the 338/408 PISTOL is done!

[yorketransport]

I got the first pics of the 338/408 specialty pistol last week. It's done and should be here next week. I've been working on this project for about 18 months now and it came together pretty darn fast once all the parts were here. I sent every thing off to Wheeler Accuracy less than 3 weeks ago and he got it finished up in record time! All the metal work and stock finishing was done by Alex Wheeler at Wheeler Accuracy.

Build list:
-BAT model CT octagonal single shot action
-Joel Russo pistol stock made from Bubinga wood
-Jewell HVRS trigger
-Terminator T5 brake
-20" Lilja barrel (1.450" tapered to 1.350" at the muzzle)


Here are a few of the pics I got from Alex at Wheeler Accuracy last week.




I sent him 5 rounds to try and test fire it; I haven't heard back whether he got up the courage to try it or not yet. I'm hoping to get a 300gr bullet to 2900 fps from the 20" barrel. The goal was to simply match the 338 Edge ballistics from a SP so that I could shoot out to 2000 yards or so before going subsonic.

Now all I need to do is figure out what to use for a scope on there!

[h20hunter]

That thing is crazy. Consider you self warned...we need video of you touching a few rounds off or Banville for you sir!  Cool build, thanks for posting.

[HUNTaHOLIC5]

Always love seeing your builds! Beautiful rig! 

[quarterstaff]

Congratulations on a beautiful build, I hope it is everything you expect and more.

[yorketransport]

Congratulations on a beautiful build, I hope it is everything you expect and more.

Loud, excessive and different is all I really need to be happy and I think this covers it pretty well!

That thing is crazy. Consider you self warned...we need video of you touching a few rounds off or Banville for you sir!  Cool build, thanks for posting.

That's on the list of videos I need to make on the next trip out. I want to get comparisons of the recoil on my favorite bolt action pistols and a few more common handguns to show how manageable the big guns really are.

[beaslayer6]

sweet build but let me see if I'm looking at this right. its a 338 bullet with a 408 case. Who I the hell is going to shot that thing. Did you put lead in the stock. I would love to see this thing go off. awesome gun man..

[yorketransport]

sweet build but let me see if I'm looking at this right. its a 338 bullet with a 408 case. Who I the hell is going to shot that thing. Did you put lead in the stock. I would love to see this thing go off. awesome gun man..

Yup. It's the case on the far right in this pic. For reference, a 308 case is right between the 6.5x47 Lapua and 284 Win size wise.

6.5 BRX, 6.5x47 Lapua, 284 Win, 338/408 Improved


The gun should weigh around 20# scoped and ready to go depending on the scope and rings that end up on there. Recoil with the pistols isn't as bad as you'd think. My 338/375 Ruger is the equivalent of a 340 Weatherby and recoils less than a 44 mag in a heavy revolver.

[Alchase]

Cool build!

[beaslayer6]

I so want to see this thing go off. its awesome.

[Dan-o]

HO......    LEE.....    CRAP!!!!!

[JJB11B]

You sir, you are very...INVENTIVE, I wish I had the time and $ and knowledge to do that kind of stuff. Thank you for sharing

[TVHunts]

My lord that thing is a beast! 

How do you fire a pistol like this?  Does it jump and thump you on the head?  I can't imagine the force on the wrist even with the brake.  I too can't wait to see the video of this being shot  

[jasnt]

Love it. Very interested in this cartrage. Looking forward to see your results. No lefty action this time??

[h20hunter]

My lord that thing is a beast! 

How do you fire a pistol like this?  Does it jump and thump you on the head?  I can't imagine the force on the wrist even with the brake.  I too can't wait to see the video of this being shot

It can only be done standing. Prone or sitting the big brass nads are in the way.

[Wea300mag]

The hand cannon has a whole new meaning now.

[GrampasGuns]

I just yelled "holy crap" and scared my gal ahah. This thing is unreal!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[yorketransport]

My lord that thing is a beast! 

How do you fire a pistol like this?  Does it jump and thump you on the head?  I can't imagine the force on the wrist even with the brake.  I too can't wait to see the video of this being shot

The smith test fired it on Sunday. He called me to tell me that he actually sat there with a round in the chamber for nearly 10 minutes before he got up the nerve to shoot it! When he shot it, he realized something that I learned years ago, handgun recoil is perceived entirely different than rifle recoil. To the smith's surprise the recoil was actually extremely mild. The gun actually moves very little but the blast pretty brutal. The muzzle brake, weight of the gun, design of the stock and the balance of the gun make it more manageable than you'd think.

