Curious about your experiences with heavy barrels. Do you feel there's a tangible accuracy benefit on average when going with a heavier profile than say a Sendero? Not talking about straight cylinder here.... tapered barrels in the Sendero/ #7/ #8 range. Thanks.

The rifle is for LR target shooting and hunting.

No, not to me.

Thanks. I've no experience with heavier than HV/Sendero. Obviously it then dictates stock options. Prefer to stay with Sendero profile UNLESS there's a solid reason to do otherwise.

I'm having good luck with benchmark #6 and Douglas #7's but a sendero is more than heavy enough if not to heavy for a packing rifle. That said

Jeff you are a machinist start heavy and if it to much turn the thing to what you need and stop asking stupid fn questions. If you want to get your post count up just start a new post for every sentence like others are doing.

Fred, just googled those; it appears you've got the Sendero profile kinda bracketed there? Did you go heavier with the Douglas for the rigidity or to fit a stock you wanted to use, or what?

This rifle will suck to pack anyway. For the moment I don't want to get hung up on a pound this way or that. I'll eat another pound if it significantly ups my odds of a REALLY accurate rifle.

I don't want to buy oversize, mess with it, turn it down, etc....... for one thing, I'm buying a fluted barrel.

Wanted something different. I all ready had several sendero REM varmint contour.

You think it was worth going heavier?

Yes just got this edge back it's an AMU with 8, 1/4 flutes.

Entered center eyes left well you see. This was 295 yards with 300 mk.

Jeff- I just ordered a 5 1/2 contour. Not as heavy as the Sendero but about right for a heavy barrel hunter. Don't think you will see the benefit for a field portable rifle heavier than that. From the bench, probably. The 5 1/2 has a .750 muzzle. With a 338 you should go up one size from this to about .810. I wouldn't go any heavier. Mine is a 6mm.

I am going to build another 340 Wby to shoot at a mile. I will go with the .810 size myself.

As long as it recoils smoothly heavier equals accuracy. A 12 pound rifle will never be competitive with a 60 to 70 pound unlimited rifle. http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek057.html

The next long range sporter we are building for ourselves should weigh about 22 pounds which is very light for a 2500 yard+ rock shooting rifle. The barrel alone is 11 pounds. It will be real easy packing for my V10.

If I was putting my best foot forward on a heavy 338 it would be a cut rifled barrel from Bartlein. Second choice would be a Krieger. PacNor is at the top of the button barrels for me but I prefer cut barrels for extreme accuracy. Just my personal preference. Button barrels can shoot for sure no doubt but barrel after barrel Bartlein delivers. For contour it would be an MTU finished at 30". That is a lot to ask from a 700 repeater. If I had to use a 700 I would weld up the bottom feed port. Solid bottom single shots are much stronger for supporting heavy barrels. You could also get around the weak action by using a barrel block mounting system and float the action. That would give you something to do for awhile and pay off big dividends in accuracy potential.

Ok, so that's right around Sendero profile for a .33. Good info. Thanks!

Thanks. Hmmm. Bartlien MTU finishes at .930 @ 26". I think that's one size bigger than I'd consider, particularly if it's too heavy for a stock M700 action. Do you feel there's an accuracy threshold there? I hope I expressed that right.

Interesting.

My 338 Lapua has a Sendero contour Rock Creek 5R Carbon wrap barrel and shoots in the .2 MOA range with little load development and it is built on a Rem 700 action. Oh the horror!

In my experience, bedding, quality of barrel, precision of action/bolt face, right load, and lots of practice help more.

Thanks guys. John, so yours is Sendero for the steel then wrapped to a bigger OD, am I understanding right?

Obviously if I stay with HV/Sendero it opens up a bunch of stock options. That is the plan unless someone comes in and convinces me otherwise. Ordering Monday.

No total diameter including wrap is Sendero contour. Even with a 30" barrel mine weighs just under 13 pounds including scope and bipod.

The part wrapped with carbon is turned down to save weight. If I were going with a non wrapped barrel I would do a fluted medium Palma at 30" finished length.

