Question about 338 ammo....

V

valiantboy

Inactive
Thinking of building a 338-06 on a mauser k98 action. Dont think ill go with the win mag. The question i have is about the rounds: the 338-06 and the 338-06 AI. Is there a difference between the 2? ballisticly, yes there is. i know that there is a 338-06 barrel offered for the mauser 98. Say i have the barrel installed and headspaced. Will i be able to fire the standard 338-06 AND the '06 AI out of the same rifle? I know that there is a difference in the neck size between the 2. Is that going to affect the headspace? Both being non-belted ammo and the same case size, bore dia, should allow both to be shot from the same gun. Correct? or am i nuts for even thinking this? :confused:

Which would you rather shoot?
 
First of all, Welcome Aboard.

If you have the .338-06 barrel rechambered for .338-06 A.I. You will be able
to shoot .338-06 in the rifle. These cases will then be fire formed to the
Ackley Improved version. If you leave the barrel in .338-06 then you will
need to shoot .338-06 only.

I'm so out of the loop I don't know if .338-06 is commercially available. If
it's a reloading proposition I would go with the A.I. and gain a few fps.
 
338-06

Dear shooter:
Welcom to the forum - and yes, in a properly chambered rifle you can shoot the std. (Weatherby has standardized it by building a rifle for it) 338-06 and the Ackley improved 338-06 if it existed!
The 338-06 though is all you'll ever need - Brown Bear has been taken with it - it is a fantastic cartridge.
I've built about 5 of them. However I didn't know there was an improved version - as a matter of fact the Ackley book gives no such animule!
Vol. 1 Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders lists no such cartridge! I'd be careful of it being an Ackley design.
I could be wrong but I don't think from my sources it exists )the 338-06 AI).
There is a 333 Ackley short magnum but no 338-06 improved!
Harry B.
 
There's an AI version for almost any cartridge out there, commercial or wildcat. Somebody, somewhere has probably done it. I'm currently building an 8mm-06 AI, and you won't see much written about that either, although maybe more than the .338-06. Post over on the Accurate Reloding forums(http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve), in the wildcat section, and you'll probably find someone over there that's got more info.

The AI isn't gonna give you a huge jump in performance, in fact it seems that the larger the case, the less improvement you get. But, you get better brass life, and, as mentioned you can shoot "regular" (assuming its available) ammo through it.. I'm doing the AI version of the 8mm-06, because if I'm gonna custome chamber a rifle, the cost is the same whether its an AI or not.

I've got some load data for the 8mm-06, which puts it only about a step behind the .338 Win Mag, I suspect you'll be right in that territory as well.
 
thanks for the welcome guys. i actually thought of the 338 win mag first. there are barrels available for it. then i started looking at the recoil factor and the cost of a good scope that will hold up to the recoil. then i asked myself " what the hell do i need a win mag for? what is there is florida that im gunna need it for?" so i deceided for the '06. probly be the best likley and most cose effective alternative. plus ive been thinking about getting into hand loading as well. any pointers about the 338 that you can give?
 
338-06

Dear Builder:
Hey, Guys! Those big calibers are not very heavy recoiling at all. It's the ones like the 378WM that are bad - those with a "quick powder curve" that 'hit you quick."
My Hawken 62 fully charged recoil like a 410! my 9.3s. and 416s. are nice guns to shoot!
Harry B.
 
Hey, Guys! Those big calibers are not very heavy recoiling at all.
Click to expand...
Right on, Harry! Last week, I was provided with my first opportunity to crack off a few rounds from a .338 Win. mag. The rifle was a Browning semi-auto.

Now, I'm 6'2" & 200 pounds, and their ain't a whole lot of meat on my shoulder. That, and my recollection of some discomfort in shooting a .300 Win. mag, had me a little apprehensive about squeezing the trigger on the .338. In reality, it was actually a little anticlimactic. As far as felt recoil went, I'd say it was only a tad more than my Remmy 700 in .270 Win., with the .338 having a more "push", and the .270 having a sharper "punch".
 
1. '2' is not a word. It's a number.
2. If you fire a .338-06 out of a .338-06 AI chamber you will end up with AI cases. The case shoulders are different. So no they're not interchangeable.
3. Have you ever fired any .338 magnum? The felt recoil is stout to say the least.
4. "What is there in Florida that I'm gonna need it for?..." Exactly nothing. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't build it. You can't legally drive faster than the maximum posted speed limit, but every vehicle made will go faster than that and you can have one. Just wanting something is reason enough. Try and shoot a .338 before you spend the money though.
Just remember that shooting one is not cheap. Midway wants $22.99 per 20 for .338-06 Weatherby brass. $1.15 each.
 
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