I hope the US dollar drops ....

Dimitri

Dimitri

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So the talk of long range hunting has sparked my interest I wont lie. But I was "pricing" the cost of a rifle build in 338 Lapua. All I can say is I hope the price of the US dollar goes down so in about 2 years time I can afford the gun alittle easier. :eek:

I already asked ATR about their thoughts on the action. But since this would be a long term project I figured I'd ask here what your opinions are. I'm thinking this will be a buying bits and pieces job till it comes together as I'll be back in school come September. :)

  • Surgeon XL Repeater Action (Uses AI magazines)
  • Krieger 338 #10 MTU Contour
  • Jewell Remington HVR Trigger (It can be used as a 2 stage I believe :confused:)
  • McMillan A1-3 Stock (Arctic finish)
  • Ops Inc 338 Muzzle Break

Thoughts? :confused:

PS. Optics are not in my head yet (well they are sort off) but this alone without anything more is 3000$ :eek:

Dimitri
 
Obtunded said:
I'd personally prefer a longer barrel, but other than that I think the rig looks good.
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How come?

I was thinking 26" (plus the break) would be long enough, unless I am missing something? :confused:

Remember I'm the type of guy who doesn't really shoot anything bigger then your typical "standard rifle" calibers (308Win, 303British, 30-06Spring etc) so I may be missing something I think. :)

Dimitri
 
The parts are very nice but you don't need all that to make a superb shooting LR hunting rig.

26" barrel can work very well and is very popular. As with anything, it depends on what you want to achieve and how far out you want to go and the game you want to engage.

Depending on your needs, you may already have all the gun to get the job done.

My inside 800yds LR rig is a factory 7RM savage. At the time it cost a whopping $450 new. I have put on a muzzle brake and a few simple tweaks but it is basically stock.

No issue holding MOA or better out to 900yds. Consistent and reliable cold bore shot. at 200yds, 1/2 min is about the average using 162gr Amax/SST's at 3100fps (yep, its hot considering the 24" pipe).

Most of the areas I would have used it would be in the 300yds on the short side and 600yds at the end of cutblocks. Some areas as far as 800yds.

www.longerangehunting.com can provide you all the info you could possibly want on this topic.

On the home page, I have written 3 articles that will be helpful going from the rifle build, to optics and reloading.

You will likely spend more on your rangefinder then any other component. With LR hunting, support optics are so very important.

Good luck with your project...

Jerry
 
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mysticplayer said:
No issue holding MOA or better out to 900yds.
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Jerry,

Reason for this "build" is that I want something "bigger" then what I currently got (Envoy in 308Win) for precision shooting hence why the 338 Lapua comes to mind. Target being moose actually. I figure a 338 Lapua would be alright for moose up to 1,000 yards especially if I can keep it at MOA up to 1,200 yards.

I would only go up to 300 yards max with any 308Win on big game even if I can shoot that rifle to sub MOA out to 600 yards.

As for the Long range Hunting forum I have been reading it slowly the past week or so trying to absorb some of that knowledge.

Dimitri
 
I'll take this thread as an opportunity to ask the question(s):

Are .338's so much more expensive because their parts are just not as mass produced as .308's ect.. ??

Does anyone see them gaining enough popularity for them to be produced to the extent that they would come down in price???
 
I would worry about where you would go in Ontario to practice shooting a .338 LM at 1000 yards. I only know of 2 ranges in Ontario that are templated for the .338, Borden and Pet. Not sure if civilians can use the range at Pet.
 
Dimitri, you will find that the 308 is quite lethal on large game well beyond 300yds.

Is bigger better? In some situations, yes. However, the 338 LM is not exactly a big boomer in the 338 world especially if 300gr bullets are on the menu (which is really the whole point of going to this cal).

There are several others that offer much more performance for the same or even lower cost of building. But are these what you want?

I think you will find lots of options in the LR hunting site. There are no real bad options but there are other options.

Do have a look at the 30cal and the 208 and heavier VLD's. Might just be what you are looking for. Cause I bet there are more 'short' then 'long' distance engagements.

caljay, the short answer is YES. The oversized case head is the main problem. Many common actions simply don't handle this case well. Use a magnum case head and the options are almost limitless. A few thou bigger and you are best served by a larger action which becomes low volume pricey objects.

will this change? I have to say yes as the world slowly but steadily adopts the 338LM into the military ranks. The Rem 700 is already moving in that direction and replacement bolt heads can't be that far behind.

Will it get cheaper? I don't think alot as the market has shown it is willing to pay a premium for this chambering and there will be no rush to undercut a juicy margin on a low volume action.

Just look at brass. The RUM takes about the same amount of material to make yet is as much as 3.5 times less money as the LM. Other new makers like Hornady are cheaper then Lapua by a sizeable margin but still not what that amount of brass should cost.

The industry is realizing that the market will pay a premium for certain products so why not charge them what they want to pay?

