Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Bigger than 30-06 on 30-06 Action

So I just got back from an elk hunt in Wyoming where I carried my old standby, a .300 Wby 24" barrel with 3x18 Leupold VX-6HD. I have killed elk in 4 states and about 20 head of African Plains game with it and love the gun. I practice regularly out to 450 yards (as far as I can get where I can practice here in Michigan. I took a pretty good 6x5 bull.

The problem was that this was a new area to me and found myself not glassing and looking at elk in a distance and planning a stalk, but instead all the hunting was in timber, mostly navigating around and crawling over blown down timber. Only time I could have even shot 200 was in the valley's on the way in to each morning's hunt but the elk were not in the valley's...they were up on the mountain tops in the timber/blowdown.

So I was prepared to kill my elk out to 450 yards but ended up killing him at 30. Blew a hole through both shoulders with the .300 Wby pushing the old 180 grain Jack Carter Trophy Bonded Bearclaws at just under 3000 FPS

Point of all this introduction is that I plan to hunt this area again and another that is similar and when I do I don't want to carry a 24" in barrel I want to carry a 22" barrel gun. And I don't need to be shooting 450 yards so instead of my big optic on a 30mm tube I will be using a Leupold VX3 2x-8X 1" tube that I have laying in the safe doing nothing that weighs 2/3 (or less) what the scope on my .300 Wby weighs. I want something that will punch a big hole in an elk at less than 200 yards (of course the first time I hunt with my new gun I will see a monster 6x6 at 400 yards LOL)

I have a Pre-64 Model 70 (1952) in 30-06 that I am thinking about making my "timber elk" gun. I want to carrely less weight and shorter barrel am planning on putting it in a Brown Precision Stock and putting a Krieger 22" barrel on it. I want a cartridge that functions effiencently in a 22" barrel that is bigger than the .30-06.

I am considering having it rebarreled to:

.338-06
.338-06 A-Square
.338-06 AI
.35 Whelen

Am I missing anything that I should be considering?

What would you build?

I would not go AI, minimal gains for the hassle. I would also give consideration to 9.3x62. Not absolutely convinced a 338-06 gives a lot more than a heavily loaded 30-06 (with 200 partitions as an example) if you run one of the lighter bullets in the 338.
One thing I found was that a fairly light gun (8lbs) shooting a heavier bullet (35 whelen, 250 grain) kicks a fair amount, at least more than I anticipated. Doing it again I would not go lighter in a medium bore and would likely go either 35 whelen (more versatility when downloaded, i.e. deer in the timber or plinking loads) or 9.3x62 if I thought I was up to it..

I like your plans. The problem is, when your rifle is finished, it will be so handy, you might render your 300 magnum obsolete.

Jesse Occumpaugh down in Oregon, will rebore your original barrel for much cheaper than buying a new barrel. The pre 64 barrels drill out nice and clean!

http://www.35caliber.com/8.html

The 9.3x62 Mauser would be ah dandy, especially if you'll keep heading back to Africa.

Mine sent 300 grain A-frames into moose and caribou at distances as long as 400-500 yds.

Do you dare go "full timberman" and afix a fixed leupold 2.5 ultralight?

Yes. How about putting that 30-06 in the Brown Precision stock, trimming the barrel to 22" if necessary, and leaving it at that?

If you feel the 300 mag has enough steam to do the job at 450 yards than there's no logical reason to doubt the efficacy of the 30-06 out to your 200 yard specification.

Very good point and definately something to consider. I am kind of enamoured with the idea of a little bigger hole than .308 for no logical reason but your point is certainly valid and worth consideration

The 338-06 ballistics: 225 grain bullets at 2700 fps alllllll day long......

