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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Rifles, Bullets, Barrels & Ballistics
30" barrel for 338-378 weatherby
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<blockquote data-quote="Long Time Long Ranger" data-source="post: 432243" data-attributes="member: 505"><p>Gnome, I have shot all kinds of barrels since the 70's. In my opinion through the years Hart barrels are the best out there. I even have E R shaw barrels that shoot like a dream. But overall I have never got a lemon from Hart and their quality can not be beat. Every barrel I ever got from Hart was a shooter. Can't say that for the rest I have tried.</p><p> </p><p>Of my 338-378's the 28" #4 Hart barrel is my favorite. 10 3/4 pounds ready to hunt and is the fastest of all mine except one 31" barrel I have on a Ruger #1 build. It is one of those extreme rifles that is on the top end of velocity for a 338-378. Matter of fact the fastest one I have ever heard of. That barrel is a 31" Pac-Nor and again Pac-Nor has as good a quality control as there is in the business. Most of the 338-300 ultramags I built back in the 90's were Pac-Nor so I used many of their barrels and all were shooters.</p><p> </p><p>There is so little fps gain per inch in the big 338's that individual barrels play more of a role than barrel length. It is not uncommon at all to have shorter barrels outshooting longer ones in 338. Out of averages the longer barrels will be a little faster. But for a guy getting one rifle he may get a shorter one that outshoots the next guys long barrel. Just like my 28" that outshoots my 30" and 31" barrels except for the one amazing one I mentioned. I was talking to Dan Lilja about ten years ago and he said he had just done a test cutting off the same barrel in one or two inch increments from 40 something inches to twenty something inches on a 338-378 wby. He found there was diminishing returns past a certain length and on average I think he said something like 18-20 fps per inch was the difference. I am trying to remember a conversation from 11-12 years ago. But with all the big 338's I have done that is about the rule. </p><p> </p><p>So I don't build them over 28" any more and 26" are very appealing for the light weight and you just don't lose that much in fps. The Lapua improved do very well in a 26" barrel. I have also seen several 338-378 wbys that did well at 26". The Accumarks are awesome rifles in 338-378 and are 26". Again you might get a 26" that shoots right with a 30". The problem would be if you got a slow 26" and compared it to a fast 30". That would be quite a difference.</p><p> </p><p>So I like to split the difference and shoot 28" barrels. Not much difference from the 30" in velocity but lighter in weight. It will kill anything as far as I can hit it. That is all you can ask for.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Long Time Long Ranger, post: 432243, member: 505"] Gnome, I have shot all kinds of barrels since the 70's. In my opinion through the years Hart barrels are the best out there. I even have E R shaw barrels that shoot like a dream. But overall I have never got a lemon from Hart and their quality can not be beat. Every barrel I ever got from Hart was a shooter. Can't say that for the rest I have tried. Of my 338-378's the 28" #4 Hart barrel is my favorite. 10 3/4 pounds ready to hunt and is the fastest of all mine except one 31" barrel I have on a Ruger #1 build. It is one of those extreme rifles that is on the top end of velocity for a 338-378. Matter of fact the fastest one I have ever heard of. That barrel is a 31" Pac-Nor and again Pac-Nor has as good a quality control as there is in the business. Most of the 338-300 ultramags I built back in the 90's were Pac-Nor so I used many of their barrels and all were shooters. There is so little fps gain per inch in the big 338's that individual barrels play more of a role than barrel length. It is not uncommon at all to have shorter barrels outshooting longer ones in 338. Out of averages the longer barrels will be a little faster. But for a guy getting one rifle he may get a shorter one that outshoots the next guys long barrel. Just like my 28" that outshoots my 30" and 31" barrels except for the one amazing one I mentioned. I was talking to Dan Lilja about ten years ago and he said he had just done a test cutting off the same barrel in one or two inch increments from 40 something inches to twenty something inches on a 338-378 wby. He found there was diminishing returns past a certain length and on average I think he said something like 18-20 fps per inch was the difference. I am trying to remember a conversation from 11-12 years ago. But with all the big 338's I have done that is about the rule. So I don't build them over 28" any more and 26" are very appealing for the light weight and you just don't lose that much in fps. The Lapua improved do very well in a 26" barrel. I have also seen several 338-378 wbys that did well at 26". The Accumarks are awesome rifles in 338-378 and are 26". Again you might get a 26" that shoots right with a 30". The problem would be if you got a slow 26" and compared it to a fast 30". That would be quite a difference. So I like to split the difference and shoot 28" barrels. Not much difference from the 30" in velocity but lighter in weight. It will kill anything as far as I can hit it. That is all you can ask for. [/QUOTE]
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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
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30" barrel for 338-378 weatherby
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