I'm still looking for that perfect .338 but I see they come with different barrel lengths. Do I need 26", will I lose FPS that I want? I know with wsm's they claim(and I don't believe) the larger brass burns faster therefore shorter barrels are fine. Your thoughts.

I don't think you need the longer barrel. You may lose a small amount of velocity -- under 100 f.p.s. -- but so what? The only thing that will be able to tell the difference is the chronograph. The .338 Win. Mag. is not that much overbore capacity, so you are not burning the huge amounts of powder that occur with the bigger magnums.

The shorter barrel, however, gives you what I think is a handier rifle, and, if you are carrying the rifle hunting, I think that this is an advantage greater than what you get with the very small increase in velocity from the longer barrel.

I have a .338 Win. with a 24" barrel that I use mostly for elk. So far I have taken 7, using the 225 and 250 gr. Nosler partitions and the 225 gr. Barnes TSX. I can shoot the 250 gr. Nosler right at 2700 fps with RL-22. So far I have not been able to get the 225 gr. bullets to go much faster. I do not think the extra 2" of barrel would make any difference on game and would be noticible when it is on a sling over your shoulder. If it sticks up much above your head you will always be catching it on branches. The .338 has also worked well on 3 mule deer - the 225 gr. Nosler killed well and did not damage as much meat as most .243s.

I had mine cut to 22" and it worked just fine.

Mine also wears a 24" Seems to be a good compromise.

Dale, do you thing switching to a little faster burning powder (maybe RL19 or H4350) might get that 225gr pill up to 2800?

69gr of H4350 gets me 2820 with a 225 gr North Fork and 70 gr gets me 2810 with the 225 gr Hornady Interlock

The perfect 338 is a RUM with 26" barrel, but a lightweight 338 w/24" tube like the kimber would make a dandy rifle too.

There are very few rounds that don’t benefit from a longer 26 inch barrel.

My A-Bolt has a 26" barrel. I think the extra length gives me the excellent velocity that I achieve with a 210 partition. I get 3050 fps with 70 grains of IMR 4350 and a Federal Magnum primer. I also get excellent accuracy, so I think in reality I could load more powder, I just never felt the need to !!

I had my barrel cut to 23.5". I can't think of any game animal that I can't cleanly take at distances I will actually be shooting in the field with a 23.5" barrel that a longer barrel would make any deader, and there isn't enough difference in bullet drop at any reasonable range that a .338 was designed for. What does matter, though, is having a very handy rifle.

All my rifles were built with 26" barrels. Then, with the aid of a chronograph, I won't go over 24" now. The differance isn't that much. just make sure you take the time to brake them in and you won't worry about a couple inches.

I always liked to have the longest barrel I could get just so I could have that high velocity. Now, except in several varminting long range rifles, I've stopped at 24" and actually like 22" bbls. Yeah you could lose up to 60fps for 2" short bbls, but that two inch shorter barrel is a lot more handy and cuts down the stuff you hit when hunting. And I'm 6' and a smidgen.

Mine's 23" and perfect.

I like 22".

My .338 Mauser has a 26 inch barrel and I wouldn't want less, but a 24" is OK..I think all magnums to be magnums require a long barrel otherwise use a non magnum caliber.

The difference in a 22 and 26" barrel is 4 inches, that's the size of my pocketknife, can't make any difference.

quote:

Originally posted by MickinColo:
There are very few rounds that don’t benefit from a longer 26 inch barrel.

It depends on what you mean by "benefit." If it means any increase in velocity, then you are right. If it means improving the handling characteristics of the rifle, then usually not. If it means increase in accuracy, all bets are off.

I,m with the crowd that thinks a 24 is plenty, even though my model 70 has a 26. If I were to build a .338 win I would go with a 24 inch tube and a 2.5X8 leupold scope.
Not to get to far off topic , I think I like my 35 whelen better than my .338 for Elk hunting...tj3006

I have a Sako Safari .338, with a barrel which is nominally 24" (it's actually about 24-1/4").

It is plenty, and balances/handles very well in both the woods and on the prairies.

If I was worried about velocity, I wouldn't have a short belted mag to start with. I'd have a .340 WBY, or a .338 RUM, or something along those lines.

If I was to HAVE to change barrel lengths, I do believe I'd change to 23".

23" (and just slightly heavy) on mine seems perfect.

Posted 07 April 2007 01:36
I'm still looking for that perfect .338 but I see they come with different barrel lengths. Do I need 26", will I lose FPS that I want? I know with wsm's they claim(and I don't believe) the larger brass burns faster therefore shorter barrels are fine. Your thoughts.



What are you shooting with a .338 ?. If your using the behemoth for bench resting ? , then get a long barrel !. Hunting ? then use a shorter barrel 22 - 24 " is just fine . Large Cartridge cases or Magnums use slow powders to push heavy projectiles down the bore , there for burn slower . In other words shorter barrels don't work as well for the complete burn as do longer barrels !. So you lose a little bit of velocity no big deal .

Most anything in North America can be taken with a 7 MM !.Yea Except Brown bear !.
I've shot my fair share of Elk Moose Caribou Deer all with a 7 Rem mag . I do own a SS Browning Stalker in .338 which I've also used .I prefer the 225 grain Nosler Partition anything over that is excess in my opinion . Then again it's just that my opinion !...

IMHO the 338 Winchester is at its best with a 24" barrel and 250 grain Nosler partitions. With that combination it gives up nothing to the longer barrel. Shorter tubes make too much noise for my liking, and losing 2" of barrel saves little to no weight. If I went with a short tube, I'd get a 9.3X62.

I prefer 24" for the 338, but it also depends on how the individual rifle balances/handles. However, I would rather go longer than shorter.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. Lou:
I prefer 24" for the 338, but it also depends on how the individual rifle balances/handles. However, I would rather go longer than shorter.

I agree, I am fine with anything from 23-26" for the 338. The choice should be made based on the handling characteristics of the specific rifle. Also, you can always cut a longer barrel back if you decide to but adding length can be a bit of a problem