Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 338-06 as an all-around rifle? Other options?

Hey Guys,

I posted on the LR forum curious about what other rifle to buy to go with a 7-08AI and recently found a new rig that I plan on customizing a bit.

I bought a Win 70 SS with a McMillan Supergrade stock. I plan on having it rebarrelled from 270 to something a bit 'different' but havent decided what to go with.

The 280AI really revs me up for the all-around ability and the LR capability, but then again the 7-08AI is very very close to performance. I've tossed around the idea of going with the 30-06 and now I'm starting to look at different options like the 338-06 or the 6.5-06 or still the 30-06/280AI debate....

What are your thoughts on the choices of cartridges as an all-around Alberta rifle? I can see myself using the 7-08AI with 120TTSX. Most of my shots are under 400 yards and I hunt everywhere from the prairies to the mountains for deer, sheep, antelope, moose, elk, bears, etc....

Comments? Suggestions? Am I making this too hard on myself? Truly the KISS concept would say 30-06 I'm guessin?

If you only have the option of one rifle the 338-06 would be hard to beat . My 338-06 is the Ack Version and my 6.5-06 is the standard. Personally i don't like the idea of owning only one rifle, so i like to use the cal suited to the game I'm hunting at any particular time and this is why i have a number of rifles. People ask me why i have so many rifles , you can't hunt with them all and i just say i like having options. Plus i love my guns.

Rack-
I toyed with the "All Around" caliber for me for right at a year. I poured over ballistic charts, bullet styles, articles of this and that and when the smoke cleared it seemed the choice was pretty clear that in a "Long Action" I was looking at the 338-06 A-Square.

I wanted something with a bit more diameter than the 30-06 but yet I wanted it to shoot a bit more flat with less recoil than the 35 Whelen.

I mostly deer hunt but wanted a chambering that was well up to the task for smallish hogs all the way to the biggest of elk.

The gun you have sounds just like my build too. I'll list what I'm having built below:

Donor Gun: Winchester M-70 CRF; Standard Bolt Face � Long Action � Stainless Steel

Caliber Choice: 338-06 A-Square

Barrel Make: Pac-Nor *Purchased (Nov. 25th ETA)

Barrel Material: Stainless Steel

Barrel Profile: #3 Contour , 5 groove

Barrel Length: 24�

Barrel Modifications: None unless needed to fit stock

Barrel Flutes: None

Bolt: Make sure claw extractor functions well

Extractor: Williams Stainless Steel Extractor *Purchased (Nov. 17th ETA)

Barrel Crown: Recessed Target Crown

Rate of Twist: 1 in 10�

Metal Finish: Bead Blast All Metal to same finish

Stock: Winchester Factory Super Grade *Purchased (in house)

Stock Color: None

Recoil Pad: --- Leave as is on stock from factory---

Trigger: Factory � set at 2.75lbs to 3lbs

Bottom Metal: --- Leave as is on action from factory---

Safety: Slicked Up and Smooth (minimize safety slapping loudly when pushed to the �OFF� position)

Reamer and HS: Purchased �Reamer� from Manson�s; HS Gauge is the same as 30-06. *Purchased (in house)

Other Gunsmithing: Truing the action for accuracy and flawless functioning

Aluminum Pillar Bedding of action, Free Float Barrel

Skim Bed floor plate for secure fit and function (If needed)

Seal stock anywhere the stock is inletted that there might be no bedding compound already present and naked unsealed wood is present (In needed)

Double ensure the barrel channel is sealed.

Mark it on the barrel to say
on the left side of the barrel: 338-06 A-Square

Replace factory Tupperware follower with a quality polished stainless steel follower

Install Williams Stainless Steel Extractor

--------------------------------------------------

I'm looking at shooting the 210 gr. Swift Scirroco @ around 2725 fps... That being the case, here's a trajectory chart for that load:

Yes....

Problem is there are so many ways to go that get the job done,and are available in factory guise that I guess the notion of a wildcat is sorta lost on me.I figure there are enough "factory" ways to start a 270/7mm 140-160 gr bullet at 2800-3300 fps;or a 30 cal 165-200 gr at 2600-3200 fps ,that these wildcats are just "superfluous"........unless you're just a gun nut...then nothing makes sense anyway............

If I lived in Alberta,and wanted one rifle for everything there,I'd grab a 7RM or a 30/06 and kill everything....a 338/06 would not make the top 5 because I don't believe in them,but that's just me and what the hell do I know.....?

