Folks I have been wanting a .338-06 for some time. I was going to do one on a Rem 700 but as I have started bear hunting in PA and have found most of the bear where I hunt are always on the move I am rethinking. Being a left handed shooter who shoots right handed bolt guns a second shot is a slow process. However I can shoot my 760 lefty with good speed on a follow up shot. I also have a 7600 and have thought sending it to JES Reboreing and having him rebore it and making a .338-06. I am just concerned about cartridge length. Will I be o.k. with up to 225-250 grain bullets? I hate to assume anything. So I come here to those who have rifles in and reload for the .338-06.

There was a fellow in Alaska some years back that did a .338-06 conversion on a 7600 in one of the shooting books back then, Big Bore Rifles comes to mind. Anyway he used 250 grain bullets with no problems. You might also want to check the papers for a 7600 in .35 Whelen, I have one of the first ones. Remington did a run of them in the late eighties and early nineties. They also have done several "specials" over the years in .35 Whelen so they should be fairly easy to find.

Thanks Cobra I figured it should be no problem but it never hurts to ask. I know they made 35 Whelen's in the 7600 but I have my heart set on a .338-06. Plus I already have a donor gun.

quote:

Originally posted by Donald Nelson:
Thanks Cobra I figured it should be no problem but it never hurts to ask. I know they made 35 Whelen's in the 7600 but I have my heart set on a .338-06. Plus I already have a donor gun.

Should be an awesome rifle when you're done. 225 gr. A-Frames with RL-19 work especially well with the .338-06.

Rem 700 is also made left handed never to late to use the right hand

The 338/06 that A Square standardized is identical to the 30/06 in every respect other than bullet diameter. Shoulder angle, COL, etc are all the same. All of my practice loads are using Winchester 30/06 brass I run thru the sizer die.

Go for it as it is a fantastic caliber.

Here are two of my pet loads:
Deer Load: 200gr Speer Hot Core over 53.5 gr of RL-15 provides outstanding accuracy
Elk/African PG: 210gr Nosler Partition over 60 gr of H-414

with a 338-06 there is great potential for "getting it wrong" and loading bullets not designed for the lower speed of the 338-06.

There is no such issue with the 35whelen.

Isn't the 35Whelen an "off the shelf" chambering in the 7600?

AD

quote:

Originally posted by Allan DeGroot:
with a 338-06 there is great potential for "getting it wrong" and loading bullets not designed for the lower speed of the 338-06.

There is no such issue with the 35whelen.

Isn't the 35Whelen an "off the shelf" chambering in the 7600?

AD

The 7600 had an initial run in .35 Whelen in the late eighties, early nineties and several special runs since then. Initially I used Remington ammunition in 250 gr. at 2400 fps, Federal has a nice 225 gr. with TBBC at 2600.

I've been using the Nosler 210gr Partition for a number of years in my .338-06 and have not had a problem on deer or elk.

quote:

Originally posted by Allan DeGroot:
with a 338-06 there is great potential for "getting it wrong" and loading bullets not designed for the lower speed of the 338-06.

AD

Which bullets would that be?

I've wondered about that issue too . I think most .338 bullets were designed for the .338 Win. Mag. . I've been hankering to bui;d a 760 in .338 Fed and the bullet situation is a concern , I do not use factory ammo and haven't for almost 50 years .

quote:

Originally posted by Allan DeGroot:
with a 338-06 there is great potential for "getting it wrong" and loading bullets not designed for the lower speed of the 338-06.

There is no such issue with the 35whelen.

Isn't the 35Whelen an "off the shelf" chambering in the 7600?

AD

Funny that with all the 338-06 shooters out there you don't read much about anyone getting it wrong with bullet selection. Maybe the guys with them are smart enough to match the bullet with the speed/game they are dealing with.

