How much does barrel length affect handling and "pointability"? I recently purchased a McMillan ( It may be a Brown, not sure), Remington Custom KS take-off stock. I dropped in my 24 inch Remington 700 BDL SS/SYN .338 WIN Mag then I tried my 22-inch Remington 700 ADL in .30-06.

The barrel of the .30-06 measures 0.655 at the muzzle and the .338 measures 0.650. So the 30-06 has a tad heavier barrel but the .338 is 2 inches longer, the 30-06 just felt better. It hangs in the shoulder better and points better. I have been trying to find a stock that fits me well for my .338 and I am thinking that maybe I should shorten the barrel as well. I know there are several posters here that are 22-inch .338 Win Mag guys. The rifle is shooting well and I am very reluctant to chop off an inch or two. I understand that I may have to make some compromises to get the rifle to handle, point and hang the way I want it. But if I reduce the barrel to 22 inches what is the point in the magnum? A 30-06 or 338-06 would be just as well at 22 inches, right? How about 23 inches? I am trying to set this rifle up to be my lifetime elk rifle.

I would like to get some input from you guys.

Thanks.

C-ROY

Have you tried balance?

Me thinks you should weigh your rigs, and try balancing them out to your likening..

My Mauser weighs nine plus pounds, with scope. I have a 20 in barrel. Heavy to tote, balances real good.....
tape some weight to the butt of the stock, and recheck feel... May drill and fill behind the pad to get the feel you like. The added weight may reduce recoil if it is to light at this time.


Balances (feels) better than my 5 Remington�s....

[ 11-25-2003, 20:24: Message edited by: Mauserkid ]

Polar moment of inertia as well as balance point determine the "pointablility" of a longarm.

Bolt rifles I balance at the recoil lug. A few like my favorite M70 .300WM I leave very slightly barrel heavy for running shots.

AR's I balance at the receiver ring but for target rifles I put weight in the buttstock and with a 24" fluted barrel they sit well on target and swing smoothly.

What you want to avoid is a rifle with too much weight out front. It will handle like the proverbial "bridge timber".

"" 30-06 just felt better."" Yhis may be a good part of the problem. You are comparing the two instead of getting use to the 338. Take it out every week at least and shoot it off hand by bringing up to the shoulder and shooting within no more than three seconds.
Start with gal. bottle size targets at 50 yds.

When you get comfortable with that increase the range.
When you start doing good than decrease the target size.
This is not a trap gun that you will be competing with every weekend and whoes feel and balance most be just right all the time. It is a rifle that you will be firing at game once, twice or three times a year? What ever the number you can ""master"" most rifles so that you can effectively well place your shots. Just practice and don't cut off any metal. roger

Thanks for all the responses guys. Good advice.

Bartsche,
I agree with what you are saying and that is exactly what I did with the .338 with the factory plastic stock in preparation for my elk hunt last year. I worked up to where I was consistently busting milk jugs at 250 yds. from field positions. I bought a McMillan earlier this spring in their Remington "Classic" style. It is still not what I am looking for. The rifle is totally serviceable and huntable as is. But it is just not what I want for feel. I have way less trigger time with the .30-06. Less than 20 rounds. I just used that barreled action to have something to compare against the .338.

C-ROY

The handling quality is really a good argument for single shot rifles. We hunt a lot from high stands or little high houses over here and it is convenient to have a rifle as short as possible. Much less knocking the barrel on wood and scaring away game when sneaking up the ladder in the early morning.

I also find that at driven hunts the pointability of a over/under combination gun or single shot is better than a repeater, especially for the faster "snap shots".