.308 or .338?

If you're not reloading I'd stick to the .308. You should be able to find reasonably priced 308 in every town in North America. Personally the .308 isn't enough rifle for me, but it will take down almost anything except for grizzly bear. I shoot a .338 win mag and a box of factory Barnes is about $80 if u can find them. I've run into the problem a few times where I'm getting low on bullets and the options in town are very limited.
 
patriot1 said:
The 338 I was looking at is $1599 at Cabela's. How much should I spend on a scope then? I don't need the best out there but I don't want complete garbage either.

I do not want to reload nor do I want a 300 wm. I prefer a tactical style and I like the 10 round clip on the FCP 10 plus it's a Savage which I am happy with so far.
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I don't know where you live or what your hunting situation is....... the only advice I can give you is that, should you wish to build a long range rig, build it for long range then maybe hunt with it if you can...... but if you don't reload, it will be hard (if not impossible), to build a dual purpose rig.......
 
By your last post , I'd say that a 308 would suit your needs, like you said lots of affordable ammo, a 338 will be double the price or better depending on the brand and quality of ammo. And there is quite a difference between 338 Win Mag and 338 Lapua.
Unless you really want a 338, a 308 will probably work beyond your capabilities.
 
From my (very limited) research on the savage 11/111 long range hunter, it comes in either 338 federal or 338 lapua for the 338's. I think the OP is talking about 308 Winchester vs. 338 Lapua. So this is a night and day comparison really.

There are very few hunting loads for the 338 Lapua as most people buy it for long range target shooting. So unless OP is a handloader (which he isn't) then that sort of rules out the 338 Lapua unless he wants to spend a lot of money on boutique 338 Lapua hunting ammo which, while it exists, is extremely hard to source.

Go with the 308 and get good glass to put on it OP. Spend the next 2 years learning how to shoot it properly and reading. Lots and lots of reading. I'm not trying to be mean but once you spend a few years doing this you will understand why people are treating your question now as completely ridiculous. :yingyang:
 
Dorian Gray said:
From my (very limited) research on the savage 11/111 long range hunter, it comes in either 338 federal or 338 lapua for the 338's. I think the OP is talking about 308 Winchester vs. 338 Lapua. So this is a night and day comparison really.

There are very few hunting loads for the 338 Lapua as most people buy it for long range target shooting. So unless OP is a handloader (which he isn't) then that sort of rules out the 338 Lapua unless he wants to spend a lot of money on boutique 338 Lapua hunting ammo which, while it exists, is extremely hard to source.

Go with the 308 and get good glass to put on it OP. Spend the next 2 years learning how to shoot it properly and reading. Lots and lots of reading. I'm not trying to be mean but once you spend a few years doing this you will understand why people are treating your question now as completely ridiculous. :yingyang:
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Now that I know that Lapua hunting loads are a big production I will go with a .308

Thank you for the honest advice and opinions,


As far as my question being ridiculous, if it were you asking me for advice on a topic that I am proficient at I would never treat any questions you'd have, as ridiculous because everybody has to start somewhere and that goes for any sport/hobby/discipline/career.

So that settles it. Savage FCP 10 SR in .308, 900 bucks, no muzzle brake, have a spare bipod, now to figure out optics.
 
patriot1 said:
Thanks. Hopefully I can spend enough time shooting all summer long so that if and when I do hunt I can be precise and humane about it. Another +1 for the .308. Cheaper ammo = more practice.
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That's a good way of thinking, just remember that a gun range and hunting scenario are completely different, so don't try the same long range shots on deer you did at the range.
 
I forget which gun writer wrote if he had to choose only two calibers to do all his hunting with it would be the 308 and 338 WM. He figured he could do all that was needed with those two.
 
I had never seen anybody actually hunt with 338 Lapua (have seen a few 340 Weatherbys though) - have seen quite a few at the range. The rifles tend to be long & very heavy, most of the ammo is for target shooting...
308 win with a 20" barrel is a very practical light hunting rifle with a ton of easily available cheap factory ammo.
And then 308 win is like a natural step up from your 223...
 
burnaby said:
If you have to ask the 308 is the answer.
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There's a lot of truth in that statement.

Its unfortunate the OP is limiting his choices to the .308 or the .338 Lapua. While each cartridge has its own particular strengths and weaknesses, he's missing some other excellent long range choices, that are less demanding to use than the .338 Lapua, while producing superior long range performance relative to the .308. That said, the .308 is a reasonably good choice to learn and practice the black art of long range shooting, but it's downside is that it uses the same bullets as those used in the various .300 magnums, so why not just get a .300 Winchester? Then there's various 6.5s and 7mms that also have much to offer.
 
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