[qrtrbore]

Planning on building a 338-06 AI on a ruger m77 (like the tang safety). Wondering if anyone has a suggestion on a barrel manufacturer?The aim for this project is a ~7.5 lb gun with scope. Think the longest barrel I want is a 22" but don't want to loose the velocity by going to a 20". This is a meat gun for wandering the timber for elk here in WY. Planning on shooting 225s cause there are just to darned many griz around here.

Before you ask, I did consider a Whelen, but have a itch for something a bit more exotic. I dont have a itch for a belted 338 even though it is a great round.

thanks for your thoughts

 

[unclenick]

Welcome to the forum. Rules are to join in, have fun, and play nicely with the rest of us kids.

I would get a standard grade Douglas for a field gun. Years ago, in the Houston warehouse experiments they concluded that 21.75" was some kind of magic number for barrel length, but no analytical cause was ever worked out. You could go for that as at least a psychological boost to accuracy confidence.

 

[MagnumManiac]

I have a 24" barrel on my 338-06, it too is a Ruger M77!

I also had a Mauser '98 in the same guise but with a 22" barrel previously, it was VERY loud in comparison to the 24" barrel. It now wears a 24" barrel in 257AI, superb length for most standard rounds, IMHO.

I really think you'll be handicapping the cartridge going to a 22" barrel, 2" longer really is no burden, even for a woods gun.

 

[Signalshifter]

excellent choice, inspired by the .333 diameter cartridges from England and, of course, the 333 OKH. when Elmer Keith and company talked Winchester into chambering a cartridge for this diameter Winchester naturally picked the diameter they used with the .33 Winchester which was .338.

 

[Tnhunter]

My rebarreled Savage in .338/06 wears an E.R. Shaw barrel and is a great shooter. That barrel is 24" long and I really would like to shorten it to 22". For the record, I also own a couple .35 Whelens and do prefer that caliber. Nothing wrong with the .338/06, however.

 

[qrtrbore]

many thanks

really want to thank you for your opines,

I have several 30's in 24" and a 270 in 20". guess which gets packed around these steep mountains more. I realize that the 22" barrel mights loose a bit of velocity, but hope that going to the ackley will regain the loss, and pute me aproximatly at the same mv as the standard 338-06 in 24". Anybody have the two with 225s to see?

Hey mag, do you have any problem with col in your ruger? have measured a few magazines and the ruger is a bit shorter than some i have.

thanks
qrtrbore

 

[grizz106]

one of my .338-06 wears a Pac-Nor super match 22" #3.....a super accurate shooter. abit foward heavy but I like it that way.

 

[hoeram]

24" barrel for me never been much of fan for shorter than than. I'll take the little extra horse power and I like the look and balance better with a 24".

 

[fremont]

Have an ER Shaw 24" med-heavy contour on my 338/06 AI and wish I had gone lighter contour and 22".

 

[2Bits]

I redid a model 70 Winchester featherweight 30-06 a couple years ago and turned it into a .338-06 using a light weight barrel of 24 inches. It is good for 3 quick shots with a 210 grain bullet before it causes a bit of a spread in the MOA department. Velocity is 2885fps. It will do anything it's big brother will do out to 250 yards. Some places even have factory ammo for this caliber but I load my own. I am shooting TBBC and Nosler Partition bullets into a .890-MOA for 3 shots.