Thinking, thanking, thunking....

[Anonymous]

Well, my buddy got started on his build. A Kimber 84L in .270... sent off to JES for a rebore to .338. A bunch of Scirocco IIs and ABs for load development.

Still weighing it out.. I considered punching out my Browning .270WIN but it shoots too good to mess with. Montana 1999 or a Kimber on the short list.

 

[Thebear_78]

Start with a winchester 70 classic trued up, 1-9.5 twist premium barrel, fluted #3 contour, minium shank. McMillan McWoody in winchester featherweight style. Wyatt extended mag box, chambering throated to bullet of your choice at magazine box length +/- 3.8". All the metal work nitrided, trigger tuned, and topped with Leupy 2.5-8 VXIII.

It would be pretty hard to beat that setup.

 

[Thebear_78]

only way to make that better is to make it something with a little more horsepower. 338/375 ruger, 338/300 win mag, 340 bee, 338 edge/rum. Something interesting with balls, I’ll trade capactiy for horsepower any day. 375 Ruger on the left, 338 Ruger on the right.

 

[PJGunner]

There was an excellent article in IIRC RIFLE Magazine, but it might have been HANDLOADER by the late Finn Aagaard titled "The 338-06 vs the .35 Whelen. Finn ended up choosing the 338-06 but we all make mistakes. :lol: My choice would be the .35 Whelen on a good Mauser action like an FN commercial. I'd try and chase down a decent J.C. Higgins M50 or 51 in 06 or .270 and have it rebored to the Whelen with a 1 in 12" twist, stock it with a McMillan and replace the trigger with a Timney. Use whatever scope suits you fancy. A while back I found a Husqvarna Mauser barreled action in 30-06 and it just may get rebored to the Whelen. My current Whelen is on an Oberndorf Mauser and it spits the 225 gr. Barnes TSX bullets out at 2710 FPS and flat out does a number on elk. I wouldn't worry a bit if I had to face of some ticked off Grizzly bear or even one of the big Alaskan Brown Bears with that rifle.
OK, I'll admit it. I'm prejudiced in favor of the Whelen. :lol: Like Murpky says, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Paul B.

 

[taylorce1]

338-06 with 210 gr. Partitions or the 200 gr. AccuBond , 24" barrel, 2.5-8 or 3.5-10 Leupold again for scope.

M70 Classic SS in .338-06, 24" #3 contour Pac-Nor 3 groove barrel, Talley LWT mounts, Leupold VX3 2.5-8X36 B&C reticle, McMillan Hunters Edge stock. Total weight of this rifle is 8 lbs 9 oz with sling and 6 rounds of 200 grain ammunition in it.

A re-bore of a Kimber Montana would be a seriously light rifle in a .338-06, I think 8 to 8.5 lbs is where you want to be. That still isn't terribly heavy, but doesn't leave you absorbing all the recoil when trying to develop loads at the range. The main thing to remember about the .338-06 is it has about 80-90% of the speed of the .338 Win and that leaves it with 80-90% of the recoil. 200 grain bullets going nearly 2900 fps out of my .338-06 rifles (I have two) gets tiring fast at the range.

If I were you I'd skip anything below 200 grains and focus on 200 grain Accubonds and 210 grain Partitions. I actually like the 200 grain Hornady SP as I'm able to produce more speed with them than any other bullet I've tried. I run them at 2880 fps with a below max load of RL15 (56.5 grains) that gives me a 340 yard MPBR zero and 3 MOA of drop to 400yards. That means I can hold top of back and still be in the kill zone at 400 yards on an elk. 400 is about as far as I want to push that bullet, I'd go AccuBond if I thought I'd need to shoot past 400. 210's would be my choice for any of the big bears in Alaska.

 

[Anonymous]

Taylorce- that is a nice looking rifle. I beginning to think you're right. 6.25lbs scoped is too light for a .338-06...especially since I already have issues soaking up recoil these days.

 

[SJB358]

Beautiful rifle Taylor. I agree about the weight, 8-9lbs would be comfortable. My Whelen goes 7-15oz and is lively running 250's at 2600.

 

[Thebear_78]

I prefer a lighter rifle, most are under 8 pounds. Any heavier than 9 better be chambered in something that begins with .4xx.

Remember recoil is momentary, Gravity is constant! I can't remember ever feeling recoil while hunting but I have wanted to leave the boat anchor digging into my shoulder on several occasions.

There is no real "need" for anything over 308-30/06 for any North American big game. Just stick to your recoil threshold in a 7 pound rifle.

 

[Oldtrader3]

My .338 Federal is 7-1/4, plus scope and rings. At about 8-1/2 finished, it is just right for controllable recoil. That of a .30-06, 180 grain, plus 5 pounds or so with 210 PT at 2640.

