300 win mag project barrel advice

[Jaywmustang]

I am getting my parts for a 300 win mag build. This rifle is going to be a hunting/tactical build, more focused on hunting so it can’t be super heavy. I plan on using factory ammo in the 180-190 GR area, maybe heavier if it will fit the receiver. I don’t have much barrel contour experience so any insite would help. I am thinking a 1:10 or 1:11 barrel twist. Now onto barrel length. 26” seems very popular but should I go 26” with a brake or 26” then add a brake? Or maybe I should go with a shorter barrel? Looking for some opinions?

 

[meketrefe]

What is the action you have?
What and where are you hunting? I think conditions help make better decisions. The how to do it is normally the easy part once you know what and why.
A light barrel would be a medium contour but w/o ending pencil and leaving around 3/4 straight so this will help reduce the harmonics and instead go
with a 22" that is a great compromise. But for long range one could use 24" or 25".

 

[GuyMontag]

Jay, WTF are you planning on hunting with that thing around these parts, Bigfoot?

Bartlein 1:10, MTU contour, finished at 26" with a brake, everything from Elk to long range targets. It's going to weigh a ton if you stock it properly, even if you go with a Proof Research. Hauling around a 15lb rifle to hunt with is up to you, and "lightweight" magnums are kind of an oxymoron IMO.

 

[Jaywmustang]

What is the action you have?
What and where are you hunting? I think conditions help make better decisions. The how to do it is normally the easy part once you know what and why.
A light barrel would be a medium contour but w/o ending pencil and leaving around 3/4 straight so this will help reduce the harmonics and instead go
with a 22" that is a great compromise. But for long range one could use 24" or 25".

I am using a Tikka t3x action with the Mountain tactical long action aics bottom. I really don’t have a why, just a different flavor for a different day at the range or hunting. This will be my second magnum rifle. I do have a couple areas I could hunt that offers 500-600 yards. My buddy and I have been talking about doing a elk hunt but idk if it will ever happen. I’ll be prepared tho lol. The gunsmith I have talked to has suggested looking at a med Palma contour.

 

[Jaywmustang]

Jay, WTF are you planning on hunting with that thing around these parts, Bigfoot?

Bartlein 1:10, MTU contour, finished at 26" with a brake, everything from Elk to long range targets. It's going to weigh a ton if you stock it properly, even if you go with a Proof Research. Hauling around a 15lb rifle to hunt with is up to you, and "lightweight" magnums are kind of an oxymoron IMO.

I would like this rifle to cover all critters I may encounter lol. Red squirrels to lock ness. My smith suggested a med Palma contour. I don’t want a lightweight rifle, I want a rifle light enough to hunt with. Do you think it is feasible to keep this rifle around 10-11 lbs?

 

[meketrefe]

I think a medium palma is not the ideal. Too long and less nodes.
I would personally do a larger shank possibly 5 inches and then taper slowly to 24" and .8" to be threaded at the muzzle for a comp.
I would also have it done so I can swap the barrel between seasons by using the ruger american barrel nut.
I just did a conversion of a winchester this way and ended up with 1/2 moa from a 284.
IMO this gives a lot more versatility, more control to headspace changes and more accurate on average.
It doesn't mean one cannot have one made very accurate but why not make it more versatile and on top you can barreled yourself if you want?
My 300 WM is on a savage and it is a 1/2 MOA with a heavy barrel. I can take it apart shoot the 7mm one year and come back
and it shoots the same. So same idea for the tikka. It makes things very practical plus it is easier to tune headspace whereas
with a fixed setup you are stuck.

What caliber do you have on it right now?

 

[Jaywmustang]

It is a 300 win mag.

 

[meketrefe]

It is a 300 win mag.

Oh so you are just swapping one win mag with another?
The tikka is perfect for the ruger barrel nut. It is the same threads as the ruger precission rifle too.

 

[GuyMontag]

I would like this rifle to cover all critters I may encounter lol. Red squirrels to lock ness. My smith suggested a med Palma contour. I don’t want a lightweight rifle, I want a rifle light enough to hunt with. Do you think it is feasible to keep this rifle around 10-11 lbs?

Jay, I'd pass on the Palma for a Win Mag with your intended uses, and half of your 10-11lbs is already spent on the barrel alone before adding ANYTHING else on the rifle. Just for a little perspective, my win mag with a 24" MTU contour barrel, brake, rail, optic....etc in an AI chassis weighs 15+ lbs. It's heavy by design, but I sure as hell don't plan on hunting anything with it short of a Trophy Squatch.

