Fellas:

My in-laws live in Ruidoso, NM and my wife's stepfather is an avid hunter as are lots of folks out there. He tells me the 338-06 is steadily gaining in popularity amongst elk hunters. I'm wondering if anyone else is discovering this in the West?

This is a job for Tracks........



Casey

Don't know if it is gaining popularity but I know people that use it. It is a fine choice for elk.

I dont know about out west but its gaining interest rapidly in the midwest as it is one outstanding cartridge..........

" Steadily gaining popularity" might be a bit of a stretch, it has its followers, and some interest for the future... It is an excellent cartridge-one of the best- for elk sized critters...
Ingwe

I'm not the board expert on the 338-06 but I do love the thing. Easy to load for, pushes 210 at a nice rate, and I''ve seen it penetrate darn near the length of a cow.

I bought one that I found in a gun store in Cody, WY, about 8 or 9 years ago. It is one of the rifles that goes to elk camp with me every year and I have taken two bulls with it--both with 200 grain Ballistic Tips.

Mine is a bit unusual. It's a Ruger No. 1-A that someone rebarreled. Except for the 23-inch barrel, it looks like a factory stock 1-A. I really wanted one of the Weatherby Mk.Vs, but never ran across one other than in the Weatherby display at the RMEF Elk Camp the year that it was in Albuquerque.

I haven't run across any other rifles chambered for this round in my occasional perusing of the used gun racks or at the two or three gun shows that I attend each year, so I can't say that it is common down my way yet.

I've got one and the only thing I don't like about my rifle is it is a little heavy. I picked it up used in 2004, and unfortunatly I haven't connected with an elk with it. Most of the time on a hike I'll carry my .270 as it is a much lighter rifle and the one I seem to have when I find my elk.

My rifle will push 200 grain Horady SP 2900 fps (56.5 grains RL15) sub 1" if I do my part on the trigger for three shots. I finally killed a pronghorn doe with this rifle at 200 yards, now just need that elk. I've been nothing but impressed by how my rifle shoots and with a 200/210 bullet it should make a fine elk rifle.

My buddy and I handload for his Weatherby in 338-06. That round is fantastic. I think it would be perfect for elk inside of 300 yards. It's not gonna set any speed records, but with 210gr Noslers the groups we shoot are inside a dime all the time. I'll be buying or building one very soon. Using 30-06 brass, it's very easy to load for and IMHO yields magnum performance.

CLB

I dont know how much popularity it is gaining but its real popular with me. I consider the trio consisting of the 35 Whelen, the 338/06, and the 9.3 X 62 to be about the top of the heap for the kind of elk hunting I do.

Been using the 338/06 and the 35 whelen since 1987.
Elk hit the dirt pretty quick.

T

I have one. Yeah its a great cartridge. With the 200 grain NAB going 2900 fps its like a hammer. 2900 with a 200 grain bullet is about what a 300 win. mag. will do. My gun also likes 225 grain Nosler Partitions at 2700 fps.

I use Norma brass, I do not see any psi signs. When I was working up a load, I just stopped when she shot good.
It rates an A+ with me.

Here is mine.



Have a good day.

My first magazine article was in Handloader and it was about the .338-'06. At the time, I had used the round for many years and it had proved to be suck a great elk and bear cartridge that I was simply compelled to write the article.

I used the .338-'06 for many more years and it always did everything I asked of it. Bears and elk are simply dead meat.

I never used bullets heavier than 210-grains. Over the years, I used the Winchester 200-grain Power Point (great bullet), the 200-grain Hornady Spire Point, the 200-grain Speer Spitzer and the 210-grain Nosler Partition. They all worked wonderfully.

It kills the heck out of big mule deer, too.

The .338-'06 is a fabulous cartridge. Period.

Steve

I gotta try a 338-06 one of these days...