The 9.3x74R, shooting 286 PT's at 2450 in a 7-1/2 pound Ruger No. One, a little over 8 lbs. with 1.5-5x20 Leupold kicks about like a .338 WM with 63 grains of 4350. Probably 35 pounds recoil?

 

[Anonymous]

I did some calculating.... the 84L bored out will finish at about 6.25lbs. A 200gr AB@ 2800 will generate 32ft/lbs at 17 ft/sec.

That's about like a 9lb version of a .300 WBY with 180s or a .338WM with 250s..at a higher recoil velocity. Both of those have a reputation as hard kickers...

Upping a 338/06 to 8lbs and bit of change drops the recoil to 23 ft/lbs....basically what my .300WSM generates. That's a lot more tolerable for most folks.

 

[Thebear_78]

Don't forget to factor in hunting style. If a guy is a stand hunter, ie drives to a spot, Has a short 1/4-1/3 mile walk to his tree stand or hunting shack, then wieght isn't an issue. If your a trail hunter who rarely shoots anything they can't drive a 4 wheeler up to it also doesn't matter.

If your like me and most other Alaskan/western hunters who end up carrying their rifle up and down mountains, or thru snow, then rifle weight becomes a bigger issue.

Heavy rifles are easier to shoot off a bench but I never have a bench handy while hunting. If this is to be a hunting rifle keep it light

 

[Anonymous]

Heavy rifles are easier to shoot off a bench but I never have a bench handy while hunting. If this is to be a hunting rifle keep it light

Yeah- I'm nearly exclusively a foot hunter. Rarely use anything except boot leather to chase critters so I like one lighter v. heavier. I don't find my .300 too heavy at 7.5lbs or the recoil too daunting.

A 6lb rifle though has got to practically come alive when you light one of those off. I messed around with a friend's '06 84L Montana and while it was very light- it was very hard to shoot. You really had to focus on your technique or the muzzle would wander everywhere. The '06 in that gun was OK...but definitely had a bark.

 

[Thebear_78]

Balance has a lot to do with it, I like a little muzzle heavy. My buddy built a 338 federal on a model 7 action, a lot of metal work to lighten it up, 19" barrel, weighed 4 pounds 15 ounces scoped, slung, with sights. Balance point was forward and it was great off hand. I have a lightweight 270 being built right now that I'm hoping comes in under or at 6 pounds.

A lot of light rifles carry too much scope weight and that throws balance off. What scope was on your buddy's montana?

 

[taylorce1]

Don't forget to factor in hunting style. If a guy is a stand hunter, ie drives to a spot, Has a short 1/4-1/3 mile walk to his tree stand or hunting shack, then wieght isn't an issue. If your a trail hunter who rarely shoots anything they can't drive a 4 wheeler up to it also doesn't matter.

If your like me and most other Alaskan/western hunters who end up carrying their rifle up and down mountains, or thru snow, then rifle weight becomes a bigger issue.

Heavy rifles are easier to shoot off a bench but I never have a bench handy while hunting. If this is to be a hunting rifle keep it light

It all boils down to shootability, if you can't shoot your light rifle well why bother hunting with it? You suggested basically a 7 lbs rifle in .30-06 or .308 which isn't a bad suggestion. I have a 7 lbs 1 oz all up M70 FWT in .30-06 and it's a hard rifle for me to shoot at the bench or in field positions. With 150-165 grain bullets it isn't terrible but with 180's and 2700 fps it becomes a whole different animal all together. My bench groups go from under an inch most days to 1.5-1.75" on a good day. However slung up prone off a pack or off a bi-pod I'm still able to hold those groups and that'll kill most animals out as far as I want to shoot.

That said my rifles that are in 7.5-8.5 lbs range are not only easier to shoot from the bench they are easier to shoot from field positions as well. Some of it has to do with what they are chamberd in and some of it has to do with the weight of the rifles. Balance is important as mentioned, and I like a muzzle heavy feel as well for settling into my hand, resting on a day pack, or mounted to a bi-pod.

Plus I'm sure I can find a place I can shed an extra 1-1.5 lbs of weight from my gear or my body to make up the difference for carrying a more shootable rifle.

 

[Thebear_78]

End of the day it all boils down to what you are comfortable and confident in.

It takes some practice to shoot light rifles well, but they can be very accurate. My 300 rum weighs 7 pounds 10 ounces and I would say is about perfect. Yes it kicks, but I never feel it hunting and it will put 3 168gr TTSX @3340 fps inside a 1.5-2" group at 300 yards with boring regularity. My buddies ultra light was easy to shoot from field positions and recoil wasn't bad with 185gr TTSX @ 2650fps, stock design, fit, and a squishy pad help a lot with percieved recoil.

 

[SJB358]

Balance counts for a lot in my book as well. My 338 went just under 9lbs with a sling and 3 rounds of ammo. It balances well the way I hold it while hiking. My Newton has a shorter tube but shoots just as nicely from field positions.

My Whelen at a lb lighter also shoots well for me from the ground.