CAM2

it' s a shame that this cartridge isn' t more readily available and that it isn' t chambered in standard off the shelf rifles. i know that weatherby chambers the Ultra Lightweight and the Super Big GameMaster rifles in it but they are a bit pricey for me. i know people will say that it it isn' t needed and that this cartridge and that cartridge will do this and that better but i can list a dozen cartidges off the top of my head that are not needed when you get down to the nitty gritty. if i looked through my loading manuals i could probably name two dozen cartridges that aren' t needed. i' ve had a fondness for this cartridge for some time now and i keep hoping that this cartridge will catch on and become a standard chambering by the major manufacturers, but with the surgence of all of these super duper wonder mags the more practical cartidges get over shadowed because they' re not part of the in thing and they won' t sell. i hope that one of these days i' ll find an old ' 06 for a cheap price that needs some TLC that i can get rebarreled for the 338-06, just a little project that won' t cost me an arm and a leg. it' s not like i need another rifle, i just want another rifle chambered for some thing different. this may be a pointless post but i just wanted to vent a little.

ELKampMaster

Pursuing uncommon cartridges does have its downsides.

You may consider getting a 338WinMag and reloading it 200 fps to the lighter side and whola' there' s your 338-06 performance plus if you are in the middle of nowhere and need ammo of some sort, then your odds are WAY better.

Never Go Undergunned, Always Check The Sight In, Perform At Showtime
EKM

Vapodog

I' m not certain what the status is of the .338-06....since weatherby chambers for it and also supplies ammo for it, it should be a standard round.....but I' m going to reserve that statement for now.

This much I do know...RCBS will send you dies, and most barrel manufacturers will send you " FTC barrels in .338-06

IMO it' s one of the finest " big game" and " plains game" cartridges a going.....I love it.

All you need is a new barrel to attach to any .270, .25-06, .280, .30-06, or .35 whelen, a set of dies and your off and running.

Approximate cost to convert your gun is about $400......give/take.

James B

I don,t know if it would be of interest to you but that barrel is available for the TC Encore. This along with many and I do mean many other otherwise impossible to find calibers. Go to Fox Ridge Outfitters on your computer. You will be amazed at the offering they have. They have about all the standard cartridges and most all the Ackely improved from 17HRM to 45-70 including the 375 H&H Mag. Also If you want to rebarrel a bolt to this caliber, I would recommend E. R. Shaw barrels. They have a site you can check on. They have rebarreled several rifles for me and did an outstanding job. They will furnish just the barrel or they will fit it to your reciever. They will Blue it for you or you can do it yourself. You determine the rate of twist, barrel contour and lenght. The last one they did for me, I sent them the barreled action and they replaced the barrel and headspaced it and blued it all for a little over 200.00 They furnished the new barrel of course in that price as well. I would quess the price is somewhat higher now as that was several years ago. I had a shot out 700 Remington 30-06 and they rebarreled it to 280 for me. Look them up and give them a call if you have any questions. They are good people.

bearhuntr

With the 338 Win. Mag. and other various 338' s on the market now, why even bother with the 338-06? It will always remain in the shadows of the more popular 338 Win. Mag. and the 338 Ultra. The 338-06 will never become popular, and honestly, I see it slowly disappearing for good. If the mainstream hunting crowd hasn' t caught on with it now, it never will.

Quilly

i just saw a nice weatherby chambered in the 338-06 sold for about little under $900.00. has been shot alittle less than 20 rounds.
nice gun but unfortunatly that no other manufacturers make the ammo.

popeye

I agree the 338-06 is awesome. What would happen if a main stream ammo maker and either Ruger or Remington began to chamber this round? I don' t remember alot of people being on the 6.5-308 bandwagon before the 260 was introduced and it appears to be selling well.

propmahn

well you could get a savage 110 and have a new adams and bennet barrel put on it if you dont mind savage rifles. or a TC encore in 338. cheack out this page from midway
http://www.midwayusa.com/ebrowse.exe...1+***+9564+***
or go to there website and go to gunsmithing then barrels and follow yourself to happiness.

Vapodog

From my checking of handloading data, the .338 Mag and the .338-06 are roughly equivalent in performance. (100' /sec difference with 250 Gr bullets and equal barrel length per Hornady' s latest data)

I' d never build a wildcat that offered me no advantage over a standard factory cartridge. But often times the advantage falls in other arenas such as weight of the rifle, magazine capacity, cost and who knows what factors an individual may have.

Everyone has their own set of values and I certainly am two thumbs up on the .338-06

oldelkhunter

If there is so much demand for this cartridge then why arent more rifles being chambered in it? DO you think these gun manufacturers want to lose money by not producing what everyone wants. I once thought it was a useful cartridge but after owning a 338 I can load it down to those speeds and if I want to crank it up a notch I buy Federal HE loads and almost get 340 weatherby speed with a 24" barrel.