338-06

It is a cool one. I built one on a Winchester action for guy who was absolutely frantic to own one. It must be one of those calibers that grabs you by the short hairs and won't let go once you decide you need one. I think I tested the rifle with Lake City Match brass I blew out using pistol powder and a granular shot buffer called Super Grex. The fireforming loads were presented to me by the customer. My accuracy tests were with a Speer (?) 250 grain bullet over a compressed charge of H-4831. It shot very well indeed with three shot clusters inside and inch from a "slave" stock that was in no way properly bedded for this particular barreled action. As an aside, the same fellow hired be to build him a bullet mold for fireforming that had a .310" stem to fit into the 30-06 case with a short, .340" wad-cutter shaped frontal section. I guess he tired of the "Grex" as it was expensive, and corn meal and the like was messy. I'm sure that a tapered .357" expander would work fine, followed by a necking down with the .338 expander in place. Dies should be available from RCBS, Hornady and the like. It is a common wildcat.

One of the reasons I remember this rifle in particular is that my metal work was set into a stock by a stockmaker named Dale Goens, a man of some fame at one time. It turned out beautifully. I know that this rifle took at least one elk. Excellent choice for a wildcat~Muir
 
Muir
Thanks for the help is there a book anywhere that would explain to me how to expand the necks without destroying the case as wildcatting is not something we realy do in the UK.
 
Er, i'll think you'll find that people are "wildcatting", or altering cases to suit their designs all around you...


Simply use a 338" diameter expander mandrel to increase the neck diameter.

Its not a big step up, but you could, if your concerned about cracking the case mouth use a smaller mandrel jumping from .308" (which is the internal diemeter of the 30-06 parent case - to .325" and then to .338"


You'll find, if you look at other, precision based rifle forums that its regularly done in F Class, Benchrest and target orientated disciplines....


Obviously fireforming is the last stage, but you need to get your 30-06 brass to 338 diameter before you can do that...
 
I've been necking up .308 cases for a .338 Federal much the same deal started using the standard RCBS .338 Federal size die expander works ok but now have a Lyman M die makes life easier I am using old .308 cases lost a couple, If you use new 30/06 cases you should be ok. Robert



Muir
Thanks for the help is there a book anywhere that would explain to me how to expand the necks without destroying the case as wildcatting is not something we realy do in the UK.
 
you can obviously go custom if you wish, or if i were you i would look for an older long action Tikka or Sako, and have a new barrel fitted, obviously you will need to pay for the reamer, but its the most cost effecive way to go about this.

Just out of interest have you asked your FLO about getting a slot for this? as most people wont be allowed .338 expanding ammo, regardless of the cartridge designation.
 
sikadog,

There is an interesting book on this sort of thing:-

The handloader's Manual of Cartridge Convrsions by John J Donnelly

Covers just about it all on this.
When I was mucking about with a .375 RNE 2 1/4" (9.5x57mm) I made cases from 8x57 (7.92mm). Dies were unobtainable at a reasonable rate and deliver time so I brought a set of Lee Collet dies. Bore the collet out and made a new tapered pin and it worked fine the long tapered pin expanded the necks slowly and evenly then the collet formed them nicely on the shaft of the pin. I cannot see why it would not work on your 338-06 cases ;).
As for rifle .................................. any rifle chambered for the 25-06, 270, 30-06 or 7x64 would work as a donar I would have thought. Guntrader has several suitable such donars. Anderson's of East Grinstead have a 270 Armi Sabati 270 for £125. There is a 270 P-H "branded" John Dickson & Sons down n the west country for £150 or a Brno ZKK 600 in 30-06 in Dorset for £175 ......................................... :evil: :stir:

So get looking and thinking then spending
:thumb:
 
you can obviously go custom if you wish, or if i were you i would look for an older long action Tikka or Sako, and have a new barrel fitted, obviously you will need to pay for the reamer, but its the most cost effecive way to go about this.

Just out of interest have you asked your FLO about getting a slot for this? as most people wont be allowed .338 expanding ammo, regardless of the cartridge designation.

