I have one 700 standard long action to make a new rifle. Want to make something over 30 cal. to use for deer, moose and elk out to 300-400 yards, no longer barrel than 24 inches. Give me your suggestions.
Well depends on what you already have but a .338 Win Mag is pretty decent. Mine shoots very well with 225 grain handloads. What voids in your arsenal are you trying to fill?
Posts: 5604 | Location: Eastern plains of Colorado | Registered: 31 October 2005
This is a standard bolt face, not a magnum. I do not have any firearms over 30cal. except for a 44 mag. so I am open to suggestions. I have many firearms under 30 cal. from .223-7mm mag.
i had a hard time trying to decide which ( .338-06 or .35 whelen) to build also, that decision can delay a project for months! i chose the whelen as i have a couple '06's and can get close enough to .338 bullet weights that it doesn't matter much with those, so i figured the bigger step up in bore dia. will allow more thump for the buck coverage with either one though, the ackley isn't much of a boost and not needed for better headspace control, as one thought. have fun deciding! one thought.... on paper, there is some evidence that the .338 might do a bit better out at 300-400 yds due to smaller frontal area compared to bullet weight, but again, it's so close that it's hard to actually make a concrete bias towords one or the other. pick one and build!!, you know you're gonna smile the same when it's done.
Thanks thus far for the replies, so any one have a 35 Wehlen AI or .338-06AI that can tell me if they like it or not worth doing. I have a .250AI and a 280AI that perform very well, just not sure of the se bigger bores if it is worth doing.
338'06, 35 Whelen, 9.3x62, or 375 Whelen all do roughly the same work. Since all but the 9.3 are handloading propositions there's no reason not to play with the AIs I guess. I'd use a 26 inch tube on a 338'06 - AI or not - but that's just me. Have fun deciding.
In all seriousness the 9.3 X 62 is a excellent choice and factory ammo is available. It should feed nicely in you M-700 standard long action and a lot of fine bullets are available for handloading if one chooses. That M-700 action will wring out the most of the 9.3 XZ 62s capability and you'll be impressed with it's range and power.
Further, it's a legal DG round in most African countries should you ever go!@
Posts: 908 | Location: Western Colorado | Registered: 21 June 2006
I have the 338-06AI and it is a pleasure to shoot and performs very well with the Barnes and Nosler Accubond bullets. My dad has a 35 Whelen AI and he loves that gun. When we shoot together it is hard to tell the difference. We went with the AI just to have something different and have no regrets. We both just got back from Namibia from our first safari and both rifles were quite lethal.
338-06, 35 Whelen. 9.3x62, and 375 Whelen are all very good non belted magnum choices. For using factory ammo 35 Whelen and 9.3x62 are easy to come by. My next bigger bore rifle will be either 375 Whelen, or 416 Taylor, or 416 Express-( 350 rem mag necked up to 416 ), good luck and let us know what you decide on.
With a standard bolt face action, I would go straight to a 338-06, or a 9,3x62, and a 300 WSM would be in the mix for consideration too. I've shot the 300 WSM and think it's the only WSM I'd ever buy. It is GOOD.
I have one 700 standard long action to make a new rifle. Want to make something over 30 cal. to use for deer, moose and elk out to 300-400 yards, no longer barrel than 24 inches. Give me your suggestions.
I have several different calibers I like, and a 358 is one of them. It will do ya good out to 400 yards too.
Originally posted by Blacktail53: I'd go 338-06ai in a heart beat.
Can load it gentle or full tilt and handle game in your mentioned category with aplomb.
Good posting. I had a couple of rifles built by the late Lowell Manley, here in Michigan, about 25 years ago. He, and his wife both shot 338-06 rifles for Elk hunting annually. He swore by them...
Mohunt- I would think that any smith that could barrel your rifle to a different caliber would be able to open the bolt face for a magnum caliber. Something to consider.
I am a smith and I wouldn't go to the effort of opening the bolt face on a 700. The 338-06 is one of the best. It is accurate and will drop anything in N.A., so will the Whelen. I have found the 338-06 to be accurate with nore than enough energy. Go with the 338-06 and you won't regret it......Tom
I'd go with the 338 'O6 either improved or std. I have a 338 win mag. There is a difference but its quite small with the lighter bullets. I like the 210's from Barnes It is devastating on gane. I think the .030 inch difference is huge on game where it doesn't sound like that big of a deal on paper. If I hadn't found the deal I got on the 338 win, I probably would have a 338 06ai. DW
Posts: 1016 | Location: Happy Valley, Utah | Registered: 13 October 2006
i would think the diametrical increase would only be a detractor in flight, but as far as it's difference on game goes, the advantage in diameter comes from the gain in weight of projectile and that's about it. as diameter goes up, generally BC goes down, and in the equation, the factor of weight helps to pushes it back up. somewhat of a trade off. one of the reasons that the 7mm. bore are asgood as they are is that evidently, the bore diameter is at a median where it's weights strike a balance of mostly positive attributes in the equation.
I have one 700 standard long action to make a new rifle. Want to make something over 30 cal. to use for deer, moose and elk out to 300-400 yards, no longer barrel than 24 inches. -- This is a standard bolt face , not a magnum. I do not have any firearms over 30cal. except for a 44 mag. so I am open to suggestions. I have many firearms under 30 cal. from .223-7mm mag.-- Give me your suggestions.
1.) 338/06 or 8mm/06 2.) 9.3 X 62 or 35 Whelen 3.).411 Hawk or .375 Scovill/ Hawk
Mohunt- Just on a whim, where ever you live go into the nearest sporting goods store and ask for a box of 9.3 X 62 ammo or even a box of 338-06. Check your choices.