It's not like there is going to be a low price provider jumping into the market anytime soon.
Jerry
 
CyaN1de said:
I don't believe the Jewell can be used as a 2 stage.
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Before I got my Envoy my idea was to build up a 30-06Spring target gun on a Remington M700 action, and as far as I could tell (based on my research on the net) the HVR series of Jewell triggers can be adjusted to act like a 2 stage trigger safely.

mysticplayer said:
Cause I bet there are more 'short' then 'long' distance engagements.
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That there is Jerry, however the majority of the reason I want this firearm is for the few longer open clearings where the moose camp goes north of Thunder Bay every year. Up to about 800 yards is practical there if you set yourself up right. Sometime maybe going out west to BC is a option to get to that 1,000 yard mark.

This rifle is nether intended to be my one and only go to gun, simply the occasional time I decide to hunt long range and when I go to the shooting range (or simply find some middle of no where crown land where people wouldn't be) to punch paper.

Dimitri
 
Now I'm certainly no expert here so may be one of the builders can chime in here.

On barrel length, you gain a few things here by going a touch longer that 26". If your handloading, you can pick and choose powder. Having a longer pipe will allow for you to use a slightly slower burning powder such as US869 and punch out a larger bullet with a bit more velocity (longer barrel = sligh velocity increase). With the shorter barrel, you may be stuck with a lighter bullet and faster burning powder being what your gun ends up liking.

The guys going to the 338 Lapua Ackley Improved are getting better brass life and about 12 grains or so more powder in the case thus they are able to drive a 300gr round about 3000fps,and thats nice! However, the use of some magazines become problematic with this round as the case looses some of its taper when fire formed. (Talk to a gunsmith on this one). Rick at ATRS has been building quite a few 338 Lapuas, 338 Lapua AI's and 338 Edge AI's.

Obtunded is providing some sound advice, your only going to eat a couple pounds more going with the longer barrel.

Sounds like your on your way to a very nice build.
 
If you don't have a 300Win or 7mag I would get one of them first...Way cheaper to shoot and almost as effective with the right bullets.

I have a quite few Jewels and I don't see any way to set them up like a true 2 stage.
The sear is so smooth that you could drop the weight and increase the sear engagement for safety? I set my target rifles up like this when my son first started shooting them....It forced him to engage the trigger smoothly and evenly.
Not sure if that is what you mean?
 
Don't mean to burst your bubble Dimitri, but if your waiting for the dollar to drop I think you are in the wrong sport. Big Boomers are for guys with either, deep pockets, small dicks, or a bit of both:p Stick with the .308. I have:)
 
X-fan said:
Not sure if that is what you mean?
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I'm not sure ether, but I've been told both asking on online forums and a few gunsmiths that I can set it up to act like a 2 stage trigger, whether or not its a real 2 stage trigger at that point I really don't know.

I'm used to military surplus rifles and I like the 2 stage trigger compared to the single stage triggers on hunting rifles, hence why I decided to go with the Jewell since I was told and I have read that would work for me as a 2 stage. :confused:

johnl said:
but if your waiting for the dollar to drop I think you are in the wrong sport
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I don't know, I don't have a big wallet or a small ####, but I do like to spend money on things that I like, and things that will work. Hence why once it was all said and done I spent 3,250$ on my M1A (less the cost of the scope which was another 1,100$ or so as I'm putting it on another one of my rifles instead now that I got it).

Spending 5,000$ on a long range rig (without the scope) seems alright in my mind, even if it takes me a while to build it due to having to save a lot of money

Dimitri
 
I set up a deer rifle for up to 600 yards and since then the last four years the deer have all been taken in side of 30 yards,but I suppose if i brought my 45-70 i would see a big one at 300 yards.
 
Dimitri, go for it. I have built my fair share of boomers and can offer one advice.

If this is a true hunting rifle, make it lighter and smaller.

I have had 30" 15lbs monsters which lost their appeal real fast when the right spot was not out the back of my truck. Performance was excellent but became a real liability as it was very difficult to use the rifle in the field.

Then it had to be packed to the game, and heaved out with the game.

If you're putting up a bench and just shooting over a large clearing, bigger better. Just stow the rifle away before retrieving the game.

Why my 7RM weighs 10lbs ready to hunt and of standard length. I don't need a heavy barrel cause I don't expect to need more then a few shots (otherwise, I have royally screwed up). The cold bore shot is the most important rd I fire. But I do find the brake important.

Build your dream rifle and let us know how it goes.

Jerry
 
mysticplayer said:
If you're putting up a bench and just shooting over a large clearing, bigger better.
Click to expand...

Jerry,

Not exactly going to set up a bench, would be shooting this guy prone. Still from my rough calculations it should be about 20 pounds unloaded. Which isn't too bad.

My M1A is about 5-6 pounds lighter when scoped. :eek:

Dimitri
 
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