Love it. Very interested in this cartrage. Looking forward to see your results. No lefty action this time??

I was going to use a left hand action but BAT had this action already started when I called to order one. Going with the right hand action meant that I could have it in 6 months instead of 11. I'm pretty impatient so I just went with the right hand. As far as the caliber goes, I have a 30" rifle chambered for the same cartridge with the same reamer. I'm going to get some good data on realistic velocity loss between the 30" and 20" barrels.

[jasnt]

Awesome, now if you'll just make some time to get to the range that would be great

[bearpaw]

I was going to use a left hand action but BAT had this action already started when I called to order one. Going with the right hand action meant that I could have it in 6 months instead of 11. I'm pretty impatient so I just went with the right hand. As far as the caliber goes, I have a 30" rifle chambered for the same cartridge with the same reamer. I'm going to get some good data on realistic velocity loss between the 30" and 20" barrels.

Amazing gun and very anxious to hear the results of your tests.

[yorketransport]

I got t a chance to get a scope mounted up on the gun this weekend. I should get out next week to start testing. When I got the gun on Wednesday, one of the first things I noticed was that the escutcheons for the action bolts were machined from the barrel stubs. That's a beautiful touch of detail! The overall quality of the the work is absolutely top notch!






For now I have an NXS 5.5-22x56 mounted on there. It looks good on there, but NF scopes don't work very well on the SPs. I need to decide what optic I really want on there.

Awesome, now if you'll just make some time to get to the range that would be great

I don't really like to shoot these projects; prolonged exposure has been know to cause long term hearing loss, nose bleeds and minor brain trauma. I try to limit my exposure. I like to just build them so that people I shoot with can say they've shot something this obscure, and then I sell them for a fraction of what I have invested.  The problem is finding a buyer for some of the more "unique" projects. I only know of possibly 4 people who can really appreciate this gun for what it is. Then there's a ton of people who appreciate it for the "that's the most impractical thing I've ever seen but I want one" reason.

Amazing gun and very anxious to hear the results of your tests.

I'm pretty excited to see how it does. I'm going to try and have it ready to go in time for bear season to open and see if I can get something with it this year. If it weren't so heavy and pretty, I'd take it elk hunting this winter. I think I'll need to hire a gun bearer though to do that!

[jay.sharkbait]

That thing turned out great!

I am slowly warming up to this concept.

[yorketransport]

Got out and shot this for the first time yesterday. I had't really thought about it but my Magneto Speed Chronograph won't work because the brake is so long! I'll have to come up with a different chrony to get velocities. I didn't get my new front rest in time for the weekend so I improvised and made one that's specific to the width of the forend on the pistol. It worked surprisingly well.

The muzzle blast has to be experienced to be appreciated! This is the same load that I shoot in my rifle in the same chambering so no low power starting charges this time! The stock tracks as well as any BR rifle I've owned and should be perfect with a more solid front rest. It shoots surprisingly well considering that the 300gr Bergers are jumping .214" with this load since I have the freebore setup a bit shorter on the rifle than I do on the pistol. I'm not going to complain about how it shoots though. These are the first 4 shots fired out of the gun after bore sighting it.



The high shot is #1. Shots 2, 3 and 4 went into one elongated hole at 100 yards. I think this gun will shoot just fine!

[TVHunts]

Awesome!  That is one nice group!

[Widgeondeke]

Yup, shoots just fine. 
She is a pretty brute

[jasnt]

Looks promising. Bet this cartrage will be great elk or bear medicine

[bearpaw]

That's amazing Yorke, I'm thinking it needs to see elk country!

[yorketransport]

That's amazing Yorke, I'm thinking it needs to see elk country!

Do you provide a gun bearer as part of your guide service? I'm sure not dragging 18# worth of pistol around with me!

I may try and drag it out during bear season if I can find a good spot overlooking a berry field where I can set up my shooting bench.

[Angry Perch]

You just need to get a holster for that bad boy!

[jay.sharkbait]

You just need to get a holster for that bad boy!

I'll ask Tim to see if we can do it as a spoof.

[bearpaw]

That's amazing Yorke, I'm thinking it needs to see elk country!

Do you provide a gun bearer as part of your guide service? I'm sure not dragging 18# worth of pistol around with me!

I may try and drag it out during bear season if I can find a good spot overlooking a berry field where I can set up my shooting bench.

Maybe we can put it in a pack, how long is it?

[Bob33]

Loud, excessive and different is all I really need to be happy and I think this covers it pretty well!

