I found a sweet deal on a PERFECT condition M1917 bolt gun that's been rechambered for 30-338 WIN. The gunsmith told me I'd have to hand load all the ammo for it because it's not commercially available. There was some reference made to .338 Norma, though I was told it should never be fired through this rifle.

I'd really like this rifle for a hunting/target rifle. Is there anywhere to buy factory loaded .30-338 WIN? I can't find anything besides reloading dies when I google it. Having to hand load all my ammo would likely be a deal breaker.

From another board:

03-16-2008, 07:44 PM #9 "Im_leary"

"You have made a good choice. I used the .30-338 for 1000-yard High-Power competition for quite a few years. I started using it because the Army Marksmanship Unit used it from the late 1960’s up through the time I was at Fort Benning (in the early 1970’s), and it can shoot just fine. I still have a .30-338 that I had built for long-range hunting. BTW: If your gun is under 12-pounds, get yourself a good muzzle brake… you’ll be glad you did.

"Regarding loads, this was a bit of a problem. The .30-338 shoots the 190gr MatchKing as well, or better, than any caliber I know of. The 66gr IMR-4350, Fed-215M primer, under a Sierra 190gr MatchKing is well known for the number of times it won the Wimbledon and Leech Cup matches. Problem is, the 190gr MatchKing is not particularly well suited as a game bullet. The jacket is hard, and at ranges over 800 yards, sometimes it does not open up too well (unless you hit bone). I tried several of the 200gr game bullet offerings, but they just couldn’t hold a candle to the performance of the 190gr MatchKing. Eventually, I got around this by using a 1-11” twist barrel when my original barrel began to show serious throat erosion. This worked great! I found that I could shoot any of the 200gr match bullets as well as the 190gr MK, and the 200gr SBT GameKing bullet also shot very well.

"It has only been recently, with Hornady’s 180gr Interbond bullet, that I found the best combination for my gun. Using H-4831 SC (the load is listed in the Sierra 5th Edition manual), I can get this bullet going at 3000fps, with 200-yard groups that are routinely under one-inch. For hunting, I zero the rifle at 300-yards, so anything out to 400 yards requires no correction at all… just put the crosshairs on what needs shooting (anywhere under 400 yards) and shoot. Now the bench rester’s will probably beat on me with a solid-aluminum “heavy-gun” stock, for not doing a bunch of elevation adjustments and wind calculations (they would get even crankier if they knew I was using a Nightforce 8-32x NXS with an NP-1RR reticule that must have been designed for the 30-338/180gr Interbond combination). But for a hunter this is ideal for those shots that develop in a hurry.

"Now, regarding the generally accepted horror of making 30-338 brass… what a crock of pure CRAP! The guys doing all of the moaning have obviously never done it. I have made well over a two thousand pieces of 30-338 brass, and it is no more difficult than doing PROPERLY prepared .308 match brass. Here is my procedure: start with .338 Winchester Magnum brass (I prefer Winchester). Full-length resize a well lubricated case (Imperial resizing lub is the best I have used for this job) in the standard .30-338 FL sizing die (with the decapping/neck expanding button in place). Clean the brass and turn the necks. Check your chamber’s neck diameter. I like to have the necks on my finished (loaded) rounds .005” under the chamber’s neck diameter. I turn my brass accordingly. Next I deburr and inspect the flash holes and true-up the primer pockets. Now, trim the cases to 2.5”, chamfer, clean one last time, and inspect. You may have noticed that there is not one additional step… only the standard preparation necessary for any target ammunition.

"You should feel confident that you have made a good choice in a long-range hunting rifle for your chosen conditions. In the thirty-odd years I’ve been using one, and I have tried and owned several others, I have not found a better 1000-yard deer rifle that can be carried (not carted) into the field."

If it's an Eddystone that has been rebarreled, be sure to check very carefully for a cracked receiver ring. These cracks are not at all obvious. (Remingtons and Winchesters should be OK.)

This one has a Remington receiver. I inspected it very thoroughly and it really seems like it's a "new", old rifle.

My only concern is getting ammo for it. I don't currently have reloading equipment and I really don't want to have to buy some just to make and load brass for this gun. The info I've seen on the round indicates that it's a great cartridge, but I have to find some to make it worthwhile.

You'll have to reload for it.

Good news - I did find a place that sells new-manufactured.30-338.

Bad news - it costs more to feed than my Weatherby .300 MAG.

I guess I'm going to buy it and get a few boxes of the custom loads. This is primarily going to be a hunting rifle and isn't something I'm going to play with at the range every weekend anyway, so the higher ammo cost isn't that big of a deal.