Custom Rifle Caliber?

[ldg397]

I have an old '68 model 700 in 30-06 I want to get rebarreled with a new caliber. I already have a 700 in .260 remington and a steyr mannlicher in 30-06. Here are some that have made my short list just curious to your thoughts. I would like to be able to hunt just about any north american game, but I also want something enjoyable to shoot because I don't hunt elk every day, vary rarely actually. Just as a reference I find the 7 mag very tolerable as far as recoil but I have not had the opportunity to shoot anything larger.

.280 Remington, 338-06, or 35 whelen.
I really like the idea of a .280 but it is pretty close to my 30-06 in capability. I like the 35 whelen but I think I am leaning to the 338-06 over the 35 because of the bullet selection.

And if I want to spend the extra money for the extra work I could get a 300 win mag and I am assuming a 7 mag as well. One advantage of the 300 would be the same bullets as my 30-06.

 

[TScottW99]

I have always wanted a 338/06 or other .338 wildcat. I would proably go that route just so I could own a .338 finally. (sorry no help to you :wink: )

I have even considered a wildcalt .338 built off of the .375Ruger. That would be fun :lol:

 

[Guest]

Well, if you have a .260Rem and a 30-06, you'll find that just about any caliber under .308" you pick with a .473" casehead will have some significant overlap with one or both of these two. I like the idea of moving up, since you say you hunt elk sometimes. The 35Whelen is a great cartridge, as is the 338-06. I agree that the bullet selection in .358 is lacking compared to .338, so that may have a significant influence on your choice.

If you like odd calibers (for conversation) you could also consider the 9.3x62, which fires a .366" bullet. Brass is available pretty inexpensively right now (buy a bunch, as it might not stay that way). This caliber is an old German invention that was destined for Africa, and has served well there on just about everything it has been fired at over the years. The Speer manual I have says it is, like a lot of bigger calibers, not terribly hard on meat when fired at deer, but still packs a lot of punch for elk out to 250-300yds. It will be about the same, ballistically, as the 35Whelen.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[steve4102]

I think you are on the right track by going up from the 30 cal. I think the 338-06, 35 Whelen would be excellent choices. I also think dubyam is correct in the 9.3x62. I have a CZ in 9.3x62 and it is one fine cartridge.
However, I would go with the 338-06 for the reasons you mentioned and because to the best of my knowledge it is not available in a factory rifle. If you want a 280, 35 Whelen or 9.3x62 just go buy one. IMO if you are going with a custom barrel get a custom chamber as well.

 

[Ol` Joe]

One more vote for the 9.3x62, if I was looking for something with your criteria.

 

[JD338]

The 338-06 and 35 Whelen are a step up from your 30-06 but a 300 Win Mag would cover 99% of the hunting requirements in NA. You can always load it down to 30-06 levels for target shooting and kick it up for the big critters.

JD338

 

[Desert Fox]

You can't go go wrong with either 338-06 or the 35 Wheelen. If you plan to hunt really large animal in the future, like the big bears or moose, I will opt. for the Wheelen. For versatility, the 338-06 has the edge due to large selection of bulllet available. Hope this will help you. Good luck