.338-.378 wby. Mag 700yds +?

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sandytye

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Thinking about building a gun in .338-.378 wby. mag.

has anyone had experience with this as a long range Precision rifle.
I'm looking for a gun with good downrange energy at 700+.

I'm also new to the long range game. and open to other suggestions that will retain good energy. :confused:

Thanks,
Tye
 
Howdy!
I am waiting on some dies to reload fro this round, but the rifle is a hunting rig, not a target rifle.
The ones I am familiar with generally shoot in the long range heavy gun class,
weighing upwards of 25-30 lbs. and sometimes more.
There is a substantial amount of recoil from a round of this size, so a brake is almost mandatory if you are shooting a target rifle.

Cat
 
I have worked with 338-378 Wby Mags and if there is one thing that sticks out in your mind it's that this thing has recoil. As far accuracy is concerned the rifle specs will weigh heavily on this. It does not have the accuracy potential of some of the smaller calibers but it depends on what you are looking for in the way of power. It is without doubt one of the best long range hunting calibers if you can handle the gun.
bigbull
 
Thanks guys!
I will be using it primarily for hunting but shooting paper also throughout the summer when there are no critters to chase.

I expected hefty recoil but i think it is a sacrifice in order to have the knockdown power at distance.

thanks guys.
 
I have built a few for customers... some light for hunting, one about 17 pounds...

I have used Weatherby Mark V's, Ruger number 1's and Browning BBR's. The Mark V's were the only one with a magazine. It holds two. Bottom load only.

You will need a 28 inch barrel as a minimum, 30 inches preferred, to use all the powder.

My preference would be to build a .340 Weatherby with a 26 inch barrel.
 
how do the ruger #1 actions seem to hold up???
i believe it would sacrifice some accuracy going with a falling block.
on the other hand it is a bit of a space saver to allow a longer barrel.
 
I can tell you for a fact that you well not sacrifice accuracy if the rig is built properly on a No.1 .
I've owbed lots of them and when they are set up right , they are super!
Cat
 
sandytye said:
how do the ruger #1 actions seem to hold up???
i believe it would sacrifice some accuracy going with a falling block.
on the other hand it is a bit of a space saver to allow a longer barrel.
Click to expand...

By design it will never be as accurate as a bolt action can be made.

On the Number 1 you are limited to the size of the barrel and there are a lot of things that need to be done in rebarreling to achieve the best accuracy and it is not uncommon to get 1/2 minute of angle accuracy with smaller cartridges. On the bigger cartridges I would expect a pretty consistant 3/4 minute and less rifle.

If the best accuracy with a lot of punch is a concern, build a custom .300 Win Mag. With quite manageable recoil, it will kill any game animal in North America quite easily at 700 yards and can be extremely accurate.
 
338-378

lve had several 338-378's over the years and found that most were very very accurate including one built on the ruger no 1 platform ,that l got off dennis years ago,l eventually had it shooting where there was a clover leaf with no paper in between with 250 grainers and h870 powder at 3100 fps,l eventually ended up with another ruger no1 with a 32 inch tube that would leave a ragged hole with the same load,but l can honestly say that 338-378 will give you awesome accuracy if your shooting it out of a well built rifle including the ruger no 1's.the barrel length is very important as dennis as said,and l wouldnt have less than a 30 inch tube ,but thats my preference.
 
I have a sako trg-s in .30-.378. Overall a great rifle that might meet your needs if you can find one. They aren't the most numerous rifle out there. Make sure you look for M995 action since some of these rifle were also chambered in 7mm rem mag and I don't know if they used the same extra long action. If you are planning on spending anytime on the bench a muzzle break or some other recoil reducer is needed though. Offhand or sitting is no problem, I find it gives the around the same kick as a .300 win mag just with more muzzle rise, now sit down at the bench and it is a different story. I don't have a break or recoil reducer and at one point I definitivly gave myself a flinching habit with this gun. so for hunting its fine but for any amount of bench work your going to need some mods for your rifle.

Oh and if I were going to go down this road again I'm 90% sure I would get a .300 RUM. It is only 100-150 fps slower if my memory serves and all the components and factory ammo is much much cheaper. 60 bucks for 20 pieces of brass really hurts and 125 for a box of factory ammo is insane. The RUM brass is half of this if not cheaper. It also doesn't have a belt so brass life is much greater if you are full length sizing hunting rounds like I am.

osborne
 
Since there are some extreme hunters who use this and similar to hammer elk at 1 mile, it will work just fine at 700yds.

Recoil is going to be brutal which greatly limits ultimate accuracy. These LR hunters build BR type rigs that can weigh upwards of 40lbs.

If you are looking at 700yds and in, my suggestion is the 7RM and 162 to 180gr bullets. All you will ever need. Dennis (guntech) has one of the best 7RM reamers I have seen. Mated with a quality 26 to 28" pipe will ensure the accuracy and performance you require.

I use a 7RM Savage with a brake and can spot my own shots. I consider this important because I want to know where that bullet hit so game recovery is 'easier'. This rifle has proven to shoot MOA or better as far as my Leica 800 can range which is the personal limit I hunt at.

