I have a 338-06 that I really like. I've thought about building another one with a slightly different look and feel to it. All things considered, it would be just as easy to neck down 9.3X62 brass and load a 338X62 as it is to work with 30-06 brass and load 338-06 rounds.

What do you guys think about a 338X62 instead of a 338-06? I could probably get a little more powder in the case and have room to seat the bullets a bit longer also.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Forrest just think 338Hawk and you will have pretty much all the info you need.

I thought I had a comparison with the 338x62 on it but just the 66. The 338-62 will be pretty much the same as the 338Hawk. For the life of me I can't remember why I had included a 264 bullet base in this picture.



I found my 340PDK gave up so little to my 338wm I sold the 338.

I dont like the short neck of the 9,3x62 as it is,- an even shorter necked .338 would not float my boat.... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wi...JPG/300px-338-06.JPG

Now, THAT is being a REAL "gun nut"! Gawd knows that a .338-06 is too mundane by half and a .338WM, well, rather a boring and commonplace round,eh wot? To simply USE the original .366" bullets in the 9.3x62, might well give one a case of JOC's famous "vapours", SO, by gawd, a .338-62 is simply a MUST!!!!!

Yegods, as Finn was wont to say....

Dewey, I'm trying to justify building a new rifle to fill the gap between my 338-06, 338 WM and 9.3X62. I need enablers. If I can't find help here, where can I possibly turn?

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
Dewey, I'm trying to justify building a new rifle to fill the gap between my 338-06, 338 WM and 9.3X62. I need enablers. If I can't find help here, where can I possibly turn?

Seem to me that all those rifle fill the same niche.

Since you seem to like the 338 bore, why not build a short [18 to 20"] barreled lightweight rifle in 338 Federal???

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
Dewey, I'm trying to justify building a new rifle to fill the gap between my 338-06, 338 WM and 9.3X62. I need enablers. If I can't find help here, where can I possibly turn?

Among the choices are the .35 Whelen and a few of the Gibbs line. Short necks don't bother me at all.

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
Dewey, I'm trying to justify building a new rifle to fill the gap between my 338-06, 338 WM and 9.3X62. I need enablers. If I can't find help here, where can I possibly turn?

You need to go the other way, Forrest. A good start would be a 30/30-9.3 takedown carbine with full side panel stippling.

When you're ready for Africa again, you can build a tactical 45/70-9.3 Guide Gun with Prince of Whales grip. You know you're good to go with Garret 500 grain 9.3 BuffBusters. At 400 ft per second, they should be pussycats.

What I would like to do, is to build a .35 Newton, one of THE most useful rounds ever designed,IMHO, and one which WOULD fit into that HUGE, GLARING GAP in your absolutely necessary cartridge lineup.

Years ago, at a Vancouver gunshow, a guy was selling a custom .35N by the famed barrel maker, Bill Sukalle, and it was very conservative, dark walnut, Remmy 30 action and nicely done, a real hunting rifle. I was in my early 30s, just married and did not have the $$$$ to buy it, but, still remember this particular rifle as one I really liked and would have gladly packed in the BC mountains when working and when hunting.

To me, these cartridges, the .35 Newton, 9.3x64 Brenneke, .375 Ruger and a .338 built on that same case, are THE best ever developed for serious BIG soft-skinned game in places like Alaska and BC, where Grizzly problems ARE an issue you have to consider. I do not believe in depending on my guide to protect me and will always carry a rifle capable of doing so, in my own hands...and these will do it very nicely.

So, stop "rolling on the floor, chewing tranquilizers like peanuts", again, JOC, and build a .35 Newton...a Dakota 76 action would be a great one for such a project.

Forrest, AR is the crack house for gun addicts. You're in the right place. Lou

Forrest: I think your idea is interesting. Just for the pure heck of it, I wonder what a 9,3X62 necked to .308 would do vs. the .30-06. I certainly never had any accuracy issues with the 9,3 neck.

quote:

I wonder what a 9,3X62 necked to .308 would do vs. the .30-06. I certainly never had any accuracy issues with the 9,3 neck.

Simply go to z-hat.com and look at his line. His design is basically an 06 case shaped to 9.3x62 dimensions.

Think .318 W.R.!!

Forrest,
How about a custom 35 Whelen on a springfield action?

I know you are a mauser fan, but it would bridge the cartridge gap and be classic at the same time. Or just find an old G&H rifle already done.

Humbly submitted.
SD

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
Dewey, I'm trying to justify building a new rifle to fill the gap between my 338-06, 338 WM and 9.3X62. I need enablers. If I can't find help here, where can I possibly turn?

Damn, that's funny, but ain't it the truth!?

