338 Lapua dilemma...custom or TRG

S

Sakonut

Regular
Rating - 100%
43   0   0
Location
Edmonton
Hello everyone, while I have viewed countless threads in this forum, I have contributed nothing, but hope you all can help me with a personal dilemma. I am new to the long range game, but it is something I desire to get into.

As it stands, I have a sako TRG sporter (discontinued some years ago) in 30-378. It is in as-new condition, un-fired. My dilemma is, do I sell my existing TRG-S to fund a purchase of a new TRG-42, or do I use the existing TRG-S action as the base of a custom job?

While this is not purely about saving money, at the end of the day, It would be great to spend as little as possible between my two options. I understand the advantages one would receive by having a rifle built by the likes of a shop like ATRS, I am at this point contemplating bang-for-buck.

Main considerations:
#1: How much could I reasonably expect to get if I sold my TRG-S for cash?

If I gave a company like ATRS my existing TRG action, what would the expected cost be to add: 28" stainless barrel + ceracote, mcmillan stock, plus cost of smithing? (This is to compare to the TRG-42 stealth I held with phosphatized finish with no muzzle brake or rail)

These are all the considerations I can think of at this point, any tips are welcome

Thanks, Sakonut
 
If you're "new" to long range precision shooting then I would suggest theat you forget about buying a .338 Lapua. It's certainly not a cartridge for a novice and the cost of ammunition, even if you reload, will be expensive as Hell. Not to mention the significant level of recoil and noise that will no doubt help you develop a flitch so bad that it'll be a detriment to your ability to learn and practice at a consistent level.

If I were in your position, I would sell the TRG-S and use the procedes to fund a Sako TRG-22 in .308 Winchester. That's providing of course you are absolutely hooked on buying another Sako, which I completely understand. The .308 Win. is arguably the most appropriate choice of cartridge for your situation. You can learn the long range game and do so affordably, relatively speaking.

If you're open to options, then you might want to consider a .223 Rem. as well. Sure, it's not a boomer like the .338 Lapua but it was never meant to be. Lots of guys are shooting .223 Rem. with great results at long range.

Hate to burst your bubble but I wouldn't buy a TRG-42 if I were you.
 
So the issue is that you want options and the first option is what can you get for your exisitng gun.

Then based upon the amount of cash you get determine which calibre/make etc to proceed with for long range shooting.

First: Go to various "For Sale" forums. The Sako Collectors forum, Gunbroker and various other will give you an idea for the sale.

Once you have an idea on the dollars you can expect then ask around. The F-Class shooter types at Dominion Rifle Association or the Ontario Rifle Association are likley your best bet for guys that really know their stuff.

Good luck!
 
CanuckWR said:
If you get ATRS to build you a rifle, your #### grows 3" I've been told...

Just some food for thought....
Click to expand...

Is that width or length you're talking about.....:p?

Sakonut: Seriously though, don't be scared to go with a 338 lapua especially if you have some wide open spaces where you can stretch him out. The cost to reload your own ammo is roughly 1.50/round factoring in brass life and the recoil on a heavy 338 rifle with a good brake is nothing to be intimidated by. Sure the noise and blast levels are a lot more than with a 308 but if you can manage that you're golden. Tough call between the custom or TRG....either way I think you'll be happy. Buying the TRG is like instant gratification because it's sitting there on the shelf, you buy it and take it home, and you're shooting that day. A custom rifle can take some time to complete to your specs. Something to consider I guess......
 
I agree with 2bad4u2. Go slow on this one!

Look a the number of .338's that get sold after 10 rounds are fired...especially the Remington's which are way too light.

Great choice with the 22/42 series TRG Sako's but I suggest shooting some long range with a .300 Winmag rifle...try that out..get used to it, then see about shooting with someone who has a .338 you can try...if you grit your teeth and anticipate the release, you will never shoot it well!

I had a L96 Accuracy in .308 and shot a buddie's AI .338 the same afternoon and it was in one word...."shattering" compared to the .308!
This is not a hunting magnum....I suggest working up to it via the .300 and all should be well. Take your time before investing $4000-$8000. Cheers Paul
 
Some great recommendation so far. Personally I have a Savage 10 in .223 FCP with a Plaster stock and it is really a hoot to shoot and very accurate. And yes it is limited by its size however cheap to reload and that is a factor if you shoot alot like I do.

