Which type of barrel for big 338 Build? Carbon or Steel?

[fnlights]

I am considering building either a 338 Terminator or 338 Norma Mag Improved - should I run this on a carbon barrel or steel? This gun will be mainly used as a packing gun and would like to keep the total weight around 12 lbs or less scoped. I plan on running a Manners EH-1, Bat HR action, Bix N Andy trigger, and a TI Pro brake.

The only thing left to consider is the barrel type. The 2 smiths that I have talked to both said that they have seen less issues with steel barrels and recommends to go that route as they usually all are shooters.

I would run a 28" barrel and if I went steel I would have it fluted. How much would this weight difference be? The barrel brands in contention are Hart for steel and CarbonSix for carbon.

 

[6fatrat]

SS all the way

 

[fnlights]

SS all the way

Know the weight difference between a carbon and fluted steel?

 

[codyadams]

What scope are you going with? 36 oz atacr or 19 oz Leupold? This will make a huge difference.

I built a .338 Norma on a remington 700, with an EH-1, and a 24" Lilja #5 spiral fluted barrel, and 5 port TI MBM Beast brake. As pictured with the 25 oz March in a DNZ mount, it was 9.4 lbs. I had an ATACR in a spuhr mount on a rail for a bit, and it was 10.4 lbs.

Here is another .338 Norma we put together, Manners EH-1A, Stiller TAC338 action, and 28" Carbon six barrel. That is their magnum contour, with a larger 1.3" diameter shank to accomodate the larger action threads. Terminator T3 brake, and Stiller CIP DBM, and vortex HST, about 22 oz, in warn mountain tech rings. Set up like that, I believe it is 11.7 lbs without the bipod. It now has a maven rs.4 5-30x56, which is 35+ oz, and I think the gun is about 12.4 lbs. If you built this exact gun, but without the adjustable cheek rest, you would be at or under 12 lbs with something like an ATACR. Hope this helps!

 

[fnlights]

What scope are you going with? 36 oz atacr or 19 oz Leupold? This will make a huge difference.

I built a .338 Norma on a remington 700, with an EH-1, and a 24" Lilja #5 spiral fluted barrel, and 5 port TI MBM Beast brake. As pictured with the 25 oz March in a DNZ mount, it was 9.4 lbs. I had an ATACR in a spuhr mount on a rail for a bit, and it was 10.4 lbs.
View attachment 415471

Here is another .338 Norma we put together, Manners EH-1A, Stiller TAC338 action, and 28" Carbon six barrel. That is their magnum contour, with a larger 1.3" diameter shank to accomodate the larger action threads. Terminator T3 brake, and Stiller CIP DBM, and vortex HST, about 22 oz, in warn mountain tech rings. Set up like that, I believe it is 11.7 lbs without the bipod. It now has a maven rs.4 5-30x56, which is 35+ oz, and I think the gun is about 12.4 lbs. If you built this exact gun, but without the adjustable cheek rest, you would be at or under 12 lbs with something like an ATACR. Hope this helps!


View attachment 415474

That absolutely helps, thanks for sharing!

I likely will go with a NX8. So by the looks of things, I should be able to keep it at or under 12lbs even with steel? Yet again, I believe the Bat HR is heavier than your actions by quite a bit

How does that C6 barrel shoot?

 

[sierracharlie338]

Steel all day and twice on Sunday.

 

[fnlights]

Steel all day and twice on Sunday.

Seems to be about the consensus lol.

Anyone know the difference in weight between a fluted steel and CarbonSix?

 

[codyadams]

That absolutely helps, thanks for sharing!

I likely will go with a NX8. So by the looks of things, I should be able to keep it at or under 12lbs even with steel? Yet again, I believe the Bat HR is heavier than your actions by quite a bit

How does that C6 barrel shoot?

The carbon six barrel shoots great, my buddy used it to take an elk at 1003 yards with 300 grain Bergers @2840 fps.

If you want, I have a decently precise calculator, tell me what barrel contour your looking at and what kind of fluting your looking at and I'll tell you the blank weight

 

[sierracharlie338]

Seems to be about the consensus lol.

Anyone know the difference in weight between a fluted steel and CarbonSix?

I don't but my 30Nos with a break and carbon barrel is about all the recoil I want when I gotta find a load for a rifle. I've shot worse don't get me wrong but I didn't own those I'll suck it up and hump a steel barrel on my 338 build.

 

[fnlights]

The carbon six barrel shoots great, my buddy used it to take an elk at 1003 yards with 300 grain Bergers @2840 fps.
View attachment 415504

If you want, I have a decently precise calculator, tell me what barrel contour your looking at and what kind of fluting your looking at and I'll tell you the blank weight

For the CarbonSix, I was looking at the magnum contour


For the Hart, I was thinking the Hart spiral fluted sendero contour

Both 28 inch if that helps

 

[FEENIX]

I am considering building either a 338 Terminator or 338 Norma Mag Improved - should I run this on a carbon barrel or steel? This gun will be mainly used as a packing gun and would like to keep the total weight around 12 lbs or less scoped. I plan on running a Manners EH-1, Bat HR action, Bix N Andy trigger, and a TI Pro brake.

The only thing left to consider is the barrel type. The 2 smiths that I have talked to both said that they have seen less issues with steel barrels and recommends to go that route as they usually all are shooters.

I would run a 28" barrel and if I went steel I would have it fluted. How much would this weight difference be? The barrel brands in contention are Hart for steel and CarbonSix for carbon.

I went with CarbonSix on my .338 NMI build (in progress). I went with .338 NMI because the LM/I, RUM, Edge needs a 4" COAL to take advantage of the heavy/high BC bullets.

.338 NM in 3.85" CIP magazine

 

[FEENIX]

For the CarbonSix, I was looking at the magnum contour


For the Hart, I was thinking the Hart spiral fluted sendero contour

Both 28 inch if that helps

You are probably looking at ~4 lbs 11 ozs with the C6. If you go with Sendero, you'll shave ~ a pound.

https://carbonsixllc.com/learn/#contour

I went with a 22" for mine because it will be suppressed and .860 at the muzzle; the magnum contour is .900" at the muzzle, and the Sendero is .830" at the muzzle. When I called C6, the .860" was recommended.

 

[codyadams]

For the CarbonSix, I was looking at the magnum contour


For the Hart, I was thinking the Hart spiral fluted sendero contour

Both 28 inch if that helps

How tight of spiral, how many flutes, and how deep

 

[fnlights]

How tight of spiral, how many flutes, and how deep

All great questions haha. Honestly no idea. https://www.hartbarrels.com/barrels_a/257.htm

Hart doesn't really say anything regarding their fluting besides the photo. They only say that they recommend having them do the fluting. I plan on giving them a call to see if they an tell me the approximate weight of their barrel. Then I probably can just find the weight of the stock, trigger, bottom metal, etc and get a pretty close idea to the weight. Then I will just call CarbonSix and see the weight of their barrel and compare the two... I am thinking that they are actually going to be pretty close in weight.