Second thoughts on my .338-06

Idea exchange is a fine thing, especially on rifles and cartridges, and especially for someone being able to have the opportunity for a build. Deciding on a caliber would be a fun problem to have, indeed. All the best to you on your caliber decision. And really, if it was me? I think I'd go with the 25-06...Ha!
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Thanks again. Idea exchanges are really what these forums are all about. It is difficult to find enough people locally who are knowledgeable enough to bounce ideas off of. In fact this thread helped give me the idea for 6mm Remington AI.
As for the 25-06, there is just one problem, my dad is doing a Mauser build too, and that is what he is building, and since it will be mine someday anyway ;), I'm opting for something different. Otherwise I would build a .25-06 or .25-06 AI even though there are better bullets in .243.
 
A good road...

I believe you're on a good road with sound wisdom guiding your build. Dads sometimes seem to have a solution for their kids, even if down the trail a bit... my two sons even tell me that from time to time. Hope for me yet!

Good hunting, Mississippi,

reinert
 
And what exactly is "throated for 140 Noslers" ?
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The throat is reamed for a 140gr Nosler seated to the base of the neck. Freebore, if you will. Had the same thing done for my .338-06 for 250 Noslers.
 
GeauxTide said:
The throat is reamed for a 140gr Nosler seated to the base of the neck.
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What's your COAL with that set up? OP's magazine is only 3.315", SAAMI specs for a 6.5-06 is 3.24" min and 3.44" max. The OP may not have enough room in his magazine to throat as you describe. In MIlitary M98 actions you're better off sticking to cartridges based of the X57 cartridge for the minimum amount of work by the gunsmith, then the .284 case offers 06 capacity and doesn't run into COAL issues like you can with an 06 based cartridge.
 
My magazine is a Parker Hale box with hinged floor plate. The length is the same as the original bottom metal. It is a well known issue with Mauser Builds that if you use a factory length Mauser length magazine, anything using a full .30-06 length case (approx 2.45" or 63.3 mm), you basically have to seat bullets to SAAMI or shorter to get it to feed. Unless of course you plan to shoot single shot.

The .25-06 works fine because the SAAMI COAL is 3.250" and the 8mm Mauser is 3.228 with a magazine of 3.315.
But the .30-06 is 3.34 COAL. So modification is necessary.

The COAL of 2.285 with respect to the 6mm Remington or 6mm AI will give me plenty of room to mag feed a bullet nearer to the lands (Except maybe for some of the VLD bullets).

However, I'm not trying to build a 1k yard Rifle. I think I will likely go with a twist optimized for the 75 grain Vmax or close to that such that I can approach 3800 fps in the AI 6mm. This will give a maximum point blank range close to 400 yards.
 
Mississippi said:
My magazine is a Parker Hale box with hinged floor plate.
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That solves the mag length issue.

Use a 1:8 twist barrel it'll shoot 75 grain Vmax just fine and it'll open options that a slow twist barrel won't. It's always better to have a little too much twist then not enough. With the bullets coming out in 6mm these days pretty much 1:8 is the optimal twist.
 
I misspoke earlier. The Parker Hale hinged floor plate magazine is approximately 3.34"...not 3.315.

But that would still leave bullet tips in .30-06 OAL lengths dragging on the magazine and probably have feeding issues. therefore I would likely have to seat bullets a couple hundredths of an inch deeper since bullet tips can vary by that much sometimes.

But anyway, a 1:8 twist aye? I had heard I should go slow twist for ligher bullets.? But the 105 gr ELD-x would make a great hunting bullet. I already use the ELD-X 178 gr in my .308 AR-10 for hogs. And I'm sure I will need at least a 1:8-1:9 twist to stabilize the 105 gr ELD x
 
The 6.5-06 works pretty good. I have one. Douglas will
make you a barrel in that caliber. They did my barrel. The
6.5-06 is very close to a 25/06 or a 270, but you can get
it with an 8 inch twist barrel. You can load up to 160 grain
bullet, way beyond the 25/06. You can also get quite high
muzzle velocity from a 140 or 160 grain bullet using something
like H870 or Accurate 8700 powder as well as some other
real slow burners, and you can get the velocity at pretty
low chamber pressures with those powders. You can get
3000 fps at low pressures with a 140 grain boattail, using
a slow powder like I mentioned and the balistic coefficient
is very high, I just loaded up some reduced loads with
4062, 42 grains, that gives 2710 fps, and that ought
to give a barrel life of about 10,000 rounds. Loading the
6.5 is very easy. Use 25/06 brass, and just seat a
boat tail bullet in it to slightly expand the neck to size.

Another 6.5 I like is a 6.5/257. Douglas sold me a barrel
in that also, and it comes within a whisper of being just
as fast as the 6.5-06, Likewise easy to load, just use
257 Roberts cases and seat a boat tail bullet in it the first
time you load it. It can also be used in a shorter action,
being the case is 2 1/4 inch long. You can actually use
6.5X55 loading data for it. they are so close in case
size, 1 grain of powder difference. so why go for the
6.5/257 instead of a 6.5 swede? The Roberts case is
same dimension except for the neck as 7X57 and I think
maybe a 6mm Remington also, gives more choices in the
brass to use. The 57 case length may work better in
some mausers, lots of them used 57mm cases, after all.
 
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I'm for the 25-06 build. 25-06 cartridge has a reputation for speed and outstanding accuracy. Easy on the shoulder too.

Can't say the same for a 338-06 as I prefer not to own one. I only keep rifles that are appropriate to what I prefer to hunt.

Frankly: I have a 25-06 and I like it so well I retired my 243 quite-a-few years ago to a lonely corner in the safe.
 
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