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Shooting & Reloading - Mausers, Big Bores and others >> Rifles
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Reggie
.224 member


Reged: 02/03/10
Posts: 36
Loc: Southeastern Louisiana, USA
The "sleeper" caliber of all time....
      #178416 - 05/04/11 06:31 AM

Years ago, when I was young and foolish enough to want to hunt on the marsh in Southeastern Louisiana, I wanted a caliber that would anchor deer on the spot. For those of you who haven't had the "pleasure" of tracking deer on floating marsh, you really don't want any deer to wander after the shot. On the marsh, areas that a deer can transit in 10-seconds usually will sometimes take you hours to travel over.

Eventually, fate came into play when a friend gave me a beautiful, fully-matched 98-Mauser - and the play began. After much thought and some great correspondence with Elmer Keith, I put it together as a .338-06 and haven't looked back since.

Yes, you can get more velocity out of the .338 Win Mag and the .340 Weatherby - YOU DON'T NEED IT! With the 250gr Sierra bullets (at 2550fps), my .338-06 DROPS deer instantly, regardless of range, presentation or point-of-strike. As a bonus, hardly any meat is bloodshot. To date, no deer has taken a step, once being struck by the .338-06!

It is truly a shame that the "experts" in the Gun Indutry have ignored this caliber for so long...

Reggie

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500Nitro
.450 member


Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: Reggie]
      #178417 - 05/04/11 06:37 AM


Reggie

The 338-06 is just a modern version of the 318WR - but agreed, it has been overlooked, just like the 318WR which suffered from a really odd sized bullet (.330).

I wonder with 240gn bullets readily available for the 30.06 whether that will help or hinder the 338-06.

Either way, any one i have ever seen write about the 338-06 loves it.

.

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Huvius
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Reged: 04/11/07
Posts: 3531
Loc: Colorado
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: Reggie]
      #178420 - 05/04/11 06:43 AM

Quote:


It is truly a shame that the "experts" in the Gun Indutry have ignored this caliber for so long...




I wouldn't say it has been ignored.
At least no moreso than the 318 Westley Richards or the 35 Whelen which it happens to fall between.
Seems to me that unless the bullet is travelling at super high velocity or of super heavy weight, it generally goes about the business of killing game without much notice from the magazines.

--------------------
He who lives in the past is doomed to enjoy it.

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FATBOY404
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Reged: 14/11/09
Posts: 1730
Loc: QLD
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: Huvius]
      #178422 - 05/04/11 07:35 AM

It has a big following in my circle of friends.

We love .338 and between us have a 338-08,338-06,338-300wsm,338win mag and a 330 Dakota.

Everyone says how nice the 338-06 is and how well it preforms.

My load is a 225 grain Hornady Inter bond,60 grains of 2209 and a CCI mag primer for 2700 fps.
I get great case life (built it in 2006) and am still using the same cases.

--------------------
"WHATEVER BLOWS YOUR HAIR BACK"

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hunter_angler
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Reged: 24/03/10
Posts: 104
Loc: Grand Marais, Michigan (home i...
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: FATBOY404]
      #178423 - 05/04/11 11:13 AM

Talk about ignored... I feel the same about my levergun in .348 WIN. 250 grainers at 2375 fps in a handy carbine. Great in the woods. Anchors deer and black bear where you hit 'em.

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Homer
.416 member


Reged: 07/04/09
Posts: 3081
Loc: Canberra, Australia
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: hunter_angler]
      #178437 - 05/04/11 07:44 PM

G'Day Fella's,

Reggie, I had the 24" long 7x57 barrel on my Brno ZKK 600, rebored to .338 and had the very talented Australian gunsmith Bill Hambly-Clark Jr, rechamber it to .338-06.
Bill also bead blasted and rust blued all the metal work. This all happened in the 1980's.
I have adjusted the pop-up peep sight for 250gr Hornady RN and the normal rear sight, is set for the 200gr Hornady Spire Pt bullets.
As you say, it's great caliber and most deer only go 2 or 3 feet after the shot and that 2 or 3 feet, is always DOWN!!!