Rack
Your problem was your first choice of rifle, the 7/08 AI- To find a cartridge that has a real advantage over that cartridge in terms of killing power, flatter trajectory, economy, recoil, you are going to have to make a huge leap. According to my Nosler loading manual the standard 7/08 will beat the 6.5/06 with a 120 grain bullet. so that isn't going to fill any gaps. Having had a 35 Whelen that took elk, bear and moose, and having been around tons of stuff killed with my 270 which is loaded to 7/08 velocities, I am no fan of the necked up 30/06 case.
I guess one very viable option would be to rebarrel the new rifle to 280 AI and set it it up for a heavier bullet, like the 160 Nosler. I would rebarrel it to the plain Jane 30/06 if it were me, but the old 06 is much to common for a lot of people's tastes. Has a lot going for it in terms of utility.
Bear in mind, after the novelty weaqrs of the new rifle, you are very apt to keep reaching for the old 7/08 AI-

Royce

I will say this, had I "NOT" already owned a couple 30-06's I'd probably not have gone any further than the standard 06 to begin with. But being that I owned a couple, I wanted something of a larger bore diameter for no other reason than "WANT."

I think it is a very versatile cartridge if you wish to shoot a bullet greater than 180 grains. If you want something to shoot woodchucks with than the 7-08 may become more versatile. I have one and love it, I suppose I believe in it too.

I must add, the 7-08AI will be used for my wife for the most part and the other rifle will be kept as my rig.

Thanks for the comments so far!

If you are looking to re barrel from 270 to 30-06, that might not be the best way to spend money. I mean, just keep the 270.

I think the 338-06 is different and very effective. You can easily gain 200 fps over a 30-06 with 180 grainers (assuming you reload). You can easily stir up conversation in camp....

Anything based off an '06 case can't be bad. With 180 AB's, you easily kill all the critters you listed with the 338-06. I can't speak of distances beyond 300 as I rarely encounter them, but if you ran the numbers I'm sure you would be pleasantly surprised out to 400 yards. Reading Dogzappers article on the 338-06 did change my perspective for the positive.

Good luck on your choice,

CLB

Thanks CLB! Appreciate that. I do get the idea that rebarelling from the 270 to the 30-06 is a good way to spend money without doing a pile....

Rack-I happen to like the 338/06, carry one a fair bit. Mine has a 23" tube and with a 200 NBT and R17 it rocks along @ 2911 fps.

Which is about what I can run a 150 out of a 270 or a 165 out of a 06.

Personally I think it's a heck of a fine round, is very user friendly and is really quite capable.

I'd have no issues in running a 7/08AI and 338/06 for the rest of my life.

Best of luck to ya in your decision.

Dober

Any issues a guy could see about doing a trip to Africa and not having 'factory' ammunition for flights? I know with my 7-08AI at least I can just carry 7-08 stuff, but the 338-06 wouldnt work eh? Where does that become an issue? Just with Africa stuff or other international flights?

Rack-
I consider this myself, not so much for Africa, but more so to places such as Canada or out west (I live in the S.E. US). Then I considered how much time and preparation I would go into for a hunt of that magnitude and figured the worst I could do is "ship" my ammo to my destination prior to my arrival, triple check that my ammuntion is packaged (well labeled) and finally have a friend back home on stand by should my two first options fail and I need them to get a stand by box of ammo and ship to me.

I took my 6/06 to Sonora several times. Yeah running something like a cat can be an issue. I don't worry tons about it but know plenty of folk who do...

Going into Sonora you could run into issues with 7/08 brass and a 7/08 AI stamp on the tube as well.

Dober

Rack-
I assume you would simply resize standard '06 brass but for a "BIG" hunt you could get correct stamped 338-06 A-Square Brass...

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=1311129382

Just go ahead and get a .340 Weatherby like me.

It's just more of the same. Actually that's how I ended up with the .340 to begin with, wanting something that was decidedly different than what I had but could do pretty much whatever. If recoil isn't an issue the .340 can be crazy flat with the 210gr pills (and that's really all you'd need for most anything anyway) or if the mood hit you load up something like 275gr A-Frames for just about anything you needed to shoot that never called Krypton home.

Mark
What's the load you use to get your 338/06 to 2911 with 200 grains bullets? Nosler shows a top velocity of 2690 fps in their fifth edition, Barnes shows a top velocity 2764 in theirnumber 3 manual, and Hodgdon shows 2829 fps in their number 26 manual.

I was wondering the same thing... That's smokin' fast for the bbl length...

Cool...didnt know that you could actually buy it factory brass from Norma....

I am also going to have to look into the 338-06AI as an option, though not sure its worth the work or not.....

Royce-it's 63.5 of R17 and a 200 NBT. And for from the what it's worth category, my previous load was 63 of H4350 for 2824 fps.

And...the newest Horn manual has the 338/06 with a 23.5" tube attaining 2900 with Varget/R15 and I4895 so I don't really think that with running R17 I'm sticking it out there too far.....<g>

Almost 4 got-am using CCI BR2's and Wby brass.

Dober