IMHO flutter and or carbon wrapped barrel should be a cut rifled barrel because of less stress induced than a button.

John- thanks. A little hard to do apples/apples because the Bartlien chart shows the Palma's at 30" and Sendero at 26"... but it appears the Medium Palma is slightly heavier than Sendero, but not much. Correct?

Fluted probably not heavier, but if it is would not be much. I ordered mine to be Sendero contour in order to fit the barrel channel of a Sendero stock, since mine started life as a 338 Rum Sendero.

Only to a competition shooter.

Yup!

The reason why Bryan Litz had a new rifle built with a Titanium action and a carbon fiber stock.

Aight. Thanks guys. Sendero/HV profile it is. That's a devil I know (owned one, built one) and certainly keeps the options for a stock wide open. Thanks again.

I like the fluting on the bolt. Don't usually care for that, but that works.

What's that stock? HS....?

Yes it started life as a gen1 sendero 7rum and became a 338 edge

No palm swell on those Gen 1's, right? My Sendero had the palm swell. Hated it.

Lmfao, oh schitt Fred!!!

As in that stock makes your hands look small.

U got make the valley and check out the new wears Santa dropped off. That predator is purtty and the AI is well you have to see.

No flutes. You get a thread going on twist for this big 338 yet. Lots of discussion left to be made.

I think it depends on the cartridge. Something like a 308/260/etc RV contour is fine. Something like a 300wm, I'd prefer even heavier - though RV would work fine.

What profile would you use for a big .33, Steve?

I have a #4 on my 338 RUM. That thing shoots great and will put holes in critters at a very long range.

I have to carry that thing in the woods, I don't want a boat anchor..

Take care

Hey Randy! How are you?

What brake are you using on that bad boy?

Hello Jeff, I'm fine.
Break: For a long time I didn't use one. I now have a Vais on it. It tamed the recoil very well.

You know, Muzzle brakes, doesn't make your gun louder.--- It makes it, so you can hear it better. lol

I hope your "big 33" turns out well.

Haha I believe it!

Ordered the barrel just now. Need to get a brake ordered up next. I'm kind of a recoil wimp these days.

For my 338rum I used what closely resembles an MTU. I found a Krieger barrel that is 1.35 tapering to about .95, at 31". (plus brake)

But its mostly a ELR target/steel/fun gun. I did bring it out elk hunting at dusk overlooking a BIG hayfield, but nothing walked out into the open.

t

LOL!

Jeff still believes that!

looks like my .264 WM...

Just FYI - Be careful with the "HV" talk. A HV contour is a very heavy straight taper. Keep it "Sendero/Rem Varmint".

My favorite "heavy" rifles use the Rem Varmint contour. I have a few LV (straight taper) rifles and they are HEAVY! The HV would be even heftier!

Yep. A heavy varmint will typically be about 2 1/2 pounds heavier than a Remington varmint.

Howdy 257!

Thanks. I was showing my inexperience with these heavier barrel profiles there!

I actually just got the barrel in the mail a couple days ago from Pac-Nor! That was fast. I went with the Sendero profile, fluted to finish at 28", but I had them leave a couple extra inches up at the muzzle in case I changed my mind and decided to go 30". Next time I'm out there in the shop maybe I'll snap a pic.

I got a Pac-Nor fast twist 243" Sendero a few months ago. I was impressed with the quality. I hadn't received anything from pac-nor in maybe 10 years. Their polygonal rifling looks good. Will send it off soon to build a 18" threaded 6x47 Lapua.

Man, the 7mm barrel I bought from them last year, also a Sendero profile, is an absolute laser. Unbelievably accurate.

I also like keeping my money local when possible.

just remember when dropping cash on barrel burners, cut rifling lasts longer than button and thats all PN is... button, last I recall....but since you do your own, you are not out the labor to rebarrel at least.

Hey Jeff! I've heard that as well. However- is a .338 EDGE considered a "barrel burner"? Or are you talking about my 7 WSM?