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Re-barreling .308 to something big?

Wolf76 said:
I shoot the 45 raptor. There isn't an animal I'd be afraid to hunt with it at your 150 max range. It crushes stuff with gaping holes. A 250 T Rex bullet @2600 is like pushing a boat propeller thru animals.
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Do you get published velocities with a 16" barrel? That's the hard thing about comparing some of these cartridges. Published velocities vs Bubba Smiths Pisin Hot Handloads vs actual reality are sometimes worlds apart lol
 
The biggest issue you have is the short action. There are a ton of .473 head, heavy hitters, like the 9.3x62 or 400 Whelen but you need a long action for them. Also, it is not really feasible to load the 308 or 30-06 case to larger than 40 caliber or you end up with pretty much a straight wall case that usually gives you extraction issues, and no rim and little shoulder to headspace on.
 
Dean2 said:
The biggest issue you have is the short action. There are a ton of .473 head, heavy hitters, like the 9.3x62 or 400 Whelen but you need a long action for them. Also, it is not really feasible to load the 308 or 30-06 case to larger than 40 caliber or you end up with pretty much a straight wall case that usually gives you extraction issues, and no rim and little shoulder to headspace on.
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The short action is inhibiting, and if I can't find a cool cartridge to bore to I'll probably just rebarrel to a 6.5cm and keep it tame. The 45 raptor brass can be formed from 270 or 30/06 brass so it's the same case head, so extraction shouldn't be an issue. There's a lot of reliable 45 cal rifle shells produced at this point that seem to function just fine. They do end up straight well (or near it) but with the number of factory chamberings of 450bm and 458 socom I can't see that being an inhibiting factor.
 
marksman1941 said:
The short action is inhibiting, and if I can't find a cool cartridge to bore to I'll probably just rebarrel to a 6.5cm and keep it tame. The 45 raptor brass can be formed from 270 or 30/06 brass so it's the same case head, so extraction shouldn't be an issue. There's a lot of reliable 45 cal rifle shells produced at this point that seem to function just fine. They do end up straight well (or near it) but with the number of factory chamberings of 450bm and 458 socom I can't see that being an inhibiting factor.
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If you are looking for a big boomer, dangerous game round, feeding and extraction are a bid deal in my books. I suggest you try shooting a 458 Socom on rapid cycle before going that route. You may also want to Google 458 Socom feed and extraction issues. You may be surprised by the plethora of articles on the subject.

The 450 Marlin, 458x2, 458 Winchester and 458 Lott are all better choices in my books, but they are not a .473 case head. The belt solves the head space issue, and the guns built for them feed properly.
 
Dean2 said:
If you are looking for a big boomer, dangerous game round, feeding and extraction are a bid deal in my books. I suggest you try shooting a 458 Socom on rapid cycle before going that route. You may also want to Google 458 Socom feed and extraction issues. You may be surprised by the plethora of articles on the subject.

The 450 Marlin, 458x2, 458 Winchester and 458 Lott are all better choices in my books, but they are not a .473 case head. The belt solves the head space issue, and the guns built for them feed properly.
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You are right, for a dangerous game rifle extraction and feeding do need to be reliable. I guess I made assumptions based on the popularity of the 450bm that the cycling issue would be more case design specific and less related to a +40 caliber bullet in a .473 case head shell.

And that is the crux of my question really, is there a viable close range dangerous game (west coast dangerous, not grizzly/Africa dangerous) shell in a r700 short action that's worth chasing down? Or do I rebarrel to a 6.5cm and build a brush gun on a Tikka long action down the road?
 
I have a .308 Win Mod 7 that I keep at my daughter's house in MN. Been thinking about rebarreling that to either .338 Fed or 358 Win just for something different. The advantage of the .338 is I already have a .338 WM, two Lapuas, and one Edge.

I have probably shot 30 deer in MN and I don't think I have ever shot one beyond 200 yards. Last year I shot one about 60 yards.
 
marksman1941 said:
Do you get published velocities with a 16" barrel? That's the hard thing about comparing some of these cartridges. Published velocities vs Bubba Smiths Pisin Hot Handloads vs actual reality are sometimes worlds apart lol
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Good question. I shoot a 20" barrel, but the cartridge was designed around the 16" barrel and gets 100% burn at that length. These handgun powders burn quickly. H110 and 300 MP are the best so far. I can get 2900 fps with 200gr barnes and accurate #9.
With the 308 coal, you have miles to seat the bullet out of the case and still fit in any mag or box.
I load on the upper end, but get 3-4 firings before primer pockets are loose.
20200910_104512.jpg
 
LRNut said:
I have a .308 Win Mod 7 that I keep at my daughter's house in MN. Been thinking about rebarreling that to either .338 Fed or 358 Win just for something different. The advantage of the .338 is I already have a .338 WM, two Lapuas, and one Edge.

I have probably shot 30 deer in MN and I don't think I have ever shot one beyond 200 yards. Last year I shot one about 60 yards.
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I am in a similar boat. I've killed a dozen deer at under 100 yards. My only longer shot was my bear this year at 350 with a 300win. It's brushy enough here that shots are either close range or several hundred, so this gun would only be carried in certain areas where there wouldn't be chances for a longer shot.
 
HunterMann said:
The 338 is a very well balanced round and commercially made if you don't reload. Anything Gibbs did with the 30-06 case could be done on the 308 case if you want to build to something different. 8mm-08, .348-08, .375-08 But is it worth it ???
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"worth it" is definitely subjective here of course. I don't need commercial ammo, as I'm set up to reload most anything. So I plan on making ammo for whatever I get. I'm just looking for a high energy heavy thumper that I can load hot for a close range hammer
 

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