 H&H being built right now to replace my 338-06's.

African laws aside, I would not hesitate to use one on anything. With proper bullets of course.

Anyone who says 338-06 recoil is comparable to 30-06 is shooting some watered down 338-06 loads. The 338-06 will shoot 200 gr bullets 200-250 fps faster than 30-06. No way you won't notice the difference when both are loaded to their potential. And shot in comparable weight rifles. If you're using watered down 338-06, then why not just shoot 30-06.

The 338-06 shoots all bullet weights to almost exactly the same speeds as 300 magnum. Because of the difference in charge weights the 300's will have slightly more recoil. But in my experience, and I've owned 35 Whelen as well as 338-06, 300 WSM, 300 WM and 30-06, the 338-06 and 35 Whelen recoil is much closer to 300 WM than 30-06.

I no longer own either 338-06 or 35 Whelen. My shoulder can't detect the difference and if I'm getting magnum recoil anyway, I'd just as soon have the magnums.

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I am not recoil sensitive, used to have a bad case of magnumitis, but thankfully outgrew it, largely because I enjoy shooting from the bench for 10 months of the year. I was considering those two rounds in the same rifle, a Cooper Jackson Game, so fit would not be a variable. In the end, I split the difference and opted for a 280AI. Hopefully the gun arrives today.