Spot on description from another site IMO and it's one of my favorite shooters,plenty of punch, great inherent accuracy with any pill from 160-225.The "AI" IMO is insignificant for practical hunting scenarios as the standard round is more than adequate,just happened to stumble on the AI barrel for a great price.

Quote:
Re: 338-06 AI

I suspect that its lack of popularity is simply due to the fact that it doesn't fit any of the marketing strategies used to sell "sizzle" to the general public. It's not an Ultra or a short mag. It's not a magical, short, fat cartridge. It's not tacticool. You won't see it on Best of the West flooring bull elk at 1000 yards.

The 338-06 has all the workmanlike traits of its parent case. It is reliable, accurate, gives solid terminal performance, easy to load for, easy component availability. To a rifle crank like me, those are all desirable traits.

To the uninitiated, it's boring. Maybe even inadequate, since it doesn't have the word "magnum" anywhere in its name. After all, everyone knows that if it's not a good anti-tank round, it can't possibly be any good for big game in North America.

I'm going to make it even worse by putting it in a Mauser.

Who wants one of those? Yuck! They are old, heavy, inaccurate, obsolete junk that only a hillbilly would want and even they have sense enough to prefer a good SKS. Everybody knows that a serious rifleman carries a Remington 700.

The .338-06 is impressive enough as-is. I build most of my commissioned rifles on Mauser 98 actions, thus, the non-AI version is typically a lot more straight forward to build with regards to feeding. And, the std case allows for one more cartridge to be housed in the magazine.

The negligible velocity increase you might get from an AI will never be noticed by a game animal.

Very efficient cartridge with workman-like performance. Mine is a REBORED pre64 M70 that was originally an '06. It was restocked in French walnut and checkered in a wrap around fleur-de-lis pattern. I shoot 210 Nosler PTs and have shot elk and moose with it and never needed more than one shot.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/WyoHunter1/33806resize.jpg

Mine is on a Winchester classic action with a fluted Brux #5 @ 24 inches bedded into a manners MCS-t. I couldn't get the 210 PT's to group worth a crap with 3 different powders so I went to the 225 AB with RL-15 and got a 1 hole group at 100 yds.

225gr Hornady's in the non AI version. Shoot right at 1" with or so with not much trouble hope to whack a deer this year with one after I bloody the Whelen first.

Mike

L to R: .270 Win, .30-06 SPRG, .338-06, .35 Whelen








Virgin brass on the .30-06 and .35 hence the rolly polly shoulders.

Mike

I have the AI version. Started to work loads up.

Flyboy I'm glad I had it made. It's on a Remington 700 action. Have shot a large bull Moose and Elk with it now. I will stick with 210gr Swift Scirocco's. Cannot for the life of me figure out why it hasn't enjoyed more success as a cartridge.
I share the same sentiments as you with this particular rnd. It just isn't cool or glitzy enough I guess.
But all kidding aside, it shoots oh so close to my 270, which shoots 140gr pills quite flat. The differences in drop would surprise most.

Love both of mine, and my .25-06, a couple of .270's, .30-06, .35 Whelen. I even owned a .280 and 8mm-06 for several years.

03-A3 Springfield



7lb 9oz all up M70 Winchester Classic!

Mine is a rebored Model 70, that I got new right after hunting season was over in Montana, from the local Walmart in Butte.. for $288.00 It was rebored by Bob West in Eugene Oregon...

Testing it against a friends 338/06 AI, mine has a faster MV than his does with all bullet weights...when he rebarreled his, he just went with the regular 338/06 next time...

I tend to shoot 225 and 250 grain bullets out of mine, as I don't need it to duplicate the 30/06, as I have a batch of those..

but since I had mine done, the 338 Win Mags don't see much action outside of the gunsafe....

my most common load for elk, and I hunt mainly in timber, is a 250 grain RN from Hornady, at 2650 fps, with a stiff charge of H 380...

for going retro, when loaded with SR 4759, and using a 200 grain bullet, one can duplicate the old 33 Winchester, for an MV of 2400 fps... recoils more like a 308...but is very accurate..

2 x 7 Leupold shotgun scope resides on top...


using 280 brass instead of 06 brass ( the chamber has to be able to accept it), you can gain another 100 fps or equal a 338 Win Mag.... loaded one for a friend who went that route..
but he still had it labeled as a 338/06, when it was really a 338/280....

I've always thought the ideal chamberings for any big game in the lower 48 would be a 6.5/280 and a 338/280...

I have a 338-06 my favorite bullet weight is the 225.

It's good medicine for critters.

I like my AI version with either 215 SGK over Re-15 or 230 Fail Safes over W760

Have had both. No real difference but the AI case looks better. I have a set of AI dies if you are interested.

