quote:

Originally posted by muygrande:
mho, in fact I voted 338-06 and did bore out a fwt pre 64 30-06 to get there. It comes in ready to hunt at just over 7 1/2 lb and shoots lights out. ...

Yes, does not leave a lot of steel around the barrel but barely makes the cut. Love it.

Hard to argue with success. If it works for you, who am I to tell you otherwise? I have come to mistrust barrels with very thin walls, they just seem finicky when it comes to load development. But if you got yours to work, power to you!

- mike

You have a lot of really good answers without my opinion, but, I will add to the group that has advised you to keep both and just buy a 338 win mag. If you absolutely have to rebarrel the -06 make it a Whelen or 338 -06. there would be no problem with going to the 8mm either. It has intrigued me since I first read about it 10 years ago. DW

I like the 9.3x62 a bunch but the 35 whelen can shoot pistol bullets (140 and 180 grain) for varmints, and up to 275 woodleighs for the big nasties with claws and fangs. I'd say thats all around.

Ed

The more I use my Whelen the more I like it. Built on a LH SS MRC action with a Lilja SS 24 barrel and bedded in a McMillan stock.
It shoots Nosler 250 grain Partitions at 2,500 fps. Love the fact it also carries 5 down. My back up moose rifle if the weather is really crappy and the double stays in camp.

The 9.3x62 is the best of the 06 size cases and the most powerful of all in that is has somewhat more powder capacity...

If you want a 350 yard gun then use the 250 gr. bullet at 2700 FPS in the 9.3x62 and I get a bit more in my 26 inch barrel. Up close and personal I use the 320 gr. Woodleigh at 2400 FPS and its a real killer..You cannot tell the difference in a 9.3x62, 9.3x64 and a 375 H&H in killing power..

All that said and I love the 9.3x62 and would never be without one, but the .338 Win is probably the best of all for what you describe. A 210 Nosler at up to 3000 FPS, and a 300 gr. Woodleigh at 2500 FPS is hard to beat in any catagory...

I agree that the '06 would be fine; but I am very partial to my 62s - the caliber has proven very effective on all sizes of critters. It just kills the snot out of stuff.

You don't need more than a 30-06 with your 375 H&H... heck, I'd step down to a 270.

I voted for the .338-06, but for anything but the big bears, the .30-06 will work just fine. If you want more whack the the '06 gives for elk, moose, or black bear, the .375 will work just fine.

If it were me, I'd probably buy/build a whole new rifle in .338-06 or .35 Whelen. When I decided I needed something a little more powerful than my '06, I opted to build a .35 Whelen on a 98 Mauser action. I put it in a laminated stock and I plan on duracoating it to make it a relatively weather-resistant rifle.

All the calibers you mentioned will work at the cost of another rifle, more recoil with no noticable advantage in performance or on game. It's not always greener on the other side, you have already the best of both worlds. A .375H&H that will smoke anything that comes your way and if you need to download it a bit try the 235grain barnes tsx at 3050feet per second. None of the other options you mentioned will match the calibers performance, though some will come close but not justified. The 30-06 can be beefed up with good 220grain nosler partion or 240grain woodleigh bullets if you need more knock down the tradjectory is worsened a bit by the heavier bullets but any good marksman can figure out the difference and adjust for it, you can try compensated dials on scope or dot system. If you feel you have to spend some money on rifles I'd customize the existing two winchesters if they need it or go hunting. None of us are getting any younger. But I understand your deliema were are all afflicted with gunitis in the brainitis. I gave you the reasonable answer. If you have to fill your itch, build one in each of the above mentioned calibers if you can afford it, I guarantee you you will find something else to try afterwards. We all will understand. Best of luck

The .338 bore offers the greatest selection of useful bullet weights for active hunting and carry in Southcentral Alaska.

I have a .338-06 and load it with 230gr Nosler Failsafes. Also am working on a 285gr roundnose cast bullet load; but this ain't the rifle I would choose to pursue Brown Bear or Moose.

I've owned .35 whelen and whelen AI guns. Great ctg, especially if you handload for .357mag, but am interested in better Ballistic Coefficient bullets, so the .338 has the options and the BC ratings.

About 7yrs ago, I bought a Clymer .338/300 win mag reamer. Have improved four .338win barrels so far with this tool. When I was working up loads, I began at 65gr of XMR4350 for the 250gr Sierra SPBT and Hornady Spire pt. In a Rem 700 BDL the light load recoil felt like a .308win. At max loads of 78+gr of xmr4350 with same bullets, the round comes close t o .340wby and .338rum in power and velocity.

The .338/300 will serve for all Alaska hunting. I use a TRG-S Sako as a carry hunting rifle. Weighs about 7-3/4 pounds w/o scope outfitted with 24" barrel of #4 contour. Magazine holds 4 rds. Nice thing about this round in a full-size H&H magnum receiver is flexibility for loading heavy VLD bullets in standard 3.75" magazine length.