Unless you hunt with a spotter, no matter how you set up a walkabout 338 monster, it will buck you off that scope. By the time you recover and get on target, will you see the game and where it went? Don't depend that the bullet will drop them.

Even small deer hammered by big magnums at short range can run a fair ways. If you loose contact with your quarry at the shot, you run a very real risk of never recovering the animal even if it is quite dead.

Consider visiting longranghunting.com to learn more about this discipline.

Having enough ft/lbs at the game is one of the last things I worry about. Without a proper rig, support optics and accuracy, an understanding of bullets and the effect of velocity, this can be a very risky venture.

Jerry
 
No 1 338-378

I also had one built by Dennis GUNTECH some years ago and with a lead pipe in buttstock and muzzle brake it would appox. recoil of 300-338 regular no brake.

For fun purpose, not hunting, i've shot with friends at large orange baloons (18-20 in.) in dia. out to 1540 yds (the famous historical distance of the billy Dixon shot) with it with 300gr SMK at 3050fps.
It works my friend....... What was also absolutely awesome is the roar tha tthis bullet makes in the air on its way to target. Do not ask me why, but we were three of us to witness it.

My next project was to try to have a single shot built on a savage 110 long action some day.


BB



bullcoon said:
lve had several 338-378's over the years and found that most were very very accurate including one built on the ruger no 1 platform ,that l got off dennis years ago,l eventually had it shooting where there was a clover leaf with no paper in between with 250 grainers and h870 powder at 3100 fps,l eventually ended up with another ruger no1 with a 32 inch tube that would leave a ragged hole with the same load,but l can honestly say that 338-378 will give you awesome accuracy if your shooting it out of a well built rifle including the ruger no 1's.the barrel length is very important as dennis as said,and l wouldnt have less than a 30 inch tube ,but thats my preference.
Click to expand...
 
Why would anyone want to risk a kill shot on an animal at 700+ yards? You are legally obligated to retreive wounded game. I appreciate the skill required to make such long range shots. However the risk of wounding game and thus having to cover 700+ yards before beginning to stalk your wounded animal seems far too risky. For those who engage animals at ranges which favour much better odds of both hits and fatal hits, why would you need such canons? What did our ancestors use prior to the development of these newer magnum calibres?

TDC
 
TDC said:
Why would anyone want to risk a kill shot on an animal at 700+ yards? You are legally obligated to retreive wounded game. I appreciate the skill required to make such long range shots. However the risk of wounding game and thus having to cover 700+ yards before beginning to stalk your wounded animal seems far too risky. For those who engage animals at ranges which favour much better odds of both hits and fatal hits, why would you need such canons? What did our ancestors use prior to the development of these newer magnum calibres?

TDC
Click to expand...

The farther the target is away, the more the bullet drops and knowing the exact range becomes very important. The risk is entirely dependant on the skill of the shooter. I have seen many videos of first shot clean kills at over 1000 yards... just as clean a kill as at 100 yards.

It isn't my bag to do that, but there are some that can do it very well. An extreme knowledge of the trajectory and wind and a very accurate laser range finder and a solid rest with a lot of practice are required. Not something the average hunter can do.
 
TDC said:
Why would anyone want to risk a kill shot on an animal at 700+ yards? You are legally obligated to retreive wounded game. I appreciate the skill required to make such long range shots. However the risk of wounding game and thus having to cover 700+ yards before beginning to stalk your wounded animal seems far too risky. For those who engage animals at ranges which favour much better odds of both hits and fatal hits, why would you need such canons? What did our ancestors use prior to the development of these newer magnum calibres?

TDC
Click to expand...

As Dennis says, the ability of the rifleman is the determining factor when long range game shooting is contemplated. When one can keep all his shots on a pie plate size target, does it really matter how far away that might be? The rifle's cartridge must be such that the bullet's down range velocity is capable of inflicting a humane fatal wound to the game animal. The difference between the capable long range rifleman and everyone else is that the capable rifleman understands the limitations of his ability and his equipment to a greater degree than the rest of us. Just because there are those who shouldn't shoot at a live target at 100 yards does not mean that there are not those who can ethically do so at 1000.

You do bring up an interesting point about retrieving downed game, and the topography associated with long range game shooting must be such that the game can be kept in sight when it falls. This to my way of thinking precludes long range shooting on a flat featureless plain, where the game can drop from sight, and there is nothing mark it's location. Hilly country by contrast would have much to offer for someone so inclined.

I wonder if our ancestors chose their hunting rifles based on what their ancestors used. If that was the true criteria, we would never of moved out of the stone age. In every aspect of human endeavour, there are those at the cutting edge, and pushing the envelope is what drives progress.

As for myself, I enjoy long range shooting at inanimate targets. Some days I do pretty well - other days not so good, but if it was easy there would be little point. When hunting big game, 300 yards is my self imposed limitation, but I will not presume to tell someone who has the ability that his methods are less ethical than my own.
 
To my way of thinking 700+ yds is for paper only. I've hunted for over 25 yrs with many, many different calibers includeing the 338/378 and other ultra long range numbers. Say whatever you want you'll never convince me that stuff is ethical. Not looking to argue, just stating my opinion.
 
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