The 338-06 Ack is my primary elk rifle. I use the Swift 210 gr Scirocco and Rel 15, Fed 210M primers

Mine should be good....developing loads with 225gr Accubonds and TTSX's for my Sako m75 Greywolf 338-06AI. Been hearing RL15 or 4064 is the powder to use.




Just finished fireforming brass/breaking in barrel using H414. GOing to use it on spring bear this season and a bull elk this fall-unless I get one with my bow.

No elk, but mine has taken caribou/moose in NWT(225 partitions), brown bear in Alaska (250 aframes) and is going as plains game rifle to Africa in fifty days shooting 210 gr TTSX. Rifle is pre 64 FWT bored to 338-06 and comes in fully loaded at just south of 8 lbs. Shoots all three bullets noted above into 3/4 or better. Gotta luv it!

It deserves to be more popular than it is. But I bet that there is twenty 338 Win Mags for every 338/06 out there

I seriously wanted a .338-06 but I didn't want to get rid of the action I had (mag bolt face) and try to find another M70 LH to build it--so I went .338 Win. Poor me

Couldn't that suggest that the 338'06 is growing in popularity... I mean how many people are getting rid of their Win Mags compared to how many are ridding themselves of their '06s ? (yes, that is an example of the addage, "figures don't lie, but liars figure!)

I've got a thing for this cartridge as well. I took one on as my bench project rifle for the winter and it is nearly completed. A Savage 110 rebarreled with a Shaw aftermarket from Brownells, Gun-Koted in matte SS in a laminate stock. The only thing I didn't do on the project was cut the 24" barrel down to 22" and add target crown; that was done by my 'smith.

I have high hopes for the rifle... higher for the cartridge. My 'smith is holding a Mark X action on which I plan to build a lighter-weight 338'06 for elk. The Savage I've built for black bear.

I figure that if I have an elk rifle I'm more likely to get out West for a hunt... my wife may not buy that logic, but it motivates me !!!

i haven't shot anything with mine yet. but, so far launching 250 grain round nose bullets, they sure sound like they hit the back board and dirt with some great energy levels.
sorry if ya'l gettin tired of these pics, but here she is in the laminated stock, the new yet to be fitted walnut stock, and the last group it shot at 100 yards.




we'll see this fall is i can get an elk with her...

I da HO, am sure you are correct about the shear #'s of 338 win mag compared to 338-06. Yeah, I got one of the 338 mags in a Browning Safari FN and it shoots clover leafs but it weighs 9 lbs and is pretty stout on my end relative to the '06 cousin. Not saying the '06 is equal to but it sure is a dream to shoot and it kills shiZ!

I have another 30-06 barrel bored to 338-06 that I continue to seek a pre 64 action(reasonable please) to mate up!

Splattermatic,

I for one like the pics. That is a sharp looking (and shooting) rifle!

That that walnut stock lighter in weight than the laminate? What made you decide to find another?

i have to weight them, but just by feel the walnut is lighter. i love wood. laminated stocks are fine for the wood feel, but nothing is finer than a gorgeous piece of figured walnut. imo.....

with the laminated stock the 338-06 mauser is heavy. ain't gonna lie about it, or tell stories, she's a heavy one. again, gotta weight it. it feels better in the hand with the walnut, and is noticably lighter.

got the walnut real close to fitted now, just a bit more relieving the barrel channel, and the bedding material goes in !
i'll keep the laminated, just in case it doesn't shoot as well, and most likely will take a wood bit and do a few holes deep into the buttstock.
that'll shed a few ounces...

Yeah, the .338-06 is gaing in popularity. Thirty years ago maybe one in 10,000 elk hunters carried one, now it's maybe one in 1000.

