Rifles heavy barrel or not ?

My mate has a 338LM conditioned for deer; it was originally purchased and used on plains game. I asked him why he uses it for deer and he said “nothing beats the wind like it”. He steps out his front door lays on his veranda and shoots on his own 500 yard private range.


Luckily I sold him acracker of a GWP for a deer dog too :lol:.

ATB

Tahr
 
+1 on this post.

It really does my head in when people stereotype a caliber by its military use - using that logic .300 win mag, .308win or 30-06 wouldn't be suitable either....

Yes .338 is larger than what many people use, but that does not mean it is wrong to use one, if you have a suitable reason to require it.

Although as to the original post, as long as the rifle is well balanced, a slightly heavier profile barrel certainly isn't a disadvantage.

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.308 has been used for years on deer it has the same casing as a .243 necked down a 30.06 has the same casing as a .270 again necked down .338 lap is huge compared to these , it is hugely expensive to reload or to buy factory ammo for it and the damage it causes is beyond belief

.308 range from 110 grn to 250 grain
30.06 much the same

.338 range from 160 grn to 350grn with a huge difference in velocity at 1000 mtrs than the two rounds above
go out with one and carry it all day shoot a few rounds through it come back and tell me, i want one Ive got one there not that much fun at approx £70.00 for 20 rds against £33.00 for 20 .270 .

But what do I know .
 
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What is it and do you fancy selling it (since you obviously don't like it), I wouldn't mind another....

Bullet damage doesn't have to be any different to a .308, as long as you choose the right bullet.
 
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the right bullet, not sure we can get everyone to agree. But 50gr to a Roe deer isn't so far away from 250gr to a Red deer when you've seen the chest shot reaction and short run.
 
I've got a .222 with a 24" heavy barrel and I wouldn't change it. Fantastic rifle for shooting off sticks, stable and extremely accurate. I do shoot a lot of rabbits with it out to 300 yds and for that its ideal. Don't find it a burden to carry at all. Admittedly it isn't modded, but I've got a Weihrauch HW97K air rifle and as someone has said that is just as much of a lump.
When I was looking for a new .308 I wanted a Sako 75 Varmint but couldn't find one that hadn't been attacked with the hacksaw. I'll admit though I'm more than happy with the medium weight m595 that I bought in the end. (Cheers Flytie, its gone to a good home).
I'm not so keen on short barrels. The Sako 85 Varmint in .308, which I looked at, is spoiled by being 20" so that lazy people can shoot it out of car windows.

Had I found a 75 Varmint though it would have done for a plink on the range as well. If you're into that a heavy varmint, as opposed to a more tactical/target heavy weight, is a versatile comprise. And think of all the weight you're losing as you lug it over the hills.
 
I joined the fad for heavy barrels years back, everything from .22 - 243.

i,ve none now, the added weight for carrying is a pain and I have found that a standard barrel is more than adequate for any field situations in the uk.

Each to their own, but I see no benefit, especially on the hill.
 
.308 range from 110 grn to 250 grain
30.06 much the same

.338 range from 160 grn to 350grn with a huge difference in velocity at 1000 mtrs than the two rounds above
go out with one and carry it all day shoot a few rounds through it come back and tell me, i want one Ive got one there not that much fun at approx £70.00 for 20 rds against £33.00 for 20 .270 .

I shoot 225gr Federal Fusion through my .338WM. It's too heavy a bullet for the quarry which means it doesn't open up fully and exits with a lot of the energy it entered with. Because it's pushing such a high energy in the first place the little it does impart more than does the job. If you own such a rifle as a .338 you most likely home load for it and as such you can engineer your rounds to do what you want them to do. Load it on the soft side with a heavy bonded bullet and you won't cut your deer in half. That is assuming that the Lapua isn't a massive beast compared to the Win Mag that I know - it may be, but I very much doubt it.

The way I see it is that it's not an ideal calibre but at the same time it's not so awful as some are making out. You appreciate your load costs but still, what's £4 per shot if you gain a whole carcass from it? Not a great deal when you look at it like that and I bet you're happy to lob a round at a target without a second thought about the cost? Each to their own as long as it's humane, and on a windy hill the bloke with the .338 Lap is much more likely to throw an accurate shot than the average stalker with his .308.

Stick the wrong bullet into a deer from a .243 and the mess is beyond belief - it's not the fault of the rifle, rather the fault of the fella who stuck the wrong round in it! I've learned that from personal experience with a .243!
 
It's a sporter barrel for me for stalking. I do have a .22/250 for foxing and that has a heavy barrel but would not want to carry it anywhere apart from to the truck!
 
My first deer rifle was a 300Win Mag in a lightweight package. A muzzle brake tamed the recoil. I then bought a match barreled .308 which weighs quite a bit. THe extra weight made it a joy to shoot. I have no problem carrying the rifle on the hill. It weighs a good 5kgs with scope, bipod and and kickstop in the stock. Comfort of shooting is of more importance than carrying a lightweight rifle.
 
I have a T3 varmint in .243 which gets used on roe and fox...I dont mind the weight of it...about 12lb all in
However, I enjoy my 'normal' barrelled Brno ZKK601 deluxe in .308 far more for stalking now.
 
