If you create .338-06 brass by firing full-power 30-06 factory ammo you just happen to have hanging around taking up space, do you run the risk of damaging your rifling with undersized bullets ricocheting off the barrel bore as they careen down the barrel?

Just wondering.

Not really,but there is a much better way.
Rather than wasting bullets use cream of wheat in the case.
Use Bulls Eye or Unique or other pistol powder.
The load can be anywhere from 6 to 12 grains of powder depending which powder you have on hand or want to buy.
Put a piece of tissue paper over the powder charge.
Fill the case with COW and seal the case mouth with tissue paper.
The Cream of Wheat when propelled will "iron out" the case and perfectly fill the case to the chamber.
I've been doing this since 1964 and it has always worked. No damage to the bore . Just a light white powder left behind.
While the load is very light,it will blow a hole through a steel trash can bottom.

quote:

Originally posted by GAHUNTER:
If you create .338-06 brass by firing full-power 30-06 factory ammo you just happen to have hanging around taking up space, do you run the risk of damaging your rifling with undersized bullets ricocheting off the barrel bore as they careen down the barrel?

Just wondering.

Dont think I would do it. I would be more concerned about damage as they exit the muzzle, and they wouldnt be accurate. It would be a waste of good ammo. Best to shoot them in an 06 and then resize I would think.

Remember they won't build up much pressure so don't be concerned about them going too fast down your barrel, but there are better ways, as above.

I have fired 300H&H ammo through both of my 300/340/375 Weatherby chambers with no ill effects when I was given a whole lot of Kynoch ammo from the 50's. The bullets rattling down the the bore pose no problem.
Pity that brass wasn't better quality, many suffered longitudinal cracks on the body while fire forming.

Have always found the COW method to work and is kind on barrels. Been doing that for years with my Weatherby and AI cases without issue, except when I read the load notes wrong and used too little powder and didn't get fully formed cases.

Cheers.

I suspect 80% maybe more of the 35 Whelens in existence spent much of their shooting life shooting 30-06s to get that wildcat brass, but that was when folks had to make do with what they had!

It won't hurt a thing!!

The worst effect of shooting '06 ammunition in the oversized bore will likely be a dirty bore from the poorly-burned powder, but that will clean right out.

But why not do it the "right" way: Pull the bullets, run the cases over the .338 tapered expander, load with your normal load, and shoot as you would normally.

The only difference between the 30/06Spgfld and the 338/06 Asquare is the diameter of the neck. Like has been said, shoot them in a 30/06 and the run them through a 338/06 sizing die. If you don't have a 30cal to shoot them in find some brass and sell the factory loaded ammo.

Fireforming is one answer, but a far more satisfactory and simple method is to use a tapered neck sizing die. Over the years I have accumulated quite a collection of them. including .22 to 6mm, .22 to .257, 7mm to .338 and 7mm to .358. I recently used the last one to resize 7mm Remington Magnum brass to use in a .358 Norma Magnum chamber.


The best way to handle a situation such as yours is to use a neck expanding die to take the neck diameter up to slightly larger than the neck diameter you intend to use, in your case to .358. Then simply full length resize in your .338-06 sizing die, thus insuring that headspace is preserved.

The die that you need is for sale on eBay for about $25.00. http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-12...3:g:cEkAAOSwXeJYC0qI

Back when I was shooting the 338-06 both std. and later the IMP version or the 35 Whelen, I bought new 06 brass or once fired, loaded it up with pistol powder cornmeal and a wax plug and shot up in the air to form cases..cheaper than wasting a bullet and powder.

If someone gave me a box of 06 I shot it in the rifles at my local back pasture rock chucks, never hit one however, but it kept my chucks happy and abundant.