338-06

[mchughcb]

The Tikka T3 in 9.3x62 is a great , cheap rifle for Group 1.

[bigrich]

The Tikka T3 in 9.3x62 is a great , cheap rifle for Group 1.

yeah ,thanks for the suggestion , but i previously owned one . sako 85 grizzly , used it for group one and did a trip up north . nice rifle except it used to fling cases into the scope turret and back into the action .turned the loopy scope (2.5-8x36) 90 degrees left , that solved it . the calibre itself doesn't lend itself to my secondary purpose of pig/deer hunting as the projectiles are too stout for this size game in my part of oz . tried 270 speers and 250 nosler bt's , 308 works better cause of better projectile expansion. on game the size of feral donkeys , horses and bigger the 9.3 was great . it'd be a good thing for sambar i reckon .
35 whelen was my original choice , but i think the 338-06 is a little cheaper to run and i like the case better cause it's got a little more shoulder . got my die set yesterday , going to do some dummy rounds up this weekend and have a look at COL and where the projectiles sit in the neck . ideally i'll be looking at boat tails with the bearing surface just above the start of the neck to avoid any donut issues with resizing 30-06 cases . had issues with a 8x60s brno 21 a few years back with resized cases . i want to thoroughly check things out before i commit to buying a barrel

[Billo]

Where did u get the idea the 338 would be cheaper to run ??

[bigrich]

Where did u get the idea the 338 would be cheaper to run ??

after a quick scan of supplies at my local , projectiles are marginally cheaper , little less powder for mild accuracy loads according to load data i've looked at , 30-06 brass is not as expensive for resizing compared to 9.3x62 head stamped brass . 35 whelen is comparable to 338-06 cost wise i guess, there's a little more choice in 338 with the projectile weights i want to use . there's probably not that much in it cost wise generally speaking , but every little bit helps these days.

[Wapiti]

Rich, what's the go with your Sako 85 bouncing cases back in off the scope? And the scope you mention is a beautiful streamlined scope too.
I have heard it before, but no matter how I muck around with the ones we have ( a 223 varmint XS action, two 308's M action and a 300WM L action) I cannot see how that can happen.
The cases come out at what looks like at 3 o'clock, which clears the absolutely lowest scope mountings I can get. I won't tolerate high mounts.

Scopes are 4.5-14x50 VX3i on 223, and three 3.5-10x40 VX3i on the others. Leupold Sako ringmounts. Would this make a difference?

The actions on the 85's are like a Mauser in that the harder you pull the bolt rearward, the faster and further the case will be flung out. If I move the bolt back slowly, the case will click off the bolt face and then sit in the action to be plucked out. But that's the design, if you don't want cases flying into the grass.

The 90's I have, have now twin plunger extractors on the bolt face borrowed from the TRG rifles instead of the mechanical blade ejector of the 85. The way they pelt the cases out even with a lethargic bolt throw is extremely positive but not good if you are after keeping them in the bush.
But Sako have deleted the semi-controlled feed of the 85 which I actually think was a big positive to have kept.
That change to twin plungers has been said to have been done because some people seem to always have been able to have malfunctions with the blade ejector, where most others can't make it happen if they try. I don't get why.

[Billo]

Where did u get the idea the 338 would be cheaper to run ??

after a quick scan of supplies at my local , projectiles are marginally cheaper , little less powder for mild accuracy loads according to load data i've looked at , 30-06 brass is not as expensive for resizing compared to 9.3x62 head stamped brass . 35 whelen is comparable to 338-06 cost wise i guess, there's a little more choice in 338 with the projectile weights i want to use . there's probably not that much in it cost wise generally speaking , but every little bit helps these days.

Ive only mention the 358Win which I find to be a superior package

308W brass necked up, projectile plentiful from 180-250gr, uses less powder and came be built on a lighter shorter action with a short efficient barrel

I's sure the 338-06 will work fine

[bigrich]

Rich, what's the go with your Sako 85 bouncing cases back in off the scope? And the scope you mention is a beautiful streamlined scope too.
I have heard it before, but no matter how I muck around with the ones we have ( a 223 varmint XS action, two 308's M action and a 300WM L action) I cannot see how that can happen.
The cases come out at what looks like at 3 o'clock, which clears the absolutely lowest scope mountings I can get. I won't tolerate high mounts.

Scopes are 4.5-14x50 VX3i on 223, and three 3.5-10x40 VX3i on the others. Leupold Sako ringmounts. Would this make a difference?

