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Thread: New 338-06 PP rifle

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    New 338-06 PP rifle

    Since it's been quiet here recently I thought I'd talk about my newest PP project. My Dad bought a 1903 Springfield about 60 years ago, and it was the first centerfire rifle I ever fired. In the late 80's our house burned, and that rifle was pretty badly damaged. It sat in the basement for years until I took it in for a restoration. New stock from a blank, parkerize all the metal, get it back looking good. But the mud dauber wasps had built a nest in the bore and it was wrecked. So recently I had Norman Johnson rebore it to 338, with a 1:15 twist. I cut the neck and throat, polished the chamber, and put it back together. I had Tom @ Accurate make a mould, which is now in his catalog, the 33-210-P, for paper patching. Patched with 15# green bar paper (what else?) and sized to .339" they are a perfect fit. I loaded a few over 1.9cc 10B101 + dacron, and a few with a case full of WW780 and gave it a try today.First shots in over 35 years, and after a couple foulers it was stacking shots right on top of each other. The 10B101 load was doing about 1700 fps, and the 780 load around 2300 fps. Both worked great, the old rifle spoke again, and I am looking forward to spending a lot of time working up loads and shooting it again. Someday I might even find a deer to shoot at, it would certainly make a dandy hunting rifle.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    Nobade:

    How much over land diameter are your P.P. boolits dropping as cast? Or are you sizing them down after casting to match land dia.? Does the neck diameter allow hand seating the patched boolits with no sizing? Sounds like a nice rifle. Is WW780 faster burning than WC 860 in this cartridge?
    Decreed by our Creator: The man who has been made able to believe and understand that Jesus Christ has been sent into this world by the Father has been born of the Spirit of God. This man shall never experience spiritual death. He will live forever!

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wmitty View Post
    Nobade:

    How much over land diameter are your P.P. boolits dropping as cast? Or are you sizing them down after casting to match land dia.? Does the neck diameter allow hand seating the patched boolits with no sizing? Sounds like a nice rifle. Is WW780 faster burning than WC 860 in this cartridge?

    Bullets cast at .331", or .001" over bore diameter. Patch adds .011" and I size them back after patching. I checked, it's not sizing the core at all but is impressing the paper grain on the lead.

    A fired case measures .345" ID, so I do have to size them. I use the RCBS full length sizer without the expander ball in it, then open the necks back up with a .339" expander mandrel I made so I get neck tension. I can't hand seat the bullets, have to use the seating die. I wanted it like this so I don't absolutely have to use a case full of powder but have some leeway to experiment with less than full charges.

    Yes, WW780 is way faster burning than WC860. I plan on trying 860 at some point, but this 780 was sitting there and doesn't need to be duplexed, etc. 780 will give full power in a 30-06, so I figured it would be fairly mild in the larger bore version. Seems I was right, it left a tiny bit of unburnt powder in the bore but otherwise worked very well.

    -Nobade

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy McFred's Avatar
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    Nice Nobade! Is this a full-stocked 1903 or has it been sporterized?

    When seating a PP bullet with the die, is it tricky to keep the patch from tearing or does the resizing iron on the patch pretty good?

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    Regular military issue. Looks original except the wood is finished nicer and the hole in the end is bigger.

    No problem with seating, the bullet has a nose shape that fits the seater stem well, and with a good bevel on the mouth of the case it slides in without damage but holds it firmly. Patch is ironed on pretty tight. And lubed with Johnson's paste wax this time - I couldn't find my regular patch lube. Works great.

    -Nobade

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    Boolit Master

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    Nobade,

    Were the 10B101 loads worth noting in the powder sticky?
    More "This is what happened when I,,,,," and less "What would happen if I,,,,"

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  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hamish View Post
    Nobade,

    Were the 10B101 loads worth noting in the powder sticky?
    Well, they worked pretty well. Probably would work better with normal cast bullets, that should be a good load for naked. I like 1.6cc in the regular 30-06, this one can be loaded a bit heavier. Want me to put it in there?

    -Nobade

  8. #8
    Boolit Master

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    I can throw it right into the load post. Nice work on the rifle! (pics?)
    More "This is what happened when I,,,,," and less "What would happen if I,,,,"

    Last of the original Group Buy Honcho's.

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  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    It's a shame more folks don't take the .338-06 seriously ........ it's one mighty fine cartridge!

    Three 44s

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hamish View Post
    I can throw it right into the load post. Nice work on the rifle! (pics?)
    I've got a camera coming soon from Ebay. I'll get some pics up as soon as possible if it works!

    Thanks for posting the loads.

    -Nobade

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    I got to shoot the 338-06 some more yesterday. I tried my "reactive filler" technique, using 50gr. WXR powder and .7cc WC860 on top of it to fill the case. 2250 fps and very good accuracy - most shots hit the 2" aiming spot at 100 yards and didn't have any wild fliers. Shot gongs at 200, had to hold about 6 inches high but all went to the same spot. I am really liking this rifle - approx. 30-30 velocities and trajectory with 210 gr. bullets.

    Using 50gr. straight WXR, velocities are only 1900 fps and accuracy is much worse. That's not much 860 added, but it not only is adding to the energy of the shot but by taking up the space and making a compressed load it's allowing the WXR to burn more efficiently as well as acting like a filler to protect the base of the bullet as it transitions from the case into the rifling. I am glad I stumbled onto this technique, it does work if applied correctly.

    -Nobade

  12. #12
    In Remembrance


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    I LOVE IT! Not only about joining that `delightful sickness` of a .338-06 but for also patching for it!Robert

  13. #13
    In Remembrance


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    It`s been about a year and 1/2 for this rifle project. Any updates on the rifle or loads for it?Robert

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    Not much. Shooting a duplex load of 4227+860, it's running the Accurate PP bullets 2300 fps with around 1.5 moa accuracy. I really like it, great fun, but it seldom gets used because I am either shooting a match or playing with some sort of black powder gun. But if I get drawn for deer or elk I'd probably take it hunting. Should whack one fairly well.

  15. #15
    Boolit Buddy pull the trigger's Avatar
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    Who is Norman Johnson? Does he have a shop?
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  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pull the trigger View Post
    Who is Norman Johnson? Does he have a shop?
    High Plains Reboring. Does have a shop, no internet though. He has a monthly ad in Rifle magazine. He sounds like he's getting pretty old, not sure how much he's doing now but he did a good job for me, took about 6 months I believe.

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    I got to shoot this rifle some more today, with good results. I had been patching using green bar paper, but it's thick enough to need sizing after patching. This time I tried 9# onion skin paper which ended up at .339" after wrapping, and it worked perfectly. I rubbed a little of my BPCR bullet lube on the patches, loaded them into unsized cases over the same duplexload of 4227 + WC860 and had great results out to 200M. I am really liking this slow twist 338, it is just so easy to get to shoot well.

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    Ammo!

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master 303Guy's Avatar
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    That's a handsome cartridge!

    It makes just that much more sense for the case size in my opinion. I've had your 'reactive' filler in mind ever since you first posted it. If you remember I tried a duplex load of 4227 as a kicker 780 in my Brit and it seemed to work just fine. Smaller case.
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  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    Yes, it seems to make a very well balanced and effective cartridge. Certainly enough for hunting most anything without terrible recoil. I am surprised it didn't get to be more popular, but any more everybody wants a Lapua or ultramag. Then they complain that they can't stand to shoot it. Funny how that works.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check