Talk me out of a 338 lapua, or into

[Ggreen]

Lgs has a savage in 338lapua. I think I want it, but I don't know why.

Will a diamondback tactical ffp survive riding on top of it? It's a pure vanity purchase and it would "get what I got" when it comes to optics.

No I don't need it, no I probably won't get to stretch its legs more than once a year, no it makes no logical sense in my arsenal collection, but I can't quit messing with it when I'm in there.

Waiting out a delay on a Dan Wesson in this shop, ingo has a few days to talk me out of a nonsensical gun purchase, or enable me again....

 

[Tombs]

Are you getting it because you want a big powerful cartridge or because you want to stretch out?

If it's the former, there's some 50cals out there that aren't out of sane reach. If it's the latter, 6.5 creedmoor or 6.5 PRC will be a lot easier on the pocket.

If you really like the gun and the history of the cartridge, then go for it. Would be kind of ashame to not give it equally highend glass though. 338 lapua is just absurdly friggin expensive.

 

[Ggreen]

Are you getting it because you want a big powerful cartridge or because you want to stretch out?

If it's the former, there's some 50cals out there that aren't out of sane reach. If it's the latter, 6.5 creedmoor or 6.5 PRC will be a lot easier on the pocket.

If you really like the gun and the history of the cartridge, then go for it. Would be kind of ashame to not give it equally highend glass though. 338 lapua is just absurdly friggin expensive.

It would be a just because gun. It's not a high end gun, only around 1200 dollars, but if I ended liking it a Bushnell dmr would probably be in its future.

 

[Tombs]

It would be a just because gun. It's not a high end gun, only around 1200 dollars, but if I ended liking it a Bushnell dmr would probably be in its future.

Just be aware of the ammo situation.

 

[tv1217]

Ammo prices are ridiculous and unless you have a bunch of your own land, there aren't really too many places in Indiana to really stretch it out.

 

[indyjohn]

Just be aware of the ammo situation.

I believe Ggreen reloads his own.

 

[Ggreen]

I believe Ggreen reloads his own.

I do. But generally I buy factory ammo to start my brass supply and get a starting point on what I should be loading.

 

[Ggreen]

Ammo prices are ridiculous and unless you have a bunch of your own land, there aren't really too many places in Indiana to really stretch it out.

I've got friends and family with large.... Tracts of land that are pretty empty a few months a year. I still doubt if I'd get past 500 with any regularity. Most of what I shoot is well within the 308 envelope

 

[Clay Pigeon]

I've got friends and family with large.... Tracts of land that are pretty empty a few months a year. I still doubt if I'd get past 500 with any regularity. Most of what I shoot is well within the 308 envelope

The two yaayaa's I shoot with both shoot Savage Lapua's, One had Stenski in Pendleton re-barrel his with a Stenski designed break and its now a very good shooter. I shoot 300 Win and 50BMG when we go long, either at my place or up north at Walbash or Ft Wayne. We did hit Hargrove in KY a few times each year and shoot their 1600 yd range, but its now a thing of the past. I know they both buy brass and bullets online from Precision and someone else in bulk.
I can load 50 cheaper that they load 338 for, but I bought loads of components, primers and powder many years back.
And they both carry Vortex's from Allen on their Savages.

 

[chuckp]

I have a Desert Tech SRS and It came in 338lm. It is a great cartridge for long range shooting but if you want to shoot all day with it you may not like it. Personally for me it was no fun after about 20 rounds. I'm not that big and do not have that much flesh on my shoulder and it bruised me pretty good. Got a 6.5 Creedmoor barrel for it and I can shoot it all day no problem.

 

[Tapout4892]

Great rifle very powerful but I would keep in mind that ammo is kinda on the expensive side. Unless you plan on reloading then by all means.

 

[mark40sw]

I have a Barrett MRAD, 338LM, Razor scoped. Bought Lapua brass & shoot Berger bullets, never shot factory ammo in it. Shoots very well. If one thing should talk you out of it is the ammo, factory ammo is expensive and drying up as of late. Slow burning powders such as H1000 & Retumbo have not been available since late last year. The 338LM doesn't make much sense to me if shooting it under 600 yards.

I have other guns to shoot long with NightForce & Razor scopes but lost much interest in shooting with scopes for the last couple years. Don't know why i lost interest, now i shoot much more with iron sights to 600 & sometimes to 1,000 with service match type (White Oak) rifles. The MRAD is nice to have but it is a pile of money that sits in the safe that doesn't do much for me.

 

[LarryC]

My youngest son (he is nearing 50 - ex military) and I discussed purchasing a long range rifles several times. We have several Hi-power rifles in .308, 7.5X55, 6.5x55, 30-06, .303, 7.62X54R Russian, 8mm Mauser .300 Win Mag. etc.. We were looking at the Lapau, but after some research regarding ammo costs, reloading options decided the 50BMG would actually be a better option for us.

So I purchased an Armalite 50A1, surplus Military rounds are costly but far below the .338 Lapua, they are also readily available at Gun shows and online.