The actions on the 85's are like a Mauser in that the harder you pull the bolt rearward, the faster and further the case will be flung out. If I move the bolt back slowly, the case will click off the bolt face and then sit in the action to be plucked out. But that's the design, if you don't want cases flying into the grass.

The 90's I have, have now twin plunger extractors on the bolt face borrowed from the TRG rifles instead of the mechanical blade ejector of the 85. The way they pelt the cases out even with a lethargic bolt throw is extremely positive but not good if you are after keeping them in the bush.
But Sako have deleted the semi-controlled feed of the 85 which I actually think was a big positive to have kept.
That change to twin plungers has been said to have been done because some people seem to always have been able to have malfunctions with the blade ejector, where most others can't make it happen if they try. I don't get why.

hey mate , i'll relate as much as i can remember regarding the issues i had with my 85's . i had two long actions , my 9.3x62 ,and a 270 laminate stainless i bought brand new . both flung the cases up on a 45-50 degree angle and with a scope like the 2.5-8 the turret was directly over the top of where the front of the case wanted to go when ejected and would hit and rebound back into the action . 3-9 scopes worked as the turret was in a different position. i found on a american forum a poster who got to the bottom of this issue . when sako went to a 3 lug bolt they had to move the extractor to a higher position on the bolt face because of the extra bolt lug , resulting in a higher ejection angle with the blade ejector in the original position . the other thing was the extractor to bolt face clearance was set too loose for the rim thickness of some cases . he listed various cases/calibres and their rim thickness . i put a 308 case in the bolt face of my 9.3 (308 win has the thickest case rim ) and it ejected much better at a lower angle . so having a custom extractor to sit closer to the bolt face to hold the case tighter seemed a solution. this problem is well documented on the web . give jim kent at buffalo gunsmithing a call , he's had to do work on various 85's to resolve this issue . i researched this thoroughly, speed of bolt operation and whatever else i could think of . the fit, finish, accuracy of my sako's was excellent , but feeding or ejection issues i won't tolerate . i know a fella with a 500 jefferys , who once it was pointed out to him , brass on the bottom of the scope turret, fitted a red dot on his . this issue doesn't seem to affect all sako 85's ,
the 90 series with it's twin button ejectors was supposed to solve ejection issues.

[bigrich]

Where did u get the idea the 338 would be cheaper to run ??

after a quick scan of supplies at my local , projectiles are marginally cheaper , little less powder for mild accuracy loads according to load data i've looked at , 30-06 brass is not as expensive for resizing compared to 9.3x62 head stamped brass . 35 whelen is comparable to 338-06 cost wise i guess, there's a little more choice in 338 with the projectile weights i want to use . there's probably not that much in it cost wise generally speaking , but every little bit helps these days.

Ive only mention the 358Win which I find to be a superior package

308W brass necked up, projectile plentiful from 180-250gr, uses less powder and came be built on a lighter shorter action with a short efficient barrel

I's sure the 338-06 will work fine

i had a 358 win , great little cartridge and extremely accurate . it won't get me 2900 ft lbs of muzzle energy with a 225gn bullet unfortunately . that's the minimum level for group 1 big game . min cal is 333 . 225gn game kings flatten anything in 358win , and 180gn xtp's make paddock pizza out of smaller ferals
i made up a dummy 338-06 round this afternoon with a box of 225gn speer boat tails . the bearing surface sits above the potential problem area of the neck, from the old 30-06 shoulder/neck possibly giving donut issues . this is looking promising . another week or two and i'll have enough coin to order a barrel

[Billo]

Big rich my current thermally load is 180gr OEP at 2750fps that's 3023 ftlb of energy using 2219

[wrenchman]

I am interested in how the build goes keep on posting the 338-06 is not a round I have any experience with.
I have messed with 338 win mag it gets used a lot here for elk and bears and shoots rather flat.

