338-06 VS. 35 WHELEN????

Some additional thoughts on the .338-06.
Weatherby chambered rifles for the .338-06 for a while, but no more. The Weatherby ammo was $44.95 a box around here. I bought one box just to give the gunsmith ammo to testfire my rifle after the barrel was on and chamber. They were loaded with 200 grain Nosler Partition bullets, but man, almost $45.00 a box for the ammo for a standard, non-magnum caliber that any handloader can make using plentifull 30-06 brass.
I'm not sure but I think Norma (very expensive) makes Weatherby's ammo. I think the ammo cost is the reason they couldn't get people to by their rifles in this caliber and stopped making them. That, plus the fact that they put in a featherweight rifle. Nobody I know like getting their teeth knocked out.
If they were smart and had Hornady make their ammo and sold it for $20-22.00, or even $25.00 a box I think they would have sold a bunch of rifles and they would be still selling them today.
So much for smart marketing. Why produce a product and then purposely try to kill it yourself? Isn't your competition trying to do that already.
 
I have a theory! Any North American shooter/hunter needs only three rifles; A .224 (.223 or 22-250), a 30-06 and a 375 HH magnum. Anything else is superflous.

Hope my wife doesn't see this, otherwise I'll be gettin rid of more than a dozen "superflous" guns!!
 
.338-06 has bullets with better sectional density for the weight, and in my guns a very slight edge in velocity. I think the .338 210 grain Partition at 2500 to 2700 fps will do anything that I need to be doing with a rifle!
 
BobT,

I have decided to go with the 338-06!

Is your 338-06 a re-barrel or a factory weatherby?
If it's a re-barrel, what brand, length and twist?
How many 338-06 variants are out there?

It would be nice to be able to get factory bullets for awhile. Then I could get setup for relaoding. Ill look around town today for any weatherby rounds. I already pay 54 bucks a box for my 270wby. Atleast there just hunting rifles 22's and 223's are still cheap.

thanx.... CZ
 
I have found my to shoot everything well. I have not regretted the choice. I have shot 200's and 225's at this point and had excellent accuracy with many powders. It seems that RL 15 is the best all around, but Varget, H380, H414 have all worked well also.
 
I built my 338-06 out of a 270 Rem 700 with 22 in. barrel. Nice light rifle to carry and supprisingly not that much recoil. I had Classic Arms in Arizona ream and re-rifle the barrel to 338-06. I'm shooting the Speer GS 225 gr bullet with 60.0 grains of RamShot Big Game powder for 2620 fps out of the 22 in. barrel. All the other powders I tried gave pretty poor volocity, the Big Game lit a nice fire in my rifle. Accracy will keep 3 shoots under an inch. Love this rifle!!!

Panhandlepr
 
CZ,
Mine is a Remington 78 sportsman action with a #3 Shilen 10 twist (I think) barrel finished at 26". I don't have my notes in front of me right now but I used data from the Nosler #4 manual. The loads were assembled with Redding dies in new Winchester .30-06 brass using Win. LR primers and IMR 4350 powder, bullets were 210 grain Partitions and 200 grain Ballistic tips. I don't recall exact velocities but I was getting in excess of 2600 fps with the 210's and in the upper 2700's with the 200's. BTW I had to call Nosler for starting loads for the 200 grain bullet. My rifle was put together by Butch Hongisto before he got so deeply involved in .22 bench guns and shoots like blazes! I think you made a great choice!
Good Luck!
Bob
 
200gr Ballistic Silvertips with BL-C2 at 2875fps or 230gr Failsafes with H414 at 2610fps in 26" barrel, 1:9½" twist, Weatherby brass. The Nosler 5th has data for the .338-06 A-Square in win brass.

Tim
 
Quite a few years ago a guy at my club was shooting a .35 Whelen with cast 250 grain bullets and hitting just over 2600 fps. No sign of pressure or leading and a nice group at 100 yds.

He was (is) a cast bullet fanatic and probably incorporated many unknown factors into his alloy, lube and loading procedure.
 


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