Just a thought, but look into the 338/375 Ruger. Brass forming is a simple neck down from 375 Ruger brass which is readily available and reasonably priced. It uses a 338 RCM sizing die to neck size and shoulder bump and a 375 Ruger die to size the body when necessary. Load data is identical to the 330 Dakota and 340 Weatherby and so is performance when everything is equal. I've been running the 338/375 for a few years and have a few thousand rounds fired through about 6 different barrels of different lengths ranging from 18" up to 28". It's a great option for using readily available components and data to achieve the same practical results as the 338 Sin.
As for barrel choices, my favorite rifle barrel was a 22" # 3 contour Shilen with a 1-10" twist. I used this as a light weight hunting barrel on a gun that weighed about 8# ready to hunt. Recoil was a solid push but not anything I'd consider unpleasant. I shot mostly 225gr TTSX bullets out of that barrel at about 2880fps with upper level loads. The same load moves at 2760 from my 18" Savage Striker. Any of the 9" or 10" twists would be perfect for what you want. The 11" twist may hold you back if you decide to do want to play around with the heavier bullets.
For loads I think you're perfect with the 250gr bullets. I can get the 250gr MK up to about 2725 fps from my 18" barrel with the Ruger case, but they shoot better at about 2650fps. The 225s are a great flat shooting load for mid range work but the 250s work great for longer range.
Andrew
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