Long action 338 Fed or???

[RevJim]

LA, to keep it really simple, 338/06. Want something that's really different, 338 Sherman. I like raw "power" on elk myself, I want a bullet to shoot through him on a broadside or really penetrate on a hard angle. In 338 cal, I like the 185-210 Barnes. In a cup n core, 225 Premium minimum...I'd be tempted to use the 250 or 300gr Woodleigh even, ha. Have a ball friend!

 

[Jared2700]

I would vote for the 338-06 as well. You have a ton of potential with your loads plus why go less, bigger is better in my book. You have the potential use it to your advantage. You don't want regrets later thinking of the extra power. It just like horsepower, there isn't anybody who is serious about performance. Who doesn't do everything they can squeeze of of their rig. Go with the 338-06, even thou the 338 federal is a great cartridge. You darn near get the performance of the 338 Lp. Without the cost associated with the brass and powder expenditure. Heck 30-06 brass is everwear.

 

[TBuckus]

Another vote for .338-06 here! I have a Savage 110 semi-custom in .338-06 that gets hunted with (deer) every year. Shooting the 225gr Speer BTSP on top of H4350 with a speed of 2700 fps. When deer are hit with this they usually do a complete flip before dropping straight down. The energy is awesome.

How's the recoil with a 225gr pill?

 

[Deputy819]

Well, it was fairly substantial with the light, factory walnut stock I originally had it in. Load development was no "walk in the park". So, I put it in a heavier after-market stock and that helped tame it down quite a bit...

 

[J E Custom]

From what I gather it sounds like if my donor is a long action, a 338-06 is the better option.
My plan was to use a 200 or greater bullet

I don't know a lot about the 338/06 but from the reloading data available the 338 RCM is not that much more than the 338/06 so either on one one would be good depending what action you wanted to use.

I used a model 7 for a donor and a 22" barrel to keep the length down for a pack rifle.

I like the looks of the 338/06 and liked the similar performance of the 8mm Mauser.

Good luck on your build.

J E CUSTOM

 

[KMLampson]

I love my 388-06. Built on a inexpensive Rem 700 ADL stainless that I picked up from a pawnshop. Put on a lightweight Shilen barrel, had the bolt fluted, Jewell trigger, McMillan Edge stock. Super accurate little rifle that I can carry all day, plus it really thumps stuff....

 

[Dean2]

Why not just buy a Tikka or Sako in 338 Federal if that is the cartridge you really want. If you buy a LA you have the choice of the Federal or 338-06 or a bunch of other cartridges all the way up to 375 Ruger (which from experience will lay a serious smack down on anything you shoot too). So to me it really comes down to what cartridge you want as opposed to what has the most horsepower.

The 338 Federal will kill moose, bear, Bison or pretty much anything walking in North America. The one I have in LH Tikka T3 Lite is a great gun, very accurate and a pleasure to carry. I have more powerful guns but never felt under gunned with the 338 Federal, but then I hunt a lot with a 308 Win too.

 

[yorke-1]

If you find a long action go 338-06 and if you find a short action go 338 Federal, I don't think there's a practical difference between the two at most ranges. I've had both and I don't think any critter could tell the difference.

 

[Dry Heat?]

338-06 is a VERY efficient Cartridge that packs a punch. It comes within 150 FPS of the 300 WM until you get to the real heavyweight pills. You'll be happy with the 338-06 in a LA

 

[HARPERC]

http://hammerbullets.boards.net/thread/548/custom-ammo

Bullets are getting longer as well.

 

[TBuckus]

Why not just buy a Tikka or Sako in 338 Federal if that is the cartridge you really want. If you buy a LA you have the choice of the Federal or 338-06 or a bunch of other cartridges all the way up to 375 Ruger (which from experience will lay a serious smack down on anything you shoot too). So to me it really comes down to what cartridge you want as opposed to what has the most horsepower.

The 338 Federal will kill moose, bear, Bison or pretty much anything walking in North America. The one I have in LH Tikka T3 Lite is a great gun, very accurate and a pleasure to carry. I have more powerful guns but never felt under gunned with the 338 Federal, but then I hunt a lot with a 308 Win too.

Looks like you cant buy a T3 in 338 Fed anymore. Bummer because I love my T3

Thanks for the info guys. Since I'm only finding LA's at a decent price, I'm going the 338-06 route. I have a couple leads on some model 70 donor rifles for cheap.

The next question is can I get away with a 20" barrel? I'd like to put a suppressor on it.