A .308 is a great choice and can reach out to long distances. My son shoots a one built on a Mauser action and it is a fantastic gun and calibre.

Savage has a BA in .338 for just over $2,100.00 and I am not sure how accurate they are but definitely a fairly inexpensive way to get the calibre compared to a TRG. I talked to a gentleman who traded in his .338 as he bought it in a gun that was just too light and said it was just brutal to shoot, bought a .308 as a alternative.

The thing is to listen and evaluate what is given for advice and in the end after considering everything including cost of ammo buy what you think is best for you. Nothing is worse than buyers remorse wishing you had bought the other gun.

Personally I would love a .338 however doubt I will buy one, shooting with one is just too expensive IMO although it would be great to reach out well over 1,000 yards with accuracy.
 
Thanks for all your suggestions so far. A few things I should have mentioned:

I have had some exposure to 338 Lapua in the past, and will be getting dies and 100+ new and once fired lapua brass from my dad, who will no longer be reloading for it.

While saving for either set-up, considering buying the scope first, and slapping it on one my existing rifles to get practice adjusting windage/elevation on the fly

If buying factory, I am pretty set on sako. Nothing against savages, I just grew up with sakos, and have a bias toward their product verging on insanity. Nobody really seems to know what my TRG-S is worth. Brand new, I believe it was $975ish, however, during the period of time when sako phasing out the sporter, and the trg-42 was impossible to find in stock anywhere, I saw TRG-S (in 30-378 and 338 lapua) selling for $13-1400 used! I will check sako forums, thanks for he tip!
 
I would think that the best bang for the buck for your TRG-S would be to sell it as it is. Yes it is a good action and you could build a custom rifle on it but that would involve throwing away (or trying to sell separately) its barrel and perhaps its stock too.

There is nothing wrong with buying a .338 as your first long range rifle; yes it is more expensive to shoot but so long as you understand how much it costs and that is OK with you, then there is no problem. It is also possible that with a .338 it will take you more time effort and ammunition to develop into a good shooter; but so long as you are aware of this and accept this there is nothing wrong with that either.

There is also nothing wrong with owning a good .308 target rifle, in fact in my opinion everybody should have one. One nice thing about a .308 is that everybody has one and everybody knows how to make them shoot well; it is one of the best platforms to use to simply get out there and learn how to shoot. Other calibres can be load development projects in and of themselves (though the .338 Lapua is probably not too bad here, enough people have them that you can probably get up to speed pretty quickly with good ammo for your rifle).

Sako certainly are one of the nicer factory rifles. I'd probably be reasonably happy with a factory Sako target rifle though my personal preference would be to get a custom rifle built (in my case I have other rifles to shoot so I would not mind the wait for a new custom rifle, which can be long and quite variable; perhaps a good reason for you to buy a factory rifle if you don't have a helluva lot of willpower, or another rifle to tide you over in the meantime...)
 
Figure 1k$ for a new bbl and finish for your TRG-S. To use the McMillan stock you need their bottom metal as well ($350 or so), and another $600-700 for the stock and finishing. So $2k with the gun you have. You can probably get $1100-1200 for your 30-378 if you haven't shot out the bbl. What's a new TRG 42? $3700-3900? So that's another $2500-2700 plus the money you get for your old gun. I think the build would be about $500-700 cheaper, based on those figures. You could burn that up fast with accessories though. FWIW. - dan
 
On 338 Lapua Mag again. I planned of getting a TRG42 after having shot one and being extremely impressed by its accuracy.
But I got 270 WSM in the meantime and started shooting a lot of 165gr VLD at 3000fps and soon found out that cumulative recoil and concussion was really killing me.

I started asking questions to my friends who have 338 Lapua Mag (2 TRG42 owner and 1 Savage owner) and found that one TRG42 owner had already sold his rifle because it's not practical for hunting or target shooting and that the Savage owner only shot 40 rounds of ammo this year with his rifle. On the opposite, the 3rd 338 Lapua Mag is extremely satisfied and shots this rifle almost exclusively now.

For practical and economic reasons, I've since put all 338 Lapua Mag project on hold and am reevaluting my shooting needs/requirements.

Alex
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom