I am just wrapping up a 338-06 project. It's sitting in a cradle while the Marine-Tex cures, and I was getting impatient watching it, so I thought I'd use up some time on the computer instead of looking at the rifle just sitting there. (It's kinda like that old watching the grass grow thing... ).

It's a M700 action, with a Douglas stainless barrel, in a Fajen laminated stock. Good looking set up, as odd as it sounds. (The blued action, stainless barrel, and brown laminated stock make an interesting combination, that I like).

I got it chambered & the barrel screwed on yesterday, and used today to try & finish it up. I'll pull it out tomorrow, clean up the excess, put it all back together, mount a scope on it, load up some ammo, and hopefully shoot it this weekend (it has one round through it right now as a test shot).

I'm planning on using Nosler 210 grain Partitions in it, I hope it likes them...

Now if I can just draw that elk tag next year to try it out.....

Your choice of bullets is your own, of course, but the ancestor of the .338/06, the .318 WR, made its reputation throwing 250 gr. round nose bullets at 24-2500 fps. Though illegal (now!) for DG, it put plenty of lion, buff and elephant (really!) down with either softnose or FMJ's. Unless your elk hunting is done at really long range I would have to ask myself, if it ain't broke, why fix it?

Welcome to the .338-06 club. I think your new M700 will quickly become your favorite rifle. While I would never argue w/ Oldsarge, I think the 210grNP is a great all around bullet for the .338-06. If I were only after elk w/ it, especially in the timber, or heavier African game, I might opt for the 250grNP, Speer GS or Hornady. I haven't been able to get any of the 225gr bullets to shoot well, so that's not an option for my rifle, but might be a good compromise if they shoot well for you. Keep us posted!

[ 08-06-2003, 03:31: Message edited by: fredj338 ]

In my 338/06 I've found the 250's to be very accurate. They will run 2590 using the SAF bullet and a 23" tube.

The 180 Noz Bt will go at 3000 and is a terror on game as well.

Old Elmer, and a few b4 him had it right about this round it is a good one.

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

250 bullets==IMR 4350
Lighter slugs==R15

Ditto: Welcome to the .338-06 club! And what a 'club' this caliber is. Pun intended. Go ahead, say it a few times...three-thirty eight o'six. Rolls off the tongue kinda nice, don't it? In my case the moniker is even longer cause mine is the Ackley Improved version. Makes for quite a mouthful, but guaranteed to be the topic of conversation around the shooting bench. Have fun with yours.

I must be lucky cause my gun really likes the 225 Barnes X. I've just moly plated some to see if that makes them even better.

230 grain Fail Safes would make for an excellent one weight does it all.

The 230 FS is an excellent bullet-however in my opinion it is quite a tough one at 338 and 340 speeds. If there is a such a thing and I do think this one can come close at 338/06 speeds it may be a bit too tough, for many purposes that is.

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

[ 08-06-2003, 05:25: Message edited by: Mark R Dobrenski ]

From the Posts above I can see you are in good company, as am I.

One thing I love about the 338/06, is one has to go way out of his way to pick a lousy bullet for it. They don't exist to my knowledge. I even shoot the old 200 gr Hornady Flat Nose in mine at times just to duplicate the old 33 Winchester.

Yeah a 200 grain Spire Point might be considered too light for a really big Elk, however, it is still a dam sight better choice at any velocity than most of the smaller caliber bullets, at any velocity on their end, fast or slow.

While no one mentioned any reloading tips, I would like to pass on two with my "welcome to the 338/06 club":

1. Check out IMR 4064. What I think is neat is that with 50 grains of 4064, regardless of the bullet weight, from 200 grains to 250 grains, it will yield you a velocity of 2500fps. So if you plan on using a load of different bullet weights, you won't have to spend a lot of time re zeroing the scope.

2. The second is H 380 powder. Although you don't see a lot of reloading manuals listing it anymore, I have found it gives me the fastest velocity and the most accuracy of all powders I have tried ( and I have tried about 90 % of them)

65 grains of H 380 with a 225 grain bullet out of a 24 inch barrel gives 2825 to 2850 consistently in my Model 70.

60 grains of H 380 gives 2600+ fps with a 250 grain bullet consistently.

60 grains of H 380 gives 2475 to 2500 with a 275 gr Speer if you can find them.( Speer heard I started using them, so immediately dropped it)

65 grains of H 380 with a Nosler 200 grain BT gives 3000 fps consistently, and 3100 with a 180 grain Ballistic tip.