If I remember correctly A-Square De-Wildcatted the .338-06 and also the 6.5-06, which is another great cartridge!!!

Like the other fella's have mentioned, both the .318 WR and the .35 Whelen, are very good hunting cartridges.
Just goes to prove that most of what we See and even less of what you Read can be believed!
Most of all this stuff is just marketing BS by the manufactures!
Do you remember the BS being sprooked by the shooting media when the Winchester Super Short Magnums were released? Talk about "A Solution to a Non Existent Problem"!!!

The general public have had the final say on these (WSSM's), so most of them aren't as dumb as we might think!!!

Doh!
Homer

--------------------
"Beware the Lolly Pop of Mediocrity,
Lick it Once and You Will Suck Forever"

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GroovyMike
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Reged: 07/04/09
Posts: 229
Loc: NY
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: Homer]
      #178454 - 06/04/11 03:15 AM

My brother in law chooses the 35 Whelen for most all of his hunting in North america and Africa. It seems to work pretty darned well. Now you guys are making me want a 338-06!

--------------------
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

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DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26573
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: GroovyMike]
      #178455 - 06/04/11 03:45 AM

Speaking of rare ctgs. that deserve more:

I still have some brass from my first .375/06IMP back in the 1980's that is going strong, necked down and re-fireformed into 9.3x62's.

A favourite load for my new .375/06IMp is a 225 Interlocked heavy jacketed Hornady driven 2,860fps - cloverleafs at 100 meters. The 270gr. TXSX at 2,650fps (moderate) to 2,740fps(max) do likewise. The 4 different varieties of 300gr. bullets, from BT Spizers to FBase RN's and Interbonds, all do 2,470fps.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

Edited by Daryl_S (06/04/11 03:48 AM)

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BillA
.224 member


Reged: 18/04/11
Posts: 22
Loc: Victoria, Australia
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: Homer]
      #179482 - 20/04/11 09:56 AM

Quote:

G'Day Fella's,

Reggie, I had the 24" long 7x57 barrel on my Brno ZKK 600, rebored to .338 and had the very talented Australian gunsmith Bill Hambly-Clark Jr, rechamber it to .338-06. Doh!
Homer



G'day Homer.
BHC Jnr is one of my fav' gunsmiths.
His work is just so absolutely beautiful, functional, & absolutely top shelf technically.
He has created some of the best .17 ackley hornet rifles I've ever come across, amongst many other rifles, & his work is 2nd to none anywhere in the world I reckon.

The main use for these mid to larger calibre rifles in Austrsalia is for deer hunting.
Yeah there's buffs in the NT but the vast majority of em are for Sambar deer.
Not that Sambar take a lot of killing. They can be tough but they are still only deer.
The problem with Sambar is not the animal but the country they're found in.
Get a shot slightly off centre & the animal can & will run, & even 100 yards can see a deer lost in the thick stuff of the Vic/NSW high country.
So, it's important to use a calibre that will absolutely stop em in their tracks.
The 30.06 is a good standard but many use heavier calibres for that reason.
Even up to & beyond .458W.
One well known deer hunter actually used to use a Browning BAR converted from .338 Win Mag to .458 for his Sambar hunting.
There's also heaps of .375H&H's floating around the high country.
A couple of the best calibres I reckon for Sambar are the .338WM & the 35 Whelan.
Personally I like the '06' based cartridges a lot.
They just work really well with no fuss.
The 338.06 would have to be right up there but they aint common due to being a wildcat.
I use both a .375H&H mag & a 30.06.
I am toying with an upgrade for the '06' tho.
#1 contender is a nice conversion to 35 Whelan, but I could just as easilly go for a 338.06
Just have to get $$$ together to get the barrel bored, etc.

--------------------
Bill Allen 'Windkael' Epagneuls Bretons. Melbourne Australia.

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tophet1
.400 member


Reged: 15/09/07
Posts: 1873
Loc: NSW, Australia
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: BillA]
      #179484 - 20/04/11 10:12 AM

Spot on Reggie,

In the same vein the .333 Jeffrey is in the same league as the .318WR and .338-06. Sectional density of a Woodleigh 300 grain .333" is .386. If only someone made .333 barrels ... (deep sigh).