I have had three. It is a fine cartridge but never will be a big seller. Several people told Weatherby that before they brought out the rifles and ammo (after A-Square supposedly "introduced" it) but it never sold very well. If you are a handloader (and who else would buy one?) then you can make the .338 Winchester do the same things.

to me is a "just cuz". if we're gonna compare the 30-06 to a 338-06. then let's start tearing apart all the rounds based on the 308 case, or the 7x57, or for that matter, any cartridge that's based on the same case, just different bullet diameters...

variety man, variety.. how boring would life be with just 1 rifle...

i'm trying to think what i want next.. notice the word "want" ?

maybe a 6.5 ultra mag ? or a nice 22-250 ?
maybe a manlicher. sure would like a 7x57 model of some flavor.

i need not more, but i sure want many.....

Splattr,

I like the 338'06 for bullets heavier than what the '06 can handle, but with less powder and therefore less recoil. I'll be honest... I don't care a lick for recoil, and I hate muzzle blast.

You and I are on the same track... I'll be putting the finishing touches on my 338'06 in the next couple of weeks, have a 7x57 on a Mexican Small Ring '98 being customized right now (heat treating reciever, new bolt handle, 3-position safety, #2 Shilen, rust blue, the works!) another action set aside likely for a 338'06, and hopes for a 9.3x62 someday.

A 270 WSM would be nice for LRH work, too... a 6.5 WSM would be even better...

All want, little need after the 30 WCF my Aunt & Uncle bought me for my 17th birthday (and that was more than a few years ago!)...

Have a VZ 24 98 mauser with a Midway Adams and Bennet barrel which I had reamed to 338-06 AI. Paid $70 bucks on sale for the barrel, shoots sub MOA with 210 TSX. Love it.

Ed,

You are going to upset the crowd that pays $300 or more for a "premium" barrel with those groups.

my barrel is an e.r. shaw !

Well, I can tell you that I have read the many attributes of the Elmer Keith, Don Hopkins and Charles O'Neil .333OKH and in later years, the effects of the .338/06, which is just another make over of what Elmer Keith and company came up with first.

In my early going, it had to be a "magnum", or else you were not standing in line with the real big game (macho) hunters of America simply put, I couldn't wait to try out my first .338 mag rifle from the bench. Now that really never transpired, I got instead to shoot a .340 Weatherby, which I was told at the time, was just a shade more in velocity. Yeah, right! I didn't want to come back for a second shot after firing that shoulder cannon with the California walnut stock and Roy Weatherby's name on the gun.

Shooting that particular .338 diameter caliber that day, erased all thoughts of yours truely of ever owning such a hunting rifle in a flash. It wasn't until some years later, when I got the chance to meet a very knowledgable man, who being a gunsmith and top notch machinists, took me under his wing and then only did I start to realize the vast subjects of ballistics, hunting, reloading and wildcating.

I have come full circle you might say, during my stay on GODS almighty creation called earth. Now after aquiring a decent collection of hunting rifles over some 5 decades, I have come to know the true value in a lightweight, hard hitting no nonsense caliber called the .338-06.

My initial developement of this all happened when a 30-06 I owned became somewhat lacks in accuracy. I did some thinking about it and told myself, I will build a backup for my long range elk gun, a .338/300Ultra mag....Ouch! I don't really hunt with that brusier anymore but did go back to the old .338 mag I purchased about 15 years prior as my elk rifle.

The wildcat .338-06 was to become my backup rifle, just in case I had problems in the high country. Well, I can tell you now that it has replaced most of my rifles in the vault and at 6.7-lbs including scope, it is a joy to carry in that thin air up high looking for elk. It also hits with authority and works just as good as my .338 Win mag out to 300 yards if need be. This caliber is plenty for any elk, moose or blackbear and has taken down the likes of grizzly bears too.

Prwlr,

My first custom rifle is a VZ24 w/ an A&B 257 Roberts barrel cut to the AI version. She shoots sub-moa little raged holes with 75 gr VMax and at about an inch w/ 100 gr Interlocks.

The Savage 110 338'06 I glass bedded last night has an ER Shaw cut to 22" with a target crown. I'm looking forward to seeing how that "discount POS" shoots!

