Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .338-06 A-Square - any fans out there?

I've got a .30-06* that I like but I think it is time to convert it to something else.

I'm curious about the .338-06. What do you like and what do you dislike about it?

Thanks!

* Post Garcia Sako L61R, shoots great but heavy and the 25" barrel is too long for an 06 in my book.

Great rifle caliber!!!

I have one in a 7oo Remington/Lilja 25"/Rimrock stock and it shoots unreal. I killed a deer the first day out with it @ 25yds, 180 BT Nosler destroyed him. Mine shoots that bullet with 56.5 of 4064 around 2925 and groups under .50. I say go for it!

Kev

I have never owned or even fired one, but I like the idea of the 338-06 muchly.

I would like to find a M70 classic FWT and screw on a new tube in 338-06 and slap a McMillan FWT stock on it.
Sweet...

Had one of the factory Weatherby's. Wish I hadn't sold it.

I have two and they are my favorites. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone who owns one that didn't like it
Mine like and perform well with 210 Noslers but are most accurate with 215 Sierra GKs

Mine's a M-70 Classic FWT. 23" Douglas #2 contour, shoots 250 & 225 NP under an inch. 2610 FPS with 250's for 10 shot average. Holds five in the magazine and one up the snout. does everything a .338WM does at 100 yards at the muzzle, nice to carry and pleasant to shoot. What's not to like, also a little peace of mind while deer hunting on Kodiak. And BTW it shoots little bitty groups with 225 Barnes X. --- Mel

We're on the exact same page. I recently bought a like new M70 Classic Featherweight in .30-06. It's off to the 'smith to have a featherweight tube chambered to .338-06 installed. I already have a Ruger SS w/laminated stock in .338 Win Mag but it's a bit of a pig to carry (although fine on horseback ) I figure a compact 22" Fwt .338-06 would be way handier for moose/elk hunting in the bush around here.

I have one, Rem. 700, Shilen # 3 contour cut at 23"
2.5x8 Leupold with B-n-C, Talley mounts. It rides in a Micky stock. Shilen trigger.
Shoots great, with 200 NAB and 225 Partition, just one raged hole at 100 yards. 200gr. at 2900fps, 225gr. at 2700fps.

They are nice to shoot, will be using mine when the Montana season opens up this sunday.
Think I will be using the 225 Partitions.
HD

I love mine. I built it for Elk and Black Bear hunting, but it's become my go-to for everything larger than woodchucks.
It's a Remmy 700 with a 22 inch Pac-Nor barrel, McM Mnt rifle stock, Leupold DD mnts and Vari-X III 1.75X6. Shoots everything sub-moa with RL-15.
8 lbs. as shown.
[img][IMG]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m238/Kevin_Teed/33806-1.jpg[/img][/img]

I like the round but would never utter the name "A-Square" in conjunction with this fine round!

With mine 210's were close to 2,800 fps, 225's at 2,690 and 250's a 2,550.

I built it too heavy so sold it.

Were I to do it over again I'd have a tube with a short shank that mic's no more than .600" at 22". Truth is I doubt it really does anything a 30-06 doesn't do but it is absolutely a snap to load for.

PS... HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEADSLINGER!!!

Mine is sweet. Pre 64 30'06 Fwt bored to 338 by Classic Barrel. Weights fully ready at just under 8lb. Dressed in McM G&H, w/Leo Vari X III 1.75X6E. Shoots less than an MOA at 100.

Took it to NWT and took a moose at 180 yards and caribou at 250 yards shooting 225 gr Nosler P.

+1!

I think its a great round but if your going to rebarrel to it Go AI..its sounds so much cooler As in....

"whatca got there"?

"Just an 338-06 Ackley improved"

Now isn't that better than..

"its my 338-06"

You gain a little velocity, perhaps some case life can still use factory ammo (if you can find it)

My old boss (who I will be hunting with in a few days) has a .338-06 built on an '03-A3. Great little cartridge. Plenty of the right stuff for most of what needs to be done, even (IMO) up north in big bear country, where it has the advantage of easily manageable recoil when compared to some of the other choices available. There is much to be said for the lethality of a .35" hole and deep penetration.

I don't currently have a .338-06 but I used to have one in a Weatherby rifle. I never hunted with it though. I've come to really like the medium bore cartridges that are basically on a .30-06 size case. Cartridges such as the .338-06, .35 Whelen and 9.3x62. (I currently have a .35 Whelen and a 9.3x62.)

One thing I enjoyed about the .338-06 is that it basically duplicates the ballistics of the old .318 Westley Richards. And, the .318 had an excellent reputation "back in the day" in Africa and India.

Original .318 ballistics:

180 gr bullet at 2700 fps
250 gr bullet at 2400 fps

The load that made the .318 famous in Africa was the 250 gr bullet at a listed 2400 fps. (In spite of the name, the bullet diameter is .330" so it's very close to .338") Those ballistics worked then and they work now. Of course, we have better bullets now so it's even better.


(Not my photo.)



IMHO, it's hard to go wrong by choosing a .338-06.

Just my two cents.....

Cheers!
-Bob F.

Out to about 200 yds there is little to choose from between that and the mag..

Attached are photos of my New Ultra Light Arms 338-06 and a smallish elk taken with same in 2004. I took a pretty nice mule deer with it the previous year. The rifle weighs just under seven pounds as shown with scope, sling and loaded. I orginally used 200-210 gr. Noslers but on my upcoming elk/mule deer hunt next year, will go to 250 grain bullets. If I am going to use lighter bullets I might as well go with the standard 30-06, and may some day rebarrel to same as neither of my step-sons reload.

By the way, the proper name for the cartridge should be .338 OKH.

Nice rifle and elk, Kentucky!

I like my.338-06 a whole lot too. Mine is built off a Rem 700 ADL action, coverted to BDL. It rides in McMillan handle and sports a 25" Kreiger #4 barrel. A Leupold 2.5-8x sits on top, in Talley LW mounts. The factory trigger is tuned to crisp 3 pounds. This was the first "semi-custom" I had built, and every time I see a picture of Teeder's rifle, I think about building another one.

Here's mine:

Thanks, Dan!

I'm kicking around building a match for it in 7X57 or .308!