.338LM vs. .300WM $ ?

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truenorth777

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why are rifles chambered in .338 lapua so expensive?
i realize chamber pressures are higher, etc., but savage makes two models that include chambering in .300 win mag [the alaskan hunter and hog hunter] both in the $600 range, yet their long range hunter in .338 lapua is double that price!
i don't get it. are rifles in .338LM more expensive because they're the novelty long range caliber du jour, or are they THAT much more labour intensive to make?
 
truenorth777 said:
why are rifles chambered in .338 lapua so expensive?
i realize chamber pressures are higher, etc., but savage makes two models that include chambering in .300 win mag [the alaskan hunter and hog hunter] both in the $600 range, yet their long range hunter in .338 lapua is double that price!
i don't get it. are rifles in .338LM more expensive because they're the novelty long range caliber du jour, or are they THAT much more labour intensive to make?
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I think that all Savages guns that are chambered in .338 LM are also chambered in 300WM. :)

So what your looking for is a Stevens chambered in 338LM?
 
admittedly, it's been a casual search [my .338 lapua window shopping], so i'm not yet familiar with the stevens offering you mentioned. i'll check it out. thanx.
 
.338 is a magnum action over just a long action If I remember correctly, also .338's are generally quite a bit more abusive so the gun needs to be built sturdier. Thicker actions, bigger recoil lugs etc...

That's just what I can say, Unless I had the 2 guns in front of me it's hard to say, but usually .300 win mag can be built on a long action but the .338 has to be magnum.
 
truenorth777 said:
admittedly, it's been a casual search [my .338 lapua window shopping], so i'm not yet familiar with the stevens offering you mentioned. i'll check it out. thanx.
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I think the Stevens line was discontinued. They were made by Savage. They never chambered anything in 338LM.
 
The 338 is based on the 416 Rigby case, (but much thicker since the Rigby is a lower pressure cartridge) Means larger bolt head, and longer action length (as noted above). For most manufacturers this means an entirely new action, unless they already have one to chamber the 416 Rigby.

Savage is a modular action, so easier to swap in a new bolt head with the bolt along with a longer action.

"pressure" for the 338 is similar to the 300 Winchester. But forces/thrust is greater on the bolt because of the larger bolt face.
 
If you really wanted a 338 lapua, you'd know that the gun is only part of it. Your ammo (even home rolled) will be twice as expensive....
 
Chamber du jour...

There is ZERO difference between the Rems for the 300WM vs the 338LM except a larger bolt face and a few mag parts.

The savage uses a different bolt head. Now if you get one that feeds from a det mag, then there are some extra costs. Bottom metal and ai type mags do cost a fair amount.

But mostly you are paying for the novelty of this boomer
Jerry
 
338 Lapua Magnum is a millitary long range precision cartridge not a commercial hunting cartridge. (0.4 MOA 5 shot groups at 500m, 1500m effective range)
This means that all the equipment and ammo was of the highest quality/price.

As more commercial manufacturers enter the field, the price, the accuracy and durability of the equipment and ammo should fall back to typical commercial hunting values (accuracy will drop from 0.4 MOA to 1 MOA and durability will be 10 times lower).

Alex
 
Lol, that's funny. Oh yes, military firearms are so much better then civilian versions. Let's see, who developed the cartridge? Lapua for the US military (Navy if memory serves). Turned out the 338-416 Rigby wildcat had the ballistics they were looking for. As they don't produce a rifle, they went to their sister company, Sako, to produce a firearm for the cartridge. 338-416 didn't fit any commercial firearms of the time, but if we shorten the case, thicken the brass, and run it at much higher presuures, we can do it in the smaller cartridge. Hmm, what rifle? Well, turns out Sako has the TRG line that it will fit in, let's use that. The whole exercise was really a scandinavian version of agricultural engineering. Turned out ok, but the cartridge did not, in the end, meet the original goals within reasonable pressures, and it also did not get them a large US military contract (which would be the whole point of the exercise from the company's point of view). It found use with small sniper organisations around the world because the ballistics were superior to anything commercially available at the time, but it really isn't a super duper cartridge. Good press and media coverage though, which makes all the folks who want to play LR marksman want one. And yes, I own a 338 LM Sako. Quality military kit, lol, like Sea Kings? FWIW - dan
 
AlexF said:
338 Lapua Magnum is a millitary long range precision cartridge not a commercial hunting cartridge. (0.4 MOA 5 shot groups at 500m, 1500m effective range)
This means that all the equipment and ammo was of the highest quality/price.

As more commercial manufacturers enter the field, the price, the accuracy and durability of the equipment and ammo should fall back to typical commercial hunting values (accuracy will drop from 0.4 MOA to 1 MOA and durability will be 10 times lower).

Alex
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SAKO has chambered hunting rifles in .338 Lapua since the mid to late '80s but first became involved with the cartridge n 1984. High quality rifles have always shared shelf space with lower priced options, yet they are usually available to the individual who demands a high level of performance and is willing to pay for it. Frankly the most affordable way to own these rifles over the long haul is to have a custom switch barrel rifle built on a magnum action, and have a bolt face for each family of cartridges you have barrels chambered for. In this way you only need to purchase one stock, one receiver, and one scope for any number of rifles.
 