If I wanted a .35 Whelen I would buy one. I don't want one. Actually getting the 7600 I have rebored is much cheaper than buying another rifle anyhow even if I did want a .35

Hornady makes a 250 grain RN that would be hell on wheels in a pump woods gun for anything in NA including PA bear on the run. Two holes leaking blood and air no doubt.
Over at midwayusa.com there is a blem bullet sale going on that has .338 225 grain Poly tips if that is something that interests you at a great price. The 210 Nosler PT has many folks who can testify to it's work as well.
Let us know how the gun turns out!
dmw

I built an M7600 in .338-06 ~25 years ago and used it extensively in Alaska and Texas. There is zero problem with bullet selection, since the .338-06 is not all that far behind real .338 WM velocities - I know as I have both. Kinda like saying you can't use 180-grain bullets in the .308Win since they are designed to work well in the .300 Win Mag. 200-grain .338" bullets from Hornady and Speer work great on deer and caribou down to 2300 fps MV, the 250 Partitions at 2550 fps work great on the larger stuff. Bullet performance was perfect no matter what the powder capacity was, the animals sure didn't know the difference.

The action has plenty of room for bullets up to 250 grains. I normally backed off a grain or two from maximum listed loads, but then I usually do that with most of the cartridges I reload for. Note that the action will "open" after each shot with the 250s, at least it will unlatch a bit due to inertia of the forearm. This causes no problems from a safety standpoint as it happens well after the bullet leaves the muzzle. It is actually an advantage as it helps to speed up a second shot (if needed). It isn't a fancy rifle, but I have really enjoyed it for several decades.



.

I rebarreled my 760 to a 338/06 three years ago. Wasn't easy but it was worth it. I shoot 200 & 225 grain bullets.

Don -

I think the .338-06 re-bore is a gloriously practical idea. Now I am going to check into having it done on my 760 Carbine. Thanks very much for the brain-wave....I can almost see it laying down elk with either the 210 gr. or 225 gr. Nosler Partitions as we speak (whichever it shoots better).

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:
Don -

I think the .338-06 re-bore is a gloriously practical idea. Now I am going to check into having it done on my 760 Carbine. Thanks very much for the brain-wave....I can almost see it laying down elk with either the 210 gr. or 225 gr. Nosler Partitions as we speak (whichever it shoots better).

I thought so especially being it is only a $225 job from JES Reboreing. I have no desire to change to left handed bolt guns as I am used to shooting right handed ones lefty. Almost all my shooting and hunting is done from a bench or bipods and never much need for a fast follow up shot. But from all I have seen this bear hunting where I go is another ball game. This area gets pushed hard and the bears are headed out of the way in a hurry. They killed three bears the first two hours of daylight from the same little area two were close enough to where I was that I could hear them talking when they were field dressing them. All three bears required follow up shots. That was what got me to buy my 760. I feel I lucked into it as it was made the first year they came out and is in great shape and shoots fantastic. I then got a 7600 in a deal and figured .338 has more frontal area than .308 so how could I go wrong. I will keep the 760 in the original 30-06 and re bore the 7600 from 30-06 to .338-06 besides the 7600 has a thicker barrel.

While there is nothing wrong with the 338/06, why not just find a Remington Pump in 35 Whelen???

You won't beable to over load it to get the "bragging" velocities you read about all the time on line!

I killed my first big game animal with a .338-06 back in the 70's, and by the early 80's i've been shooting a LH 700 Rem. chambered in .338-06.

Hunting all over Alaska with mine, takeing moose and brown bear, i prefered the heavier 250NP's or 275 Speers. For deer and deer sized blk. bear, you will be over gunned, so it won't matter what .338 bullet you use.

DM

Any 760/7600 can rebarreled by a competant smith. I have one that is rebarreled in .375 Hawk and it works well. The only issue for me is that the loaded rounds shouldn't be longer than 3.25" because that is the ejector window size. If for some reason you want to eject an unfired round it hangs and then you have issues.

I made that mistake and had to whittle the end off of a bullet with a pocket knife; only once!

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
While there is nothing wrong with the 338/06, why not just find a Remington Pump in 35 Whelen???

Or just use 220 gr RN bullets out of your 30/06. That would kill any bear living in PA.

quote:

Originally posted by Greg K:

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
While there is nothing wrong with the 338/06, why not just find a Remington Pump in 35 Whelen???

Or just use 220 gr RN bullets out of your 30/06. That would kill any bear living in PA.

