I read your post and that you are considering a chambering in .338 caliber that is going to be shot at a realistic 40 rounds per year for hunting. It seems that either chambering is going to be close in performance, so...performance does not matter as much as availability of brass? I like the ballistics of the .338-06 Ackley Improved. I have 35 Whelens that we hunt with, essentially the cartridges are the same, only without the streamlined bullet selection. The April edition of Handloader magazine has an excellent article on the .338-06AI, if you can get your hands on a copy it is a good read. With all this said, when I consider a chambering for a rifle whether it be for a standard SAAMI cartridge or a wildcat, my "biggest" consideration is the availability of the brass, and....then the cost of the brass!!! I've been around enough to have witnessed and still witness today where the "new" designer cartridges of today fall out of favor with the gun manufacturers and all of a sudden, and without any notice whatsoever, the brass ends up on the "NOT AVAILABLE" list never to be seen again, or......there will be a short run of that brass and we're at $4-5.00 a piece for the brass and then gone again for who knows how long. If I were doing the project that you are asking about I would be looking at the .338-06 AI for the reasons that I have listed here. Good luck with your build, they are always fun projects to do.Howdy all, I have a rem 700 long action and a 1-10" twist 338 blank I'm planning on getting put together before this fall. Jus curious what some of your thoughts/ideas regarding which to go with… resizing A square from 30-06 brass just seems easier. Any benefits of the AI that would come into play on a hunting rifle that would realistically see under 40 shots a year?
Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks
It's a shame the Gibbs rounds were not chambered in factory rifles.With powders we have today,it's even better than ever.Here is an interesting writeup about the Gibbs rounds, love them.
When considering a new build, brass is one of the first things I look at. For a long time, my policy was is Lapua does not make a brass that can be formed into the round I'm considering, its off the table. Now we have a few more quality brass manufactures to choose from. But it still has to be based on a common case.I read your post and that you are considering a chambering in .338 caliber that is going to be shot at a realistic 40 rounds per year for hunting. It seems that either chambering is going to be close in performance, so...performance does not matter as much as availability of brass? I like the ballistics of the .338-06 Ackley Improved. I have 35 Whelens that we hunt with, essentially the cartridges are the same, only without the streamlined bullet selection. The April edition of Handloader magazine has an excellent article on the .338-06AI, if you can get your hands on a copy it is a good read. With all this said, when I consider a chambering for a rifle whether it be for a standard SAAMI cartridge or a wildcat, my "biggest" consideration is the availability of the brass, and....then the cost of the brass!!! I've been around enough to have witnessed and still witness today where the "new" designer cartridges of today fall out of favor with the gun manufacturers and all of a sudden, and without any notice whatsoever, the brass ends up on the "NOT AVAILABLE" list never to be seen again, or......there will be a short run of that brass and we're at $4-5.00 a piece for the brass and then gone again for who knows how long. If I were doing the project that you are asking about I would be looking at the .338-06 AI for the reasons that I have listed here. Good luck with your build, they are always fun projects to do.
Very interesting! Never heard of the Gibbs or Scovill.One of my absolute favorite rifles is a Ruger No1 chambered in 338 Gibbs! It virtually identical to the 338 Scovill, so that is the loading data I reference. Barnes loading manual lists the Scovill.
The Gibbs moves the shoulder forward about .100" and blows it out to sharper shoulder. Because I'm loading for a No1, forming cases is a little tricky. The false shoulder has to be almost perfect because the No1 doesn't have the cam action like a bolt to seat the case.
With a No1, you can get by with a bit longer barrel without making it cumbersome, I went with a 27" Octagon barrel.
Shooting 225 Barnes TSX pills, I get just shy of 338 Mag performance, without the recoil. It is a sweetheart to shoot.
I form it from 35 Whelen cases, tried 30/06 without allot of success. Too many split necks.
If you are building a custom rig on the 338/06 platform, strongly suggest looking at this round, you would not be disappointed.
Photos attached.
My bad, sorry!I'm not Mike. I love reloading
Gibbs is simply a bad arse. I have a .30 Gibbs.One of my absolute favorite rifles is a Ruger No1 chambered in 338 Gibbs! It virtually identical to the 338 Scovill, so that is the loading data I reference. Barnes loading manual lists the Scovill.
The Gibbs moves the shoulder forward about .100" and blows it out to sharper shoulder. Because I'm loading for a No1, forming cases is a little tricky. The false shoulder has to be almost perfect because the No1 doesn't have the cam action like a bolt to seat the case.
With a No1, you can get by with a bit longer barrel without making it cumbersome, I went with a 27" Octagon barrel.
Shooting 225 Barnes TSX pills, I get just shy of 338 Mag performance, without the recoil. It is a sweetheart to shoot.
I form it from 35 Whelen cases, tried 30/06 without allot of success. Too many split necks.
If you are building a custom rig on the 338/06 platform, strongly suggest looking at this round, you would not be disappointed.
Photos attached.