 

[meketrefe]

Jay, I'd pass on the Palma for a Win Mag with your intended uses, and half of your 10-11lbs is already spent on the barrel alone before adding ANYTHING else on the rifle. Just for a little perspective, my win mag with a 24" MTU contour barrel, brake, rail, optic....etc in an AI chassis weighs 15+ lbs. It's heavy by design, but I sure as hell don't plan on hunting anything with it short of a Trophy Squatch.

I have not put mine on the scale but I would not be surprised it comes out to 15lbs or even more.
And I would not want it any other way because when shooting 230gr it already beats me up like an old rug.
I can do 50rds in one 'long' session. Then I am done.
But I have a lighter barrel I can put for a season and for hunting and lighter bullets. That is the beauty about the barrel nut system.

 

[Jaywmustang]

Well I figure I better weigh some rifles. The accuracy international at 308 win comes in just a hair over 17lbs.......I know I don’t want to carry that around. The Tikka t3x ctr 308win comes in just under 11 lbs. This is my primary deer rifle, I don’t mind carrying the ctr around. Maybe the 300 wm may become a range rifle. Idk if I can get the weight down enough for me to use as a hunting rifle.

 

[Jaywmustang]

idk if I would change barrels. Be nice to save some money and do it myself if I ever shot out a barrel. What do you two run for muzzle device? I have been looking at the jet blast muzzle brake.

Any pics ?

 

[meketrefe]

Pics of muzzle brakes?

The best brakes are light and short so if possible stick to a single wide baffle (or 2 max) like service rifles do.
These provide plenty of bleeding and I personally like those that are easy to index and to clean.

The AI is a good one but one doesn't really need it.

AI also makes one for the AI recessed can given you have that system...

The badger ordinance is also very effective.

But probably the smartest buy is a shorty like the AAC one...

Unless one needs one with a quick detach system...

 

[Jaywmustang]

Sorry pics of your 300wm

 

[meketrefe]

Sorry pics of your 300wm

Most of my pics are gone after the photobucket fiasco. I know I have the winmag somewhere, I just need to find those pics.
This is one of a R700 308 TAC blueprinted and barreled with a krieger 308 5R. Also very heavy rifle for long range.

This is a 308 chambered from the same barstock krieger 5R

 

[Jaywmustang]

I think a medium palma is not the ideal. Too long and less nodes.
I would personally do a larger shank possibly 5 inches and then taper slowly to 24" and .8" to be threaded at the muzzle for a comp.
I would also have it done so I can swap the barrel between seasons by using the ruger american barrel nut.
I just did a conversion of a winchester this way and ended up with 1/2 moa from a 284.
IMO this gives a lot more versatility, more control to headspace changes and more accurate on average.
It doesn't mean one cannot have one made very accurate but why not make it more versatile and on top you can barreled yourself if you want?
My 300 WM is on a savage and it is a 1/2 MOA with a heavy barrel. I can take it apart shoot the 7mm one year and come back
and it shoots the same. So same idea for the tikka. It makes things very practical plus it is easier to tune headspace whereas
with a fixed setup you are stuck.

What caliber do you have on it right now?

What do you mean by less nodes?

 

[Jaywmustang]

Mek. Could you ballpark a weight on a Tikka Barr action? I could not find any numbers online for a ballpark weight

 

[meketrefe]

What do you mean by less nodes?

Accuracy nodes.

All things being equal....

...a shorter barrel is going to give you more accuracy by design.
...a barrel with a longer shank and same length will also give more accuracy nodes.
...a barrel with a dampener or attenuator will give more accuracy nodes.

This doesn't mean that a longer barrel cannot be very accurate with many loads but a shorter barrel that produces marginally lower
speeds normally show more consistency with a wider range of loads and bullets.

Think of it like a guitar strong. The 2nd harmonic has more nodes than the first.

This explains why a 18" urban sniper rifle with a bull barrel is so consistent with so many loads.

Let me be clear, we are talking about precision and saying this with the understanding that one has a rifle properly chambered from scratch
dialed from the bore with zero mils run-out both for contouring and cambering. I also head-space for the brass itself.