I've heard from pretty reliable sources that the A&B barrels are actually ER Shaw seconds? If a second can cut MOA groups, then I'm looking forward to seeing what a "regular" production grade barrel can do .

Tonk-curious at to what you built for a 338/06 that goes 6.7 lbs with scope?

Many thx

Dober

Almost as good as a .35 Whelen, so not too bad.

I had a .338-06 in the back of my mind for years, but never really liked the Weatherby rifles. Finally went a .35 Whelen in the Ruger. I still have an H-S Precision stock sitting here for a long action Remington. Maybe one day.

That article is the reason I built this rifle.
[img][IMG]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m238/Kevin_Teed/33806-1.jpg[/img][/img]
It was meant to be my Elk rifle. Unfortunately I've only been able to get one bull with it, but it has become my favorite for everything. It works great on whitetails without messing them up. It just hammers them!
No regrets!

The 338-06 and the IMP version was my all time favorite elk and deer rifle for a number of years, in fact until the .338 Win. came along and I switched to it..It was more of the same but better and on the same action and Elmer Keith told me so. A choice I have never regretted, as much as I like the 338-06, I have replaced it with the 9.3x62 and with the 338 Win...

All that said, like the 35 Whelen, the 338-06 is still a fine caliber and Kudos to those who prefer it....you won't regret it. I always used the 210 Noslers and they really work.

who's dogzapper.
i have to go find the rag, but someone wrote an article some years ago about the 338-06, and since then i wanted one. kept the rag, to remind me of something i wanted.

now i have it !

Dobber, it is a model 70 action with a pencil thin 22 inch blue steel barrel, wrapped up in a custom made plastic stock (lots of work in that stock) scope is Leupold VX-2 (2 X 7) as of last year. Also have a nice walnut stock to fit same rifle, not for hunting. The rifle scope weighs 9.5 oz. lense are 28mm.
Dobber I sure wish I knew how to use this internet better and especially pictures. I got a few dogs I would like to show off to hunters, also a couple of real nice mules two, not to mention a whole bunch of various pigeons.

Thx TonK, that sounds nice, got pics?

Dober

Thats great!!

Nice rifles there gentlemen.

I can say my custom 700 was heavy, but shot darned well, if doing another, it would be on a diet...7 vs 8 lbs. Nothing I would not drop the hammer on a 338/06 clear out to 400 yds in NA. Just me....oh, and I crunched alof of numbers and came up with like 1-2" more drop at 400 yds (I can't hold w/in that in the field) using the 15 grain heavier 225 partition....at 2670 fps, so that was my 'go to' load for chasing elk as it hit harder and I figured more BC/SD why not, despite the legendary history of the 210 PT. The 200 btip at 2909 in that 23" bbl was indeed a hammer on deer, flattened a few Don't let anyone suggest this is a short range round, unless it means under 400 yds. Most all my kills have been half that and less.

Never warmed up to the smarter kicking Win mag I had, but am thinking 9.3 for the future......always trying new....sensible cartridges that won't beat me up in the process.

I can see where JB is coming from, the public masses just don't get some rounds, hear Sako is disc. the 338 Federal. If so, perhaps they would...well SHOULD consider the 338/06....in the value priced Tikka, they might sell decent/better. Would never hold my breath it would replace a round that has been around a century.....it's father...'06. But the 338/06 performance is not the limited factor as to why that may never happen IMHO.

IMO, 7.5-8 lbs is about right for the .338-06. Anything less would probably ride the line of being not fun to shoot.

Teeder,...You must understand that I did not put this rifle together for the sake of bench shooting it and burning up several boxes of ammo at the range. No sir, it is for shooting of big game and the first two shots are smack dab on top of each other before the bullets start to go walking off a bit.

This rifle is not for anyone who is shy on recoil to the upper torso! However, the first shot out the gate 95% of the time is spot on and that is what counts in hunting. This rifle is a joy to carry up in the mountains amoung all that thin air. No it will not shoot MOA after 3 shots but I have never needed 3 consecutive shots to kill any animals.