[bigrich]

I am interested in how the build goes keep on posting the 338-06 is not a round I have any experience with.
I have messed with 338 win mag it gets used a lot here for elk and bears and shoots rather flat.

yeah the 338 win mag is highly regarded up northern australia as a "do all" round . when i was up there i asked people's opinions on the one gun to do it all and the 338 win mag was the most common response . the advantage of the 338-06 is it can be built on a standard long action with no mods and brass from 30-06 is easy . going by load data it's 100 -150 fps slower than the win mag generally and is extremely efficient with regards to the amount of powder it burns . looking at chuck hawks expanded rifle ballistic chart, it acts like a 7x57 . moderate velocity, but with a 225gn pill it cleaves to it's energy out a lot further than some other medium bores . this probably doesn't matter to most that hunt out to 200 yards, but i like to have any advantage
a lot of american hunters seem to like it for whitetail to moose and bears , and it has very good penetration ability's apparently . the win mag is superior in energy and ballistics , but with a bit more recoil too . for my intended dual purpose , comp/hunting, i want to keep recoil to within reason . i'll try to keep the posts up, but it'll be a while before the gun is built . ordering a barrel within the next week .

[bigrich]

well , i finally got to shoot my 338-06 . i ended up picking up a new IBI barrel from a fella in tassie and got jim kent in toowoomba to fit it up . i'd post pics but it's a PITA as i'm not real cluey with electronic tech . anyway , i had the FN 98 receiver squared while jim had it , hoping it would cure misaligned mount holes drilled by FN or bennie musgrave many years ago , but it didn't . after getting stuffed around by mag### sports with a order for some warne weaver style bases, i ended up buying a set off a rifle at rebel gun works . finally i thought , my troubles are over . no , still ran out of windage adjustment , so fitted up some nice blued ,windage adjustable leupold rings and bases. it's got me out of trouble , but leupold themselves say to only use them on less than 300 win mag with regards to recoil .
\
anyway i FLS some 30-06 brass with a redding 338-06 die set, loaded up some mild starting loads with 2208, win primers and 200 and 225gn sst's and off to the range i went . man this things a shooter! reminds me of my 222 . 5 different loads and only one was over a inch at 100 meters ! best load made .4" . this will be a interesting rifle . feeds really slick too, far better than the stubby 308 it was originally built in . i built it to use in group one ssaa big game comp at my local range , occasionally taking it out bush when i want a break from my 308 tikka . i've had a long wait and a few setbacks but it's finally coming to fruition and couldn't be more pleased at how it shoots and handles . i need to find a 1.5-5x20 vx3 leupold if anyone's got one, as these have a lot of adjustment so i can go back to steel weaver bases and dose this thing right up . a 338 200gn sst at 2800fps should prove useful on big boars

[deye243]

well , i finally got to shoot my 338-06 . i ended up picking up a new IBI barrel from a fella in tassie and got jim kent in toowoomba to fit it up . i'd post pics but it's a PITA as i'm not real cluey with electronic tech . anyway , i had the FN 98 receiver squared while jim had it , hoping it would cure misaligned mount holes drilled by FN or bennie musgrave many years ago , but it didn't . after getting stuffed around by mag### sports with a order for some warne weaver style bases, i ended up buying a set off a rifle at rebel gun works . finally i thought , my troubles are over . no , still ran out of windage adjustment , so fitted up some nice blued ,windage adjustable leupold rings and bases. it's got me out of trouble , but leupold themselves say to only use them on less than 300 win mag with regards to recoil .
\
anyway i FLS some 30-06 brass with a redding 338-06 die set, loaded up some mild starting loads with 2208, win primers and 200 and 225gn sst's and off to the range i went . man this things a shooter! reminds me of my 222 . 5 different loads and only one was over a inch at 100 meters ! best load made .4" . this will be a interesting rifle . feeds really slick too, far better than the stubby 308 it was originally built in . i built it to use in group one ssaa big game comp at my local range , occasionally taking it out bush when i want a break from my 308 tikka . i've had a long wait and a few setbacks but it's finally coming to fruition and couldn't be more pleased at how it shoots and handles . i need to find a 1.5-5x20 vx3 leupold if anyone's got one, as these have a lot of adjustment so i can go back to steel weaver bases and dose this thing right up . a 338 200gn sst at 2800fps should prove useful on big boars

Great stuff always had a soft spot for this calibre mainly to its efficiency I was looking at it in the late 90s but never got around to it .
mate has one fantastic on the sambar he was smart and stocked up in a big way on speer projectiles back when they were cheap