 

[meketrefe]

Mek. Could you ballpark a weight on a Tikka Barr action? I could not find any numbers online for a ballpark weight

I have no clue. I think it should be lighter as the bolt is lighter and the action is thinner than the remington or savage.
But I doubt a few ounzes is going to feel different when you get to 8 to 9 pounds of the barreled action. Also don't forget the rail
that should be made of steel and bedded.

 

[GuyMontag]

This explains why a 18" urban sniper rifle with a bull barrel is so consistent with so many loads.

 

[Jaywmustang]

Would it handicap a 300 win mag velocity by going with a shorter barrel?

 

[meketrefe]

Would it handicap a 300 win mag velocity by going with a shorter barrel?

28-30 is great for F class and very heavy rifles, otherwise not practical.
26 is ideal.
24 is pretty good
22 is still acceptable
21 is for a super light hunter and light loads (convenience, not performance)

Any thing shorter will be like fighting mike Tyson with both hands tied to your back. lol


This article will help. Discard accuracy spreads as they just hacked the barrel to test. Also other powders and bullets will show other
values and the heavier the bullet the less speed will loose up to 21 inches or so I would say ....

300 Winchester Magnum: How Does Barrel Length Change Velocity- A 16″ 300 Win Mag?

 

[Jaywmustang]

28-30 is great for F class and very heavy rifles, otherwise not practical.
26 is ideal.
24 is pretty good
22 is still acceptable
21 is for a super light hunter and light loads (convenience, not performance)

Any thing shorter will be like fighting mike Tyson with both hands tied to your back. lol


This article will help. Discard accuracy spreads as they just hacked the barrel to test. Also other powders and bullets will show other
values and the heavier the bullet the less speed will loose up to 21 inches or so I would say ....

300 Winchester Magnum: How Does Barrel Length Change Velocity- A 16″ 300 Win Mag?

Interesting article. I am kinda leaning toward a 22-24” barrel without a brake. Going off manufacturer specs I have a total weight of 7.25 lbs, that does not include barrel, rings, bottom metal and brake. I figured 2 lbs for the receiver. 12 lbs does not seem feasible with a heavy barrel lol.

 

[GuyMontag]

Jay, take a look at how much a 22"-24" M24 contour barrel weighs, the number isn't pretty.

 

[meketrefe]

Interesting article. I am kinda leaning toward a 22-24” barrel without a brake. Going off manufacturer specs I have a total weight of 7.25 lbs, that does not include barrel, rings, bottom metal and brake. I figured 2 lbs for the receiver. 12 lbs does not seem feasible with a heavy barrel lol.

Jay what about a caliber that is not going to beat you up so much and that is ballistically superior to the winmag?
you can go both ways up or down but with a shorter case and more efficiency out of a shorter barrel.
Otherwise I would plan for a 24" min and keep the weight unless you are only going to shoot lightest loads and even those...

 

[Jaywmustang]

I am set on the 300 win mag. I am not reloading yet. I have the equipment, just need time. I am open to suggestion on different calibers but I need to buy the ammo at the moment.

Guymontag do you suggest the mtu contour?

Mek any suggestions on contour?

I am still going to hunt with it......just not a lot lol. I normally bring to rifles with me to hunting camp. So if I decide to bring this pig I will just not walk as much.

 

[meketrefe]

I am set on the 300 win mag. I am not reloading yet. I have the equipment, just need time. I am open to suggestion on different calibers but I need to buy the ammo at the moment.

Guymontag do you suggest the mtu contour?

Mek any suggestions on contour?

I am still going to hunt with it......just not a lot lol. I normally bring to rifles with me to hunting camp. So if I decide to bring this pig I will just not walk as much.

The medium profile is not bad as soon as you make a longer section after the shank. These magnums produce a lot of heat ahead of the chamber so the more mass yo u have there the longer it takes to impact due to dilatation. I would do 5 inches and then smooth taper. Last barrel I made I actually adjusted when I was in the machine because it just looked better to me. Plus with the longer profile will help with harmonics then you can taper more aggresively if you want. I have also done a step at the front that was straight so one could put a recessed suppressor. Not for NY state though.
So you could finish with a smooth taper at lets say .8. So it would be more like a medium-heavy but not as heavy as a varmint or bull.

 

[Jaywmustang]

Like the light varmint?

 

[Jaywmustang]

Looking at these also

 

[meketrefe]

5 inches and then a smoother taper. That has worked really well in the last 5 rifles I built.