Even though it does have a bit more recoil because of lack of weight to the rifle, it is not something that an experienced hunter could not use. You might want to check out Mrs. Brooks from Barnes Bullet Company, she also has a lightweight .338 caliber she uses with 180 grn. bullets.

Teeder, MY gun was 8lb, pre-mounts/scope....scoped at 8lb would have been much better.

Tonk,

If you look back, you'll see I was replying to this statement by 65BR:



My comment was based on actually owning a .338-06 that, through stock swaps, has ranged from 7.5 to 8lbs, and shot and carried up and down hills extensively through that weight range. I'm not a big macho guy that can shoot a 416 in a 6lb rifle and have no interest in it. For me a 7.5lb .338-06 shooting 225's @ 2700 fps is my maximum. Anything more than that, and I wouldn't put the trigger time in with it. Also, a 7-7.5lb rifle with perfect balance is also what I like to carry and shoot well under field conditions.
This works for me and I couldn't give a rats arse what you or Mrs Brooks use.

I'm sure that would be a pussycat to shoot though.

Teeder, it was nice, a decelerator pad allowed me plenty trigger time per range session, combined with 1/2MOA accuracy, I was stoked, yes, S T O K E D ...lol.

No doubt I'd appreciated a weight reduction toting it in hand for a hike lasting a few hours, happened several times on that hunt, as if the opportunity presents, I want to get on target, while I can.....w/o any wasted time from fatigue. Total gun wt. with the then 1.5-6 4200 would have been surely 9+ lbs, loaded up, sling et. al.

Future use of pure hunting rifles in big game calibers will see me choosing lighter rifles. I am not into 5lb flyweights, but a lighter rifle can be appreciated, and as said before by others, your not typically needing accuracy/groups on par for a 5 shot bench set up, usually getting the job done on round one, if not a second shot. Used a 700 MR in 270 win, years back ....around '88/89 IIRC when just out, nice to tote, but I would have liked more bbl weight for holdability. Depends on target size, for a deer I shot it was fine...elk are just larger but I think a rifle can get too light and then take longer to get a proper sight pic and slow you down. Those thin bbls heated up and started walking after 3 shots (I floated bbl and bedded action/tang, adj. trigger), and that does nothing for confidence, but now after years of learning, I usually have confidence in 3 shot groups and save my bbl and ammo expense by not seeing what #4 and 5 do, as that would not simulate field conditions, in a big game rifle...typically.

well, she ain't light, and she ain't exhibition grade, but she feels fine, and lighter now with the walnut stock instead of the laminated.


and for some bling....


i have a 338-06, because i like to tinker. is there really an advantage over a 30-06 or undergunned by a 35 whelen ?
i don't care, i like this thing called a mauser.
it shoots well, and i think if ever given the chance will put some meat in my freezer.
ya'll can dicker about this and that, but without choices the world of guns and calibers would be a very boring place.

guess my next tinker toy is gonna be a 7mm-08.

65BR,

I love the Mnt rifles. To me they would be perfect with just a little more barrel weight. That's why I've gravitated towards this:
[img][IMG]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m238/Kevin_Teed/LVSF308.jpg[/img][/img]
LVSF .308 with a TI stock.

Teeder, I am sure glad that you don't give a Hooters Toot, Tinker's Damn or "RATS ARSE" what I shoot. It does make me feel sooooo good to know such a fact savvy.

Nice rifle Teeder.

I'm supposed to be coming into a sporterized 1903A3 and I was just wondering if the action is strong enough to rebarrel to 338-06. I mean, I would assume it's fine to do that but I don't really know what kind of pressure levels exist in the 338-06 and since it's an older gun I thought I'd ask.

