338-06

troutfisherman1200 said:

I am putting together a 338-06 A.I. on a model 48 yugo action. I have read about the caliber and think this would be a good choice for my first build.Has anyone oened one or has shot one I would like to know what to expect. Thanks for your input.

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I've thought about buying a Shaw barrel to use on a Savage 110/Stevens 200 in plain-vanilla 338-06, but I haven't yet. 338-06 looks really good on paper, and I like the concept. Let us know how it works out.

I have a regular .338-06 based on a Remington 700. It is a great rifle and shoots good. I like the .338-06 over the other .338's becuase it is beltless, easy to load, and the rifles usually hold an extra round and feed smoother. I also find the recoil easier to take as it is more of a push as opposed to a slam I get when I shoot my buddies .338 Win Mag.

I bet you will be very happy.

Good luck and report the results back.

I've built two standard 338-06 rifles. One on a VZ24 action with a Shaw barrel and one on a Winchester Model 70 push feed with a Douglas barrel. Both are fine rifles and equally accurate after about 200 rounds break in. The Douglas barrel actually took about 50 more rounds to finally settle down. Both fine rifles with synthetic stocks, just hunting rifles, not real purty, but very good all round with 200, 215 and 225 grain bullets. They seem to give up a lot with 250 grain projectiles.

Nothing wrong with a .338-06A-Square/AI, but I would strongly consider the .35Whelen for the heavier projectiles and ability to use 9mm pistol bullets for cheap plinkin'/practice/varmint.

have you looked into the AOL problem? The 48 yugo is an intermediate length action and may limit the COL of an 06 based cartridge unless machining of the feedramp and magazine is done...

Or have you already sorted this?

have you looked into the AOL problem?

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Why is your internet down? OTOH the OAL may very well be a concern, at least if you want to use long bullets. You might want to look into the .338Fed. or .358Win. instead as it'll accommodate the heavier bullets (though they limit your case capacity a bit when compared to the '06 parent cartridges).

Maverick223 said:

Nothing wrong with a .338-06A-Square/AI, but I would strongly consider the .35Whelen for the heavier projectiles and ability to use 9mm pistol bullets for cheap plinkin'/practice/varmint.

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These things are true, but you get both higher BC bullets and higher sectional density in the 338, in general.

I sorta got into the 338-06 by accident a few years ago. I ran across a guy who needed to sell his custom in that chamnbering cheap because he was out of work. I initially planned on keeping the Zeiss scope and selling the rifle... Until I shot it with the box of ammo that came with the gun.

I ended up buying dies and started loading for it. Haven't killed anything with it yet, but the paper ballistics look quite good.

I also have a 35 Whelen that is for sale. The 338/06 ballistics are just that much better. The problem is that there are few if any good .35 bullets. There are some VERY aerodynamic 250 gr 338 bullets that hold up very well at range even with the slower 338/06 velocities. Were talking about over 2000 ft lbs at 500 yards from a 338/06 compared to 1700 ft lbs from a 180 gr 300 win mag. And with only about 12" more drop. If you're good enough to make up for 38" of drop from a 300 mag, you can make 50" of drop work with the 338/06.

The 35 Whelen will equal the 338/06 at close range, but after about 100 yards it loses steam fast.

The 338/06 is really intended for game larger than whitetails, but with the right loads is not too bad.

These things are true, but you get both higher BC bullets and higher sectional density in the 338, in general.

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I won't argue the BC, but the SD on the 310gr. .358cal. RN (.346; with a BC of .458) is at least as good as (and probably a bit better) than anything practical for the .338-06. The choice would really have more to do with use and range than anything else.

You can get a 250 gr 338 bullet with a BC of .675 and should be able to start it at 2500fps. That is the data I used to calculate the info in my 1st post.

You'd not get much more than 2000-2100 with 310 gr in the Whelen. Like you said it is really about range. The Whelen probably has a slight edge up close, while the 338/06 has more range.

The Whelen has an advantage in that you can buy factory loaded ammo, but either round really needs to be handloaded to be useful.

You can get a 250 gr 338 bullet with a BC of .675 and should be able to start it at 2500fps. That is the data I used to calculate the info in my 1st post.

You'd not get much more than 2000-2100 with 310 gr in the Whelen. Like you said it is really about range. The Whelen probably has a slight edge up close, while the 338/06 has more range.

The Whelen has an advantage in that you can buy factory loaded ammo, but either round really needs to be handloaded to be useful.

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Both would do well, and carry a high enough payload with enough SD to plow though most anything in NA. The advantage to the .358cal. is a little bigger hole and the use of 9mm pistol bullets for light use (if desired), the advantage of the .338cal. is better bullet selection for BC and therefore better LR performance. I have to admit that I am a bit biased because I want to rechamber my 1895 for the Whelen (both for plinking and thumping), and in that rifle (because optics aren't practical) range is not a big consideration.

WRT factory cartridges, that is not true anymore. The .338-06 (non-AI) is no longer a wildcat, it was standardized by A-Square, and is now factory loaded (though I don't even want to know the price for these cartridges).

