.308 vs. 338

GUNN

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Looking to build my first precision rifle, and am trying to decide on a caliber. I was origionally going to go with the standard 308, but now I'm not so sure. The rifle is going to be a remy 700. Does the 338 round only come in win mag and remy ultra mag? How's this round compare to a 300 win mag? I'm looking to do shooting anywhere from 300 yards to 1000ish in time. What do you suggest? Hows the price in ammo differ? Plus, forgive my nieveness(sp?), but the 338 will work in a 22-250 action I'm assuming? Thanks.
 
You don't need a .338 to shoot long range. You can shoot 1000 yards with a good fast twist .223 and 80 gr bullets.
Depending on what type of shooting you plan on doing the ie. target shooting/F class, check the rules on caliber and range restrictions. You may not find a range that will allow .338. Remember also, muzzle breaks are not allowed at some matches.
While you are looking there, see how many rounds you will need to shoot a match. How much recoil can you put up with?
Price wise to shoot... do a goole search for reloading components and compare the price on brass and bullets. Figure out how much more powder you will burn with a .338 compared to a .308 then a .223.
If you already own a 22-250, why not rebarrel it to a fast twist 1:8 and shoot 80 gr bullets? That combination won the DCRA F class championsip about 6 years ago.
 
There are lots of rounds which outperform the .308, but the only way to get good at long range shooting is to do alot of it. That's why my target rifle is a .308 not a .338 Lapua. Trajectory is only one problem in the long range game. You don't want to be spending 2-5 $'s a round to learn wind and range estimation, mirage, how to hold your tongue, etc.
 
Boomer said:
There are lots of rounds which outperform the .308, but the only way to get good at long range shooting is to do alot of it.

Yep, and if you want to play in the target rifle/ Palma/ Bisley game, .308 is the only caliber allowed.
 
"...the 338 will work in a 22-250 action I'm assuming?..." Nope. The .338 Win Mag case is longer than a loaded .22-250 by .150". A loaded .338 is longer than a loaded .22-250 by .990". Won't feed. You'd need a long magnum Rem 700 action.
.338 ammo is roughly twice the price of .22-250. Wholesale Sports lists the former at $42.99 per 20. The latter at $20.99 per 20.
 
Actually, The .338 WinMag needs a _standard_ ('06) length action. The 340 Weatherby would need a _magnum_ length action, a .22-250 and the .308 are usually built on _short_ actions
 
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