cutting down and fitting a break

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10 years 3 months ago #41231 by tinkeringwtime
cutting down and fitting a break was created by tinkeringwtime
Hi guys

This is some thing that I have been thinking aboit for ages.

Like the title suggests. ..

I have an armalite ar10t in .338 federal. 22" stainless steel barrel. I woukd like to drop some wieght from it. And working it as a nocturnal pig gun. Looking at getting a pulsar n550 or the n750.

That said the rifle is already 13lbs w 10rd mag...

Okay I know I know I shouldnt try and make something that it isn't.

I love this rifle and putting a digital night scope on there is gonna make it a bit of a dumbbell.

So I was looking for advice on pros and cons of getting the barrle cut down to possibly 16" and threading the barrel for a break and or a flash hider.

Main reasons are wieght savings and quicker target acquiring.

Main concern are effects on accuracy.

I know I'll lose velocity however this is not too bothersome as the .338 federal trucks 2700fps on average factory 18" barrels

Its moee aboit messing with barrel harmonics and that sort of bs.

Id love to hear yiur thoughts

And thanks

Peter

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10 years 3 months ago #41234 by Siscowet
Replied by Siscowet on topic cutting down and fitting a break
I say go for it. You will have a lot more muzzle blast. But I have a 10T carbine, and it is a lot handier.

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10 years 3 months ago #41235 by NightForce
Replied by NightForce on topic cutting down and fitting a break
I agree with Sisco, get it done and don't look back..

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10 years 3 months ago - 10 years 3 months ago #41236 by jtallen83
Replied by jtallen83 on topic cutting down and fitting a break
As long as the work is done properly you shouldn't have any accuracy loss. The gas port location and size may take some investigating and fine tuning but there are all sorts of heavy buffers and adjustable gas blocks on the market now so you should be able to get the same reliability you have now. I'd say go for it :twothumbs:
Last edit: 10 years 3 months ago by jtallen83.

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10 years 3 months ago - 10 years 3 months ago #41237 by Siscowet
Replied by Siscowet on topic cutting down and fitting a break
The only place I think accuracy would suffer would be 500 to 800 yards out. And a 338 Federal is not a long range bullet. It is designed to give a 308 case the largest possible bullet for short range use on tough game, like a 400 + pound feral boar. You will lose a little muzzle velocity, but with night vision, I doubt if you will be shooting past 200 yards, maybe not even 150. This is a case where to me a shortened barrel makes perfect sense. You might also check if there are any complete uppers in 338 available from armalite. And ask their tech department what their opinion is while you are at it.
You might check out getting it threaded to take a suppressor eventually. That would eliminate muzzle blast and give you the chance at taking out multiple hogs at one sitting.
Last edit: 10 years 3 months ago by Siscowet.

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10 years 3 months ago #41253 by Akai
Replied by Akai on topic cutting down and fitting a break
Might also think about fluting the barrel :unsure:

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10 years 3 months ago #41258 by OleCowboy
Replied by OleCowboy on topic cutting down and fitting a break
Taking a 22 down to 16 is a big chunk of steel. I personally would not do it. Making this conversion brings with it a lot of effort, changes and costs.

There are a couple of approaches I would investigate before I pulled trigger on a cut down.

1) New upper built to your specs...now you have two guns, day and night

2) Re-barrel with a specialty bbl maker, flute it and the length you want.


Length: Just not sure I would go with 16 on that 338, IMO I think you would be better off all the way around with an 18 in configuration. Less muzzle blast, reach out a bit further and some increase in accuracy...

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10 years 3 months ago #41259 by Ranchwagon
Replied by Ranchwagon on topic cutting down and fitting a break
I am going to guess that the powders used for that heavier .338 bullet are probably slower, allowing some of the powder ignition outside the barrel, thereby losing velocity and increasing noise significantly. Adding the brake would add to the shooter heard noise.

You may have to experiment with different powder combinations to mitigate the loss.

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