OK Guys I'm looking in to having a barrel made for the future for the Encore as a rifle with a heavy 26" barrel. I want a larger caliber cartridge good enough to hunt Elk with. I don't know if the Elk trip will ever happen but want to start with the rifle in that direction.

I have been looking at these 3 cartridges & was wondering if any of you have any experience with these. I'm leaning in the direction of the 338-06 Improved. Since this would be used in the Encore with the break open action I think this would be my best choice because I have read that the belted cartiidges can present some problems with the Encore. All opinions are welcome. Thanks
Rich Jake

I've done quite well with the standard old .338-06 and 225's or 250's. They are easy to load, easy on the shoulder, penetrate like crazy, quite accurate,my rifle will hold five of them,the rifle weighs 8#'s and is easy to pack around. WBY does make one 210 gr NP load for it too.
I know the .338 WM is a bit MORE and one can buy all sorts of factory ammo. It also kicks a bunch more if thats a concern.

Unless your want to take a lot of 350 yd plus shots I'd just do the standard old .338-06 and be done with it. A 250 gr slug at 2550 fps is big medicine out to 300 yds. I killed a nice bull last year a bit over 300 with one shot. In and out. What more can one want??

FN in MT

My vote also goes .338-06. You'll find it pleasent shooting in a lighter rig. The improved version would give you a little bit more vel. but you'll have to buy custom dies. It's a good elk round under 300yds & makes a great deer/hog/blackbear rig as well.

I vote for the 338 Win...I have been both routes and the 338 win. is just a more powerfull rifle and will do more...I have never been able to tell the difference in recoil between the two....I can load the 338 down to 338-06 balistics not visa versa and I can buy ammo about anyplace should I get seperated or forget my ammo.....All in all the 338 Win. is one of my all time favorite calibers.

I have a 338 06 and a 338win mag the 338 06 has a 27 in barrel the wim mag a 24 the 338 06 is always about 200 feet slower then the win mag no matter what I use for powder.

Check out the .358 Winchester, also. that's the .308 case necked up to .35.

I've had both the 338 Mag and the 338-06AI. Using the info I read in a wildcat artical concerning the AI version, I got within 100 FPS of the Mag.
I've since parted with both rifles years ago.
The 338-06AI was based on a Rem 721, and liked the 200 Hornady and 210 Partition best, giving sub-MOA groups regularily. I recommend it highly, if you're into wildcats. The standard 338-06 if you're not.
I also am intrigued by the 338-08 round, but thats a diffeent subject. ~~~Suluuq

I am in the same boat as you. This is what I have almost done, have barrel (338-06) ready to mount to savage 110. I went this route because I didn't want the recoil of the 338 win and the 338-06 should be great on elk out to say 300 yards. I also went with the standard 338-06 because I didn't want any feeding problems but for the encore the improved version would be a great idea.
I also shoot the encore and the mag round are no trouble at all I shoot a 15" 264 win mag all the time. yes I had to muzzlebrake this one.

I'd go for the .338 Winchester, with the standard .338-06 being my close second choice, especially now that it's a legitimate factory cartridge.

I hate most wildcat cartridges with a passion, and I can see no reason to go with the .338-06 AI when the regular .338 Winchester will do everything that it will do plus more; is widely available, requires no fire-forming and other tedious hassles, plus the resale value of rifles chambered for wildcats is abysmal.

AD

Hey Thanks for the help. There was a lot of good info. I still have time to think it over some more. I was thinking about 338 Winchester Mag loaded down to 06 velocities. The thing that had me a little concerned was that I saw some posts around with trouble sizing the belted case properly & having trouble in encore barrels.

That's what started me thinking about the 338-06 just didn't know if I would be annoied with the lower velocity, but sounds like it should be just as good to 300 yards. Decisions decisions.

Rich Jake

Rich,
I don't know about the problems an Encore might have with a belted cartridge but put your mind at ease about reloading the 338 Win Mag. I've been working with my Savage for about 10 months now and have just about 6 reloads on each of 100 cases with no failures and outstanding accuracy. I bought a set of Redding dies and a mandrel neck sizeing die from Lee along with a case comparater (from Stoney Point I think). I've set the neck sizer to barely set the shoulder back (~.001") and now the case headspaces on the shoulder not the belt, resulting in a good fit in the chamber with no separations in the web area of the case. The loads I'm using are pushing 225 grain bullets from 2800 to 2900 fps out of a 24" barrell, not wimps, and aren't bad at all on the shoulder. You have the option, as others have said, of downloading if the recoil bothers you or staying in the fast lane. I was skunked on my elk hunt this year but I've shot two hogs and a small buck deer with this gun and you couldn't tell the difference between an '06 as far as the damage to meat was concerned, the animals did go down a bit faster however.
My vote's for the Win Mag providing the Encore will feed and extract it properly.

If you want to download the 338, I do it to hunt deer here in Tennessee. Load with the Hornady 200 grain flat point and it is very accurate and local deer can't tell it is less than full bore loading. If I ever use it for bigger game at longer distances all one has to do is change bullets and powder and go for it.

As for the 300 yard limitation on elk someone mentioned earlier . . . Most folks I know have NO business taking a 300 yard shot (Jim Layne is an exception and he could do it offhand) and I certainly include myself in that list!

LouisB

Like some of the other cartridges one can load the 338 up to max, or down to 1000 - 1500 fps with cast bullets!

Encore,

I love mine.

300wm 24" stainless (Bullberry Barrel Works)
20 ga rifled slug (TC)
50 cal Muzzle loader stainless (TC)
308 15" Pistol stainless (TC)

338-06 24" stainless (Bullberry Barrel Works)

I have not had any problem reloading for the Encore other than the primers having to be flush. this means not .003 - .005 under flush. I have harvested animals with all but the 338-06. I recieved it late this year and had already filled my Maine rifle and both my archery tags. I went to NH and passed on a small fork horn and went home empty handed in that state.

