338 Spectre

[mtang45]

I would really like to chamber a SA Savage for 338 Spectre. However, the case head diameter on the Spectre is .426 as it is based off the 10mm mag case. Since this is halfway between the Savage 223 and Standard bolt face do I need to forget the idea? Or, is there a way to modify the bolt head to accomodate the Spectre?

[mtang45]

Surely there is somebody that has the answer to this question. I'm a newb at these kind of decisions so if its a dumb question just PM me and I'll delete this thread.

[SEshooter]

I'm not familiar with the 338 Spectre but I would bet a gunsmith could open up the .223 bolt face. The extractor woll most likely have to be modified as well. This type of modification is done for the PPC cartridges. (.445 head size)

My first thought is to check with Sharp Shooter Supply here on this forum. They sell PPC bolt head and could probably modify yours or make you one if you give tell them what you are looking for. If it cannot be done they can probably explain why to you.

[mtang45]

Thanks SEshooter, I'll contact SSS

[geargrinder]

If I remember correctly, there was a recent thread about the 338 Spectre. There is also the issue of finding someone with a reamer.

[D.ID]

I had a recent thread on the spectre and after many failed attempts to contact SBR ( the only known source for chambering this proprietary cartridge ) I got irritated at how hard it was to give my money away and gave up. Bought a 233 action from Jim and a barrel from Dan and built a 300 blackout instead. Load development got interrupted by elk season but so far so good. As to the bolt face I expect you will need to open one up. Good Luck and keep us posted.

[mtang45]

I had a recent thread on the spectre and after many failed attempts to contact SBR ( the only known source for chambering this proprietary cartridge ) I got irritated at how hard it was to give my money away and gave up. Bought a 233 action from Jim and a barrel from Dan and built a 300 blackout instead. Load development got interrupted by elk season but so far so good. As to the bolt face I expect you will need to open one up. Good Luck and keep us posted.


D.ID, Let us know how the Blackout works for you. I was leaning toward the Spectre but if its alot of hassle to get done, then I'm open to any 338 that can be loaded subsonic. 338 Whisper, Blackout etc.

[hunter2]

The 300 blk is a hit or miss on ejection. Mine will not eject after 40 rounds or so with a new extractor. Others say it works great. I will never own another savage with a case this short. good luck

[D.ID]

So far my blackout is ejecting fine and the only function issue is having to load the round so short in order to feed reliably that it jumps 225 hornady bullets .120 to the lands but I am going to be working with 190 and 200 bergers as well to try to alter feed characteristics before modifying the magazine. They are never as quiet as I would like but the 9mm gemtech does suppress the sound pretty good.........In the previous thread the 338 federal with trail boss came up and is probably worth further research, especially if supersonic capabilities are a desirable option but I am unsure how a 1 in 6 twist barrel would effect high velocity loads. All three of my crew have Elk in the cooler so load development can now resume.

[mtang45]

D.ID, is it loaded short (.12 jump) to accomodate magazine length limitations?

[D.ID]

No, actually it is just the angle of release from the magazine is not steep enough for the nose on the 30 cal bullets when loaded out toward the lands but it feeds just fine when loaded to the standard recommended length. I am hoping the vlds longer nose will tolerate it better but if not I will just modify the feed lips accordingly. Just have not got that far yet.

[mtang45]

So are you disappointed in the sound level? Is it as quiet as some of the videos on You Tube?

[D.ID]

No, I would not say I was disappointed at all and it is pretty quiet and comparable to most of the videos I have seen. That being said. I have bean into suppressors for years and have yet to ever witness or fire a truly silent weapon and I have bean around allot of suppressed weapons. Muzzle blast is at least as quiet as the 16" 9mm I had the raptor on previously and does not have the bolt slamming shut after each shot. So far only 100 yard testing with the hornadys and about 1.5" groups which should be remedied with a decent relationship to the lands and some fine tuning, so I expect the accuracy potential is there but unexplored thus far and the sound signature is about what I expected. The 225 bthp makes a beautiful and overpowering smack even just hitting plywood at a hundred and costing $33 per hundred I hope they end up being the barrels favorite but so far every gun I have run bergers threw never went back.

[mtang45]

No, I would not say I was disappointed at all and it is pretty quiet and comparable to most of the videos I have seen. That being said. I have bean into suppressors for years and have yet to ever witness or fire a truly silent weapon and I have bean around allot of suppressed weapons. Muzzle blast is at least as quiet as the 16" 9mm I had the raptor on previously and does not have the bolt slamming shut after each shot. So far only 100 yard testing with the hornadys and about 1.5" groups which should be remedied with a decent relationship to the lands and some fine tuning, so I expect the accuracy potential is there but unexplored thus far and the sound signature is about what I expected. The 225 bthp makes a beautiful and overpowering smack even just hitting plywood at a hundred and costing $33 per hundred I hope they end up being the barrels favorite but so far every gun I have run bergers threw never went back.


Very cool, I may abandon the Spectre because of zero communication from SBR. I have tried calling and left a message everyday for a week. Thanks for the updates on the Blackout!

[D.ID]

Yes I have been there. It is to bad as it appears to be a cool concept cartridge but the guys left in charge of promoting it have dropped the ball. The wisper series of cartridges also included a 338 using 7mm BR brass and a standard bolt face (308) but I just got sick of chasing proprietary bull and since the blackout round is out there all over the place and .308 bullets have some super performers as well as cheap options it became the obvious choice for me. Good luck and of course........ keep us posted as what you pursue and how it works out.

[LabRat2k3]

CLEAR! Now that I've brought this thread back from the dead thought I would share something I ran across today with you guys who were looking at the Spectre for suppresor use. While killing time on the old computer I found the 9x39 russian. It is just the 7.62x39 necked up to a .358 cal. Seems the Russians did this so their spec-ops guys could have a suppresed weapon with a little more knockdown. You guys may have already known about it, but it seems like another sub-sonic option for you with 9mm cans. I don't know how hard it would be to find a reamer for but not being a proprietary cartridge it seems like you could have one made. A model 10 scout in 7.62x39 could be converted with a simple barrel swap. IDK maybe worth looking at if that is something you are into.

[larrys1911]

Im a COMPLETE noob to supressors and I have a friend with several running from 22lr to 308 cans, He just bought a 300 blackout and loves it.

I have a noob question though.... Why would you not just run subsonic 308 rounds out of a 308win? Just curious!

Larry

[D.ID]

A fast barrel twist is required to stabilize heavy efficient bullets at such slow speeds which are needed for any real distance. A 338 bullet from 39mm case may be interesting but the 358 caliber has little if any advantage in flight over a 9x19 cartridge, do to poor bullet selection.

[hunter2]

Go to cast and it opens up a whole new world. Still might have trouble with ejection. Remember Savage's ad of ONE GOOD SHOT - there is a reason...

[mtang45]

Im a COMPLETE noob to supressors and I have a friend with several running from 22lr to 308 cans, He just bought a 300 blackout and loves it.

I have a noob question though.... Why would you not just run subsonic 308 rounds out of a 308win? Just curious!

Larry


Larry,

Part of the problem of going subsonic with standard cases by reducing the powder charge is that you start getting into a dangerous condition of insufficient powder for proper ignition. It can cause secondary detonation after the bullet has started moving down the barrel. I'm not completely sure of the physics behind it, but from what I have read it can actually cause huge pressure spikes.