Elk tags are really hard to come by in Arizona, but from 1998 thru 2001, I had a cow tag each of those years, in get this unit 27. In 1995 I had an EARLY SEASON bull tag, shot a real nice 6X6,unit 27 also, that makes 5, and this seasons muzzle loading tag in unit 10, makes 6. I know it is hard to believe, but a couple guys I know have had more than that. Go Figure!!

Jerry

Jerry,
I was hoping you would come back with the "tag thing" to clarify your harvest.
I have a very nice 1908 Brazilian Obendorf Mauser action setting here on the desk, crying out for a nice custom hunting rifle to be built on it. I am going for a 35 Whelen Improved; just because it is one of the cartridges I want to do. There are 310gr bullets available in 358 caliber, as well as all of those cast bullets designs and jacketed pistol bullets for popping ground squirrels and rockchucks here in Idaho.

Fellows, don't take those 338-06's to Africa. They frown on wildcats these days, and they like to lose luggage every now and then just for the pained expression on your face when you realize the plains game part of your expensive safari just went into the crapper.

With the Whelen Improved you get an honest 125 to nearly 200fps increase over the factory round; and the headstamp WILL match the barrel markings when you go thru customs. That said, I have no issues with the 338-06 unless you want ME to buy one.

Rich

Rich,
FYI you can buy 338-06 Brass from Wtherby and Norma or Factory ammo from several companies.Not as much a Wildcat as it used to be.

quote:

Originally posted by SDhunter:
...What's your thoughts on using 250gr premium and solids for Cape Buffalo?...

Hey SDhunter, You might want to pre-check with your Outfitter/Guide to see if that is actually "Legal-to-use" on Buffalo.

I was in another thread and MacD mentioned it being "Against the Law" to use less than a 375H&H all across Africa - unless the Guide says it is OK. I really don't understand how a Guide has that authority, but then I'm not a student of African Laws.

Best of luck to you on the African Hunt.

Hot Core,

Thanks for the heads up.
I realize that in most countries that the 338-06 is not legal for DG. My 416 Rigby will definitely be my first choice. But it wouldn't hurt to have some back up 338-06 ammo that would be capable, for Murphy's law of course.

I got some old Hornady 250gr solids on Ebay in a big lot purchase of 338 bullets. So I have them on the reloading bench just in case.

I do have some headstamped Norma cases that would definitely be used for an Africa trip.

As far as the 338-06 vs the 35 Whelen thing. This is from an earlier post.

quote:

Keep in mind that this is all pretty much nitpicking.

I don't think you can wrong with either. I just happen to have picked the 338-06 and have tremendous confidence in this cartridge.

It didn't help the Whelen when I owned a Rem classic in that cartridge and that rifle knocked the snot out me off the shooting bench. It was sold shortly thereafter.

After I decided that I wanted a bigger caliber dedicated elk rifle instead of my 270 Win. I had the opportunity to buy a custom Model 70 in Whelen, I just couldn't bring myself to own another Whelen.

So I went with the 338-06. And I have been extremely satisfied.

Thanks for the heads up on headstamped 338-06 brass. Makes the decision even harder. I' still a Whelen fan.

Rich

quote:

Originally posted by SDhunter:
Seafire,
Thanks for the response. I was just curious.

Sorry to hear you got skunked on elk. But at least you were out in the woods.

The SD Black Hills rifle deer season opens Wednesday(Nov 1). I will be carrying my my 338-06 with 200gr Hornady SP. My rifle is a model 700 with 22" fluted Pac-Nor barrel and Mcmillan mountain rifle stock. It wears a Leup 2.5-8 in ultra low rings. It shoots great and is a joy to carry all day.

I also own in 338-06:
A Remington 7600 pump and FN in 338-06.
I also have a #4 contour Pac-Nor 23.5" fluted barrel chambered in 338-06 and waiting for the gunsmith to have time to mate it to a CZ 550 action.

SDH:

First, good luck on deer season... I'd like to come back east and hunt 'Soudakota' for deer one year....

Sounds like you have the 338/06 circuit covered with your 338/06 arsenal there...

My Winchester has always been very accurate, and has given me higher velocities than some other guys are getting.... but this elk season for some reason, I tried a load of 57.5 grains of IMR 4895 in mine, with the 200 grain Hornadys.... and my groups got even tighter than with any other powder...

I was hoping to get to the range to chronograph them today...or out in the woods....

As you mentioned..." at least you were out in the woods".... that is why I left Minnesota and moved to Oregon 11 years ago...

Elk tags went up to $34.50 for residents last year... and the Elk herds numbers are down dramatically....

But I was sitting up on a bluff friday, it was about 75 degrees, not a cloud in the sky... I was up at about 5500 feet, and could see about 80 miles or more in any direction... the sky was a deep blue... I did see some elk feeding on a few isolated hill sides that had to be at a 40 to 45 degree angle, the closest being 1500 yds or more....

I sat up there an hour or more.... just really enjoying it all....

I was figuring, that it costs me as a resident $5.00 a day to be out in the Oregon wilderness and being able to just hike and walk around in this environment and have my rifle in my hand with the prospect of just "seeing" something...

Ya know, I may have skunked on elk, but the environments I hunted in, the scenery I enjoyed and experienced... and the trails I got to hike down....and I only had to pay the state $5.00 a day to have that rifle in my hands during the whole time....

What a bargain!

There are people in many parts of the country that would fly thousands of miles to enjoy what I was enjoying sitting on that rock outcropping on Friday afternoon...even to the south you could see Mt. Shasta and its snow capped peak, against an Azure Blue sky.....

I didn't get to shoot an Elk, but experiencing what I did, to the west side of Crater Lake.... It was the best $35.00 I spent this month!

Sometimes we just have to put a value in today's world of being able to just walk in the woods being able to have a rifle in our hands...

The anti gun and anti hunting crowd would never ever understand it... we hunters do tho.. and it is not always about just going out and 'KILLING' Bambi..... something those lefty lib know it alls are totally clueless on!

quote:

With the Whelen Improved you get an honest 125 to nearly 200fps increase over the factory round; and the headstamp WILL match the barrel markings when you go thru customs. That said, I have no issues with the 338-06 unless you want ME to buy one.

You can get an honest 125 to nearly 200 FPS from the standard Whelen, no need to improve. The .35 Whelen in factory form from remington is underloaded a bit because of all the old 1903 Springfields and the few 1895 Winchesters that were converted to the round. factory 250 gr. lads don't even come within 50 FPS in the three Whelen rifles I have. I have loaded to 2575 FPS with no pressure signs and the primers are still rounded, and that's in three different rifles. One rifle, my custom Oberndorf Mauser will do 2610 FPS with the top load I worked up to. I see no need to improve of that level.
Paul B.

ISS, I took my .338-06 to RSA in 98 & it will probably go again w/ me in 08 to Namibia. Just take proper headstamped brass & you are fine. If they lose one rifle they are loosing both, same w/ the ammo. You roll the dice & take your chances anytime you fly across the pond.
Don't air travel through NY City or London & carry trip/baggage insurance & minimize your chances of "lost" guns by 100%. I've been to Africa twice & NewZealand & never had a problem, doesn't mean it won't happen but so far so good. It's a shame to have the rifles & not use them for what they were meant for.

35 wins hands down. I read that more .338 bullets were available???? no way count again, same thing with the 9.3x62 not very many bullets to choose from. Hey we are reloaders aren't we? I have all three .338-06, 35 whelen, and the 9.3x62 and I can tell you that it is much easier to find a loading in 35 from mice to big stuff than the other two, if you want to talk about lead bullets the game is really over for the other two. bill439

quote:

Originally posted by Paul B:

quote:

With the Whelen Improved you get an honest 125 to nearly 200fps increase over the factory round; and the headstamp WILL match the barrel markings when you go thru customs. That said, I have no issues with the 338-06 unless you want ME to buy one.

You can get an honest 125 to nearly 200 FPS from the standard Whelen, no need to improve. The .35 Whelen in factory form from remington is underloaded a bit because of all the old 1903 Springfields and the few 1895 Winchesters that were converted to the round. factory 250 gr. lads don't even come within 50 FPS in the three Whelen rifles I have. I have loaded to 2575 FPS with no pressure signs and the primers are still rounded, and that's in three different rifles. One rifle, my custom Oberndorf Mauser will do 2610 FPS with the top load I worked up to. I see no need to improve of that level.
Paul B.

Factory whelen loads are 250 @ 2400, handloads will do 2500-2550, and an ackley whelen at similar pressures will do 2600. I know there are lots of folks that load ackleys to "magnum" performance, but all that does is run the pressures way up. If you're after 358 Norma performance, by all means build one!

I had a 35 whelen ackley and found it fed poorly from a mauser action. I lost a fair bit of brass during fire-forming, as the neck would be pushed back, and then following full patch loads would cause case head seperation. It was a good learning experience. I learned the ackley wasn't an improvement over the whelen.

bill, I don't shoot mice w/ my .338-06 so pistol bullets or cast bullets have never been a fancy for me. When you talk big game bullets, there are a few more to choose from in .338 than .35Wh. The 9.3 is just that much better on really big game. Any of the med. bores based on the 06 are winners for sure, Ford, Chevy or Dodge, take your pick.

i read an article recently and it stated that the whelen was one of the most efficient carts with the a.i. version being even more so. it made me give the ol whelen more respect

quote:

Originally posted by Paul H:

I had a 35 whelen ackley and found it fed poorly from a mauser action. I lost a fair bit of brass during fire-forming, as the neck would be pushed back, and then following full patch loads would cause case head seperation. It was a good learning experience. I learned the ackley wasn't an improvement over the whelen.

Paul, do you not as well have a .350 Rigby? Is not the neck/shoulder area very much the same on theese two?
Would not expanding and then fl-sizing solve your problem with the seperation?
I have made quite a few .30-06AI's and .338-06AI's on M98's without feeding problems, why do you think it fed bad for you?

Thanks,

quote:

Originally posted by Bent Fossdal:

quote:

Originally posted by Paul H:

I had a 35 whelen ackley and found it fed poorly from a mauser action. I lost a fair bit of brass during fire-forming, as the neck would be pushed back, and then following full patch loads would cause case head seperation. It was a good learning experience. I learned the ackley wasn't an improvement over the whelen.

Paul, do you not as well have a .350 Rigby? Is not the neck/shoulder area very much the same on theese two?
Would not expanding and then fl-sizing solve your problem with the seperation?
I have made quite a few .30-06AI's and .338-06AI's on M98's without feeding problems, why do you think it fed bad for you?

Thanks,

Bent,

Yes I do have a 350 Rigby, it was previously the 35 whelen ackley. The feeding issues with the ackley is due to the nearly straight body, not the sharp shoulder. The 350 Rigby has even sharper shoulder, 45 deg to the acleys 40. But, the Rigby has the same gently sloped body as the 375 H&H. It feeds very smoothly from the magazine compared to the jerky ackley.

I'm sure an ackley could be made to feed better by reconfiguring the magazine and feed rails.

To solve the case head seperations I went to fireform loads that had a bullet firmly jammed into the lands. I believe my head seperations were a compbination of the mauser really slamming the primer hard and hence pushing the case forward, and possibly the "smith" that chambered the barrel cutting the chamber too deep. The ackley shoulder will not move once formed, and hence the only option the case has to fill the chamber is to move rearword and sepperate at the head.

It was a good learning experience. I won't say the ackley chambers are all bad, I'm looking at a 223 and 22-250 imp in the near future. The sole reason I'm interested in those chamberings is that case stretch is almost eliminated, so for rounds one his looking for high volumes of fire, ie 100-500 rounds a week, eliminating trimming brass is worthwhile. For a hunting round, I'll gladly trim cases to get smooth feeding. I'd be hardpressed to shoot in a year with a medium bore hunting rifle what I'd burn in a week with a small bore.