So Im a big gun fan LOL. I shoot a old 7mm savage tested & true I love my old 7. I want to upgrade to a 338 for the long rang capability's & big game (i will be keeping the 7). I know the 7mm is more then capable but Im that that guy that loves a BIG BOOM with the sniper spec. Im not willing to spend $3000 for a Lapua to find out its not for me so Im just looking for some personal experiences that may help me decide. Im looking at the savage 338 hunter under 10Lbs with muzzle break. So what can i compare the kick to with a muzzle break, 300 win mag 7mm with a heave grain etc. I dont flinch (maybe we all say that lol) but i want a good sniper shot!!
338 lapua?
- Thread starter Not Enough Toys
- Start date
LordEvilPepper
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Under a rusty barge in BC
I have sold a few to guys now, and I tell them the same thing; Its expensive. Unless your willing to put the time and money into precision reloading, drop the bucks on the glass to put on top, and do a lot more then just point, click and boom at the range; there are much better calibers for you. Why drop $7 bucks a round on generic boxed ammo? ($7.24 for reminton core lock, $7 for federal, 4.55 for hornady)
Of the three that have gone out the door I know of two that have since changed hands. Hell that 110 BA savage in .338 lupua was sold off in less then 2 weeks, and I had the customer who bought it come looking for ammo.
Those savage hunters are not going to give you the added range your looking for, for the extra range your gonna get from a .338 you need to be laying on the ground with the gun on a Bipod, the stock on a shooting pillow, and someone feeding you info on how to set your fancy $1200-$4000 scope. If your not willing to drop at leaste $3000 for the rig, your basicly just buying it for the "boom" factor, and its going to get old fast as you watch your wallet drain faster then a bank account entrusted to a bad day trader.
Of the three that have gone out the door I know of two that have since changed hands. Hell that 110 BA savage in .338 lupua was sold off in less then 2 weeks, and I had the customer who bought it come looking for ammo.
Those savage hunters are not going to give you the added range your looking for, for the extra range your gonna get from a .338 you need to be laying on the ground with the gun on a Bipod, the stock on a shooting pillow, and someone feeding you info on how to set your fancy $1200-$4000 scope. If your not willing to drop at leaste $3000 for the rig, your basicly just buying it for the "boom" factor, and its going to get old fast as you watch your wallet drain faster then a bank account entrusted to a bad day trader.
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Thats just it, if its what Ill like then I dont mind spending the money but only way to find out sometimes is to dive in. I thought starting with a Savage may be the to find out & get familiar with that caliber, however you do get what you pay for. I think the biggest thing with me is the fun to shoot factor. Since Ive been a kid Ive always shot heavy loads because I liked it, always used magnum rounds in my 12ga just because it was fun. Im also thinking about staring reloading again this may be a fun way to start.
LordEvilPepper
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Under a rusty barge in BC
I would highly recomend you try it out first before dropping the cash, nothing is worse then dropping $3000 on a rifle you shoot a box through then try to sell it for $800 less. Somebody at your local range is bound to have one. A quick bribe of coffee, ammo, and good conversation is all you need to try a couple rounds.
paperslayer
Regular
- Location
- Chilliwack
Can't compete with them in anything ICFRA so you may want to post in the right forum
If you plan to use it to hunt with are you OK with the muzzle blast a .338 Lapua produces with a muzzle brake on?? I have a TRG 42 in 338 Lapua. A 12 year old could handle the recoil that it has with the brake on but it produces a bark to say the least. Not sure how loud the Savage is but I don't think you could shoot the TRG without damaging your ears if hearing protection wasn't worn. I would try and find someone and take a few shots to see if it is a option with a muzzle brake before you lay the cash out. I don't know anyone that shoots a 338 Lapua without a brake, not saying there isn't someone out there but it would be more recoil than I would care to play with.
I have the 338 lr hunter with the bushnell 6500 tact scope on it all for $2000. I bought it to see if I would like the lrs thing. I hate bushnell but was talked into this scope and love it. I hunted all season with it and took this muley at 580y.
I do reload myself and will put this ceap rig up against any expensive rig out there.
This is the rifle shooting 300 bergers,retumbo and lapua brass all day long on my back 40
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http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee306/heydino/?action=view¤t=20120521_103815.mp4
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The deer is not worth scoring it was an optical illusion on the size, The bucks lower half was already quartered out when the pic was taken. The sling is a safari style, its pretty much the only way to go with the long hunting rifle.
The load is 94 g of retumbo, .010 off the lands. depending on weather at 0 degrees im getting 2800=2850. When it warms up the loads are getting really toasty. I had started with hornady brass but will never use it again. I haven't tried to find another node farther back yet to get the loads to fit the mag. As you can see in the pic there is no mag on the rifle so single loading is how it is used right now. I also found the mag to be very rattley and savage could have done a better job in their design.
The load is 94 g of retumbo, .010 off the lands. depending on weather at 0 degrees im getting 2800=2850. When it warms up the loads are getting really toasty. I had started with hornady brass but will never use it again. I haven't tried to find another node farther back yet to get the loads to fit the mag. As you can see in the pic there is no mag on the rifle so single loading is how it is used right now. I also found the mag to be very rattley and savage could have done a better job in their design.
I have a 110 ba in. 338lm and I took it hunting for bear its not fun to lug around at 17lbs with glass. I shot it with no ear protection and it didnt feel good at all. No recoil but a killer sonic boom then the ear ringing started lol
I have been tempted by the 338LM too, but I think it is waaaayyyyyy too much for what I do right now. I have a 260 improved now and a 280 improved being built, I think I have my long range needs covered for the time being. I think most guys who want a 338 could probably be just as well served by a 300 win with the 200+ LR bullets, I am not knocking the guys with the 338s at all, all the respect to them for sure. I just think what guys want and need are often not the same thing.
this deer was shot in the neck at 580y another deer was shot in the front quarter which pretty much destroyed the whole shoulder. The hit was pretty dramatic and probably more damaging because of the otm's nature to break apart on impact. bullet retention was 75-80% . Some will debate their use for hunting but I have seen first hand how well they work.
The neck shot was the only spot this buck presented the other buck my bud shot had the front leg covering the vitals hence the wasted meat. The 338 is big but lessons the variables substantially compared to other smaller calibers and bullets.
When did this become a competition forum?