I live in Michigan so I would have to ship to Jesse but the idea of just reboring the barrel is worth considering.
The barrel on my 1952 Win Model 70 is 24" long and farily heavy contour with hooded front site. It is classic "old school" and makes the stock gun quite heavy for a 30-06

I am hoping that I can rebarrel and restock and still keep the abilty to keep the original stock/barrel and be able to put them back for collector purposes if they don't need to alter the action any. Not sure if that is possible? Maybe if I take Mathman's advice and keep it as the .30-06???

As far as the 2.5 Leoupold I have one in my safe...on detatachable Talley Mount as a backup to the 1x-5x Leupold I have on a Win Safari Express .375 H&H...so it is something to consider. I will be taking that rig to Africa for Cape Buffalo next summer.

I kind of like the 2.5-8 option just in case I find myself needing to do work at 200-300 yards. The versitilty seems to be worth the additional weight over the straight 2.5 but certainly is worth consideration once again.

That is the combo I am leaning towards right now.

I am leaning away from the AI version.

I had not considered the 9.3x62 I will have to research that.

I am pretty oblivious to recoil. Especially when shooting at game (not on the bench sighting in) and ESPECIALLY when shooting at game in close quarters where it is "put it on the shoulder and drill them" kind of hunting with not a lot of time to think about things. So other than initial sight in with strap on recoil pads, ear plugs in under cans (cutting the noise down goes a long way to combating perceived recoil) etc I am not concerned with recoil. I will carry the rifle a lot more than I shoot it when hunting so saving the weight is the big win

If I could figure out how to reduce the file size of the pics on my phone I would upload picks of the old fart (me) with the elk and the 1952 Win Model 70 I am thinking about building on.

It errored out for file size when I tried

Another vote for the 9.3x62... Recoil is not bad. Factory ammo available. And can reload using necked-up 30-06 brass.

I need to look into that....

Love your tag line....that is being demonstrated daily in "The Swamp" right now

Never used a 200gr partition in that ol 06, have you?

As several have said, there are no flies on the old 30-06 for elk hunting. Using the Nosler Accubonds or similar bullets in a 180 or 200 weight gives you plenty of energy to knock the snot out of any elk IMO. If you need to shed weight, put it in a composite stock of your choosing and go hunt. My 1953 Pre 64 70 is my son's favorite rifle for elk and deer hunting next to my Pre 64 300 H&H AI.... either one works fine for him and I doubt I'm going to see either of them back any time soon....

Bob

Jesse takes the guns shipped regular USPS priority mail. Dozens of guys on here have gone this route.

Then there's the 275 grain A-frames at 2400 fps. Sight in a smidgen high at 100 yds, for a no-nonsense hold out to 300 yds. You can eat right up to the bullet holes, no blood-shot mess and one helluva blood trail......

Actually...I have never even fired it. I snagged it for a bargin at a estate sale just because it was a Pre-64 action and in great shape...and came with a Zeiss Scope and period authentic leather sling...for $800. For that price I couldn't leave it there and figured I would find a way/reason to use it.

I relocated the scope onto one of my deer rifles and essentially got the rifle & sling for free (or got the scope free whichever way you want to look at it)

Thinking about it, a good 200 grain in the ole -06 is a really good option. I still need to lighten the gun up with a new stock and lighter/shorter barrel, so since I intend to get a new barrel any cartridge I can run through a .30-06 action is a candidate...including the 30-06

Good thoughts....and yea...probably won't get them back LOL

Good to know...thanks!

I would leave the 30-06 a 30-06 and just go kill elk. If the max range you are shooting is under 500 yards, you already have a fantastic elk cartridge.

You ought to look up the thread "deceased by Scenar" and see just how effective the 155 Scenars, when fired out of .308s and 30-06s are.

A 155 Scenar at 2900-3000 fps would certainly be plenty.

In spite of what neophytes and flatlanders say and think, you don't need cartridges that often get used for African dangerous game just to shoot an elk. The are really not that hard to kill in spite of BS spouted.

Also going to the Brown Precision stock that was mentioned should take out some weight without having to change out what is probably a perfectly good factory barrel.