I have not used the Barnes Bullets, as the others perform so well in the 338/06.

good Luck with her!!

CB, Welcome to the club. Your 338-06 sounds like something I would covet.I have dealt mostly in the lite bullets for mine and with the right powder bullet you'll be surprised how close it gets to the old factory 338 WM.I would like to have you look over my spread sheet of loads I have collected. Just remember each rifle is different and start 10% low and work up slowly never load max to start which of course you know.E-mail me if you would like to look it over.

Cold Bore,
I have been shooting my 338/06 for 12yr now. I took 9 large African antelope with it using the 200gr Barnes X bullet over 57.5 gr of IMR 4064. The vel is 2820 fps from a 22 in barrel. My longest shot so far was a large gemsbok bull at 250 yd. I've shot moose elk cariboo and deer with it also and never felt under guned. You will like this caliber.

Well, it's finished. I got it back out of the stock after bedding it ( ), and cleaned everything up. Mounted a 2.5-8X on it last night. With any luck, I'll get some ammo loaded tomorrow & make it to the range on Sunday to try it out.

Thanks to all who responded, and to those who sent load info off-forum!

I want one!!

Wstrnhuntr-

I had been wanting to do this for a while myself, and finally got around to it.

With any luck, it will be used in your neck of the woods next year. I'm hoping to draw an elk tag for the Paunsagant....

CB, I was out this weekend & after putting a new scope on the rifle, thought I'ld try some 250 Speer GS. This rifle is really picky about loads. I can get most to shoot 1 1/2" but not alot better.
60.5gr RL19 / 250gr GS or NP / RPLR / WW case;
this load continues to print sub 1MOA groups (5/8"-1") @ just under 2500fps from my 22.5" bbl. This would be a great timber load and still be flat enough, w/ a 2" zero, for 300yds shots. Give it a try.

[ 08-11-2003, 23:27: Message edited by: fredj338 ]

This thing seems to be one of those rifles that like to shoot better the faster you push it. I had a few different loads with me the other day. Different powders & different charge weights. The first group from a mid-range load of IMR 4320 pushing Hornady 200 grainers was a bit disappointing. A little stiffer charge & it tightened up, some. Then I tried IMR 4064. Again, a mid-range load of 53 grains showed promise, but not great. By the time I moved up to 55 grains of 4064, I was on to something. The first three shots touched, the fourth left about a 1/8" strip of paper between itself & the first three, then the fifth shot landed about another 1/4" further out than that. By then, I was fighting the flinches, so I considered it to be pretty good. (The recoil isn't excessive, but after a while, it adds up...).

Everything was shot over a chronograph, and you could watch the groups tighten up as the velocity increased. Loads weren't max, but the trend was clearly visible.

Now, it's just a matter of changing bullets to the Partition, fine tuning the load & seating depth, and seeing what it will do. It definitely looks promising so far!

250-grain bullets with IMR 4350 are most accurate in my 338-06 Ackley Improved; and I have heard a lot of reports from others that the 250-grain bullets give best accuracy in that cartridge.

CB, I have also had the same exp. as yours. My rifle shoots tighter the closer I get to max. loads. Give RL15 a try as well. With the 210grNP, it's my most consistant load. Now, when is elk season!?

Cold Bore, what velocity were you getting with 55 grains of IMR4064?

-- Scott

Scott-

I was getting 2796 FPS (average for the string) with 200 grain Hornadys and 55 grs of IMR 4064.

I'm shooting a 26" tube, so I'm probably picking up a few FPS over the more "normal" barrels of 22" or 24".

The velocities also got more stable or consistent as the load increased. That load gave me an Extreme Spread of 25.5 FPS and a SD of 10.0.

Hope that helps!

I built my .338-06 to closely approximate the .333 Jeff or the .318 Westley Richards, so I use 250's. The last elk I shot with mine was with the 225 NP's and even at 300+ yds they penetrated like crazy.

I don't push the pressures as high as other do. With 250's I'm getting 2450 to 2500 depending on powder. With 225 NP's the velocity is up to 2650 though. Probably a pretty good all around combination for everything.

The only 210 NP's I've tried were the Weatherby factory loads, they were dissapointing accuracy wise but my rifle has a long throat (for the 250's) and the factory OAL is fairly short. I do agree though that the 210's are probably a good choice as an all around load.

FN in MT