So, to muddy the waters and throw in my $.02, I submit the 35/375 Ruger as your perfect wildcat gapfitter...

Wow. It's past midnight here, and I just realized I made a comment on an 11 yr. old post while perusing the old medium bore forum. Sorry fellas.

I need to hit the bed...

Ive often thoutht the 338 Win. necked up to 9.3 would be a better option...someday I'll build one. Another option might be the 375 Ruger necked down to 9.3..

I built a 375 on the 9.3x62 case at one time, called it a 9.5x62..I got 2500 FPS with a 300 gr. bullet, and 2400 fps with a 350 gr. Woodleigh...I built it on a old Mauser with a solid rib and schnable, you know one of those ultra light rascals, and it kicked hell out of me..sold it to a friend and he loved it. He was a sadist of sorts..A 9.5 lb. in that caliber would be a reall dandy for all that walks, those velocities were what I loaded my 375 H&H at btw, and it worked on Buffalo, Hippo and Lion, and would have worked just fine on elephant..

The only downfall to all this exercise is there are several commercial calibers that work just as well..thats the trouble with wildcatting today..but the 9.3x64 is just more of the same, quite a bit more in fact..The 9.3x64 necked to .338 would in fact be a beltless 338 win. for all practical purposes.

I always wanted to try that one myself, do it, don't need no stinkin reason!

Using 62 brass would only result in making a wildcat with harder to get brass than 06; NO benefits; only downsides like custom reamer and dies.
Not worth the effort. Unless you just want to spend money for no gain. Then go for it.
If you want to fill a gap, that is a 35 caliber; wildly ignored, and it is the 358 Norma.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:

The only downfall to all this exercise is there are several commercial calibers that work just as well..thats the trouble with wildcatting today..

+1

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Using 62 brass would only result in making a wildcat with harder to get brass than 06; NO benefits; only downsides like custom reamer and dies.
Not worth the effort. Unless you just want to spend money for no gain. Then go for it.
If you want to fill a gap, that is a 35 caliber; wildly ignored, and it is the 358 Norma.

Well said. AND, I just bought a 358 Norma from dpcd! Love all of those 35s: Whelen, Norma, STA.

quote:

Dewey, I'm trying to justify building a new rifle to fill the gap between my 338-06, 338 WM and 9.3X62. I need enablers. If I can't find help here, where can I possibly turn? Smiler

358 Norma Mag replaces them all. With 250 gr more energy than the 62.

Listen to the above two posters, the 358 Norma is the unsung hero of gundome, much over looked and its as good as the .338 and the 375 for that matter..Ive never owned one but I know what a fine round it is from a ballistic standpoint, hard to beat. It is elephant ready with a good solid..

DPCD.
There is no shortage of 93x62 brass!!! Graffs or Midway sell PPC brass in that caliber for $54. per hundred..Sportsman whse handles it from time to time and I think Hornady is selling it or going too make it...

Just like owning a 30-06 or 270,

Well aware of how to get 62 brass, I have 3 of them and have built more; but as everyone knows, it is not as easy to get as 30-06 brass.
Everyone already has hundreds of 30-06 brass in their reloading benches. But the main point is that you need custom dies; those are not as common as regular 338-06; Altogether, making a 62 is more trouble and expense than an 06, in 338.
Custom reamer and dies make the 62 not worth the effort; the way I look at it.
My cost/benefit analysis of the338- 62 vs the 06, remains valid.
And I said above, that the 358 Norma is the real answer; I like all 35 calibers a lot .

To Rays earlier post the 338 win mag has already beennecked up to 9.3 and it's called the 36y Alaskan. A.friend of mine created the 366 Barbie in honor of his wife which is a 358 Norma necked up to 9.3. Both perform like the 9.3x64 which is to say a bit faster than the 9.3x62. I can hit nearly 2500with my 9.3x62 done up by dpcd with a 286 nosler. What am I missing then?

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
I have a 338-06 that I really like. I've thought about building another one with a slightly different look and feel to it. All things considered, it would be just as easy to neck down 9.3X62 brass and load a 338X62 as it is to work with 30-06 brass and load 338-06 rounds.

What do you guys think about a 338X62 instead of a 338-06? I could probably get a little more powder in the case and have room to seat the bullets a bit longer also.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Does necking down the 9.3x62 end in more length than necking up .30-06 cases to .338? If so, perhaps 35 Whelen cases could be necked down, as the factory loads I've got manage 63mm. An improved chamber might then trump the 9.3 case capacity.

If something exotic is required (assuming a barrel could be found), what about the 333 OKH? Woodleigh, at least, still makes 250 and 300-grain bullets of that size.