I have been hunting with the plain old 338-06 since 1995. Multiple elk, black bear, a grizzly, a nilgai, a few deer and hogs have dropped to it rather nicely. I cannot see how one can improve on the round.

Nice rifles fellas.Just recently been messin with the Barnes 160 TTSX as "I feel the need for speed" after my initial indoctrination of heavies under 3K. This offering barks on the heels of the WM out of my 28" tube but of course doesn't carry the holy grail BC that the bigger heavies do. I've never been anal or get worked up much over lower BC's as these bullets have been killing critters effectively without the hype therefore I let my top turret do its job.Think this Barnes offering will be good to go for deer or speed goats out to 500+.

I very much like mine. It's not an AI and runs on regular. It's over kill for the small Mississippi white tail I hunt with it but who cares. Mine really likes the Hornady 200gr SST's.

That sir is one incredibly great looking rifle!

Very nice looking rifle you have built!

Explain please! Once it's fireformed what difference does it make? Have you got it throated longer or something?

Mike

I form strictly Winchester '06 cases with an intermediate .323 explander,probably not necessary but haven't split a neck yet after multiple reloadings and haven't needed to trim either.

Thanks Woody, it was built on the cheap with seconds and close outs. It shouldn't have turned out as well as it did.

I wanted to do a .318 Westley Richards on it but common sense prevailed and it became a .338-06

Love mine, 338-06AI. Built on a Sako m75 Greywolf with new 24" barrel. Shoots 225gr AB's and TTSX superbly.

I went AI, just to be different.

I use WW -06 brass and the cream of wheat method.

Mike

I use WW -06 brass and the cream of wheat method.

Mike

[quote=TC1]I very much like mine. It's not an AI and runs on regular. It's over kill for the small Mississippi white tail I hunt with it but who cares. Mine really likes the Hornady 200gr SST's.




Gorgeous piece of wood

I like the non-AI version... otherwise I'd go 338 WM. Have had both...

yeah it does have a longer throat.. as the 280 brass is longer...

I use Win 280 brass for my 338/06... as I like Win Brass and I also like that it is nickle, making it stand out from the 06 brass I use for my 06s... I do have to trim it tho....I bought about 6 or 7 bags IIRC, or 280 Win brass at a place that let me have it for about $8 or $9 a bag at the time... because it wasn't selling...

I also formed some of the same brass down, to use in a 7mm Mauser... that is nickle plated...and shoot it in a Featherweight model 70 and the regular 7 mm Brass signifies it goes to my Ruger in 7 x 57.

Cool thanks for the follow up.

Mike

my pleasure Mike.

boy if that doesn't win the top prize for a "thrown together" rifle....

the ones you 'put some time in for' must be nothing short of awesome.

I think you'll like those 160s. They sure worked well on a bull when launched at ~3040. You should be able to exceed that handily.

That is a beauty. wow. Also, how do those 200 SSTs work on game. They seemed a little fragile in my tests, but they were quite accurate, and magazines aren't game.

I'm getting ready to put a new barrel on my Win M70, 25-06 with a burned out barrel. I've run the ballistics and this is a hard-hitting gun at the ranges I shook elk. I'm pretty excited.

I'm thinking a Shilen 26", contour #3, 1 in 10" twist with break...

I have used the standard offering. Feeds slick, plenty of power, just neck up .30-06 and go. I don't have one just now, but I have kept the dies. I have an early Sako spotted so maybe......jack

That's the direction I'd go. I'd only run a 26" barrel on something like a 257 weatherby, and maybe not even then!

+1!

[img:left][/img]

It was still a lot of work Here is how it broke down.

I got the action on close out from Legacy Sports for $250. They called this a double square bridge Safari M98. It's no Granite Mountian but a decent action for the money. It came with the hinged, straddle plate bottom metal and the 3 postion safety.

The "guild" half round half octagon barrel with the full length integral rib was purchased on ebay (back when you could buy and sell barrels there) for the tidy sum of $125! It was an 8X57J chambering and the bore looked like a sewer pipe. It was sent to Clearwater Re-boring (Jim Dubel) and re-bored to .338


Clay over at Luxus Walnut found that blank for me out of his reject pile. He claims it be a $1400 blank but it had a very deep bark pocket in the butt area that would never turn all the way out and sold it to me for $450. The pattern has a lot of drop in it which helps a bunch and it and the blank was sent to Shane Thompson who is a master at layout. He couldn't "miss" the bark pocket so he centered it perfectly as possible and that made it a whole lot easier to work with.



