I just wonder if its possible to set back the barrel and rechamber for 338 wsm? I figure I could seat the bullets out far and get good use of the wsm case with the 225gr pills and 210 ttsx. I guess the biggest issue is if there is enought of barrelmaterial left to cut a New thread? And enought material for a new chamber.
338wm to 338wsm ?
- Thread starter TheDugg
- Start date
Custom reamer or reamer and throater , rechamber , rethread = better to buy a new barrel and start from scratch unless you can do the work yourself . Most smiths do NOT want to use Reamers on checked throats / bore , I've noticed some very nasty cutting marks and reamer damage while cutting and setting back SOME used barrels .
As far as size , that's depending on your tenon dia and length and receiver requirements for same .
DaveTooley
Gold $$ Contributor
He's proposing to do this a long action so I have to ask the question. Why?
I have over 100 reamers that I look at and ask that same question. We didn't have the internet back then so I/we didn't have a support group to go to when I yelled "Somebody stop me"
I have over 100 reamers that I look at and ask that same question. We didn't have the internet back then so I/we didn't have a support group to go to when I yelled "Somebody stop me"
I keep wondering why Winchester did not offer this cartridge and instead opted for the 325 WSM.
What @Ggmac said.
I am very very fond of WSM, xx-Nosler and RUM. Any derivative there of. Except 6.5/7mm RUM, that's just plain silly.
The 338-300 WSM would have a couple grains less case capacity but this is easily made up by seating the bullet out longer in a long action or single feed in a short action.
It's really no improvement over the 338WM using the parameters you provide.
You did not say which action you have.
You did not say if it is a stock barrel or not.
If it is a stock barrel, don't bother to rechamber it.
If you have checking in the throat, don't bother to rechamber it.
If you want a performance increase (speed), don't use the 338-300WSM, go with a 33-Nosler.
If you want an accuracy increase and something specific for the 225 and below bullet weights, GO FOR IT.
If It Were Me (IIWM), go 33-Nosler but if you tell me what action you are using I can tell you more options.
Thanks for your reply. I just bought a Ruger M77 short action custom in 300wsm and 375wsm barrel. With aics mag I can fit 2.950 oal cartridges so I guess I Will be fine. I really like short actions anyway so im happy. I will play along with this and maybe rebarrel for 338wsm later. Maybe 338 Saum instead using norma 300 saum brass.
I would need to know more about bullet and COAL to tell for sure.
It looks close but 60+ grains of powder and looks close is not a good place to start. Needs more checking.
They don't appear to be the same. The 375 Noveske has a capacity of 82.5. The pure necked up 375/300 WSM in my QuickDesign has a capacity of 85.2. About 2.5 grains difference. Same challenge as the 376 Styer.
jaclthr
Gold $$ Contributor
Hello Sir,
My answer to the first part of your post, setting back a factory barrel, I would say no. I have found very few factory barrels that have enough shank to successfully set back a barrel from long action cartridge to short action cartridge. As for the .338 WSM , I love mine. I wanted something to hit a little harder on pigs and tried unsuccessfully to get the Barnes 185 gr. TTSX solids to work and almost gave up but when I went to the 225 gr. solids everything fell right into place. I settled on RL-17, it isn't overly hot. It is setup for mag length on a short action Defiance ( Medium Length they call it ) in 24", 9.5 twist barrel suppressed. I tried H100V, H1000, H4831SC and found RL-17 to work very well running 2786 FPS and very consistent .
Worked for Me
jaclthr
My answer to the first part of your post, setting back a factory barrel, I would say no. I have found very few factory barrels that have enough shank to successfully set back a barrel from long action cartridge to short action cartridge. As for the .338 WSM , I love mine. I wanted something to hit a little harder on pigs and tried unsuccessfully to get the Barnes 185 gr. TTSX solids to work and almost gave up but when I went to the 225 gr. solids everything fell right into place. I settled on RL-17, it isn't overly hot. It is setup for mag length on a short action Defiance ( Medium Length they call it ) in 24", 9.5 twist barrel suppressed. I tried H100V, H1000, H4831SC and found RL-17 to work very well running 2786 FPS and very consistent .
Worked for Me
jaclthr
Kurz
Silver $$ Contributor
I think it was the day after Winchester announced the .325 WSM (2005) that I finally used the dies I've had since 1997 to create the .338/325 WSM or .338/300 WSM as they are marked on the Redding box. Now be aware that I harbor no illusions that I was the first, nor would I ever take credit for it, I just did it for myself. There are hundreds of folks out there who live and die for new cases to experiment with and do so with immediacy. I pick and choose what I want to play with.
Remember that even though the magazine measures 2.950", you should load a tad under that (2.925") for ease of feeding.I had the same idea that so many others had; short action, short barrel, heavy bullets, a thumper so to speak. But rather than hogs, I was interested in Elk, specifically those Elk found in the deeper forests, a woods rifle if you like. It was not intended to have anything to do with 'long range' at all. In fact, the barrel is 21" long not including the brake. This cartridge is made for short range 100-150 yards, often found within the limitations of woods. It will, however, perform at longer ranges, out to about 450 yards if you use remaining energy as your limit.
I started with the 185 TTSX Barnes and quickly discovered, as have others, that it sometimes will not perform up to our expectations. So I used a split decision and dropped down the 160 gr. TTSX and went up to the 210 TTSX, both of which I was able to find excellent loads for in the upper nodes. Just don't pretend that jamming any of these bullets will yield better results, it won't. And equally true, as Barnes has always suggested, start about 0.050" off the lands and test from there, forward and back. The 160 gr. loves Re-17, IMR 4895 and Ramshot Big Game. The 210 gr. wants to like the Re-15 and surprisingly VVN-550. The 160 gr. I have used for Mule deer and I reserve the 210 gr. for Elk. Getting drawn for either or both has become a fantasy in my state so I am branching out to other states which don't entertain as much pressure and have larger populations.
The .375 WSM left me a little under-impressed. You might find otherwise but it didn't do anything for me.
Enjoy the process!
Thank you Jaclthr and Kurz for the inspiration. 338 is the the right bore for me I think. I love ttsx! I have a 6.5creed that I use for long Range shooting and deer. I guess the 300wsm barrel dont be needed much right now. The 375wsm Will be my short Range woods rifle for now. Moose, red deer, brown bears and wild boars. But I think a 338 would suit me better then. The power is enought, less recoil and flatter trajectory so the 338 would be more allround and a great complement to my 6.5
I have to say, if one has a 338 Win Mag rifle, I have trouble understanding why he would want to step down to a 338 WSM on the same action.The argument that he would be able to seat the bullets out and thereby equal the original chambering , while it is probably true, just doesn't make a great deal of sense. WH
Kurz
Silver $$ Contributor
Will Henry,
Here is his post from a little later in the thread:
He's not using a long action, he's using a short action and running a DBM.
Regards.
Here is his post from a little later in the thread:
He's not using a long action, he's using a short action and running a DBM.
Regards.
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