You guys are splitting hairs; trying to gain a meager few grains of powder capacity with a 9.3x62 case (vs a 30-06 one) necked to .338 for very little if any gain in velocity.
Bluefish; you ain't missing anything. Can't change physics.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
Dewey, I'm trying to justify building a new rifle to fill the gap between my 338-06, 338 WM and 9.3X62. I need enablers. If I can't find help here, where can I possibly turn?

Seem to me that all those rifle fill the same niche.

Since you seem to like the 338 bore, why not build a short [18 to 20"] barreled lightweight rifle in 338 Federal???

I am dying to do this; have .338 WM, Edges, and Lapuas, but this would be the ultimate deer cartridge in a Rem 7 or Ruger RSI.

Barnes reloading Manuel #4 lists cartridge specs and data for the 338 Scoville (same as Hawk). As previously stated, it is an ‘06 case with 9.3x62 dimensions, retaining the slightly smaller ‘06 base diameter. I think it’s a great concept, even if the gains over the 338-06 are somewhat minuscule. However, strange thing is, though- the Barnes 338-06 data is a little faster than the 338 Hawk/Scoville data. The 338-06 data was tested with only a 1” longer barrel. This proves to me that the case forming and proprietary dies are just not worth it. In the end, I’d go 338-06.

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
Dewey, I'm trying to justify building a new rifle to fill the gap between my 338-06, 338 WM and 9.3X62. I need enablers. If I can't find help here, where can I possibly turn?

I'm here for you, Brother. All you need to do is build them to look that that 300/375 H&H pair of rifles you have and it'll fir right nicely betwixt them

It would be easier to just stay with the plain 338-06 and play with the different powders that work with that cartridge.You can gain a lot with the right powder and load.Much easier than having to deal with special chambering,dies,fire forming and the pain of making special stuff for it.

1) Build another 338-06 for different types of hunting. It will serve as back up for what you have and double your current enjoyment. Never mind the cost savings in ammo, dies etc.. you owe it to yourself to not let your current rifle feel lonely. It does everything you ask of her, it is your turn to reciprocate.

2) since you like the 62 case, do as Ray said. A 375-62.

3) take a 300 H&H and neck it up to 338. With no changes other than the neck. A 338 H&H.

If you can’t decide, you have no other option than to build all three. Or you will never be able to sleep or feel whole again.

Maybe we all should start a program similar to AA, never mind this forum is one, but it’s strategy is to enable not deny. I like this concept, surely many will agree.

Seems no one here considers the actual costs of custom reamers and dies, vs the outcome. Those costs are not insignificant. Of course, if you just want to spend money, for ten FPS more, then definitely go for it.
I do understand and employ the philosophy of never taking anything into the field that someone else might have.

quote:

Originally posted by ColoradoMatt:
Barnes reloading Manuel #4 lists cartridge specs and data for the 338 Scoville (same as Hawk). As previously stated, it is an ‘06 case with 9.3x62 dimensions, retaining the slightly smaller ‘06 base diameter. I think it’s a great concept, even if the gains over the 338-06 are somewhat minuscule. However, strange thing is, though- the Barnes 338-06 data is a little faster than the 338 Hawk/Scoville data. The 338-06 data was tested with only a 1” longer barrel. This proves to me that the case forming and proprietary dies are just not worth it. In the end, I’d go 338-06.

I noticed this when I was poking around my manuals looking for .338-‘06 data. A little more powder did’nt offer any improvement in velocity.

By many accounts the 210 NP was made for the 338-06.

quote:

Originally posted by bluefish:
By many accounts the 210 NP was made for the 338-06.

I seem to have read the same accounts!

I recently bought a Dakota Safari Deluxe in 338-06, and stocked up on Nosler Custom 210 gr. NPs. I think it will be great for longer range shots I may come upon.

But, I had to buy a bunch of Nosler Custom 250 gr. NPs as well, SD of .313. Between these two loads, I am ready to hunt my next Elk & African PG, and try them both with time. Nosler puts their ammo on good sales (40% off) once in a while, so I am stocked up.

From what I have read the 210 NP was originally designed for the higher impact speed of magnum 338s so it is tougher. Thus, one can have his cake and eat it, too with the 210 in 338-06. I imagine a 250 at 2400 fps or so would penetrate to tomorrow on most non DG critters.

quote:

Originally posted by bluefish:
From what I have read the 210 NP was originally designed for the higher impact speed of magnum 338s so it is tougher. Thus, one can have his cake and eat it, too with the 210 in 338-06. I imagine a 250 at 2400 fps or so would penetrate to tomorrow on most non DG critters.

Very interesting info on the .338 cal. 210 gr.NP bluefish.

Two forum members I don't see around anymore were FredJ maybe and FN in MT both of whom had quite a bit of experience and good things to say about the round.