338 win mag barrel length with a suppressor?.

[PaulB84]

I feel like this must have been discussed a bunch and yet I couldn't find a thread on it

I have a 26" model 70 in 338 WM I'm having threaded for a can. While it's there I'm considering having it bobbed to 24, 23 or 22".

Fortunately I forgot to chrono it before dropping at the smith so I won't know how much I'm actually losing lol

On some level it feels silly, since 2"-4" really doesn't make much difference. With a can, even a 22" is a very long gun.

Then again, I'm used to hunting a straight walled state and most of my deer rifles are 16" 450 bushmasters or 350, and my 22" 270 feels very different than my 26" 7mag or 338

Lastly, I'm not trying to stretch this rifle to crazy distances. In the unlikely event I would be hunting in a place where 500+ yard shots would be required, I'd bring the 300 RUM or 7 BC

I've toyed w the idea of going all the way down to 20" but that really cuts the knees off it. Might as well be a 338-06 or similar

Thanks in advance

 

[theavgjoe]

I am thinking of doing the same thing to my model 70 338. I have the one with a 28 inch barrel and I have a break at the end of it right now. Makes it just a touch over 30 inches. I was wanting to take it down to 20 inches and putting a can on it. Currently I’m almost 3000 ft./s with a 225 grain. I was thinking it would take at least 200 ft./s off with that much of a cut. i’ve never cut a barrel down before, be interesting to hear what your results are.
I’ll be interested to hear what everybody has to say

 

[PaulB84]

I am thinking of doing the same thing to my model 70 338. I have the one with a 28 inch barrel and I have a break at the end of it right now. Makes it just a touch over 30 inches. I was wanting to take it down to 20 inches and putting a can on it. Currently I’m almost 3000 ft./s with a 225 grain. I was thinking it would take at least 200 ft./s off with that much of a cut. i’ve never cut a barrel down before, be interesting to hear what your results are.
I’ll be interested to hear what everybody has to say

Wow! Didn't know 28" was an option. I really wish I had chrono'd mine. I was thinking that 26-24" would be almost the same, and then you'd lose maybe 25fps per inch past that.

Maybe you're right and it's 25 fps per inch from 28 to 20!

 

[theavgjoe]

Wow! Didn't know 28" was an option. I really wish I had chrono'd mine. I was thinking that 26-24" would be almost the same, and then you'd lose maybe 25fps per inch past that.

Maybe you're right and it's 25 fps per inch from 28 to 20!

Winchester had a run of 28" barrels for a while I guess, biggest thing is when I hunt in timber may as well be carrying a 6ft closet rod. I hit every branch there is, I can't sneak up on a dead carcass The cans I've seen for the 338 are around 7or 8" I'm halfway temped to go to 18 just to have a shorter rifle with less velocity.

 

[PaulB84]

Winchester had a run of 28" barrels for a while I guess, biggest thing is when I hunt in timber may as well be carrying a 6ft closet rod. I hit every branch there is, I can't sneak up on a dead carcass The cans I've seen for the 338 are around 7or 8" I'm halfway temped to go to 18 just to have a shorter rifle with less velocity.

I have both of the extremes in terms of cans. A Rugged Alaskan that is under 7" and 7oz with the mount, and a CAT BBK which is the better part of 10" and a pound.

This is why I built a 7BC on a 16" barrel. Im lucky (or foolish) enough to have a bunch of specific guns for specific niches. If I want short and handy and powerful, it's a 16 or 18" 45-70, 16" 7BC, etc. might build out a 20" BC just to get past 3000 fps. That's a super cool new round. You might look into it.

I almost sent one of my model 70s to Hill Country in Texas for a 20-in proof barrel, but I would be into that for like $1,700 bucks not including the cost of the gun. Would be sick tho. CRF and a Proof, short barrel, 26" 7 mag ballistics. Damnit. Now I wanna do that again.

I'm thinking maybe I take the 338 to 24" and call it a day. If I'm not hunting open country I'll bring something else.

 

[theavgjoe]

The only reason I would not the 7BC is because I'm reloading. I had a 6.5-300 Weatherby that could smoke a 140 gr at around 3100-3200. I do spend part of my year down here in South Texas, might have to look into Hill Country for that, thanks for the info

 

[PaulB84]

The only reason I would not the 7BC is because I'm reloading. I had a 6.5-300 Weatherby that could smoke a 140 gr at around 3100-3200. I do spend part of my year down here in South Texas, might have to look into Hill Country for that, thanks for the info

Yeah they claimed it would be reloadable and then RCBS publicly came out and said we used a carbide die And after like a dozen passes could not get it to resize properly.....lol

Hill Country is THE place for model 70/CRF actions. So few places like to mess w actually cutting out for the claw. Gunsmithing nowadays means screwing and unscrewing parts.

 

[zwickeyman]

I traded for a 338 WM Ruger M77 with a 24" barrel. My cousin was using H4831 and 210gr bullets at 2900 FPS but I dont know the load. I had it cut down to 20" for a can and Im running H4350 with a 225gr Hammer Hunter at 2850 FPS and its a tack driver

 

[theavgjoe]

I traded for a 338 WM Ruger M77 with a 24" barrel. My cousin was using H4831 and 210gr bullets at 2900 FPS but I dont know the load. I had it cut down to 20" for a can and Im running H4350 with a 225gr Hammer Hunter at 2850 FPS and its a tack driver

That was the rifle I killed my first elk, those are good numbers, now I'm getting excited to cut it to 20"

 

[PaulB84]

I traded for a 338 WM Ruger M77 with a 24" barrel. My cousin was using H4831 and 210gr bullets at 2900 FPS but I dont know the load. I had it cut down to 20" for a can and Im running H4350 with a 225gr Hammer Hunter at 2850 FPS and its a tack driver

Yeah wow those are amazing numbers....

Damn, I wish I reloaded. I know I'm not going to be able to tailor a load like that