I like the handling of the Encore. I like the accuracy of the 180 gr Balistic Tip and the 225 gr Seirra BT from the 338-06.

I am in the process of selecting a Chronograph. Something that I can use for rifle and bow. Then I would be comfortable with posting loads.

I would not be afraid of the belted magnum, but I would not run away from the 338-06 either. Sounds to me like you have a great reason to purchase two barrels!!

I live 10 minutes from TC Arms. The Encore I purchased had a Trigger pull much to heavy for me. This is how I learned of Bullberry. They reworked the trigger to a smooth and crisp 3lb pull not the 5lb it came with. TC would not rework anything at or under 5lb.

good luck, enjoy the rifle or pistol or muzzleloader or shotgun, whatever you want to make it into. Oh, the slug barrel is very accurate out to 180yds. Laser range finder on a rest.

Same Trigger, Same Feel, Same Result!

Single*Shot

This is going to be a tough decision they are all good cartridges. Single Shot don't know if two barrels would be a good idea as I have been collecting Contender barrels for a while & have a good collection already. I don't mind having this kind of problem though it gives me something to think about. The good thing is if I try something & want to change it's not difficult at all.
Rich Jake

Question: Can't you use 338-06 factory ammo in an Ackley Improved bore? I thought that was one of the selling points of an Ackley Improved chamber?

I am trying to choose between the (2) 338-06 vs 338-06AI. The fireforming part does not really bother me if I can use standard 338-06 ammo as well. Are feeding problems really a problem with the Improved vs the Standard with a compitent gunsmith?

Oh yeah..... I had planned on neck sizing only after fireforming. Will that increase probability of feeding issues?

[ 12-17-2002, 22:36: Message edited by: wpm ]

I'm also with the 338 win mag camp. You can load it down to a 338-06, and up to the full mag, but no 338-06, improved or no, will match the 338.

I had a 35 whelen ackley, and my personal belief is the only way the improved rounds get their enhanced, ie 150 fps faster loadings is by running higher pressures. At the same pressure, you only gain 50 fps, yet you have all the work of blowing out cases.

Just go with the win mag, with a properly cut chamber, and a good set of dies, there will be no problem with re-loading it. After reloading and shooting a few belted mag rounds, I think the reloading problems are based on the reloader not knowing how to reload for the round. For the Encore, just use Mike Bellm's technique for setting the dies.

Nosler has data for the 338 win mag pushing their 210 gr partition 2700 fps, ought to be a real pussycat to shoot. Then again, you can also push 250's the same speed.

The 338-06 may be a factory round, but there are few gunshops that will carry the ammo. You can find 338 win mag ammo just about everywhere.

I have a .338 Win Mag that shoots the 200gr Ballistic Tip so well it has caused me to quit the .300s. It can also do anything the .338-06 can do and then some. If you want less power you can load it down to .338-06 levels. With a 250 Partition it will take just about anything that walks. In my opinion the .338 Win Mag makes a great all around rifle, especially for the reloader.

I have a 338/06 and it will do anything that the 338 Win mag will do up to about 250 yards or so.
Buying ammo for it is not an easy thing to do! Now Weatherby sells ammo for the round, but their prices soon could cause you to put a 2nd mortage on your house in comparison to the factory 338 mag ammo.

As far as recoil goes, that is a non-issue in my opinion. You can shoot the lighter weight bullet in a 200 grain factory or handload your own down to a 160 in a Barnes X bullet all the way to a 275 grain in a Swift A Frame or 300 grain in a Woodleigh bullet. The biggest Pro for using the 338 Win mag is obtaining factory ammo in several brands, which is around half the price of Weatherby's ammo.

The 338 Win mag also gives you that extra 100 plus yards or so in the field, if you come to need it down the road. My favorite load is a 225 grain in a Barnes-XLC for the big stuff and a Barnes 185-XLC for the smaller animals like deer.

I have a 300WM barrel for my encore. The problem that I have encountered is that the belt may hang up on the extractor. This prevents chambering, or worse, after getting it to go in, occasionally the rim will also slip over the extractor. This is a real PIA. These problems do not occur commonly, but it certainly creates a stressful situation when hunting and a follow up shot is required. My barrel is just standard factory T/C, so possibly the quality control on the extractor is off a little. With some filing, it might be okay.

FWIW

MFH

I've been putting together a Mauser that I planned to chamber in .338 WM. Then I read all these posts about how the .338-06 will come within 100 fps of this round. It sounded good on the surface but three things have persuaded me to go ahead with the WM.

1). None of the published data for the .338-06 shows pressures. This leads me to believe the presuures for the -06 run on the high side. While most data for the WM tends to run under the limit. 2). I won't be shooting this enough to realize a benefit of burning slightly less powder in the -06 case. 3) The .338 WM is a lot easier to find factory ammo in.

-M

Why not make it in 340 Wby Mag. It will kill anything you want at reasonable kick.

I have a 338-06 AI. Its a fine round, but it can not match the 338 WM. Sure you can get within a 100fps of a warm magnum load. Not taking anything away from it though, it's a good round. I ran into the same delima when I had my Whelen. Do I improve it or rechamber to 358 Norma Mag. I went with the 358 NM and never looked back.

Hey yea, why not a 340wby? Infact, why are you considering the 338-06s anyway? You're building and Encore, right? A single shot? May as well get the most pop for that one shot! Much of the advantage of the 338-06s is the fact that you get an extra poke in the mag. A magazine which the Encore lacks.

FWIW