SnipeTac or EnABELR?

[Mike TackleBerry]

Between the 2, the EnABLER for sure. As has already been pointed out you are already in extreme overbore territory.

For what you will spend in barrels and frustration the 338 LAI is most likely a better option.

If you go with the EnABLER, you can increase barrel life significantly by not shooting the barrel when it is hot. One of the reasons we burn barrels out so fast in ELR competition is the 10 round strings of fire in the 5 or 6 minutes you have to shoot them.

Have you ever experimented with running a larger diameter barrel to soak up more of the heat? I know in light class the weight limit is 26lbs and could be tough to reach with a 1.5-inch diameter barrel that's 32" long, but just a thought.

 

[Sgt. Brumbaugh]

Have you ever experimented with running a larger diameter barrel to soak up more of the heat? I know in light class the weight limit is 26lbs and could be tough to reach with a 1.5-inch diameter barrel that's 32" long, but just a thought.

So that is a topic I have spent a fair amount of time on. The bottom line is I believe there is definitely some advantages to running a larger diameter barrel. It makes sense that a 1.5 in. shank / with a larger diameter barrel is going to be able to soak up and distribute heat better than a 1.2 in skinny barrel (assuming all other parameters are equal). That said, you are really not doing much practically to move the needle. I recently finished some testing with a 30 cal wildcat that drove 245 Bergers at 3300 fps. I set it up in a 1.35 in shank / 1.00 muzzle / 34 inches long. When I subjected it to 10 round strings of fire like we would see in ELR it became apparent the barrel was not going to last long. The barrel had 50 rounds of slow fire fireforming loads and 60 rounds of 10 round strings (10 rounds- then a complete cool off before the next string). The throat had major fire cracking, worse than my 300 NMI with 500 rounds down the barrel. I have not measured the actual throat death yet, but there is almost certainly no way this cartridge is doable for ELR.

It would make a kick ass long range hunting round though!

I also did a 458 Lapua improved I took to Africa a few years ago. It had a typical hunting rifle barrel contour. That barrel got HOT after 2 rounds. 114 grains of H4350 under a 500 grain Swift A-frame. Just over 2500 fps in a 12 pound rifle before I tapped out. There is more in it, I just don't want to deal with the more than 85 pounds of recoil it already produces.

 

[Benchrest Braxton]

So that is a topic I have spent a fair amount of time on. The bottom line is I believe there is definitely some advantages to running a larger diameter barrel. It makes sense that a 1.5 in. shank / with a larger diameter barrel is going to be able to soak up and distribute heat better than a 1.2 in skinny barrel (assuming all other parameters are equal). That said, you are really not doing much practically to move the needle. I recently finished some testing with a 30 cal wildcat that drove 245 Bergers at 3300 fps. I set it up in a 1.35 in shank / 1.00 muzzle / 34 inches long. When I subjected it to 10 round strings of fire like we would see in ELR it became apparent the barrel was not going to last long. The barrel had 50 rounds of slow fire fireforming loads and 60 rounds of 10 round strings (10 rounds- then a complete cool off before the next string). The throat had major fire cracking, worse than my 300 NMI with 500 rounds down the barrel. I have not measured the actual throat death yet, but there is almost certainly no way this cartridge is doable for ELR.

It would make a kick ass long range hunting round though!

I also did a 458 Lapua improved I took to Africa a few years ago. It had a typical hunting rifle barrel contour. That barrel got HOT after 2 rounds. 114 grains of H4350 under a 500 grain Swift A-frame. Just over 2500 fps in a 12 pound rifle before I tapped out. There is more in it, I just don't want to deal with the more than 85 pounds of recoil it already produces.

i thought about doing a 458 XC at some point. What barrel length did you have and did you have a muzzle brake?

 

[Sgt. Brumbaugh]

I built the rifle specifically to be what I thought would be the best all-around dangerous game rifle (from a hunters perspective). PH's should probably have a double, but a bolt action rifle with a scope helps make the first shot precise.

ARC: Mausingfield CRF action with 5 round mags (they only hold 4 due to the .458 caliber) but still 5 rounds on board before a mag change. If needed, mag changes can be very quick. You can also switch to or from solids / softs, very quickly if needed. If you look at the mags they are reinforced with JB weld. I had a 338 LAI that would shake mags apart. The ugly pad on top of the cheek piece was absolutely necessary; without it I had to take a week off shooting it due to a bruised cheek.

The barrel is a 10 twist / 22 in. Pac-nor. No brake, PH's in Africa hate brakes and Zimbabwe does not allow suppressors.

Overall the rifle is light, short, very hand, and packs a good punch. It is accurate enough for 300 yards shots on plains game if needed.

The ammo is obviously loaded 458 LAI ammo, the one on the far right is a standard 338 LAI. I had the ammo etched because Africa has some very weird ammo and guns laws. My favorite is at the Zimbabwe airport it is the law that the rifle has to be removed from the hard case and carried in the open through the airport! It felt pretty Orwelian carrying a rifle through a third world country airport.

I have also done a 375 LAI.