I always liked the ballistics of the Dakota .330 Magnum but I will never be able to afford one of their beautiful rifles.

Just wondering, would it be possible to rechamber a rifle such as a Ruger Model 77 in .338 Winchester Magnum? Would it feed reliably? Would the magazine capacity be reduced?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

I know where there'a a stainless synthetic model 70 that has already been rechambered to .330 Dakota. PM me if you want the info.

Rob

A 338 Win Mag can be easily rechambered to the 330 Dakota.
It also involves opening up the bolt face slightly.
The feedrails are not changed.

The main gunsmith at Dakota Arms (Ward Dobler) does this all the time, and the cost is very reasonable (which they do purposely to get more people using their cartridges).

Ward did my 300 Dakota (on a custom Mauser action), and turn around time was quick.

Garrett

I don't have the ballistics for the .330 Dakota handy. What, if any, ballistic advantage does the .330 Dakota have over the .338 Win. Mag.?

George

The Dakota gets about 300 FPS more than Winchester in a rimmed case (no magnum belt).

Thanks N., JUST what I needed to know. I didn't know that Dakota would work on other guns.

Regardless of what Ward tells you, WARD DOBLER IS NOT A GUNSMITH. Ward atcs exactly like Flanders on the Simpsons and looks just like him. Ward is a very anal Mec. engineer that never does any engineering. He is paid well for his fantastic ability to blow smoke.

gunmaker



Tried to make this a little less abrasive and still get the point across.

Grizzly Albert,

Just a minor clarification - the 330 Dakota is not a rimmed cartridge but a rimless. It is not however, as is the .338 Winchester magnum, a belted cartridge.

Finegunmaker - Sounds to me a bit like sour grapes in there somewhere. I know Ward Dobler quite well and my knowledge of him doesn't match your description. Obviously, we will have to agree to disagree as to our opinions of him - which we both have the perogative to do. Ward's title at Dakota Arms is Director of Manufacturing by the way, not gunsmith.

TT

to "thefinegunmaker",

It always leaves a sour taste in my mouth when some guy who is afraid to post his real name, or is ashamed to, takes shots at another guy, from behind the safety of his keyboard and computer monitor.

You don't have a problem naming the gentlemen from Dakota, why don't you post your name so that we might know who you are?

I have a rebarreled model 70 in 330 Dakota. The Dakota is good for 2850 to near 2900 FPS with 250gr bullets. Brass is expensive but lasts well. IMO you need to change the magazine box to ensure proper feeding. Mine is extremely accurate. I think of it basically as a 340 Weatherby that fits into a standard length action.........DJ