There are some women that meet those criteria. Glad you chose a firearm. That's a gorgeous gun.

[yorketransport]

Maybe we can put it in a pack, how long is it?

It's ridiculously long!  :chuckle:It actually does fit in my Eberlestock pack. If I had enough time to get a solid rest on a stump it would be very doable. I don't think I can off hand this one though!

You just need to get a holster for that bad boy!

I'll ask Tim to see if we can do it as a spoof.

Get me a good cross draw holster and figure out how to make my arms about 10" longer and I'm on board! 

Loud, excessive and different is all I really need to be happy and I think this covers it pretty well!

There are some women that meet those criteria. Glad you chose a firearm. That's a gorgeous gun.

I've known a women who did, the gun is definitely a better option.

[JJB11B]

Now you need a 6.5/608 for coyote hunting

[Jason]

There for a second I thought you flinched, but I'm sure it was just the muzzle brake blast..lol  Sweet pistol!!

[yorketransport]

There for a second I thought you flinched, but I'm sure it was just the muzzle brake blast..lol  Sweet pistol!!

I never flinch, but sometimes I get caught off guard.

I got out today and managed to get a velocity. I had to calculate it backwards by using a bullet with a known and verified BC (300gr Berger OTM) at multiple known ranges (100, 300 and 600 yards) and then measuring the drops at each range. Just like I had hoped for, I ended up with 2840fps from the 20" barrel with a load that gets 3180fps from the 30" rifle. I'll call this project a success! Just to verify the velocity I shot it at 965 yards and dialed up 20.8 MOA for a solid it on the 10" gong.

Now to try and work up a load with the 303gr Hammer Hunter Solids for the elk hunt with Bearpaw this winter.

[jay.sharkbait]

There for a second I thought you flinched, but I'm sure it was just the muzzle brake blast..lol  Sweet pistol!!

I never flinch, but sometimes I get caught off guard.

I got out today and managed to get a velocity. I had to calculate it backwards by using a bullet with a known and verified BC (300gr Berger OTM) at multiple known ranges (100, 300 and 600 yards) and then measuring the drops at each range. Just like I had hoped for, I ended up with 2840fps from the 20" barrel with a load that gets 3180fps from the 30" rifle. I'll call this project a success! Just to verify the velocity I shot it at 965 yards and dialed up 20.8 MOA for a solid it on the 10" gong.

Now to try and work up a load with the 303gr Hammer Hunter Solids for the elk hunt with Bearpaw this winter.

You mean you don't need a chronograph to find speed? WOW! Deductive algorithm's actually work? This comes as a complete shock.

[jackmaster]

Damn, I thought for sure that thing was gonna relocate your teeth!!  Cool build dude, are you gonna actually go whack some critters with it or is it a concept build?

[pianoman9701]

That's a really unique and beautiful gun. But, I question it's effectiveness as a CC firearm. You're going to need to start wearing some baggy pants and full leg tie down holster. "Is that a .338 custom or are you just happy to see me?"

[BNAElkhntr]

Now That's Disposable Income!  Very cool  great groups

[bullfisher]

It's just friggin dope! Not ballistics dope. Just dope! 

[Zardoz]

   Beautiful gun, but I want to see your holster for it. 

[yorketransport]

You mean you don't need a chronograph to find speed? WOW! Deductive algorithm's actually work? This comes as a complete shock.

I didn't have to use any fancy algorithms, just math.

Now That's Disposable Income!  Very cool  great groups

This is just what happens when you accept that neither of your kids are going to be surgeons and you "re-allocate" their college funds to something more fun. The kids will be better off in a trade school anyways!

Damn, I thought for sure that thing was gonna relocate your teeth!!  Cool build dude, are you gonna actually go whack some critters with it or is it a concept build?

It was really just a "hey what would happen if I tried this?" project. I'll at least try and get a coyote or 2 with it just for fun. Nothing short of 1000 yards though.

[JJB11B]

Think you could down an elk at 1500yards?

[yorketransport]

Think you could down an elk at 1500yards?

No problem! 

[b23]

Think you could down an elk at 1500yards?

No problem! 

LOL   

[jay.sharkbait]

Think you could down an elk at 1500yards?

No problem! 

You dirty rotten mean mean man

So robbing some village in Africa of it's sacred tree wasn't enough?

[yorketransport]

Think you could down an elk at 1500yards?

No problem! 

You dirty rotten mean mean man

So robbing some village in Africa of it's sacred tree wasn't enough?

Relax, there's still at least 3 of these trees left. I'm sure they can worship of of those.