.338win mag in a 20 inch barrel?

[Alberta Bigbore]

Lose to much ooomph? More of a novelty?

[Metalmike123]

Why, what do you have in mind?

[1899b]

You would probably be in .338 federal or .338-06 territory velocity wise. Wud also leave yer ears in shreds me thinks. I had a 20" .30-06 that rocked my ears more than my .45-70 Guide Gun (18.5" Barrel). I wud think a .338 Win Mag wud be pretty loud with a 20" pipe......

[Metalmike123]

Originally Posted by 1899b

You would probably be in .338 federal or .338-06 territory velocity wise. Wud also leave yer ears in shreds me thinks. I had a 20" .30-06 that rocked my ears more than my .45-70 Guide Gun (18.5" Barrel). I wud think a .338 Win Mag wud be pretty loud with a 20" pipe......

x2 on the .338 federal, I will have one some day, 22 inch barrel in a Tikka or Ruger if they still make them.

[Alberta Bigbore]

Was thinking the Savage Alaskan Brush hunter...

[Homesteader]

Your 338 win mag in a 20" barrel is certainly going to have way more jam then the federal as suggested. Muzzle blast will go up a fair bit as already mentioned. It will be handier, but I think most of us make more out of barrel length then we need to. I had a tikka cut down to 22", might have been 21" can't remember exactly, anyway my 210g reloads were still clocking well over 2900fps.
A 7mm and smaller bores are where you will notice more velocity losses, not so much with the 338 and the Winchester case volume.

[220swifty]

I'm pretty sure Ruger designed the 338 RCM with this in mind.

[catnthehat]

When shortmags.org was on the go, there was a fella built 458Noveske ( 300WSM necked up) on a Savage with a 20" barrel for close range grizzly bear stuff.
Quite accurate if yo could handle threcoil and muzzle jump!!
Cat

[leeelmer]

I have had a few guns shortened and in most cases going from a 26' barrel to a 20' barrel I lost on avarage about 25fps per inch. so on my old 338 I lost 150fps in totoal went from 2900fps to 2750 with the same load, minor for what i wanted the gun for, I cronoed the loads before and after. Muzzle jump def went up. But felt recoil was not noticabley different.
Shortened a few others and same results

[brewster29]

I'd be willing to bet that some experimenting with alternative powders like
RL17 or 19 instead of the old 338 standard 4350 would yield yield something that mostly burned in your short barrel. This should give decent muzzle velocity without the muzzle blast of unburned powder.

I know my 375 Ruger Alaskan gets very good velocity out of a 20" tube using RL15 and RL17 without ridiculous muzzle blast...(if you don't consider a 375 Ruger excessive to begin with!).

You'll definitely give up some MV but will still have lots more oomph than the Federal 338.

Good luck and keep us posted...

Bruce

[300-510]

I love the 338 wm ,should make a wicked bear smasher.

[Dick284]

The perceived muzzle blast will make shooting one of these rigs in the field a mighty interesting affair.

My 20" 270win is gonna get a longer tube very soon, field shooting is noisy, and too boot the blast is much like a soft poke in the nose.

I can only imaging what more powder from a 338 win mag would be like.

[Lefty-Canuck]

You wanna see fire shoot from a gun....a 20 inch barrel would help you meet you goal.

LC

[220swifty]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

You wanna see fire shoot from a gun....a 20 inch barrel would help you meet you goal.

LC

My 16" M94 Trapper is a torch. I shudder when I think of the flash that double the powder would belch.

[Karna]

Savage Alaskan Brush Hunter, great gun IMO, real hard to come by. Shot one before and surprisingly it did not kick as much as one would expect. I like the open sights, great closer range bush/bear gun!

btw, I think they are 18.5"

[Rigby shooter]

I shortened the barrel on my 416 and 404 from 24" to 20". The elephant and multiple buffalo i have taken with those rifles did not have the foggiest idea how fast the bullet was the travelling. I think Brewster is correct. Experimenting with new powders will mitigate most MV losses, if that is a big concern of yours. It is amazing though, how 4 inches off the barrel makes hunting the thick stuff so much easier! Lose the sling too. Just one more way to get yourself in pinch.

[1899b]

Originally Posted by Rigby shooter

I shortened the barrel on my 416 and 404 from 24" to 20". The elephant and multiple buffalo i have taken with those rifles did not have the foggiest idea how fast the bullet was the travelling. I think Brewster is correct. Experimenting with new powders will mitigate most MV losses, if that is a big concern of yours. It is amazing though, how 4 inches off the barrel makes hunting the thick stuff so much easier! Lose the sling too. Just one more way to get yourself in pinch.

X2!!! Sling always stays in my pack or the pocket of my cargo pants. Only use it after legal light or when dragging or hauling out game....

[heybert]

Father has a Sako AV with an 181/2 " barrel in .338 win mag. Muzzle blast isn't any louder than my Remington 700 with a 24" barrel. As for loss of FPS, the moose went down like any other moose being shot by a .338. Even at 450 yards.
On a side note, I have an old Remington 700 30-06 with a 20 inch barrel. No difference in feel when shooting it and my model 70 with a 24" barrel

[209x50]

I had a sako Kodak in .338wm. recoil was punch yourself-in-the-face-with-your-thumb nasty. Muzzle blast was awe inspiring. Surprising the 20" barrel cost very little in velocity.

[cal33]

Thinking the reason for the short barrel is for carrying purposes, not bench shooting, so doubt recoil would be the problem. Muzzle jump would likely be the most noticeable with shots on game, if anything. Still, although a big fan of anything 338, have to think the federal would be a consideration. Shorter by 1/2", less muzzle jump, and at the likely range of such a gun, plenty of power. My biggest concern, if you don't handload would be ammo availability down the road, but just stockpile if that's the case. Of course, realistically, the308 would likely do what needs to be done.

[Alberta Bigbore]

Other option is the BearHunter.. which is a 23 inch barrel.. or a 116 with a 24 inch barrel... Dont think cleaning that dumb adjustable muzzle break would be fun on the BearHunter.

Was really thinking about the Alaskan Brush Hunter... but would have rather had it in .375 Ruger, but I have one already and dont want two, lol

[nicemarmot]

Originally Posted by Alberta Bigbore

Was thinking the Savage Alaskan Brush hunter...

I own a Savage Alaskan Brush Hunter in .338 Winchester Magnum. The barrel is 18 inches long. I bought some Hornady 225 grain Interbond Superformance ammo for it. The box says 2840 fps from a 24 inch test barrel. The first round through my chronograph clocked 2800 fps. I think these new powders don't need as much barrel to burn in as the older powders. I was pleasantly surprised. I'm keeping the gun.

[Alberta Bigbore]

Originally Posted by nicemarmot

I own a Savage Alaskan Brush Hunter in .338 Winchester Magnum. The barrel is 18 inches long. I bought some Hornady 225 grain Interbond Superformance ammo for it. The box says 2840 fps from a 24 inch test barrel. The first round through my chronograph clocked 2800 fps. I think these new powders don't need as much barrel to burn in as the older powders. I was pleasantly surprised. I'm keeping the gun.

What kind of accuracy are you getting off the bench? Any target pics?

[nicemarmot]

Originally Posted by Alberta Bigbore

What kind of accuracy are you getting off the bench? Any target pics?

The accuracy is outstanding. One inch at 100 yards with iron sights - that's with a six o'clock hold on a six-inch fluorescent circle. I'm going to put an old Weaver K3 on the rifle as soon as I get it back from Phil at Trace Scope Repair. Don't know how to do pictures.