Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Jim Carmichael, Explain Yourself

THAT is an affordable tip! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Hey, it works for me. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Steve

Tweeder, I'm not personally saying that I think the .338-06 dumb, because I don't. If it's good enough for Steve and Chub (those men truly have written the book on the .338-06, no question about it), and several of my other friends, then that's plenty good enough for me. I can see the appeal of the .338-06 in that you can have a reasonably lightweight rifle with a 22" barrel and employ a .30-06-size action, use the same magazine box & follower (and still maintain an acceptable stack-angle) plus a five-round capacity, lighter recoil, good killing power, etc. All of those things are solid points in its favor, plus ammo fabrication is as simple as it gets for a cartridge born as a wildcat. I do believe, though, that it especially shines for N. American hunting for stuff mule-deer-size and bigger.



For my purposes, I still believe that a more standardized standard factory cartridge is a more practical alternative, and that the .338 Win. Mag. still offers greater versatility. I tend to run up a great many animals with a handful of rifles that I use year after year, and my favorite .338 Win. Mag. (currently running 250 gr. Noslers) that's been used on stuff as "regular" as Texas whitetails and hogs will also be used on stuff as small as suni and as big as eland this year, plus I might just have it in hand (instead of my .416) if we bump into a good lion next year, and maybe the year after, plus this doesn't include elk, moose, and bear hunts in between.



Just enough more whammy and availability to make me feel better about everything, and my attitude has been forever tempered in that I've had some nightmare showdowns with lions before (plus grizzly) that were enough to make me want to carry just that much more punch as an "all-around", plainsgame-type African gun, as well as general-bag Alaskan/Canadian use.



And I despise shooting .340 WBYs, .338 RUMs, etc. Too much sharp, fast, hard recoil for this Oregon kid, yet I can shoot the .338 Win. Mag. (I have for over twenty years) about as well as I can shoot anything bigger than a .270 or .30-06. Again, it's all a personal judgement call....



At least with the .280 Ackley you can shoot regular .280 Remington ammo in a pinch and get by, which is a mark in its favor.



In that regard, the newly standardized .458 Lott is also a good alternative as a real stopper in that you can at least shoot .458 Win. Mag. ammo in a pinch and get by.......



AD

To add a bit more, I think that a .338-06 with GOOD bullets has one very definite advantage and only one. It is that here in North America where you can carry your own ammo and especially if you backpack, it gives you a light, powerful cartridge that you can put into a smallring crf action w/o extensive gunsmithing. Consequently, you can build a light mountain rifle which is Grizzly capable and yet has a fairly flat trajectory.

I just located a factory magnum HVA 4100 action about two hours after writing my last post on this thread and this would give me another .338 Mag (#6) which would be as light as any .338-06 I can build, BUT, the recoil is much worse-to me-and I cannot see that the additional power is worth it, for my general meat hunting type of big game hunting.

I have never been to Africa or even seen a Lion, except in zoos, but I have dealt with a lot of Grizzlies during my years of working in the bush. You actually very seldom need ANY gun in Grizzly country, but, when you need one, you REALLY need it. Based on my eyeball experiences, I would feel just as safe with a .338-06-250 Nosler as with my .338 Mag as any shooting you must do will be within 50 yds. and the velocity difference is meaningless there. You might actually be better off with the .338-06 as you could probably get a second or third shot in a bit quicker and, believe me, you will want to!

I have done quite a bit of shooting with the .340WBY and tried the .338 Imperial Magnum, alleesamee as the RUM; I agree with Allen, the recoil is much nastier and although I can shoot them fairly well, I don't see any advantage to it. For the international hunter, the .338Mag. is superior, but, for the addicted bushwhacker and backpacker, a .338-06 has some serious virtues. I think that we will all agree that a serious rifle looney NEEDS both of them.......

Steve--

I have taken advantage of generous African hunters like you. Unfortunately, it was with shotgun ammo rather than rifle. If anybody has the desire to shoot little birdies when over there, rather than just big stuff, ANY sort of reasonable shotgun ammo is just too heavy to pack on the airlines, except for a box or two.

So when Eileen and I went to Namibia in 1999, we took one box of 12-gauge, assured by the PH that there was plenty of 12 shotgun ammo on camp for use on sand grouse, francolin and guinea fowl. There was--mostly paper-bodied South African stuff so old you couldn't tell what size shot it held. It also split every shot, all the way up the side of the case from the brass to the crimp. Luckily we had a good, stoud Beretta O/U and had no problems. I was also glad for the box of premium 5's we brought when after guinea fowl....

Though the old stuff killed everything we shot it at!

JB

allenday,

You're dead on with your last post. Much more reasonable approach. The whole time I knew that the 338 Win Mag fit YOUR needs the most, you just failed to mention that there was a spot for a 338-06.

So, in conclusion:

Jim was simply stirring the pot.
If I go to Africa for plains game someday, I'll take a .30-06.
Where ever I drive to, I'll take whatever wildcat that happens to be tickling my fancy at the moment, just be sure to bring ammo <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />.
If I fly anywhere to hunt with anyone here it's a non-issue if I show up rifle or ammo-less, because they have all the bases covered about 50x over anyway! (grin).

Did I miss anything? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

allenday,

Your first paragraph sums up my feeling toward the .338-06.

I agree with the rest also. If I was blessed with the capability to travel and hunt as much as you I would have a .338 Win and /or .375H&H also.

I forgot about the ability to use the .280 factory ammo in the AI though. My bad!

Have a nice day sir!
Tweeder <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

There it is, summed up in two sentences. Thanks, kut.

RSY