Here's a thought experiment for y'all. Which would you go with, .338-06 AI, or .338 WSM, and why?
For me, either makes more sense than a .338 WM. Lighter, shorter rifle, and plenty of power for anything in North America including at least defensive duty against the biggest bears. My feeling is that the 225 gr. mono bullets will do anything the older 250 grainers (say, Partitions;) could do.
I'm sure some would say just go with the straight .338-06. I feel it's a little anemic compared to the "ideal" case capacity, and I'm attracted to the better brass life with either of the other alternatives. Whichever one I end up choosing, I'll use a M70 Classic action as the starting point.
As I see the tradeoffs, it seems with the .338 WSM I'd have a short action and a bit more powder capacity, at the expense of one less round in the magazine. Both of them have been accused of feeding issues, and I've heard claims that both can be made to feed well.
I suppose the other thing is I haven't looked into the .338 WSM dies, but I have seen the 40 deg. Ackley .338-06 dies available.
So, thoughts?