The .300gr Sierra Matchking is rugged enough for bear or moose, and offers both weight and high BC performance.

If I owned the .30-06 and .375 H&H rifles of the Original Posting member, I would talk to Stan Jackson about doing a 6.5x55AI on the standard action and a .338/300 on the H&H Classic action. Get these setup for switchbarreling and you'd have the best of all worlds....

my 2 cents here but I now have a remodeled m70 in 375 H&H wearing a no 4 pac nor barrel at 23", wiebe bottom metal unit and an echols legend stock in edge tech which has been pillar bedded. 9lbs with scope and i now understand what a properly balanced rifle feels like. in fact, other than wanting another one in the same setup in 30 06, for a rifle to do what most of us will do i cannot think of a better medium bore candidate.

I'd convert that 30-06 to a .30 cal 1906 and feel confident I had Alaska covered. Bear attacks--yes about one a year in North America to include tame bears--circus zoo etc so I'd get a fly swatter for bee attacks--they kill more people than bears.

can you clarify that one, carpetman?

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman1:
Bear attacks--yes about one a year in North America to include tame bears

Read some Alaska news papers. I am guessing there was at least 4 attacks this summer alone. Not sure where you came up with the one a year number.

The 338 win mag with a 250 Gr Nosler Partition is the perfict gun.In a Ruger Stainless 77 like mine it will shoot under an inch at 200 yards.Its the best gun for Alaskan game.Forget the rest of those caiblers loose your ammo and your screwed buddy!!!I use it and the 338-378 wea for all my Alaska hunting.Up close and personal I use the 416 rem mag as my tent and bear thicket gun.

Yes I'll clarify--I'd leave a 30-06 as a 30-06 cause it does it all. I did research and past 130 years there have been about 130 people killed by bears in Alaska and lower 48--this includes tame bears (zoo and circus) polar, brown and black bears. Maybe there were 4 this year but it's pretty low odds of happening.

I was lost on the convert 30 06 to 30 cal 1906 is all.

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman1:
Yes I'll clarify--I'd leave a 30-06 as a 30-06 cause it does it all. I did research and past 130 years there have been about 130 people killed by bears in Alaska and lower 48--this includes tame bears (zoo and circus) polar, brown and black bears. Maybe there were 4 this year but it's pretty low odds of happening.

Being killed by a bear compared to how many bear attacks are totally different.

Many people who are attacked by bears are not killed, but still seriously hurt none the less. The only attacks that seem to make the lesser 48 news are those that resulted in death.

Snowwolfe--You are correct, the stats are for fatal attacks. Undoubtedly non fatal attacks occur. But still the odds are low. It gets much more campfire discussion than it really deserves. The trip in a motor vehicle to the wilderness area is much more dangerous.

I recommended that you stick with the 06 and 200 or 220 gr. bullets, or if you feel you need more then the 338 with 250 to 300 gr. bullets is a real all around cartridge.

Persoanally I love the 9.3x62, especially with 300 and 320 gr. bullets in a 26 inch tube, it is such a fine killer of big mean animals, but the .338 has the long range advantage over it, and that may be a requirement for you, I don't know.

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman1:
Snowwolfe--You are correct, the stats are for fatal attacks. Undoubtedly non fatal attacks occur. But still the odds are low. It gets much more campfire discussion than it really deserves. The trip in a motor vehicle to the wilderness area is much more dangerous.

I would never diss the '06, and agree with Phil Shoemaker regarding the capabilities of the caliber. But I think if you spent a week in a tent on Admiralty Island, you'd have a different opinion regarding the odds. Someone (sometimes more than one) gets mauled every year during deer season - they just don't always make the news or the stats...

I really enjo my 06's (especially my 700 KS)and if there was only one rifle in my safe it would be an 06. However not living in bear country and with no experience hunting in bear country I think I would probably stack the deck and carry a .375 if/when I get the chance to hunt on Kodiak or any enviromen where encountering a big bear was likely. I don't doubt the capabilities of the 06 but considering my own inxperience a little more thump is probably better for me and for the bear.

I know the 338-06 has a following and I used to be one of the followers as its a great caliber. but the .338 Win will do anything the 338-06 will do and a whole lot more..It will do all that on the same action at the same weight etc. and the recoil is the same as far as I can tellm, neither of which bothers me and if it did then I would stick with the 30-06..

Just an opinnion, and not suggesting anyone run out an peddle their favorite 338-06 and get a .338 Win. like I did when it first came out, but I have never regretted it or one can rebore his .338-06 if he tires of it in time.

When I'm not caring my 375 H&H, it is a 270 Win

That may change when I get my 300 H&H dialed in

I think of all the '06 variations my absoloute favorite is prolly the 280 Rem. A 280 and a 375 makes a very versatile 2 gun batttery.. Hard to go wrong with any '06 based round though.

So you dont want to make changes to bolt magazine etc ,i went with the whelen ,change the barrel and away you go