Boomer said:
SAKO has chambered hunting rifles in .338 Lapua since the mid to late '80s but first became involved with the cartridge n 1984. High quality rifles have always shared shelf space with lower priced options, yet they are usually available to the individual who demands a high level of performance and is willing to pay for it. Frankly the most affordable way to own these rifles over the long haul is to have a custom switch barrel rifle built on a magnum action, and have a bolt face for each family of cartridges you have barrels chambered for. In this way you only need to purchase one stock, one receiver, and one scope for any number of rifles.
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ya, i get it that "you only get what you pay for", but every so often you come across a pleasant surprise to that one. like the Savage Axis/Bushnell package that came out on the market in .308 for under $400. sub-MOA accuracy out of the box. might wanna upgrade that scope, and do some trigger work, but a darn good entry level offering for budget minded shooters.
with modern CNC manufacturing methods why not a similar package in .338 lapua? shouldn't that be do-able in the $600 range, and easy to sell with the popularity of this caliber?

(sure hope someone from Savage is reading this :)
 
Charge what the market will bare.

Savage has seen the market and happily charging what many customers will pay.

Do you really think that BA alum stock is worth $1500?

Now the cost of a quality prefit doesn't change regardless of the chambering so if you want to make a dirt cheap LM and don't mind single loading, grab a magnum Savage/Axis, swap in the parts you need, have at it.

Jerry
 
Jerry's right, as usual. Gun makers want to make a profit. 338 LM rifles are a high profit commodity right now, and they will charge what they can. Nothing particularly exceptional about them in comparison to other rifles in the same class except the larger bolt face required. And that's not expensive. But they are making a ton of money off them and I don't expect that will change any time soon (well, at least until the next cartridge d'jour comes along). - dan
 
truenorth777 said:
shouldn't that be do-able in the $600 range, and easy to sell with the popularity of this caliber?
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Popularity? It is very over-hyped, but not really popular. I bet 500 rifles are sold in 300 Win Mag or WSM for every one sold in 338 Lapua. The guys buying it are not generally looking for a low-end rifle, they are buying big dollar equipment for precision shooting at long ranges. If you're not shooting at long ranges or hunting very large/tough game, there is nothing the .338 Lapua will do that a .338 Win Mag or other standard mag won't also do.


Mark
 
mmattockx said:
Popularity? It is very over-hyped, but not really popular. I bet 500 rifles are sold in 300 Win Mag or WSM for every one sold in 338 Lapua. The guys buying it are not generally looking for a low-end rifle, they are buying big dollar equipment for precision shooting at long ranges. If you're not shooting at long ranges or hunting very large/tough game, there is nothing the .338 Lapua will do that a .338 Win Mag or other standard mag won't also do.


Mark
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ya, but there's an allure to military long range calibers, be they .50 BMG or .338 lapua [these days]. i'd rather have a "dirt cheap" 50BMG but i doubt there's such a thing. just figured maybe it was possible with .338 LM.
 
truenorth777 said:
ya, i get it that "you only get what you pay for", but every so often you come across a pleasant surprise to that one. like the Savage Axis/Bushnell package that came out on the market in .308 for under $400. sub-MOA accuracy out of the box. might wanna upgrade that scope, and do some trigger work, but a darn good entry level offering for budget minded shooters.
with modern CNC manufacturing methods why not a similar package in .338 lapua? shouldn't that be do-able in the $600 range, and easy to sell with the popularity of this caliber?

(sure hope someone from Savage is reading this :)
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soooo your this concerned about the price of the rifle to buy, what happens when it comes time to spend 2500-4000 on a scope to make it worth having this caliber, and more so what about when you reload and it still costing you 1.50 every time u pull the trigger? not to mention the like 6-7 a shot if you have to buy ammo? :DLaugh2
 
Mystic Precision said:
Chamber du jour...

There is ZERO difference between the Rems for the 300WM vs the 338LM except a larger bolt face and a few mag parts.

The savage uses a different bolt head. Now if you get one that feeds from a det mag, then there are some extra costs. Bottom metal and ai type mags do cost a fair amount.

But mostly you are paying for the novelty of this boomer
Jerry
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Looking at Savage's online catalog, all of their .338 LM rifles have detachable mags, even in models where detachable mags aren't offered for the other calibres.
 
ultimate_monkey said:
soooo your this concerned about the price of the rifle to buy, what happens when it comes time to spend 2500-4000 on a scope to make it worth having this caliber, and more so what about when you reload and it still costing you 1.50 every time u pull the trigger? not to mention the like 6-7 a shot if you have to buy ammo? :DLaugh2
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the idea is/was to buy or build a rifle under for a grand [well under would be nice], top it with an SWFA 20x scope, and start with Fishing World's S&B .338 for $29/box [which i'd shoot for fun and end up with some brass to start reloading with]. perhaps i'm way out to lunch on this, but one can dream.
 
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