Shane also sent back a lot of the scrap trimmings from the blank so I could do a "patch" for it (pictured above.)
I already owned the pattern and did the stock work myself with the exception of the checking which is one of Tim Lyon Smith's cheaper patterns.

I paid full price for the gunsmithing but that only consisted of the barrel install and a new bolt handle followed by a rust blue and I did the stock work myself which saved me a LOT of cash. All finished up the complete rifle cost less than the barrel would have if purchased new.

PRM, I've experienced "blow ups" with the Honady SST's in the .270 caliber but have had good luck with them in the .338-06.

Terry

Awesome!! This is my first experience with a 338/06 but only in Pro Hunter attire but certainly won't be my last as I do prefer beautiful wood and blued steel.Got a great buy on the barrel {T/C's custom shop}from a member several years back that didn't reload but figured it was a frugal way of discovery.The 28" tube was not by choice but is quite manageable and does sport some interesting velocities,most recently with this Barnes 160 at a tad over 3100..

Mine's a rebored 270, pretty basic.





It's first critter, taken in 1995 with the 210 gr Partition. Bang, one step turn and flop.

All, I didn't consider the powder's medium burn rate and the affect on the barrel length. 22-24" makes more sense.

I'm looking at using the 225gr Accubond and it looks like H414 & 4350 yield the highest velocities (2675 and 2649 respectively). Any experience with these combos?

Can't help you much on the powder question but since I have a longer barrel may have to try 4350 one of these days.At present I'm strictly using 4895 and 4064 with good results but most data researched indicates faster powders for shorter barrels though.

My most recent kills with the rifle, a grizzly and black bear, used the 225 gr Accubond but I pushed it with VV-N550.

So if you were going to build one on an M70, would you rebore, or rebarrel (assuming a relatively recent .270)?

Me? Rebarrel.

Same here WH10, I recently bought a pre-64 270 with a bad bore, had it matte black cerakoted, pillar bedded it into an old Rimrock syn stock and had it rebored to 338-06, will be shooting for 2600 fps with the 250 gr Swift A Frame's.

Have a VX-2 matte 3-9 compact Leupold in a set of cerakoted Leupold dual dovetail bases and rings, can't wait to start load development, aught to make a helluva all game/all weather rifle.

Gunner

I'll be trying RL-17 first with the 250 gr SAF's Woody, they aught to sing outta that 24" barrel.

Gunner

A question for you guys with 33 cal experience. What is your response to the folks who say 33 cal offers nothing over 30 cal? I've read respected writers state you have to jump up to 375 to gain anything meaningful over 30 cal. Hardly makes sense to me but I have little experience above 30 cal save playing with my 350 Rem Mag.

33's are like 6.5's and 7mm's, their very high SD's make them killing sob's IMHO.

Were I to face a Kodiak bear in the alders, I'd much rather have my 338 WM with either the 250 or 275 gr Swift A Frames over any 300 anything, and this is coming from someone who has five 300 mags at the moment.

Gunner

If the bullet is sitting in front of a .30-06 case they are probably right. That said, if you hadn't read all that and just went out and shot stuff with a .338-06 you'd be damned impressed with it. It's a great round.

Rebore. Saves a fair bit of change and all (three rifles and two handguns) that I have shoot well. Here's how mine likes the mentioned Accubond load. I read good things about JES Reboring.

Advantage over an .30-06? Not sure, both kill stuff. But I did shoot a big fat barren doe deer in the back of the head at about 70 yards and a 200 Speer turned her a complete somersault. Spectacular.

200&210 melt stuff.

250 Woodleigh is not an ideal coyote load. It just punches a caliber hole.

I got five out of a pesky herd of javilina , but I could have likely got a few more with a mini-14.

Recoil is stiffer than most .30-06 loads.

I wish I had not dumped my less than perfect BAR laBounty rebore. Bore rough at the gas port, but it shot just fine anyway. Softer recoil, accurate enough, and I like the rifle. I had that one done for an invited Nilgi hunt. My host became ill and passed away. The hunt never happened, but worse by far, we lost a friend.

Jack

Got a Model 70 in .270 and want it to go .338/06?

Why the hell would you spend real money on reboring a junky factory barrel when you could go with a custom?

Really stoked on a rebore? Maybe look for a used custom barrel and at least give the guy doing the work some decent steel to work with...

Lots of barrel blanks around Brownells, Midway, benchrest supply houses, tactical suppliers. Pac-Nor does a fine job delivering a threaded and chambered barrel. Give them depth mic readings from bolt nose and boltface and they will get you a barrel that is fit like a glove and ready to shoot after you screw it on.

Figure that the factory barrel took life from a (maybe) $10 billet of mediocre gun steel. Why spend good money after bad if you want something to be proud of?

How many rebores do you own?