[bigrich]

well , i finally got to shoot my 338-06 . i ended up picking up a new IBI barrel from a fella in tassie and got jim kent in toowoomba to fit it up . i'd post pics but it's a PITA as i'm not real cluey with electronic tech . anyway , i had the FN 98 receiver squared while jim had it , hoping it would cure misaligned mount holes drilled by FN or bennie musgrave many years ago , but it didn't . after getting stuffed around by mag### sports with a order for some warne weaver style bases, i ended up buying a set off a rifle at rebel gun works . finally i thought , my troubles are over . no , still ran out of windage adjustment , so fitted up some nice blued ,windage adjustable leupold rings and bases. it's got me out of trouble , but leupold themselves say to only use them on less than 300 win mag with regards to recoil .
\
anyway i FLS some 30-06 brass with a redding 338-06 die set, loaded up some mild starting loads with 2208, win primers and 200 and 225gn sst's and off to the range i went . man this things a shooter! reminds me of my 222 . 5 different loads and only one was over a inch at 100 meters ! best load made .4" . this will be a interesting rifle . feeds really slick too, far better than the stubby 308 it was originally built in . i built it to use in group one ssaa big game comp at my local range , occasionally taking it out bush when i want a break from my 308 tikka . i've had a long wait and a few setbacks but it's finally coming to fruition and couldn't be more pleased at how it shoots and handles . i need to find a 1.5-5x20 vx3 leupold if anyone's got one, as these have a lot of adjustment so i can go back to steel weaver bases and dose this thing right up . a 338 200gn sst at 2800fps should prove useful on big boars

Great stuff always had a soft spot for this calibre mainly to its efficiency I was looking at it in the late 90s but never got around to it .
mate has one fantastic on the sambar he was smart and stocked up in a big way on speer projectiles back when they were cheap

your right about it being a efficient cartridge , i'm impressed as hell with it's inherent accuracy . only other cartridge i've owned that shoots as well as this for little or no effort is 222 . my 7x57 can be very accurate , but i've found 7mm to be fussy . had a 7-08 tikka that was load fussy . 338-06 would make a excellent sambar cartridge , yanks use them on elk, moose and bear . hunting wise i'm probably going to use it mainly for stalking boar . i emailed woodleigh bullets for advice on projectile choice and he had one built years ago, and has nailed everything from goats to buff . woodleigh make projectiles specifically for 338 fed and the 338-06 velocities that perform the same as partitions . i might have to get some and experiment . fun times ahead

[deye243]

Yes woodleigh projectiles underrated and underutilized I used them years ago in 7mm Remington Magnum worth every penny

[bigrich]

Yes woodleigh projectiles underrated and underutilized I used them years ago in 7mm Remington Magnum worth every penny

besides that it supports a great australian company

[bigrich]

a follow up to my 338-06 , i took it hunting on the long weekend loaded with 200sst's hand loaded to 2750 fps. she'll shoot 1/2" groups off the bench with new resized brass with this load. i've had issues with other medium bores on lighter game , 9.3x62 with even light for calibre projectiles being too stout for lighter game and pin holing . not so with the 200sst 338 . i nailed a medium sized hopper in a spot pigs are known to frequent , hit from the back through the spine . gave a exit wound at 70 meters i could put both fists in ! due to no ground cover being so dry , pigs were elusive and sticking to heavier scrub . i checked on my hopper bait and a smallish sow was moving off after having heard me coming . i waited, and about 30-40 minutes she came back . only about 20-25kg , but you take opportunities that are presented. anyhow , lined her up on the front right shoulder , squeezed the trigger , KABOOM!. looked through the scope and she wasn't in sight . thought how the f@ck could've i missed . then i noticed a black body on the opposite side of the hopper ! went down for a look and she had a massive exit wound on the left shoulder about 5" in diameter . the energy dump is incredible . she'd been flipped through the air over the top of the hopper . didn't get a chance to see the result on bigger pigs this trip

went and dropped in on another forum member about a hour south from where i was (won't name him out of respect for privacy) , anyway , offered him a couple of shots of the 338-06. he has gongs set up out back of his house he lined a 8" gong up, suspended by chain and D shackles, about 25 meters, BOOM . broke both D shackles and the gong was on the ground . still laughing, he lined up a smaller gong on another frame and the energy dump with this shot lifted one end of the frame off the ground by quite a bit so i'm mighty impressed with the 338-06 , there's the option of 225sst and 180,200gn Woodleigh's as well. i'll take it out again hunting in the not too distant future, and report back when i find some bigger pigs . cheers

[Fester]

Interesting build, how did it turn out?

I must be boring; never even fireformed a case.

I would likely buy a Tikka in 9.3 and just load it mild to shoot the big game paper match.
It would be an interesting shooting game if I were into shooting comps.

