That's an ancient, vintage Fajen that was on the gun when I bought it cheap at a Shreveport hardware store in the '70's. The barreled action was very poorly inletted. I showed the store mgr just how bad is was, told him I could fix it, but the average customer wouldn't be able to. I think I got it for $125 or so. I redid the bedding; it already had a Timney trigger.
It sat in my safe for decades. My hunting bud was talking about how much he liked Springfields and wanted me to help him find one. Well, I sent this one to David Christman in Delhi, LA, a Guild member and top notch gunsmith. I got him to fit a Jaeger type safety I had picked up on EBay for $14 and install a new handle. The gun ended up with bud's Leupold Vari X III 3-9x40 and last season he killed a bunch of stuff with it. I loaded 130 gr. Hornady hunting (not Varmint) bullets at around 3,100 fps. He had lots of one shot kills, mostly DRT. He likes it so much, he named it Dusty Springfield after the singer. Sorta dates him...
I like light, fast bullets in the '06 for local WT's and hogs. I get good thru and thru penetration with lots of damage, two holes with good blood flow. Don't actually need a blood trail with DRT's, but still nice to have.
338-06 is such a nice round and a perfect upgrade for your Springfield. I think JES charges $250 or so and his guns generally shoot about as well as a new barrel. Replacing the barrel will cost around twice that if you do it right. You could maybe find a take off and get it mounted, but even that would be hard to do for $250. I think a JES rebore will shoot as good if not better than most take off's fitted to your gun.
DF
JG, edited to add this link. Good discussion on the 35 Whelen, 9.3x62 and 338-06. JES can turn your Springfield into any of the three. I've had a 9.3x62 and it's a great round. Never had the Whelen, but those who love it really love it. My pick of the three is the 338-06, but you won't go wrong with any of them.
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/14500235/1Another link
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/14539405 B&C stocks are pretty good for what they cost.
This is a real Loony opportunity....
Now, how often does one come along, dropped in your lap like this???
