.338-06 er 35 whelen? thinking 18.5" bull? IDEAS???

bigdeeberz

bigdeeberz

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Stevens 200 build. Whats yer thought/idea? Thought a shelin 18.5 bull(strait contour) would be good with holographic sight. Was quoted 400 for the barrel, any cheaper ideas would be good(but dont want a distorting barrel from target shooting). I know 18.5" is short but the rem 600 in 350 mag was that length and a balls out stopper! I want something different i guess??? Was thinking .338-06 due greater to bullet selection. .358 seems to be harder to find.
 
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I'm not sure what you mean by "18.5 bull" but assume you are considering an 18.5" straight contour bbl. YES/NO? Either way, I would suggest a std contour bbl at 20". I've had them at 18.5, 20, 22 and 24". 20" was the best compromise for handling and a std contour would not be too heavy.

As for bullet selection, buy whatever bore you like, but know there are lots of 35cal bullets out there for your needs. Most folk will only shoot one or two types anyways per gun so an endless supply of bullet selection is moot.

I have used low powered scopes on such rifles with good luck and would suggest a 1x4 or 1.5x5 Leupold. Another option would be a reciever sight (Williams FP) with sturdy front sight. Fast/accurate and dependable.
 
I think you may find a factory whelen somewhere and likely cheaper then the cost of just the barrel and gunsmithing, let alone the action and stock. JMO.

But... a 9.3x62 would be cooler and not much further off the whelen (.358-.366), can be found on tradex as well!
 
I'd go Whelen. The 9.3/62 is a more popular vote. I started a poll not to long ago of these 3. The 9.3 was the hands down fav. Good reasons were shared for each
 
I own a Whelan.... BUT if i were you, I would buy a cheap 308 and either rebarrel to .358 or .338 an lop barrel at your chosen length.. 18-20 inches.

2-7x33 VXII an load accordingly to get good behaviour.

just my .2c

WL
 
The velocity of heavy for caliber bullets are effected the least when fired from short barrels. In this regard a 9.3X62 with a 286 gr bullet as standard and with the a heavy weight 325 gr Norma Oryx available, it provides an advantage over it's smaller brothers, and better SDs than the .375 Scovill. Loaded with 250 gr ABs, it'll shoot pretty flat when you ned to stretch its legs. If it was me, I'd choose the barrel contour that provided the best balance, neither too light nor too heavy will result in a nice handling rifle.
 
Boomer said:
The velocity of heavy for caliber bullets are effected the least when fired from short barrels..
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i think this is only because the powder charge must be reduced when going up in bullet weight. if its true at all. i would think it would be the other way around with a slower powder so to keep up charge weight and horsepower
 
I had a Savage 111 in 338 WM, I also owned a Ruger in same, so I had the Savage barrel shortened, was going to try 18" but the gunsmith talked me into just going to 20", there was no noticeable increase in muzzle blast or recoil and it had a good feel to it, However it was still a Savage so I sold it.
 
porpoise said:
i think this is only because the powder charge must be reduced when going up in bullet weight. if its true at all. i would think it would be the other way around with a slower powder so to keep up charge weight and horsepower
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It doesn't matter why its true, its true. To make the point though, the elements which come into play relate to bore capacity, which is a measure of efficient powder burning in a restricted space. Bore capacity is effected by powder type, bore groove diameter, pitch of rifling, sectional density of the bullet, allowable pressure, and the shape of the case. With the exception of switch barrel rifles, in a given rifle we have no control over groove diameter, rifling pitch, allowable pressure, or the shape of the case, but we can make choices as it relates to the bullet's SD and the type of powder we use. With few exceptions, the powder that produces the highest velocity with a given bullet in a long barrel, produces the highest velocity with that same bullet in a short one as well. Sectional density increases with bullet weight, and efficient powder burning generally improves with heavier bullets.
 
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bigdeeberz said:
Stevens 200 build. Whats yer thought/idea? Thought a shelin 18.5 bull(strait contour) would be good with holographic sight. Was quoted 400 for the barrel, any cheaper ideas would be good(but dont want a distorting barrel from target shooting). I know 18.5" is short but the rem 600 in 350 mag was that length and a balls out stopper! I want something different i guess??? Was thinking .338-06 due greater to bullet selection. .358 seems to be harder to find.
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As asked for a OPINION - i would go 35 Whelen in that short of barrel ? BUT i would not build one with less then a 20" barrel myself and then i would go 338-06 ! JMHO RJ
 
I would go with the Whelen in a 20" standard tube... Just buy one and "bob" the barrel... It would be a sweet walking/stalking moose rifle in a full length mannlicher style stock... I can picture it, cause I own it. If you feel you need more HP then "improve" it. Mine gets fed light loads of the 180 SSP's and full loads of the 250 SP-RP's.
 
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