Ruger precision 300 win mag or 338 LM

[two70]

Just push the rifle butt into your shoulder tighter. Really, man up.

Lol, spoken like someone that has never fired a rifle with truly heavy recoil. Shooting a rifle with much heavier recoil than you are used to is not exactly conducive to long range accuracy.

 

[Hohn]

Have you shot other heavy recoiling rifles previously? Most experienced shooters can handle .300 WM level recoil, fewer can handle the big .338.

It depends on the rifle setup overall. There are 338s that are pretty mild because they 1) have a brake and 2) weigh 15# or more.

By contrast, a 300WM in hunting form with a lighter sporter barrel and no brake can be much worse.

I think there's a reason I've never seen a 338LM in light sporter config without a brake.

 

[two70]

It depends on the rifle setup overall. There are 338s that are pretty mild because they 1) have a brake and 2) weigh 15# or more.

By contrast, a 300WM in hunting form with a lighter sporter barrel and no brake can be much worse.

I think there's a reason I've never seen a 338LM in light sporter config without a brake.

While certainly true that a light sporter in .300 WM is less pleasant to shoot than a heavy .338 with a brake, that is not exactly an apples to apples comparison. If one is willing to drag around the extra weight and put up with the increased muzzle blast then there's no issue. In a more realistic comparison though the .300 wm will have less recoil, less muzzleblast and likely still be in a lighter rifle.

The reason you don't see lighter sporter weight .338LM is not due entirely to recoil. The recoil is not THAT bad, it is actually fairly light compared to common big bore rifles when both are wearing 10 lb. stocks. However, since the .338LM is designed specifically for precision long range shooting, there's not a whole lot of point to building one as a light weight sporter for that purpose. Most people that want such a setup will likely opt for a .33 Nosler, , one of the two Weatherbys, or a .338 RUM instead of a LM anyway.

 

[indyjohn]

Lol, spoken like someone that has never fired a rifle with truly heavy recoil. Shooting a rifle with much heavier recoil than you are used to is not exactly conducive to long range accuracy.

. PM Sent.

 

[jbrubaker]

I have a lightweight sporter in .300WM and a much heavier Savage 112 Magnum Target in .338 Lapua, both of which have been out to 1,000.

The .300WM was manageable but pretty unpleasant. I put a muzzle brake on it and now it's actually quite fun to shoot. Honestly, the .338 was pretty comparable in comfort to the .300 un-braked. Do-able, but not for extended sessions. I swapped the factory barrel brake on that for a Precision Armament M4-72 and now I can shoot it as much as I want.

The chamber in my .300WM is a little "generous", being a budget rifle, and fired cases seem to expand above the belt after two or so firings, though I'm only using Winchester brass in that one. The .338 is actually easier to handload for, but this is probably mostly due to my chamber more than the cartridge itself.

I'm going to have to try those reduced loads mentioned earlier in this thread.

 

[Hohn]

I've read several places that the factory Savage brake on the .338 models is "ok" but FAR less effective than a quality aftermarket choice. Which means that either cartridge can be reduced to acceptable levels of recoil for a large magnum.

I think most of us with either caliber would be limited by the cost of shooting such rifles much more than the recoil management aspect.

 

[M67]

Got the chance to handle one of these in 338 lapua the other day. Kinda front end heavy, and the brake needs to be a silencer, but overall pretty cool. Might make it a project for next year. Change the buttstock to a Magpul PRS and curious if a different handguard could be used. The factory is okay but not a huge fan of the flat bench rest sandbag style bottom

 

[Hohn]

Lol, spoken like someone that has never fired a rifle with truly heavy recoil. Shooting a rifle with much heavier recoil than you are used to is not exactly conducive to long range accuracy.

They don't call calibers like 30-378 WBY "flinchmakers" for nothing.

 

[two70]

They don't call calibers like 30-378 WBY "flinchmakers" for nothing.

I'd be willing to shoot a .30-378 (once at least) but that is about as far up the scale of Weatherby calibers I want any part of! A .460 WBY without a lot of weight and a good brake would be crazy.

 

[sheepdog697]

In terms of RECOIL. A good muzzle break or can will tame the recoil/concussion or both. But as others have said what resources are available to you. And how often will you shoot out passed what a 300wm is comfortable shooting.