I do not have any problems with the feeding of my fire forming loads or my standard hunting loads in my 338-06 AI and mine is a 98 Mauser action. I use Redding standard 338-06 AI dies. For fire forming I used Winchester 30-06 cases and seat the 200 gr. Speer sp out to where when I close the bolt it seats the bullet another. 010 back and makes sure the bullet is against the lands and case is centered and the fired case fills the chamber as I do not use a reduced load, I use 56 grs of IMR 4350 for my fire forming, not too hot but not a reduced load either. Be careful when necking up if using 30-06 brass, I lube the inside of the neck, a tapered expander button helps. You might be better off using 35 Whelen brass and necking down. I see that it is available now. There wasn't any 35 Whelen commercial brass when I did mine. I forgot to add that Redding, makes 338-06 Improved dies with 2 different shoulder angles 25 degrees and 40 degrees, mine are the 40 degrees as that's what I had built.
I'm with you on the Tapered mandrels. I use the .323 then the .338 expanding mandrels from K&M that are made for prepping for neck turning. I use Lapua 30-06 brass for this 338 neck up. Easy Peasy. But for my Xx57 cases, I turn to Lapua 8x57 Mauser brass. Taking it down, and doing that I end up needing to turn the necks, as the brass being necked down has to go somewhere, and in this case it results in thicker side wall in your necks.
But for any case I'm planning on standing heavily on the loads, which is most, I try and stick with the Lapua case, and try and satay away from Hornady, Win, and Rem. even federal are softer than I like and don't seem to last for me. It might take a little more work making it for some cartridges, but the rewards latter are worth it.
thoughts on 338 weatherby rpm?
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I really don't care for any Magnum calibers, belted or other. I prefer the more efficient cartridges. I also years ago found that they destroy more meat than a larger caliber with moderate velocity. If I want to kill better, more speed ain't my answer. A bigger bullet is, and I will have less blood shot meat and bone fragments to pick thru when I'm done, along with the quicker kills.
Now for a varmint rig, I could care less, but I still find any of the magnums, very inefficient, and from 25 yards to 1000, there are better choices.
I misread the cartridge, the 338 RPM looks quite similar, but access to the best brass available would turn me to the 30-06 case. To old to change these day. The cartridge don't look to bad, but I would still use the Remington action, SS the main reason. I will check into cerakote and possible do the barrel and action in OD matte green?? But I'll be using the same stock Weatherby makes for their Backcountry 338 RPM. I doubt I would ever cut the barrel that light though, and am looking like 22" is probably as short as I will go.