After fitting it with a Vortex scope and mount recommended by Allan at AOptics, and a few other options I gifted it to my son cost of the gun, optics and accessories was a little over $4K.

The only bad issue with the 50 is the availability of gun ranges that allow the 50 BMG and of course the range distance to really take advantage of either the .338 or the 50. He has since built a backstop etc. that will allow safe shooting of the 50 but doesn't have much length!

 

[DadSmith]

I do. But generally I buy factory ammo to start my brass supply and get a starting point on what I should be loading.

That's what I do. I've been buying S&B shoot and reload. So far the S&B brass has been as good as the HSM brass. In fact better. I had one HSM neck split after 3 loads. It might have been a bad case to begin with though. S&B brass has done well with 5 loads on them so far. I just picked up another 300rds of it a few weeks ago after I tested and found the brass to be gtg.

Sako Model 85 Long Range is a great rifle. Highly recommend it.

 

[Hohn]

Lgs has a savage in 338lapua. I think I want it, but I don't know why.

Will a diamondback tactical ffp survive riding on top of it? It's a pure vanity purchase and it would "get what I got" when it comes to optics.

No I don't need it, no I probably won't get to stretch its legs more than once a year, no it makes no logical sense in my arsenal collection, but I can't quit messing with it when I'm in there.

Waiting out a delay on a Dan Wesson in this shop, ingo has a few days to talk me out of a nonsensical gun purchase, or enable me again....

I'm assuming you load your own so the crazy ammo market isn't a big factor.

Here's what my research on this very topic has led me to:

-- the 338 Lapua has some of the best quality, strongest brass ever made. It has to be super strong to be both large AND high-pressure. Even non-lapua cases are generally excellent and very capable. Lots of choices in premium brass make the 338LM a safe bet for component excellence in a "super mag" class cartridge.

-- Ballistically, you have to shoot 300gr class bullets for the 338 LM to be even close to worth the squeeze. Take a 285gr ELD-M. The G7 is.400 at long range (1000y+). The 180 ELD-M is 100gr less bullet mass yet has a G7 of 0.394. The latter will take much less powder and recoil to push to comparable speed and because of similar BC will have similar external ballistics. A 250gr-class bullet in 338LM is almost a "why bother". The BC of the 250 Berger Hybrid is G7 0.352. That is just barely better than a 147 ELD in 6.5mm or 150SMK. A 6.5 PRC loaded with a 147 at 3150 will shoot flatter and have less wind than a 250 Berger in the 338LM at 3000fps.

250 Berger Hybrid at 3000fps: 52.4" of windage at 1000y. (10mph)
147 ELD-M a 3150fps: 49.7" of wind
300gr A-tip at 2700 fps: 48.5" of wind
300gr Berger OTM at 2700fps: 50" of wind.


All that to say this: the 338LM has unfortunately become a bit of a "tweener". Smaller 30 cal mags are delivering similar or superior external ballistics with a lot less powder and recoil. Compare a 250 A-tip in a 300 PRC to what a 338LM can do. Yet the 338 lags pretty far behind what the 375 class bullets are doing in the ELR/ULR realm.

Until and unless bullet makers start offering higher-BC 338 class bullets that require 8 or 9 twist instead of the 10twist range, the 338 will be mildly handicapped compared to more developed cartridges.

The Berger 379gr .375 bullet is 0.487G7 and a G7 form factor of 0.79. That's mind-boggling. I think the 375 Gibbs (Cheytac Improved) is probably the best way to go for a serious ELR/ULR load.

-- 338LM can be loaded and fired much more reasonably than factory ammo. If you are just trying to minimize cost, you can get a 200gr Speer HotCor ='s for only about 30c each. Stick it over a minimum load of 80gr of H4350 or so and you're pushing slightly more than 30-06 power at somewhat reasonable cost. (albeit very inefficiently). Point being, you can handload for well under a dollar (reusing brass) and save several dollars PER ROUND over factory stuff.

-- 338LM is one of the few "big mags" that has ammo almost everywhere if you are forced to buy it. What other rifle caliber delivers 4700+lb ft and are usually available at Wal-Mart? Answer: none. We're talking hunting loads that hit as hard at 400y as 300wm does at the muzzle. (270 ELD-X vs 180 Federal Trophy Tipped). If ever used for hunting, you will ALWAYS have brought "enough gun."


--Any big gun costs more to feed than to buy. If you don't plan on shooting it a ton, then the cost isn't terrible.

--Don't worry about the Vortex, use their warranty if the gun kills it.

 

[Ggreen]

Thanks a lot, you all didn't talk me out of s$#!

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Thanks a lot, you all didn't talk me out of s$#!

Highsmith's?

 

[Ggreen]

Highsmith's?

Quicksell in Westport. Best little shop in the state.

 

[Bigtanker]

Thanks a lot, you all didn't talk me out of s$#!

You're welcome.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Quicksell in Westport. Best little shop in the state.

Ah, okay. Never been there, but what I can see of their setup in your pics looks similar to Highsmith's.