Best extended long range cartridge for my next build?

[Oldhogleg]

New here, so I hope I'm asking this question in the right spot.

I've owned a BLASER 338 LAPUA R93 LRS for about two decades now. Love the rifle, supper accurate after chryoing the barrel a few years after buying it do to thermal migration of the POI.

But now I'm thinking of building something with longer legs, and since the biggest factor for wind drift is TOF, I was thinking of doing a 338-408 Cheytac wildcat. A friend of mine turns custom barrels so burning up barrels wouldn't be a too big off an issue since I can have a replacement turned in a day for me. But on the other hand I don't want to be buying barrel blanks every few weeks or months just after a few hounded rounds either.

So I'm wondering what would be the best balance between performance and getting at least a year or maybe 1,000-1,500 rounds out of a barrel. It's annoying when the barrel life is so short that after you're done with load development you only have maybe a couple of hounded rounds of life left in a barrel.

After some checking around I'm hearing the 375 CHEYTAC had a reputation for being a barrel burner as well. So it's kinda looking like the original 408 Cheytac was the best balance? And what about the 416 Barrett? And Tubb's 33xc is in between the LAPUA and the CHEYTAC, neither here nor there?

Any comments would be helpful. Thanks

 

[Oldhogleg]

Forgot to mention one of the attractions for me to the 338 caliber was it's ubiquitous availability and cheapness of match quality bullets compared to calibers larger than 338.

Found another thread that was asking parallel questions with answers leaning towards the 338 LAPUA up to 2,000m, and larger calibers for beyond 2,000m. Plus the 338-408, 375-408, 408 Cheytacs and 416 Barretts have no marked advantage over each other other than the bigger the bullet, the easier it's to spot impacts.

Plus I have to wander if the old "Hot Rod" adage: "There's no substitute for cubic inches!" applies? So now I'm wandering if the 416 Barrett is the most logical, and the 338-408 Cheytac is the cheapest to shoot for bullet cost, but the most expensive in eating barrels like a bulimic at a buffet?

 

[Oldhogleg]

OK, after given it much consideration I'm suspecting the most prudent answer to my question is a rifle with a 32" fluted bull barrel chambered in a 338 LAPUA Improved for a few reasons: cheap 338 match bullets, cheaper brass; an improved version of the LAPUA will ad about another 100+f/s, a 32" barrel will ad about another 2-300f/s; bringing the total velocity either very near, or matching the 338-408 Cheytac without the expense of brass, extra powder, short barrel life, and buying another extra long magnum action for $6,000. But instead just make a 32" replacement barrel for my BLASER with a 338 LAPUA Improved chambering.

 

[Tazman]

338 Allen Magnum