Win 70 in .338?

Enjoy the Model 70. Life is just not complete without a Winchester in the safe! :shock:
 
wisconsinteacher":1m5y8b4x said:
A guy my wife works with has a Win Mod 70 US made in .338 for $500. He is the second owner and has not shot the gun. He got it to hunt out west but that is not going to happen. I held the gun today and it is very clean with a few marks on the butt stock. The guy who he bought it from sold it due to open heart surgery and it was too much to handle after surgery. It has a Limbsaver pad, no scope, no rings. Is this a good deal on a Mod 70? My biggest rifle is a 3006 and I don't know if I will ever hunt anything bigger than deer so it is kind of hard to justify. I am thinking it would be cool to have, but is there something better to have for hunting and shooting?
................Don`t know if you`ll be hunting anything larger than deer? Imo based on that probability alone, a 338 Win is hard to justify. Throw in elk, moose and big bears, then the 338 would feel right at home.

And even if elk, moose and a big bear were on your plate as a one time lifetime hunt for each, getting a 338 Win Mag would still not be justified in my view.

For your needs, too bad that M/70 isn`t chambered in the 25-06, 264 Win or in the 270. Then you`d have better caliber diversity for the game you hunt.

But if you want that 338 Win + its extra recoil and feel that you need it, don`t let me disuade you.
 
DrMike":wrp2v14b said:
Enjoy the Model 70. Life is just not complete without a Winchester in the safe! :shock:

Dr. Mike why must you make comments like that :grin: , I already feel bad I currently have no winchester in my safe even though my first two bolt guns were. My wife is not going to be very happy I try and figure out how to buy another rifle. Mmmmm.

Corey
 
Corey,

My condolences. It is always possible to rectify such a deficit through application of a bit of sweet talk and legerdemain.
 
C.Smith":omes38wo said:
DrMike":omes38wo said:
Enjoy the Model 70. Life is just not complete without a Winchester in the safe! :shock:

Dr. Mike why must you make comments like that :grin: , I already feel bad I currently have no winchester in my safe even though my first two bolt guns were. My wife is not going to be very happy I try and figure out how to buy another rifle. Mmmmm.

Corey

Yeah, the Doctor is pretty cagey... he's go me thinking about adding to my M70 collection. Maybe an Extreme Weather '06 or .338 WinMag? .375?
 
Man, if they make an Extreme Weather in 375 H & H I will be all over that. I like the Safari Express, but I think I would want something a little more weather resistant for anything I would carry the 375 for. Either way, I have a Classic Stainless M70 338 now, so I can wait this one out some! Scotty
 
Well it has been 3 days since I have held the gun and I am still thinking about it. I know what that means, I should get it. I am holding back because of the fact that I don't know if I will hunt out west or Alaska. I do reload so I like the fact that I can work with the rifle to make it more deer friendly. One part of me says that my 06 does the job, but the other part of me says it is not too much gun for deer and maybe someday I will hunt elk. I wish there was an easier way to make up my mind.
 
You would get rid of your 30-06 after smacking a deer or black bear with a 338. I really think the 338WM is about the most versatile round we have today. Light bullets shoot fast and flat heavies shoot flat And hit hard. What's holding you back again? Scotty
 
Don't forget there is nothing wrong with shooting elk with a 30-06 and a proper bullet. It will get the job done.

Corey
 
What is holding me back is the $ up front and I just need to be sold on the round a little bit more.
 
Only you can make the decision.

$450 for a M70 338 WM is a good price and you can sell it down the road and not loose any money.
Scotty is right that the 338 WM is very versitle, more so than the 30-06. You can down load with 180 gr bullets to 30-06 speeds but the 338 WM loaded up is not too much for WT deer either. Bullet construction is the key. I have used my 338 RUM with a 250 gr PT and a 250 gr AB to take WT Deer and it flattens them without excessive damage.
Exit wound from a 250 gr AB 338 RUM.
Spike1116008b.jpg


Good luck on your decision.

JD338
 
wisconsinteacher":15dauc3p said:
What is holding me back is the $ up front and I just need to be sold on the round a little bit more.

Totally understandable and I get the money issue. If the rifle is in decent condition and such, you would have 0 issues selling it for more than you paid for it. Since you are a handloader, round cost is not prohibitive at all. Start buying some Nosler 2nds and have some fun with it. 180's from the 338 at 30-06 speeds would be a good place to start and once you have some confidence in the rifle, pushing those 180's up past the 300WM speeds will put a big grin on your face. Is this a M70 Classic with controlled round feeding or the push feed? Just wondering, both are great actions, and accurate in most rifles I have seen.

Good luck, hope you get it, the 338WM is a superstar in my mind. It has a great selection of bullets and really lets you tune it from mild to wild (160's-300's). Scotty
 
Well the more I think about it the more I think it is going to happen. Life is too short. My buddies mom died yesterday at 53 and we had a 16 year old in town pass due to a car crash. I am going to talk to the guy soon.
 
Sorry to heat of your loss. Prayers sent.

Let us know what we can do to assist you with the 338 Win Mag. I think you will be impressed with the accuracy and killing power of the 338.

JD338
 
Well I went to the store today and stopped by the ammo. I compared the .338 to the 30-06 and wow there is a difference. I also priced bullets and brass. It would not be that much more to reload when comparing it to the 06. I just need to come up with a few more $$$ and I should be able to afford the rifle. I can only guess what it would do to a deer. Bang flop (really fast)
 
wisconsinteacher

The lightbulb went off, didn't it? :idea: :mrgreen:

Cost between factory 30-06 and 338 Win Mag is there but for components it will be less. Brass will cost more but that is your biggest expense, 100 cases will last a long time.
Bullets will cost more BUT buy seconds from Nolser's outlet store Shooters Pro Shop. They run sales and you will save a lot of money. Powder consumption will be more, but only 10-15 grs more powder per shell.
All said, reloading the 338 Win Mag is affordable and you can craft some fine shooting ammunition tailored to meet your hunting needs.

And yes, bang flop kills will be the norm! :wink:

Here is a suggestion for you to get started...

338 Win Mag dies (RCBS)
50/100 new cases (R-P, W-W, Fed)
Fed GM215M primers
1 lb RL 19 or IMR 4350
100 (2 bags) 200 gr BST or AB seconds. alternate choice is the 180 gr AB (Shooters Pro Shop 800 285 3701)

This will get you started with an excellent yet inexpensive bullet that is accurate and deadly on deer.
Start out shooting starting loads to keep recoil down, it will be just a little more than a 30-06.
A good quality recoil pad like the Pachmayr Decelerator will make it very easy on the shoulder. :wink:
Recoil examples:
200 gr with 69.0 grs IMR 4350 = MV 2752 fps 8.5 lb rifle is 28.5 ft lbs recoil (30-06 180 gr is 20 ft lbs recoil).
180 gr with 74.0 grs RL 19 = MV 2954 fps 8.5 lb rifle is 28.9 ft lbs recoil

We are all here eager to help you get started.

JD338
 
DrMike":2vphmoo5 said:
Enjoy the Model 70. Life is just not complete without a Winchester in the safe! :shock:

WARNING!! WARNING!! Don't drink the Dr's cool aid. I did and got a 300 win mag SC Model 70 Sporter.

Then the phrase became "Life is just not complete without a second Winchester in the safe!" and now I have an SC Stainless featherweight in .270

Will the madness ever stop...................
 
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