Two very good suggestions!.....actually a 200 grain partition in a .30-06 loaded to 2,700 FPS is one awesome load and fully capable of everything on the planet short of those known as dangerous game.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

Originally posted by Greg K:

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
While there is nothing wrong with the 338/06, why not just find a Remington Pump in 35 Whelen???

Or just use 220 gr RN bullets out of your 30/06. That would kill any bear living in PA.

Two very good suggestions!..... actually a 200 grain partition in a .30-06 loaded to 2,700 FPS is one awesome load and fully capable of everything on the planet short of those known as dangerous game.

Exactly right.

quote:

Originally posted by cobra:

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

Originally posted by Greg K:

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
While there is nothing wrong with the 338/06, why not just find a Remington Pump in 35 Whelen???

Or just use 220 gr RN bullets out of your 30/06. That would kill any bear living in PA.

Two very good suggestions!..... actually a 200 grain partition in a .30-06 loaded to 2,700 FPS is one awesome load and fully capable of everything on the planet short of those known as dangerous game.

Exactly right.

Good suggestions true, but the man wants a 338/06. We should encourage him!!

I would recommend a left hand .338 Ruger Compact Magnum instead. Just my two cents.

Remington pumps are very popular in PA. And moving shots seem to be the norm on bears. Sounds like a great area if they are getting that many. Good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
While there is nothing wrong with the 338/06, why not just find a Remington Pump in 35 Whelen???

Or just use 220 gr RN bullets out of your 30/06. That would kill any bear living in PA.[/QUOTE]

Two very good suggestions!..... actually a 200 grain partition in a .30-06 loaded to 2,700 FPS is one awesome load and fully capable of everything on the planet short of those known as dangerous game.[/QUOTE]

Exactly right. [/QUOTE]

Good suggestions true, but the man wants a 338/06. We should encourage him!![/QUOTE]

I expect it on a forum. I already stated why I don't want a left handed rifle. I stated I don't want a .35 Whelen or other caliber. I know the 30-06 with the 180 grain loads it shoots excellent is fine. I WANT a 338-06! We know all anyone needs is a .223 or 22-250 for everything from ground squirrels to Mule Deer just by reading these forums. I figure since I will never get to hunt African dangerous game then a .338-06 should take me right into the rest the lower 48 has to offer! Then I can sell the safe full of rifles I have and spend the cash hunting.

Good suggestions true, but the man wants a 338/06. We should encourage him!![/QUOTE]

I expect it on a forum. I already stated why I don't want a left handed rifle. I stated I don't want a .35 Whelen or other caliber. I know the 30-06 with the 180 grain loads it shoots excellent is fine. I WANT a 338-06! We know all anyone needs is a .223 or 22-250 for everything from ground squirrels to Mule Deer just by reading these forums. I figure since I will never get to hunt African dangerous game then a .338-06 should take me right into the rest the lower 48 has to offer! Then I can sell the safe full of rifles I have and spend the cash hunting.[/QUOTE]

Get er done then! The 338/06 works great on African PG as well. To date mine has accounted for more African game than American. I myself would not hesitate to take leopard with one and it IMHO would do fine on lion in a pinch...caveat being I have never hunted either animals.

Good luck with your re-bore!!

quote:

Originally posted by cobra:
There was a fellow in Alaska some years back that did a .338-06 conversion on a 7600 in one of the shooting books back then, Big Bore Rifles comes to mind. Anyway he used 250 grain bullets with no problems. You might also want to check the papers for a 7600 in .35 Whelen, I have one of the first ones. Remington did a run of them in the late eighties and early nineties. They also have done several "specials" over the years in .35 Whelen so they should be fairly easy to find.

Remember the article he lived in Anchorage I called him at the time originally wanted to make 375-06 but sight screw holes were to deep. So went with the 338-06.
I have a 7600 35 Whelen and and had a 760 in 35 Rem rechambered to 35 Whelen. Headspace issues in the re chambered one! If you have one re bored and rechambered make sure they do a lot of good work on the 760 or 7600.

I had a 7600 rebored to 338-06. It shoots great and have only loaded 200/210gr bullets for it.

Go for it.