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rigbymauser
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Reged: 15/05/05
Posts: 1971
Loc: Denmark
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: tophet1]
      #179507 - 20/04/11 04:09 PM

Quote:

Spot on Reggie,

If only someone made .333 barrels ... (deep sigh).



..I have one in spare..Londonproofed

I am sure a barrelmaker in Australia could do .333cal barrels with 1:11 twist.

BTW...a .333jeffery or a 400/350Rigby is planning a trip to Mervilla

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Homer
.416 member


Reged: 07/04/09
Posts: 3081
Loc: Canberra, Australia
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: rigbymauser]
      #179527 - 20/04/11 09:38 PM

G'Day Fella's,

Bill A, your are dead right about BHC Jnr!
Unfortunately last I heard, Bill was living in Broken Hill (?) and not doing any commercial gun related work!!! What a loss to the Shooting & Hunting world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes Bill, any .338/ .35/ 9.3 & or .375-06 would have to be a winner!
With -06 size cartridges, you can build the rifle a bit lighter and even shorten up the barrel, to make it handier in the thick stuff.

I'm not sure if the Sambar would know the difference between a 250 grainer, from .338 etc up to .375-06 in the boiler room?
One things certain, any one of them would get it's attention!

Doh!
Homer

--------------------
"Beware the Lolly Pop of Mediocrity,
Lick it Once and You Will Suck Forever"

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Mike_Bailey
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Reged: 26/02/07
Posts: 2289
Loc: GB
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: Homer]
      #179538 - 21/04/11 03:08 AM

"regardless of point of strike" ???? not sure on that one, you can shoot a deer in the foot with a .600 and it will travel ! in the boiler room with a 6.5 itīs toast, best, Mike

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BillA
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Reged: 18/04/11
Posts: 22
Loc: Victoria, Australia
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: Mike_Bailey]
      #179558 - 21/04/11 10:11 AM

Quote:

"regardless of point of strike" ???? not sure on that one, you can shoot a deer in the foot with a .600 and it will travel ! in the boiler room with a 6.5 itīs toast, best, Mike



Yeah I agree Mike, but it aint always that simple.
Were not perfect, we do make mistakes & fluff the odd shot when panting like rabid dogs, after climbing hills (has anyone else noticied that they seem to be getting steeper?).
Sometimes a shot does go astray, no matter how much we practice & learn about animal anatomy.
Under those circumstances it's good to have a calibre that can put the animal down so it's not lost & left to die a lingering death. Hence my use of a .375H&H on Sambar.
Bust both shoulders & it wont go anywhere.
On the other hand I know a guy that nailed a Sambar years ago straight up the date with a FMJ from a .303
That pill went the full length of the animal & straight into the heart of the deer.
It was dead as dead can get, but still managed to run over 150 metres first.
He was very lucky to find it at all.
No way that would have happened with a .375
That bloke has since switched to a 30.06 pushing 220gn Hornady RN slugs for Sambar.
Much better IMO.

The only problem with calibres such as the .375 or .458 for Sambar is that they are usually sitting inside some reletively heavy rifles which can be bloody heavy when chasing Deer around the hills.
Hence I'm looking at either a 35 Whelan or 338.06 as a compromise.
Good stopping power in a rifle that's easier to lug around than a DG calibre rifle.

--------------------
Bill Allen 'Windkael' Epagneuls Bretons. Melbourne Australia.

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Paul
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Reged: 28/08/07
Posts: 1031
Loc: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: BillA]
      #179567 - 21/04/11 03:08 PM

The Remington 7600 in .35 Whelen is popular for sambar in the thick stuff over here.
That or a 'Woody' in the same calibre should be more than enough for whitetails, without worrying about heavier bullets not stabilising in the slow twist, let alone handloading wildcats.

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Mike_Bailey
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Reged: 26/02/07
Posts: 2289
Loc: GB
Re: The "sleeper" caliber of all time.... [Re: Paul]
      #179574 - 21/04/11 06:10 PM

BillA, amen about hills getting steeper ! best

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