I am thinking of re barreling an older savage 110 7mm Remington mag to something a little larger. The current barrel is 24" and pencil thin. It is incapable of putting together more than a three shot group before some serious cooling is required. I want a heavy enough barrel that I can enjoy it at the range but not quite varmint weight. Also I'd like to keep it to a very handy length for use in blinds and in thicker brush. Is 22" too short for a .338 Winchester? Would I be better off with a different cartridge for all things North American? Any thoughts, experiences or opinions would be appreciated.

I'd look at a ,650 muz dia, and anywhere from 23" to 25" long. I have used the 338 Win in several lengths, and is up to you what you want to do with it.

Walk and stalk, or use a bi=pod and shoot a long way.

I have a SS syn remington 700 338wm that has a 22" brl. It shoots 225gr federal fusions into GREAT groups and does it with an average of 2750fps. The box states 2800fps.

just food for thought
224TTH

The #2 Standard Sporter (Krieger Barrels)with muzzle diameter of around .600". The .338 Winchester Magnum is quite possibly the very best North American cartridge. A 22" barrel is fine because of the larger bore volume due to a larger caliber.

I like a 23" length that is .640" at the muzzle, this will give 2700 fps-mv with 250NPs and is easy to handle in thick bush.

quote:

Originally posted by Terry Blauwkamp:
I'd look at a ,650 muz dia, and anywhere from 23" to 25" long. I have used the 338 Win in several lengths, and is up to you what you want to do with it.

I agree on the muzzle diameter, using an appropriate contour for that weight. Heavier makes a cumbersome rifle to carry hunting, and lighter introduces accuracy problems and recoil is increased.

I shy away from barrels shorter than 24" in cartridges that use powder in this burning range. To the surprise of many, the .338 is at its best with most weights of bullets with H4831 and simliar powders.

I like heavier, shorter barrels. True, you don't get quite as much velocity, but what you lose in velocity you often make up for in accuracy. I have a 7mm Mag. with a 19" barrel that does not lack for speed. It is also very accurate. A barrel at 20" or 22" would be good with a .700 Dia. muzzle would be my choice. That would let the .338 WM be the great round it can be, accurate and still have more than enough energy.

Just my 2 cents.....Tom

My 338 Win Mag has a fairly light 24 inch barrel. Accuracy is good for 3 shot groups, which is all you need for a hunting rifle. Mine is 8lb with 2.5 x 8 Leupold VXIII. It is fine to carry all day. You can put on a heavier barrel, but remember you are burning 70+ grains of powder so it will get hot after a few shots regardless of how heavy the barrel is, so I don't think you will really get a benefit for the penalty of carrying the extra weight. I wouldn't be keen to reduce the barrel length because for best results you are generally burning relatively slow powders, and short barrels will cause more muzzle blast and flash, and you will lose velocity.

Why do you want a shorter barrel. My 338 is the ultra Mag She shoots 1" groups with a 26" barrel. I for sure do not want a shorter barrel.
I shoot those Accubond bullets most of the time.