338 edge minimum barrel length ?

[splattermatic]

hi all, new here,but lurked alot.
i am having a 338 edge made up by my local machinist/gunsmith buddy.
i am going to take apart my remmy 8mm mag and rebarrel to 338 edge.
talked to shawn and got his input on what to do ie, wyatt's mag box, etc..
but i forgot to ask what he thought on barrel length.

so what's the minimum barrel length you would suggest getting ?
i am having a benchmark s.s. 1/10 twist barrel made, as a number 7 lilja contour.
when it get's here we are going to cut the fluting, and an extra chunk of s.s. barrel will be included for a muzzle brake.
i am thinking for my heavy, take out of the truck, set up legal distance off the road, and shoot at elk on the oak brush mountain sides, that 28 inches will do.

or should i go 30 inches plus muzzle brake ?

shawn suggested 300 grainers, but i am leaning towards 210 grain barnes triple shocks. i want the velocity and killing power of a t.s., and after i settle on a load, send my 6.5-20x50 30mm luppy back to leupold for the custom turrets.

it will all be bedded in a boyd's laminated thumbhole stock with a 25 moa one piece base with luppy 30mm prw's (?) weaver style rings.
i think this will suffice for my intended use, but what barrel length do you all suggest ?

thanks guys, great site so far.

and happy thanksgiving.

 

[jeff 300]

well if you are set on using 210gr bullet and the higher velocity thing you should just go with a 338 rum over the edge it's going to be about the same thing with light bulets. the edge will run away from the 338rum with the heavier bullets like 300gr smk that is where it does it best. velocity is gained by the powder burning as long as it can. so in 30" you will see a higher velocity over a 28" that why i put a 32" barrel on my edge. calling shawn for info is not going to get you an edge that will shoot like one he built.
most smiths are not long rang shooter and do thing a little different. talk is cheap gun parts are not. one of my best friends is machinist has his own shop and ever thing. he told me i can build that rifle just as good as any one can right before it went in a box to be shipped off to a long range smith like kirby. good luck with you rifle and hang around and read all you can it will help a lot.

 

[Mountainsheep]

splattermatic,

Welcome to the board. I'm sure you will get plenty of feedback from some EXTREMELY skilled & knowledgeable long-range marksmen concerning not only barrel length, but also your choice of bullet. I'm going to let you know right up front not to get your feelings hurt because a lot of guys & especially myself came to this forum with the idea that muzzle velocity was the standard by which the long-range capabilities of a cartridge should be judged. At long-range; B.C. is what it is all about; that is why Shawn recommended the 300 grain SMK. These expert marksmen will tell you that dropage is all about accurate ranging & clicks on the turret, it's the wind that challenges their skill. A 300 grain SMK has a B.C. of .768 as compared to .404 for the 210 grain TSX; at 500 yards, in a 10 mph, 90 degree wind the drift is almost double and it increases the further you shoot. The 300 grain bullet also will have less drop a greater range, & at 750 yards it will have double the retained energy of the TSX.

You've picked an excellent forum to learn the skills involved with long-range hunting; search some of the past postings, read the stories, look at the pictures, but most of all learn from their experience; their accomplishments and their mistakes. These guys are a fantastic source of information & openly share their knowledge to those whom choose to listen.

Best of luck with your new rifle, good hunting & Happy Thanksgiving,
Dave

 

[splattermatic]

i'm not set on the 210's, just what i am thinking.
is a smk legal for hunting as it's a target bullet and not a game bullet.
will it expand and cause the damage a hunting bullet will ?

my smith has built hundreds of rifles,and other mods, to all kinds of firearms, including several i own now, they all shoot extremely well. i have no complaints, nor does anyone else, with his work.
so i am confident this one will turn out equally well, or even better than the others.

for the most part, shots will be taken this side of 800 yards, so a great shooting bullet with some load data would be apreciated.

thanks guys, i am trying to learn alot about this big bore, i do have lots of shooting experience with 300 mags, an 8mm mag, and lots of lesser cartridge's. i just wanted a lot of energy way out there to really anchor an elk when hit.

 

[Mountainsheep]

Check out this recent thread about Shawn Carlock's elk hunt with the .338 Edge & 300 SMK's.

http://longrangehunting.com/ubbthreads/s...part=1&vc=1

 

[sebastian3784]

Try the 30" barrel and give those 300SMK's a ride, you will not be dissapointed. It is all about the energy and at long range the 300's deliver the goods like nothing else.

 

[splattermatic]

changed my order to a finished length of 30".
took the advice given here and went longer for better velocity.

going with a lilja style number 7 contour, with flutes.

 

[Fiftydriver]

The 338 bore is a very efficent bore diameter even with +90 grains of powder. It will surpise many to see how much performance they can get in a 25-26" barrel with the capacity in a 338 bore.

Yes you will gain more velocity with the longer barrels but not a dramatic amount.

I would let the type of rifle you are building determine how long of a barrel you will be using.

For a very portable packing rifle I would go with 26-27" of barrel length. For an all around rifle for packing and hunting from fixed positions I would go with 28". For a rifle mainly used for long range hunting, I would go with 30" of barrel.

This is just my opinion with all 338 magnums in this capacity class including the 338 RUM, 338 Lapua, 338 Edge and such.

Kirby Allen(50)

 

[splattermatic]

yeah kirby,
this is going to be a strictly lr hunting rifle, not carried too far.
i lugged a 338 win mag this year, while still hunting tracks in the snow. got off 2 shots in the thick stuff, but deflections off brush, had me killing aspen trees..
i have other rifles for normal carrying when trapsing around the mountains, but no lr heavy dedicated artillery piece.
this will be it.
we are also building a 300 rum for a secondary rifle.
another laminated stock but built with portabilty in mind.

 

[Fiftydriver]

30" would be my recommendation for a long range rifle. I like the feel and stability of a properly weighted 30" barreled rifle for long range hunting and it offered you all the performance you could ever want in this class of chambering.

Kirby Allen(50)