Caliber and Barrel

[Vince]

Howdy all.
I've grown quote fond of the .338 Win Mag. My current one, Winchester Model 70, sports a 26" barrel and a muzzle brake.
I'm going to use the action on a Holehan custom rifle. I'm thinking I want to stick with the .338 Win Mag as I like what the caliber / cartridge offers. My question is, what barrel length?
I currently have a 26 inch barrel and a muzzle brake. I'm thinking of moving to a 29 inch barrel to drive the velocity up a little bit and flatten the trajectory. Any muzzle brake will be after the barrel length. I'm thinking a 29 inch barrel would be about optimal for the velocity I'm seeking and help improve the downrange performance on those longer shots.
I've become a 2 Rifle shooter in the 6.5x284 and .338 but if I could only have one it would be the .338. I intend to use the .338 on everything from Wyoming antelope to Canadian moose and everything in between.
What do you all think?

Vince

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[DrMike]

From my perspective, the marginal increase in velocity can't be justified by the cumbersome aspects of the elongated barrel. A 26 inch barrel gives 2917 fps with a 225 grain AB and a stiff charge of IMR 7828 SSC. With the same load, a 29 inch barrel gives a muzzle velocity of 2984 fps. Will <70 fps kill animals any deader? Or will it actually stretch your range that much? Perhaps if you're shooting primarily in open country, the longer barrel will not be a problem; but in bush, it can be a genuine problem. That's my $0.02.

 

[gerry]

I would use a 22-24" but we have a lot of thick bush here. Since you like the 26" length on your current 338 WM that would seem to be the most logical starting point.

 

[Guy Miner]

Vince - I had a Model 70 match rifle with a 30" Krieger barrel. It was wonderful at the range.

I tried using it in the field on varmints & coyotes... Not so great. That's a LOT of barrel length to deal with.

FWIW, Guy

 

[IdahoCTD]

I'd go to something with more capacity and keep the barrel 26" or shorter if you want to up the velocity. A 338-300wm, 338-375 Ruger, or 338-26 Nosler would be good choices.

 

[Vince]

I guess I should add that I don't intend to hunt close brush with the .338 Win Mag.
I've got a short barreled 30-06 if I want to traipse through brush. I may even rebarrel it in .35 Whelen. The intention of the .338 Win Mag is for intermediate to long range on game. I considered the. .300 Win Mag but like the .338 more.

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[SJB358]

I'm in love with my Alaskan and it sports a 25" tube. Wouldn't want it any longer though. As Mike pointed out, there's real minimal gains over 24". I don't have a problem with my Alaskan in the heavy cover as it's fairly slender, and handles excellent but the my 21" barreled Newton is just awesome all around.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[1000yardline]

I'm a fan of longer barrels, they are cumbersome to carry through brush though. I've hot 28" on my .300 and a 29" on my 6.5, plush a 28" on my 6mm BR. Velocity is good on all three with heavy bullets, but weight is added and barrel whip as well. If nothing else, get a long one, if ya don't like it, you can lop a few inches off.

 

[FOTIS]

24" barrel MAX or go 340 Bee Brass is easy to form from other chamberings and cheap.
My 340 bee drives 210 PT at 3175

 

[baltz526]

A buddy has a 28" in a 300RUM and it is fine. It is an open country rifle. Made to climb mountains. Lighter than Most Youth models. Long barrels do not need to be heavy.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Heck, I don't even like 24" barrels...but its one of those things you have to deal with when you're thinking of extended ranges.

I've never hunted with anything with a barrel over 24"...but then, I'm in TN so not a lot of open country around here.

 

[Vince]

Talked to the barrel makers today to decide on a contour.

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[gerry]

What barrel companies are you looking at? Depending on how heavy you want it a #3 or 4 is a good starting point. Pac Nor has a great barrel weight calculator that I found to be quite accurate with my Pac Nor #3 264 WM and Benchmark #4 35 Whelen.

http://pac-nor.com/cgi-bin/bweight.cgi

 

[Vince]

Krieger Barrels and thinking of going with a Sendero contour with flutes.

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[gerry]

Should work great, looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

 

[HOGWILD338-378]

The two Barked rifles I own are 26" with a 2" bark on it and I am not sure I would want anything any longer if I was going to carry it very far ! Both being Weatherby offerings I am not hurting for accuracy or velocity and Krieger makes a fine quality product for sure ! My 338-378 is a 26" tube with a 2" bark on it and will send a 225 gr TSX out at 3180 fps! #3 contour is what they use and myself would stay at 26+2 as they will get whippy the longer Ya go with them but you could always start longer and work it down to where you are happy? Will be expensive doing it this way but it is what it is! Weatherby says you loose 30-60 fps with every inch of barrel removed! How about a 338 Norma Mag ? it would stretch out for Ya mighty fine maybe a switch barrel rifle 6.5X284 & 338 Norma? Might not work on that action not sure? :mrgreen:

 

[Vince]

For some strange reason I'm feeling compelled to call Nosler to see what they can do for me in a left hand action in .338 Win Mag.

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[HOGWILD338-378]

http://rifles.nosler.com
Just build your own?

 

[Vince]

Going to step away from the Model 70 for a bit and try a Nosler M48 in .338 Win Mag with a left hand action.

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[Oldtrader3]

If you want a .340 Bee, why not barrel for one?