I was up scouting my elk unit this past week and I just could not get the thought of the 338-06 out of my head. I started handloading last year and it's so neat to learn about these cool wildcats (even though the 338-06 is standardized now) that are so well balanced and efficient. I really like anything that uses the -06 as the parent case and I'd kind of like to build an entire battery of rifles around -06 derivatives. I shoot a 6.5x55SE now and the thought of a 6.5-06 is really appealing too as well as a 280 Rem AI and others. But I think the 338-06 would fit best for me right now as the largest caliber rifle I currently own is my M1. I like the idea of a 338-06 for a dedicated elk/moose rifle. Maybe someday I'll get a magnum, but for now I love the company of old-timers who extol the virtues of well-balanced, efficient and sensible cartridges. I like long barrel and cartridge life and ease of reloading and shooting. Hence, the 6.5x55SE.

Your 03A3 will work just fine for a .338-06. I have a .338 Win Mag on a Remington-made 03 action and it has worked very well for over ten years, now.

"It is a fine cartridge but never will be a big seller. Several people told Weatherby that before they brought out the rifles and ammo (after A-Square supposedly "introduced" it) but it never sold very well."

I remember Dave Scovill saying in an article how poorly the 338-06 sold after being introduced by Weatherby. The problem as I see it is they, and I believe Winchester for a time, made rifles, but neither was the average mans rifle. The Weatherby was around $1000 and the Winchester came only in their higher end custom rifle, also over a grand (more like $2000). People could get a 338 WM or stick with their 30-06s for half the price.

JS - I have the Weatherby in .338-06 and love it. I've never hunted elk with it, so cannot comment to the rounds efficacy. I have shot more than 25 CA pigs with it and it whacks them! I've used the factory 210gr Partition and loaded 210 gr. TSX bullets shooting in the 2750 FPS range. I would not hesitate to use it on elk with my personal parameters; Reasonable angle and ranges of less than or equal to 300 yards.

I'm looking into a .338-06 as well. I want it to be a project gun. I was looking at the CZ action and having Pac-NOR barrel it for me. I want a light rifle, but doesn't have to be a flyweight.

I shot a buddies custom job on 700. He's short and I'm tall, but with the reduced LOP I still shot 3 rounds touching 100. It was impressive and manageable recoil. I could claim it is for elk or moose, but hell, I just want one.

Any suggestions before I get started? This is my first project gun and I'm pretty new to home gunsmithing.

kevinh1157, I'd prefer not to make this public. Please contact me about the .25-06.

Jim

I've had a 338-06 of one type or another going on ten years now.

I really like the cartridge for a couple reasons.

1. It's not a 338 WM. I am do not like anything that has magnum in it's name. Never felt the magnum did anything but marketing to guys who would be MUCH better off with a standard cartridge.
2. It will do anything the the 35 Whelen will do, but better. If the 338-06 with 250gr bullet won't do it. You need something bigger than a Whelen. The 200gr class of bullets are much better ballistically than than the 35 calibers.

It has worked superbly on elk and deer for me. I prefer 200gr Hornady SP's, 210gr NP's and TSX's. Rel 15 or Varget for powders.

I own two.
A Rem 700 Mountain rifle style and a Rem 7600 pump.

Can anyone point me to the 338-06 article by Dogzapper?

Send him a PM and ask real nice. He may just send you a copy!

Teeder, that's a SWEET little rifle and is what the LVSF should have been from day one.

But Remington has a history of getting things half right...

Ok, I'll chime in too as I have become a fan as well. Mine is a 338-06AI running 7.5 lbs. here is a pic with it's little twin in 7mm-08AI. Both are Remington 700 actions, one short one long with Lilja match barrels. The 338-06 is 24" #3 contour. Bansner Sheephunter stocks, Talley aluminum mounts and a Kahles 3-9x42 TDS. All put together by Kevin Weaver in Colorado Springs. The 7-08 is a 22" #2 with a Swarovski 3-9X36 TDS

The 338-06AI is running 225 Accubonds over H414 right about 2750 fps and groups beautifully. It's a pleasure to carry, although its little brother is even nicer in that department. Killed one Bull with it last season shortly after it was built. Knocked him right off his feet and down the hill never to take a step. Hoping for a repeat performance in about 10 days.