I have a 338-06 in an ultralight Weatherby MKV. and it is a great lightweight elk rifle easy to carry and it does everything you need to kill anything in this area. I have had the best luck with nosler 225 grain accubonds. I just opened up 30-06 brass for it rather than buying actual 338-06 brass.(did the same thing for the 35 whelen) I do think the 35 hits with a little more authority but wouldnt worry about that unless I was looking at a bunch of claws and teeth heading in my direction. Elk don't seem to notice much difference. I do think you may have a difficult time actually getting 2500 fps with a 250 grain bullet but you will get fairly close.

First and foremost, like someone else said, check the magazine length of your action. I bet it's going to be too short for optimal cartridge o.a.l. I'm speaking from experience because I built my 35 Whelen on a VZ24 action and found out too late that I can't a cartridge o.a.l. over 3.30". Not that big of a deal, but something to consider.

My Dad had an old Remington model 78 270 Win. rebored/rechambered to the 338-06 A.I. I shot it lots developing loads and it shot very well and would do 2800 with 210 gr. bullets. But he subsequently had an old Mauser action barrel to standard 338-06 and we found that there's not enough difference in velocity between the two to justify fire-forming cases. But I completely understand the allure of the A.I. as I own a 257 A.I.!
35W

Since the Yugo 48 action is too short for a 30-06 length case, you could go old school and do something interesting like a 9.3x57mm. or 9.5x57 Mannlicher Schoenauer

There are a few guys up here who have converted those to 450 Marlin. Basically the same thing was done 30-40 years ago when some of us followed Frank Barnes lead and cut 458 Win Mag brass down to a 2 inch case. It was called the 458-Two Inch American.
The 450 Marlin is almost exactly the same thing except they moved the case belt to a more forward location so some idiot would not try stuffing one into a 300 win mag rifle.

Back in the mid 70s I had one made on a Mexican Mauser action, which is exactly the same length as your intermediate length Yugo.

You wouldn't be hurting too much if you just barrelled it to a 338 Federal or a 358 Winchester. I really believe the latter is a very underrated cartridge.
35W

Since the Yugo 48 action is too short for a 30-06 length case, you could go old school and do something interesting like a 9.3x57mm. or 9.5x57 Mannlicher Schoenauer

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That isn't a bad idea...you could even take it a step further and go with a 9x57mmMauser, 9x56mmMannlicher-Schoenauer, or .338Mauser (Improved or otherwise) for a little better trajectory. If you go with one of the 9s, i'd chamber it to accommodate .358cal (rather than hard to find .356cal) bullets.

You wouldn't be hurting too much if you just barrelled it to a 338 Federal or a 358 Winchester. I really believe the latter is a very underrated cartridge.

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IMO both are underrated cartridges, though I would choose their bigger brothers (based upon the '06) given the option.

The 9.5 Mannlicher is a .375 caliber. Brass can be made via 30-06 or 8mm Mauser cases.

The 9.3 Mausers are becoming popular up here again and they are the 366 caliber.

As pointed out, the 358 Win is a very under-rated cartridge.

Heck fire, put a nice heavy sporter barrel on it chambered for 6.5x55 Swede. That would make a heck of a nice tack-driver. And the cartridge is the perfect length for that action.

I was referring to the 9s I mentioned above, not the 9.3 or 9.5s that you suggested. I feel those are a little too large for the case, especially considering that the x57 headspaces off of the shoulder rather than a belt or rim.

The 6.5x55mm is a marvelous idea, and very well suited to that action length (though I doubt that the OP wants to go that small).

If I ever have need of a big game rifle it will be a .338-06 (.338-.280 actually, just because I want to be a little different).

With 225gr bullets you can handload it to the magic 2000fps and 2000ft*lb at 400 yards. I can't imagine I'd ever try to take any game animal beyond that range.

Three hunting rifles, a .22LR, a .260 Rem, and a .338-06 covers you for anything you might want to hunt in North America, except perhaps if you are a prairie dog shooter or fur hunter.

troutfisherman1200, it isn't too late to switch to .338Fed. (unless it is short chambered for the .338-06A-Square). I believe this would suit your action length a bit better.

Make sure you really have a M-48 action and not one of the older full sized Yugo Mausers.

Intermediate Large Ring M-98 ,(Large ring, Short action)
1.410 diameter. receiver ring,
8.50 in length, with screw spacing of 7.620 inches
Intermediate Large ring have a threaded shank diameter of 1.10 in. With 12 threads per inch.
Mexicans by FN and Belgium, the M24, M47, M48 by FN and Yugoslavia.
WILL NOT fit a Standard 98 Mauser stocks and standard bolts will not interchange..

Large Ring M-98
1.410 diameter receiver ring, 8.750 in length,
with screw spacing of 7.835. Barrel Shank of 1.100
Large ring have a threaded shank diameter of 1.10 in. With 12 threads per inch.