338-06

I have no hands on but have wanted one for some time. The only manufacturers I find are Weatherby, A-Square, and Nosler and its pretty pricey.

If the ballistics they print on the boxes are factual then its a pretty impressive round. For a 210 Nosler partition to get 2750fps and 3500 ft/lbs in a 30-06 cartridge is pretty impressive in my book.

My fathers owns both a 338-06 and a 338-06 Ackley Improved. They're both awesome cartridges. I've fired both rifles extensively at my range here at the house. He's trying to sell the A.I. and in fact I've listed on the THR classifieds in the past.
Anyhow, if you handload, the 338-06 comes so close to the 338 Win Mag's factory loads, that I see little need for the latter. 210 gr. bullets, both Noslers Part. and Barnes X will do 2800 and 225 gr. Hornady and Barnes X approach 2700 fps.
35W

I had a 338-06 for a short time. Built one out of a surplus Mauser barreled action. It's a good cartridge if you want a little heavier bullets than a .30 caliber but not really much more speed if any.

I have no experience with the 338/06 personally but I can a test to getting components. A friend had a 338 win and getting bullets and cases was a nightmare. The 338 is popular to the point where components especially bullets were tough to come by. The various bullet manufacturers made 338 bullets on a limited bases A tip on the 338/06,make your cases from 35 Whelen rather than 30/06 that way a 338/06 doesn't make it's way into a 30/06 by mistake.

Mine has been great. Found a Savage 110 for $200, and put an A&B barrel on it for $100. Nosler Custom ammo is the way to go, widest selection, at the best (but not cheap) price. I did buy some Weatherby ammo too, so that I would have brass with the correct headstamp. Got a round that was overpressured, blew a primer, and torched my ejector. Had to buy a new bolt head, and Weatherby told me to kiss off.

i had a push feed Winchester M70 rebarreled to 338-06 in 1993 using a douglas barrel. It took about 250 rounds to get it shooting really well, it will do 1 moa with hornady 200 and 225 spire points. I tried several powders, finally settled on H-414. Great all round cartridge for deer and elk. Less recoil than 338 mag.

I have a .338-06 and love it...

It gets pretty close to the 338 Win Mag without the hassle of big belted cases. It lets you hold more rounds in your rifle and seems to feed better.

I really like it. I use 225 grain bullets and they really hammer things.

If you want to shoot the heavier bullets, then the 338 Win Mag might be better.

I have had no problem getting components and the brass is simple to make from .30-06. I reload, so I have never had to buy loaded ammo; I can speak for the availability of that.

Mine is a 700 in an HS Precision stock with a Hart BBL. Shoots great!

I have no experience with the 338/06 personally but I can a test to getting components. A friend had a 338 win and getting bullets and cases was a nightmare. The 338 is popular to the point where components especially bullets were tough to come by. The various bullet manufacturers made 338 bullets on a limited bases A tip on the 338/06,make your cases from 35 Whelen rather than 30/06 that way a 338/06 doesn't make it's way into a 30/06 by mistake.

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Acquiring bullets and cases a nightmare?!?!? Are you joking??? Have you checked Mid-South, Widners, Midway, etc. Widners alone shows 13 boxes of 210 gr. Partitions and 24 boxes of 225 gr. Partitions!
I don't understand why you'd make cases from the Whelen. The '06 is simple: prime the case, add about 10 grs. of Unique in the case, fill it the rest of the way with cornmeal, plug the mouth of the case with candlewax, chamber and fire. Viola! Instant 338-06 case! Dad made ALL his that way and I even did some of them for him. This is also how I fireformed ALL my 257 Ackley Imp. cases.
Also, I'd like to see you chamber a 338-06 cartridge in a 30-'06 rifle.

35w

I have never lost a case during fireforming 338-06, it is a no stress operation, 338 bullets are everywhere, Sportsmans warehouse had over 70 boxes combining all brands. 338 mag brass is readily available at all the usual sources, never have been unable to get it.

This was at least 10 yrs years ago that my friend had the 338 win mag and he called all the big component houses and they were either out of stock or waiting for more inventory to come in.The story he was told was that Speer,Nosler,etc made 338 bullets on a "limited basis". I tried as well and even stopped at one of the bigger reloading suppliers in Me and they had very limited or no 338 bullets/brass on hand.
I have done a fair amount of reforming cases from other cases and necking down easier than necking up. My philosophy on reloading especially case reforming is don't underestimate someones ability to do something stupid,or as someone much wiser than I once said" No matter how idiot proof something is made,they always design a better idiot."

The problem with necking down is that it thickens the walls of the neck. Not always a problem but can be, I've never had a problem necking up if done properly in steps with proper annealing, etc.

I have a fair amount of experience with larger bores on the .30-06 case. These cartridges work by expansion ratios. It's the expanding gas which pushes the bullet, and as gas expands, the pressure drops.

In larger bores, the pressure will drop faster because of the increased volume. That, in turn, calls for more powder, which means more energy.

The first such large-bore wildcat based on the .30-06 case was the .35 Whelen. The Whelen's fault (if it has one) is that it is too much bore for the volume of the .30-06 case.

There are two solutions -- one was to reduce the bore size to .33, which was first done by O'Neill , Keith and Hopkins, using a British .333 caliber bullet to produce the .333 OKH. The modern .338-06 is virtually identical to this cartridge, but using the .338 bullet (which was not available when the .333 OKH was developed.) For elk, I like the 210 grain Nosler Partition Jacket in this rifle, driven to about 2,800 fps. That gives you about 20% more energy than a 180 grain bullet from a .30-06.

The second approach was by C. Norman Brown. He reamed out a .35 Whelen chamber, taking all the taper out of the cartridge and moving the shoulder forward and making it steeper, increasing case capacity about 11%. The .35 B-W (in my rifle) will drive a 225 grain bullet at about 2,800 fps.

The .338-06 is an easy cartridge to case form (if you can't get factory cases.) Simply load a .30-06 case with about 10 grains of Bullseye (you may have to experiment to get the charge right) and a quarter sheet of toilet paper (no bullet needed) in the case mouth. Chamber it, point in a safe direction, and pull the trigger. When you open the bolt, out will pop a .338-06 case.

Wear ear muffs.

Sounds almost like an Ackleyized version of the 35.

Sounds almost like an Ackleyized version of the 35.

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Much more radical. The key characteristic of the Ackleys is that you can fire a standard cartridge in an Ackley chamber, and it will fire-form.

You cannot fire a standard .35 Whelen in a .35 Brown-Whelen chamber -- the case will split. You must use forming charges to fire-form the cases.