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Henderson Marriott

BSR here did an excellent bit of description on this efficient 338 diameter cartridge. The 338-06 resembles to a degree the old 318 Westley-Richards
using very heavy bullets like the 250-275 gr Nosler Partition or Speer. The cartridge also resembles the 333 Jeffrey in performance. With premium bullets like Nosler or Swift, one can reduce the bullet weight enough to pick up both actual and terminal velocity.

My favorite bullet in the 338-06 for big game is the 210 gr original Nosler Partition. It allows a substantial increase in velocity with little given up in close or down range performance. Your bullet choices will depend on the individual rifle. My personal choice is an original pre-64 Model 70 that decades ago was cut-rifled and re-chambered, retaining the original 24 in barrel with iron sights.
It is quite accurate with bullet weights from 210 through 250 gr in Nosler Partitions or Accubonds. I also have some Swift and Woodleigh bullets with Dead Toughs to experiment with. My rifle prefers medium to slow powders ranging from IMR 4320 through IMR 4350. Reloader 15 is also a favorite
as is IMR 4064.

Before case-forming, it may be wise to anneal case necks. While I have some original A-Square marked brass, I prefer to use re-formed 30-06 cases to
compare results. The Winchester rifle digests all recipes of handloads with aplomb. As WDM "Karamojo" Bell said about soft nose bullets in his 275 Rigby solids only Mauser barrel, so shall I say about lead bullets in my 338-06 Winchester. Not polluted with them!

Should one wish to increase loading potential 8-10 %, there is the
option of re-chambering an '06 platform to 338-06 Ackley Improved.
It offers a bit more powder room and is just as efficient, with increased performance dependent on the individual rifle.

Dies for both cartridges are available from RCBS or Redding, as well as Hornady.

I initially used a set of RCBS 338 Winchester Magnum dies to neck size my cases. It worked well until my new 338-06 dies arrived. In some cases with slower powders, the Magnum Rifle primers worked just as well as Large Rifle primers.
Your experience and individual rifle will tell the tale. Good shooting!
Lt Col H. Marriott