Who uses a 338-06, what's your experiece ?

V

Vance

Active member
I have for some time been wanting something of a medium bore, without the MAGNUM-ITUS. I had considered .338 Federal, .358 Winchester & 35 Whelen as well.

Alot of folks say just get an '06 and be done with it. The thing is I have a .270 and want something with a bigger difference than that.

Looking for something that can handle shots out to 500 yards, but will most likely be used at 50 - 100 yards.

This would be a hunting rifle for use on Mule Deer and Elk. And I hand load, so I don't even care about ammo availability from Walmart !
 
A 270 will shoot a real easy 500 yards so why ? I guess if you want more buy a mag but your not gonna gain distance...More punch and a bruised shoulder
 
Had one for a few years, built it pretty light and it was a joy to carry elk hunting. Never got a chance at an elk while carrying it though. Getting up there in years so elk hunts won't be too frequent and I'm getting a bit more recoil shy so it went down the road.
The only thing I took with it were a couple whitetail does with 200 grain Hornadys. Had no complaints. I loaded 210 Partitions for elk, wish I'd of gotten a chance at one with that load.
 
blopez50,

Thats a fine looking rifle you have there. Have you hunted with it yet? Any experience thumping big game with it yet?

Also, any updates on your load testing?
 
Originally Posted By: justin10mmIf you really want to be different get a 8mm-06.

That would be different alright, and I have considered that one too. However, I would like to have more variety of available bullets to load in it than what the 8mm offers.
 
Originally Posted By: gmeA 270 will shoot a real easy 500 yards so why ? I guess if you want more buy a mag but your not gonna gain distance...More punch and a bruised shoulder

Yes my 270 is good beyond 500 yards for sure.

As to why, well I am after an Elk thumper, and I feel my 270 doesn't have the thump at that range that it should for a big bull elk.

Also, I like to try things that are "outside the norm" for most people.
 
Packing a punch at long range is what the larger magnums were developed for. You need the speed to get a heavier bullet out there without a "rainbow trajectory". 7mm Rem mag, .300 Win mag, .338 Win mag (favored in AK). There are also the Weatherby calibers if you want something different, any of them should do the job.

My main medium/large game gun is a .30-06, so there's not much point for me to get a 7mm or .300. The most likely thing I would use a larger gun for would be Nilgai, but I'd love to hunt brown bear one day. I will build a .375 H&H one day, but don't intend to use it on shots over 200-300 yards.

If the recoil makes you shy away from the magnums, you can easily tame gun to be shot at the range. A muzzle brake, good recoil pad, and some weight in the buttstock will cut the recoil by as much as 50%. When you hunt take the brake off to save your hearing, and the weight out of the stock if you are carrying the gun far. You won't notice the recoil from a single shot while you're pumped full of adrenaline, but you won't have developed a flinch from sighting it in and practice shots.
 
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Originally Posted By: Gatorgrizz27Packing a punch at long range is what the larger magnums were developed for. You need the speed to get a heavier bullet out there without a "rainbow trajectory".

Rainbow trajectory is not a problem for me. That's what an adjustable turret, matched to the load, and a range finder is for. I just need to be sure that I have the energy to do the job at that range, and that wind drift is at an acceptable level.
 
338 win mag the recoil is not noticably differnt from any you mentioned and ballistcly out performs them. Hard to beat for long distance windy conditions without going wildcat.
 
Originally Posted By: Vanceblopez50,

Thats a fine looking rifle you have there. Have you hunted with it yet? Any experience thumping big game with it yet?

Also, any updates on your load testing?


I haven't shot anything but that piece of cardboard with it yet. I tried to do some load work up a couple weekends ago but just couldn't do it in the 30+ mph winds.... Hopefully this weekend will be the one!

Don't get me wrong here, I think the 338-06 is awesome and that's why I chose it! BUT if you're wanting to go by the numbers for 500 yard energy you may want to look into it a bit... It's been a while since I researched it so I'm not 100% on this but I'm pretty sure that once you start getting out to ~500, the low speed of the 338 kinda hold it back. I want to say that the 30-06 with a 180gr actually carried the energy out a little farther than the 338 but again, not 100% as it's been a while.

With that said, if you want a 338-06 that is reason enough, build it and don't let anyone talk you out of it!! If you want to go strictly by the numbers, expand the search a little more. My $0.02 and nothin more....
 
If this chart is correct, the .375 H&H with a 250 gr bullet has the same energy at 500 yards as the .270 does at 150. They also aren't supposed to be as punishing as the .300 class magnums, and recoil is more of a strong push than a kick with the slower powders.

http://www.vincelewis.net/375hh.html

Or there were a lot of buffalo killed with a .45-70
 
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That's all well and good, and I would like to try a 375 H&H some day. But remember this part of the equation, " without the MAGNUMITIS "
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Also, if 500 yards is too far for the 338-06, then what is it's useful range on say Elk?

Not worried about point blank range, I have a turret to compensate for that!
 
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I built a 338-06 about 12 years ago using a pre 64 70 action and a 25 inch Donnelly barrel..

I use it mostly for spring bear with 200 gr Hornady's..Flattens bear with authority..I love the Hornady's and they work perfectly at 338-06 speeds...Re 15 is getting me 2850 with 200's..

I have played some with it at long range and it is quite capable of 500 yards and beyond..Re 17 and 225 accubonds is getting me a little over 2700 fps and that translates into 11 MOA and 1850 FP of energy at 500...More than enough for any elk..

I have dedicated long range guns so I don't use it for that,but it can do it..



 
No personal experience, good friend of mine built one for an africa hunt. It seemed to have done a good job on his water buffalo.

I built a 358 last year for a new elk rifle, havent put iton anything but paper so far.
 
I was in the same boat as you. I have a .270 win but wanted something larger without getting a magnum. I settled on the 9.3x62. It compliments the .270 really well. Do a little research on it and you will see what I mean.
 
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