Good point the Firearms department, unless your extremely lucky will only know about the really over kill :rolleyes: cartridge the .338 Lapua, possibly someone there might know the .338 Winchester but don't bet on it... 338-06 not much chance at all. Good luck in trying to educate them. Oh and it's the licensing officer who needs convincing the FEO is just the gofa.
 
I think I'm right in saying that the MOD have banned all .338 rifles from their ranges for civillian use. There are various stories about problems caused at Bisley with .338s but the long on the short of it is that .338 Win Mag, .338 RUM, .338-06, . 338 Federal and .338 Lapua are often frowned upon more by association than anything else I guess.

ATB,

Scrummy
 
Sounds about right and we are supposed to be guided by these incompetents :banghead: The NRA have been a waste of space for decades. However I'll wager that if your in the select group at Bisley you can use what you like. There was a chap down there playing with a .338 Lapua he built, very accurate it was too, he also built one in .50 Browning and that was being used on Stickledown. Of course he works at Bisley. Plus AI used Bisley to test fire their rifles.

I have not been to Bisley now for about 3 years and not shot there for about 7 years so don't know if he is still using them there but it would not surprise me if he was after all it has always been one rule for the plebs and one rule for those favoured ones.
 
The reason for the 338-06 is that I am planning a trip to Canada British Columbia to be exact to shoot Moose and Brown Bears and shooting a bear with a 270 might just **** it off, I would like to stop it eating me.
 
Regarding 338 calibre and firearms departments, I've wondered whether it would less confusing to pick a different calibre, say 358 winchester, that way it would not be confused with the 338 Lapua mag?
 
Regarding 338 calibre and firearms departments, I've wondered whether it would less confusing to pick a different calibre, say 358 winchester, that way it would not be confused with the 338 Lapua mag?

The 358 Winchester has nowhere near the power of the 338-06. Not only that as it sounds bigger the police will have as much if not more problems with it..The metric equivilent to the .358 Winchester is the old 9.3x57 Mauser. If I remember correctly George Wallace has a .358 Winchester and can regale you with the tale of getting it passed for use on British Deer. If one was to got that route of .35 calibre I would humbly suggest one looks at the .35 Whelen.
 
Ahhh for a donar how about this Sako L691 7x64 the ad says the barrel is shot out hence £300 at Gunshop Rugby on Guntrader.
 
hi i have been dieing to make one for ages, i have fancied for the bush where i used to hunt in africa, 250gr rn soft would nice up to 150 yard and 180 gr good for up to 250yrd on smaller game
i have used 9.3x62 and 375 h&H, a block on fram near by had .338 sabi ( a neck up 30-06 with rounded shoulder) and i always like look of it,

,
 
SD - I had a bit of a challenge working my firearms department around to my .338 Win Mag at first but eventually I talked them round. I would suggest that you start by doing a print off of some load data, preferably from a source which you can show them (the Hodgdon reloading site perhaps?). Give them a ring and ask for the head of department and talk him through your plan - be prepared for a rough ride as he probably only knows of the Lapua and will hit the roof when you say you want to hunt with it!

Once you've managed to get a few words in, offer him some velocity and energy figures. If you can be bothered it is a good idea to side that data up with some of a more common calibre. For example there will be .300 Win Mag or even .30-06 loads throwing similar ft-lbs at the muzzle with the same bullet weight and you need to get that across to him. Shy away from "needing the power for large quarry" and steer more towards "needing a larger projectile to reduce the risk of fat clogging" of the wounds of the heavy, winter prepared animals that you will be shooting.

You will certainly be home loading this round so for UK use it is worth pointing out to them that the figures quoted in the data are maximum loads, and that with lighter for calibre bullets and the right powders you can get that muzzle energy down to a level more common of a standard .243 or .308 for use on the smaller species.

Last of all I'm not sure if you can get it as a component, but the 225gr Federal Fusion bullet is fantastic for use on our Deer. I've shot Roe and Foxes with mine and it neither destroyed or drilled through them (at 4500ft-lbs I did get full pass through obviously, but there was acceptable expansion for a clean kill without making a mess)
 
Back
Top