It all depends on the type of shooting that you do, are you target shooter only or both. If you do both, either you buy one rifle for target and one for stalking, for target you certainly need heavy barrel. Also you need to decide on the caliber, and how fast, the faster the hotter. Also are you going to load your ammo? If you do, they will need to be tested at the range and when you are at the rang you will end up shooting more rounds then you planed,
I have Mauser M03 in 7x64 cal sporter, it is a lovely round but 2 rounds shot and the barrel is hot it so frustrating situation when you are trying to load test several bullet heads.
I decided to buy sako 75 varmint in 308 and I absolutely love it, 100 yards it groups 1/4 moa, bullets clusters next to each others at 100 yards.
Be true and be your self
 
Interesting! It actually doesn't look that large in comparison, I would say its perceived that the 338 is almost a hand cannon (which I thought too in fairness). However, I wouldn't have thought many police forces would be too keen on you having one, got to be a seriously good reason to warrant it!
 
what is the difference between choosing a 338LM and driving a Porsche 911 or Cayenne Turbo?
both hugely overqualified for the required purpose......I would still have a 911 given the chance!!
 
I have Mauser M03 in 7x64 cal sporter, it is a lovely round but 2 rounds shot and the barrel is hot it so frustrating situation when you are trying to load test several bullet heads.
A good reason to have a .222 or even a rimfire on the go at the same time - keeps you occupied when letting the light barrel cool...
 
what is the difference between choosing a 338LM and driving a Porsche 911 or Cayenne Turbo?
both hugely overqualified for the required purpose......I would still have a 911 given the chance!!

Yes but it depends on what you want to do with it. Shooting roe with Lap mag is like taking a humvee up the aisles at Tesco instead of using a trolley. Tremendous fun but probably best not to make a habit of it.
 
Now if the figures are correct the heavy barrel fitted to my P-H 1200V weighs 4 1/2lbs. The rifle in 6mm Remington weighs about 10lbs.

What people seem to forget is that the stock can weigh a lot more depending upon the material it's made from. Natural wood varies a lot in weight and deinsity for example the stocks on my Medwell & Perrit and the P-H 1200C weigh an awful lot. The factory weight for the 1200C is 7 3/4 lbs yet mine weighs closer to 10 lbs. As the metal work can only vary a bit dependant upon caliber (size of hole through the barrel ;) ) it's the wood which makes the huge difference. I was shocked when it arrived and I felt the heft of it. Weighing it with scope, bi-pod leather sling and Wildcat P8 it weighed well over 12 lbs and this rifle has a normal sporting weight barrel in 25-96. The rifle was bought already screw cut for moderator use for those places that insist on their use.

One needs to consider the all up weight of an outfit and not just the weight of one component.

Barrel heating from normal sporting cartridges like the 270 Win, 30-06, .280 and 7x64 should not really be a problem unless there is a problem in the bedding and set up of the stock. One should easily be able to fire a Five round group then set aside to cool. Yes in direct sun on a hot day it will take time to cool but as mentioned that's why one takes more than one rifle to a testing session :D .
 
Now if the figures are correct the heavy barrel fitted to my P-H 1200V weighs 4 1/2lbs. The rifle in 6mm Remington weighs about 10lbs.

What people seem to forget is that the stock can weigh a lot more depending upon the material it's made from. Natural wood varies a lot in weight and deinsity for example the stocks on my Medwell & Perrit and the P-H 1200C weigh an awful lot. The factory weight for the 1200C is 7 3/4 lbs yet mine weighs closer to 10 lbs. As the metal work can only vary a bit dependant upon caliber (size of hole through the barrel ;) ) it's the wood which makes the huge difference. I was shocked when it arrived and I felt the heft of it. Weighing it with scope, bi-pod leather sling and Wildcat P8 it weighed well over 12 lbs and this rifle has a normal sporting weight barrel in 25-96. The rifle was bought already screw cut for moderator use for those places that insist on their use.

One needs to consider the all up weight of an outfit and not just the weight of one component.

Barrel heating from normal sporting cartridges like the 270 Win, 30-06, .280 and 7x64 should not really be a problem unless there is a problem in the bedding and set up of the stock. One should easily be able to fire a Five round group then set aside to cool. Yes in direct sun on a hot day it will take time to cool but as mentioned that's why one takes more than one rifle to a testing session :D .
Could not agree more , thats why i don't haul around a rifle with an uneccesarily long barrel as it saves a few ounces ....................:D
 
Can of worms this one. I personally dont have or use HB's. Just last week we ran a dsc1 course and many candidates used my finlite in 6.5. Though it wasn't allowed to get hot it was warmed up and shot every deer target dead. Everyone passed. So why have the extra weight?
When I have tested all my rifles they all shoot the first x4 shots very well so why is that not enough?
Even my fox kit is a sporter and my rem mag is too. 14 year old tikka and it shoot rws factory into 1 inch at 200ms quite happily.

John, do you mind me asking what percentage of your DSC1 candidates use your rifle?
 
Depends what you want a heavy barrel for they have their place but its not on the hill , its usual to carry guests rifle for them on the hill, those with heavy barrel jobs, mods and all the other gizmos weighing in at 11 or 12 lbs

were usually politely asked " if one would care to carry their own rifle"

They were usually not so keen on their all singing all dancing rifles by their second or third day on the hill:old:
 
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