Needless to say I'm glad I built this one.

We seem to share a common battery.(almost0
338-08 AI top
338-06 bottom (Not AI)
I'm getting real fond of the little bro.

I can't speak to the question directly, but here is the rifle I purpose-built for elk and bear:





Its a Savage 110 I bought in the classifieds as a winter project. I pulled the 270 WCF barrel and replaced with an ER Shaw "factory magnum" taper barrel chambered to 338-06 A-Square.

The trigger has had major work done, the barrel cut to 22" w/ target crown, coated w/ brushed stainless steel Gun Kote, the factory laminate stock stripped w/ dents raised and 20+ coats of Tru Oil and bedded to the action/recoil lug w/ marine tex, Warne Maxima perm attach low mounted rings, and a 2-7x32mm Bushnell Elite 3200 w/ firefly reticle.

Here are the results of a couple particularly good loads tested after running the Tubb Final Finish System down the tube:


200 gr. Speer Hot Cor, 53 gr. of RL-15, unchrono'd


215 gr Sierra Game King, 57.5 gr. BLC-(2), 2683 fps ave of 2 shots

I've got 225 gr SSTs next up. That Speer load is a winner for sure; likely not high on the velocity list, but w/ accuracy like that I'm content.

I'll likely take the 215 gr SGK after elk if I'm ever fortunate enough to go. That seems to me to make a great all around bullet for mule deer and elk... probably a bit soft for big bears, but great for black bears too.

With only about 200 rounds down the tube including 50 for the Tubb System, I'm in love with this cartridge. I'm earning preference points for Wyoming elk and for black hills mule deer, and can't wait to take her West!

How does the 338-06 perform out of a shorter barrel? I have a Ruger#1RSI with a 20" barrel and was thinking of having the 30-06 barrel replaced with a 338-06 or a 35 whelen AI

Mine is 22" and I get about 2700 fps from 215 SGKs and have chrono'd up to 2900 fps w/ 200 grain Interlocks and Ballistic Silver Tips.

I know you didn't ask, but I wouldn't do an AI on a shorter barrel than 22". The gains you make w/ an AI are with slower powders typically.

I would think that if you're looking for a relatively short barrel the 338-06 AI in a 22" barrel would be worthwhile?

Mine is AI M98 action Krieger 24" barrel in a Borden stock. All the metal coated in Birdsong Black T. Roger Ferrel built it and did a fantastic job as always. I use Varget an 210 grain partitions at just over 2800 fps. It's killed a couple of average bulls and a few whitetails. Performance has been excellent on all. That being said I have a few times wondered why I spent all the the time and money getting a gun that will come close to a 338 Win mag instead of just building a win mag from the start. I think it was about 98 degrees and I was out fireforming cases at the time. All in all great rifle but thinking of getting it rechambered to a win mag.

Jeff

F15beeper,

That is an awesome rig w/ a proven track record. Cool factor has GOT to put a few points in the "pro-06AI" column, eh?

I built my straight-up A-Square out of boredom over the winter with every intention of eventually getting a Win Mag sometime in the future. While working up loads I compared them statistically and was dumbfounded. I don't remember the exact numbers, but figuring the fastest loads for each cartridge in each bullet weight I think I found that you get something like a 4% velocity increase for a 20% increase in charge weight from A-Square to Win Mag.

Personally, I'm thinking that a 338 RUM or Edge may be in my future w/ a 26 or 28" tube for serious LR shooting, particularly now that Berger is introducing 250 and 300 gr VLDs!

Neat post! My Dad's been shooting a 338-06 AI for quite a few years now. For those of you who expressed interest in acquiring a 338-06, his is for sale. See here: 338-06 AI For Sale

35WN