Building 338 Win Mag and Need Barrel Help twist and lenght

[ecooper1514]

I ordered a barrel from Krieger today for a rem 700 338 win mag I am building for a hunting rifle. I want to get it done asap and most of their barrels on the shelf are the 1:9.35 twist, since the lappua guys are buying and buying.

I went with the 1:9.35 twist stainless barrel in 24" and my thinking was I would like to shoot the 250 tsx copper barnes or even the 265 tipped tsx and the heaver bullets would need the faster twist. I'm I right or wrong?

Also seeing that the 250 or 265 is going to slow the velocity down, should I have went with a 26"??? He has one so I can change my mind tomorrow probably at the latest. Also I know the 2 extra inches will give me some speed, but would it help me stabilize that heavier maybe longer bullet?

I was just worried that the 26 would be a extra long gun for walking/hiking around and hunting, so the wrote up the order for a 24".

Wanted the little heavier bullet for overall hunting, first trip for the rifle is a south african hunt the end of june.

Thanks for your help!

Eric

 

[trebark]

1:9.35 might be too fast. Sierra recommends 1:10 for 300grain SMK.

Very little difference in 24" vs. 26" barrel.

 

[ecooper1514]

But when you go to the 338 lapua or 338 rum and go to 250gr and above they recommend 1:9.35

The bullet/gun doesnt know what it's called it just know its a .338 caliber bullet getting pushed out at xxxxfps and it need to spin x

I think in this situation it Would Not matter if we are talking about a wm, lapua or a RUM...I'ts a .338 bullet hitting the groves going 2750fps

 

[J E Custom]

A 1 in 10 is normal for the 338 win mag so you should be alright with the 1 in 9.35.

I would also look at the 225 and 250 grain accubonds.

The 225s will reduce recoil and shoot flatter with the 24" barrel.

J E CUSTOM

 

[ecooper1514]

I would love to use the accubonds, but here in the great state of California we have to use copper...no lead So I figure set the gun up for copper and be done.

 

[Fitch]

I would love to use the accubonds, but here in the great state of California we have to use copper...no lead So I figure set the gun up for copper and be done.

I think 1:9.35 will be about perfect with the copper bullets. They are physically larger (longer) for the same weight than lead core bullets and thus need a faster twist than lead core bullets of the same weight.

The longer Cu bullets can rob you of power capacity. Since you are setting the gun up for Cu bullets from the start, you might want to think hard about what you can do to integrate magazine length and chamber throat to get the most powder in the brass.

Fitch

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Your barrel is on the fast side not the slow side. You probably have to much twist. Certainly more than I would put on a 338 winchester. 1-12 twist shoots hunting bullets up to 250 grains pretty well in my rifles. In the 338 winchester I have gone to the 185 ttsx for the extra velocity. It makes hits to 700-800 yards fairly easy and will blow through anything in north america at that range. Recoil is light. I am having to use bc's toward .5 to match drops. The bc is way higher than the published .432. The 338 winchester is probably most looked at as an 800 yard rifle tops for most people although it can do more. The 185 makes it shine within that range.

 

[ecooper1514]

Also is there some type of floorplate extender that I can use to have 4 or 5 rounds in the mag well. I dont want to go through the hassle and extra parts and weight. Seems like someone should make something like that.