1. What have your experiences been with the .338-.378 bee and the Accumark rifle? How does the 28" barrel handle?

2. Have you obtained the accuracy and velocity you expected?

3. Would you prefer the .340 bee or .338 Lapua after your experience with the .338-.378?

Thank you.

Had one about 4 years ago. Unless they have changed it, it is actually a 26" (plus a little) barrel, Wby included the muzzle brake in the barrel length. I found that out when I got mine and actually measured it.

With the supplied muzzle brake it was about like shooting a 7mm Rem Mag with 175s. Not bad at all. But with the brake replaced by the thread protector, the recoil was obnoxious. I was shooting 250gr bullets at about 3000fps. I shoot a 470 Capstick with 500 gr bullets at about 2350 without a brake and while the recoil numbers favor the 338 as being lighter on recoil, the 338-378 felt much worse.

Recoil aside, my Accumark was very accurate. Off the bench, with or without the brake, I had no problem shooting sub MOA 5 shot groups. When using the brake, I shot several 5 shot groups about 0.6". My loads used lots of RL-25.

I made the mistake, only once, of forgetting to pull my hearing protection down over my ears when shooting with the brake. It actually caused pain in my ears. Never again. Even without the brake, it is very loud. I don't think I would ever want to shoot it without hearing protection, even while hunting. So I sold it.

Another factor in my decision to sell the Accumark, was the short life and high cost of the brass and factory ammo. You can expect to pay over $3 per case for brass. The Wby brass I had seemed to be soft and with near max and max loads, I was lucky to get 4 shots on a case before the primer pockets opened up enough so that primers seated with little or no resistance. After that, the primers would just fall out, they would not seat. I tried reducing the loads a bit, but that did not help much. Also, factory ammo was very expensive, if memory serves me well, it was about $90 a box and now it runs about $120 a box.

I now have a 338 Win Mag and am building an 8mm Rem Mag on a Post-64 Classic M70 action. The I thought about the 340 Wby, but the high cost of Wby brass and Wby factory ammo pushed me toward the 8mm.

I had one when they were still a wildcat and that was made by rebarreling a Mark V Euromark in 416 Wby. A good shooting mate also had an Accumark in 338/378.

Without the brake the recoil is heavy but I never found it as heavy as some others say. Without the brake on, the main problem with the recoil is it prevents you from shooting in a relaxed way from an improvised field rest. And sicne the 338/378 is all about long range it means you really need the brake on the rifle. That in turn means you must have hearing protection on. In other words, what David said.

But with the muzzle brake on the recoil is very mild, they just kind "sit there".

As David said they are accurate and fast.

I would much rather have a 338/378 than the 338 Lapua. Given that the Lapua also has expensive brass and needs a rifle that will handle the large diameter case, then I would prefer to have the bigger case capacity of the 338/378.

Personally, I think the 338 RUM is the best option. It has the same case capacity as the Lapua but normal priced brass and will work in any rifle that is suitable for the 375 H&H. It is quite a bit milder to shoot.

I see the 30/378 and 338/378 as mainly fun guns and I think the 30/378 is the better of the two, just has that big velocity and lots of pizzaz. I also much prefer the 378 itself to the 338/378 although the rifles are more costly since they are not offered in the cheaper synthetic and fibreglass models.

But the reality is that once you go above 300 Winchester, 338 Winchester and 375 H&H you are into personal preferences and all logic has gone out the window as those three will do all you want in those bore sizes. For example, I said above that I would prefer a 338 RUM to the 338/378 but on the other hand I prefer the 30/378 and 378 over the 300 RUM and 375 RUM, not much logic there.

I currently own a 338-378 Accumark. As has been noted already it's actually a 26 inch barrel with 2 inches for the Accubrake.

It has a spirited recoil without the brake but is manageable though a quick follow up shot really isn't going to be quick. With the brake you are down to the equivalent recoil of a 7 Mag or 300 Win. Not bad at all. Yes, the brake is loud but so is the cartridge if you will. You are burning anywhere from 104 to 120 grains of powder depending on your powder choice. I have no problems mildly exceeding the factory 225 grain TSX velocities without seeing any pressure signs.

I do use electronic muffs in the field so the boom factor is not really an issue. I really do enjoy shooting this rifle and though on the heavy side, it shoulders and handles with ease and grace.

All in all, I wouldn't trade it for either the 340, which I really like, or the 338 Lapua. Yes, factory ammo and cases are expensive and you don't get that many reloads but that was simply a price I was willing to pay when I bought this rifle.

Ken....

Had a custom 338-378 ,28"(prior to being a factory round) not an Accumark. Good round , good rifle just got offered more than I expected and sold it.

Now shoot a Blaser Tac-2 in .338 Lapua, brass is not an issue with more companies now producing.
Great rifle, BTW.

(Walt Berger says he will have a .338 projectile --soon.)

Lots of new competition to look at--
.338 Norma, .338 Edge, etc, etc--.

Besides the .340Wby, 338 Win, 338 Blaser, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Buliwyf:
1. What have your experiences been with the .338-.378 bee and the Accumark rifle? How does the 28" barrel handle?

2. Have you obtained the accuracy and velocity you expected?

3. Would you prefer the .340 bee or .338 Lapua after your experience with the .338-.378?

Thank you.

For me, the 338RUM and 338 Lapua are preferable. I just don't shoot enough at really long ranges to make the 338-378 practical (did I really say practical )? The 338-378 was unique for a while in North America but, more modern rounds have eclipsed it IMHO.

Reloading components, factory ammo, rifle options, etc. all favor the more mainstream .338 options - in my case the 338 Lapua, though a 338RUM will probably find it's way to my gun cabinet at some point.

Whether the 338-378 is the rifle for you really depends on what you expect from it and what you plan to do with it. For hunting applications, I would go with other options. For target shooting, it's really hard to argue with the 338 Lapua.

I have a 338/378 Accumark and it is very accurate with 250gr Swift A-Frames. I have shot groups just over an inch at 200yds with it. I used it on a brown bear hunt in Alaska a few years ago and it put the bear down on the first shot. He squared 9' 2". The guide asked that I bring something that I could reach out 200+ yards if we needed to. I ended up shooting the bear in a thicket at 7yds.

Wow, 7 yds. Now that sure enough put that bullet to the Test regarding its ability to hold together under extreme impact velocity.

That wasn't the only thing it put to the test. I had already stepped around a cottonwood tree, shot it in the chest on the ground and had another round going into the chamber when the guide waived me off. He said that I had broken his neck with the first round and he didn't think I could fire that big gun that fast. Adrenaline is good stuff.

Gotta love that smooth Mk V action. You can get additional rounds off faster then people think. Just because it makes a big boom doesn't mean you can't chamber and prepare that follow up shot in short order .

Ken....