[bigrich]

Interesting build, how did it turn out?

I must be boring; never even fireformed a case.

I would likely buy a Tikka in 9.3 and just load it mild to shoot the big game paper match.
It would be an interesting shooting game if I were into shooting comps.

it's a really nice old "musgrave" 98 sporter , FN action , according to what was written inside of the original recoil pad , put together by bennie musgrave in 1969 . i add ed a timney trigger , had jim ket rebarrel it with a 338 IBI barrel , pillar bedded . scope is a vx1 2-7 loopy . with some deburring and sanding with 400 wet and dry , it's slick . cases are easily formed, and best of all it's bloody accurate . i'd post pics but the site won't take pics from my old iphone and i'm not tech savvy enough to jump through the hoops to work it out . i've hunted with a sako grizzly in 9.3x62 , anything smaller than donkeys the projectiles don't perform that well . 270 speer are the best for lighter game . cheers

[Fester]

Sorry, I must have had a glitch or something and missed the final reports. I had some Winslow 11 updates that returned for a few days.

I hope I am still on a 2-week delay, as I lost a laptop to a bad update once.

It sounds like the rifle turned out fine, after some hiccups and dealing with gun shops eh.

I need to get a spare bottle of 2213sc, but refuse to use the closer 40m drive away shop, as I got stuck with a slab of target shotty ammo that don't work, they refused a swap, so everyone loses.

This other shop has another well-proven shotty ammo on sale, and deals on 22lr ammo I haven't been able to stock up on for ages.
The best deal and drive down near the smoke value is to double up on everything.
Man, the trip will cost more than a new Tikka rifle used to cost.

Trouble is, do I ring to verify they really do have the stock? It's a bit of a list.
At least I will be set for a while if half the gun shops are forced out of business.

[deye243]

a follow up to my 338-06 , i took it hunting on the long weekend loaded with 200sst's hand loaded to 2750 fps. she'll shoot 1/2" groups off the bench with new resized brass with this load. i've had issues with other medium bores on lighter game , 9.3x62 with even light for calibre projectiles being too stout for lighter game and pin holing . not so with the 200sst 338 . i nailed a medium sized hopper in a spot pigs are known to frequent , hit from the back through the spine . gave a exit wound at 70 meters i could put both fists in ! due to no ground cover being so dry , pigs were elusive and sticking to heavier scrub . i checked on my hopper bait and a smallish sow was moving off after having heard me coming . i waited, and about 30-40 minutes she came back . only about 20-25kg , but you take opportunities that are presented. anyhow , lined her up on the front right shoulder , squeezed the trigger , KABOOM!. looked through the scope and she wasn't in sight . thought how the f@ck could've i missed . then i noticed a black body on the opposite side of the hopper ! went down for a look and she had a massive exit wound on the left shoulder about 5" in diameter . the energy dump is incredible . she'd been flipped through the air over the top of the hopper . didn't get a chance to see the result on bigger pigs this trip

went and dropped in on another forum member about a hour south from where i was (won't name him out of respect for privacy) , anyway , offered him a couple of shots of the 338-06. he has gongs set up out back of his house he lined a 8" gong up, suspended by chain and D shackles, about 25 meters, BOOM . broke both D shackles and the gong was on the ground . still laughing, he lined up a smaller gong on another frame and the energy dump with this shot lifted one end of the frame off the ground by quite a bit so i'm mighty impressed with the 338-06 , there's the option of 225sst and 180,200gn Woodleigh's as well. i'll take it out again hunting in the not too distant future, and report back when i find some bigger pigs . cheers

Great news

[Wapiti]

You gotta watch that Bigrich bloke. He'll drop around with some really nice hunting rifle build... Mauser action, svelte walnut stock just perfect for pointing with your eyes closed, real nice contrasting matt-blasted stainless barrel... big hitting cartridge with 200+ grain red-tipped handloads...
Says, got two bullets left from my hunting trip, better use them up. Show me that you can actually can shoot mate was what he was aiming at doing.
Is this bloke scared of big thumpers?
Boom, there goes the Bunnings China bow shackles holding the chains hanging the gongs up in the casual boredom-solving yard range...
No holes in the 3/8 AR500 targets at 60m like with a 300WM and Atomic29 bullets... just picks the gongs up and launches them off the chains. Shackle pins gone, ripped right out.
Nasty man. Then he says, got another of those coffees?