IMO the 338-06 is at its best with 200/210 gr bullets. The case really isn' t large enough to get the most out of 250 gr bullets. I don' t have a need to use the heavier bullets but if someone wants or needs to use either a 225 or 250gr bullet then they would be better served with a 338 mag.

Since it appears that I' m the only one here who actually has a 338-06 I will say again that there is a difference in recoil. This is based on shooting stout loads in the 338-06 vs. factory 338mag; both with 200gr bullets. The best comparison that I can make would be the difference between a 30-06 and a 300mag shooting the same weight bullet. That may not be much to the big bore super-duper magnum hunters out there but I would much rather spend an evening shooting with my 06 based 338 than the magnum version.