338 LM barrel length

damadama

damadama

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I'm trying to decide on the length of the new barrel for my TRG-S, either a 28" or a 30".

What are the pro's and con's ballistics wise? Weight and bulk are NOT a consideration.
 
What grain bullet will you be firing? Are you going to be carting it around in the bush? I would think for 250 grain bullet and a hunting rifle a 28" is more than enough. I would also go with a straight taper from 1.250 at the breech to .950" at the muzzle, with a 1 in 10 twist.

Now for a bench gun where weight may not be a factor 28" to 31" would do with or without a taper. For 300 grain bullets like the SMK's and Scenars people have been going with a faster twist like a 1 in 9.4 or 9.3. Good luck on the project!
 
swift81 said:
What grain bullet will you be firing? Are you going to be carting it around in the bush? I would think for 250 grain bullet and a hunting rifle a 28" is more than enough. I would also go with a straight taper from 1.250 at the breech to .950" at the muzzle, with a 1 in 10 twist.

Now for a bench gun where weight may not be a factor 28" to 31" would do with or without a taper. For 300 grain bullets like the SMK's and Scenars people have been going with a faster twist like a 1 in 9.4 or 9.3. Good luck on the project!
Click to expand...

Most guys aren't building a 338LM and saying that weight isn't a problem so that they can have a brush gun. They're a rifle with extraordinary open-country potential and as such are best served with long barrels and heavy bullets. I'd go 30" and shoot 300 grain bullets. If all you want to do is shoot 250s then you might as well stick with the 338 WM and build a standard hunting rifle.
 
This rifle is purely a fun gun for prone long range shooting locally. It will always be carried in a truck or on an ATV so weight as I said, is not a consideration.

I'm currently shooting 250's at 3150 fps out to 1200 yards. I will be graduating to 300 SMK's as soon as the snow is off the mountain where I can get 2700 yards.

The question I should have asked is, what do I gain by going the extra 2". I know theoretically it should give me more velocity but will it, and how much should I expect?
 
Well in that case I am launching 300gr SMK's at 3100 fps out of a 31" barrel with a 1 in 9.4 twist. I am using 112 grains of US869 powder. That is what you can expect from that length of barrel.
 
Lilja 24" - 46" barrel vs velocity experiment

damadama said:
This rifle is purely a fun gun for prone long range shooting locally. It will always be carried in a truck or on an ATV so weight as I said, is not a consideration.

I'm currently shooting 250's at 3150 fps out to 1200 yards. I will be graduating to 300 SMK's as soon as the snow is off the mountain where I can get 2700 yards.

The question I should have asked is, what do I gain by going the extra 2". I know theoretically it should give me more velocity but will it, and how much should I expect?
Click to expand...

This should tell you everything you need about long .338 barrels ;)
http://www.riflebarrels.com/articles/bullets_ballastics/long_barrel_velocity.htm

Alex
 
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