I know I want a .338 as my next rifle, but which type? I was wanting a .338 lapua but I was talking to a gunsmith today who said that some think the large bolt face is a negative and something like a .338 edge can be better because it might have a slightly larger case capacity. Then there is the .338 snipetac, .338 rum and I'm sure there are many more. What are the benefits to each? I am looking for the best suited for long range shooting. Is any of these versions ballistically superior to the others?
"best" version of the .338?
- Thread starter logan1080
- Start date
.338 edge and rum win the best of for cost. Esentially equal to the lapua ballisticly but can be made from any magnum bolt face. If you want the best ballitics a .338 lapua ai may be something to look at.
the chamber is different that the shoulder of the cartridge are more horizontal so much case capacity.
The gunsmith need to modified the chamber of a 338 lapua or to begin with a blanck barrel.
The brass are fireformed with usual 338 lapua brass: you put 338 lapua cartridge in your new rifle and the brass will take the model of the chamber when you will fire it. will take expansion.
The gunsmith need to modified the chamber of a 338 lapua or to begin with a blanck barrel.
The brass are fireformed with usual 338 lapua brass: you put 338 lapua cartridge in your new rifle and the brass will take the model of the chamber when you will fire it. will take expansion.
I like the idea of the edge, but I'm not sure if there is any high-quality brass made in that size. With the Lapua, you do need a larger-sized action, and the larger case head diameter means increased bolt thrust - so the entire action needs to be beefier.
To be specific, the shoulder is moved to 40 degrees, and body taper is reduced to 1 degree. Water capacity, in grains, increases to 124 from 108. With a 300 grain SMK seated at a TRG Mag length, your usable case volume increases from 92 grains to 109 grains. It is a significant horsepower gain.
R.
They are makng a 338 SIN out of the Savage magnum recievers. Google 338 SIN and it will come up with two good threads from another site. The case was a mag. donor but now is the 330 Dakota. This is said to work well with magazine feeding.
TERMINATOR101CA
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- TORONTO, CANADA
You're right. Standard long action in Remmys.
Ballistic superiority moves your choices up to larger cases, like the 338-378 Wby, 338 Excaliber (A-square's cartridge), the wildcat 338-416 Rigby Improved, etc. The Lapua, Lapua Improved, Edge, Rum, et al, are simply slight refinements of a similar thought. Fun to play with though. A lot will depend on whether or not you handload, how comfortable you are loading for something with very little "official" data, and last but not least; how much money you want to spend. FWIW - dan
If money were no object, then one of the ultra super mag cases like the .338 snipe tach would prove to be a valid solution. While other cases offer more capacity, like the 338-378 Bee, the return on investment is greatly diminished by quality brass. The Bee offers more case capacity, but struggles with velocity. Even a blown out, "correctly" shouldered Bee case does not offer a signifficant improvement over a .338 Lapua improved case. The .338-416 Rigby is the everything the .338 Lapua is, without the benefit of proper brass at a 64,000 psi level. Improved, makes the parent case even worse for wear. In order to offer an advantage over the Lapua case, you are looking at a version of a .505 Gibbs (Chey Tach), or the .50 BMG. Prices go way up, along with performance. A 300 grain bullet, at 3000 fps, is nothing to sneeze at. The Lapua improved case provides this, without stepping up to the next, very higher priced, level of performance.
R.
I am building a 338 Edge. A Savage 111 300 win mag receiver. A Shilen match barrel. A Falcon Menace scope. An XLR stock. Most of the parts are in. Just waiting on the stock and then the build begins.
From what I have read it will just out do the 338 LM. The difference is not something that I could take advantage of but the caliber is unique enough to be very interesting. You make the brass by necking up 300 RUM brass.
Juanvaldez of North Shore Barrels is going to let me use his equipment to machine the barrel and assemble the gun under his supervision.
It's nice to have friends with skills and tools.
From what I have read it will just out do the 338 LM. The difference is not something that I could take advantage of but the caliber is unique enough to be very interesting. You make the brass by necking up 300 RUM brass.
Juanvaldez of North Shore Barrels is going to let me use his equipment to machine the barrel and assemble the gun under his supervision.
It's nice to have friends with skills and tools.
"Best" means different things to different people. The following is my short take on the pros and cons of the so called .338 “Super Magnums“. The following is not definitive but only lists some of the advantages and disadvantages that come to mind. In my view the .338 RUM and Lapua are the easiest to live with but easy is not always the answer.
.338 Imperial
Parent case is the .404 Jeffery.
The original Canadian design from the 1980’s and was the first .338 “Super Magnum” offering both production rifles and cartridge cases.
Pros; - Ballistic twin of the .338 Lapua
- No bolt modifications for standard magnum bolts.
- Beltless case makes sizing and forming easier than belted cases.
- Cases can be formed from RUM or .404 Jeffery brass
Cons; - Very limited supply of production brass available.
- Production rifles are no longer available.
- Some work required on most actions to feed properly from magazines.
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.338 RUM
Parent case is the .404 Jeffery and is a shortened copy of the .338 Imperial.
Pros; - Almost equal to the .338 Imperial & Lapua in power.
- No bolt modifications for standard magnum bolts.
- Good production brass easily available at reasonable price.
- Factory guns available.
Cons; - Not quite equal in power to most other large .338’s
- Production brass available not as good as Lapua.
- Some work required on most actions to feed properly from magazines.
- Remington production rifle accuracy , on average, not as good as Sako TRG.
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.338 Lapua
The .338 Lapua is an original design with no parent case.
Pros; - Great performance from a .338 production cartridge.
- Very high quality production brass available.
- Factory guns available.
- Sako TRG rifles, on average, are very accurate.
Cons; - Factory brass is expensive.
- Custom guns require major bolt, extractor, ejection and magazine work.
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.338/378 Weatherby
This cartridge is basically a .416 Rigby, necked down to .338 with a belt added. There is no parent case.
Pros; - Very high performance from a production case.
- Factory production guns are available.
Cons; - Cases cannot be formed from any other production brass.
- Brass available not the same quality as Lapua.
- Very large actions are required for a custom rifle build.
- The belted case can cause resizing problems.
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.338 Excalibur A-Square
This cartridge is an original design and has no parent case.
Pros; - It has the highest performance potential of any production cartridge.
Cons; - Expensive production brass is in very limited supply and quality varies greatly.
- Semi production rifles are only available from A-Square.
- Very large actions are required for a custom rifle build.
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8.59 (.338) Titan - Lazzeroni
This is an original design with no parent case and powder capacity somewhere between the .338 Lapua and the .338/378 Weatherby.
Pros; - Production rifles and cartridge cases are available.
Cons; - Quality of expensive brass does not equal the Lapua cartridges
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.338 Wildcats
There are many wildcat .338 Super Magnums. Most, if not all, are modifications of cartridges that already exist. They are mostly expensive, time consuming and offer little if any advantage over current production cartridges. They are attractive only to those who want something unique and/or like to experiment. To those few the chase for perfection can be very satisfying.
Regards
Aubrey
.338 Imperial
Parent case is the .404 Jeffery.
The original Canadian design from the 1980’s and was the first .338 “Super Magnum” offering both production rifles and cartridge cases.
Pros; - Ballistic twin of the .338 Lapua
- No bolt modifications for standard magnum bolts.
- Beltless case makes sizing and forming easier than belted cases.
- Cases can be formed from RUM or .404 Jeffery brass
Cons; - Very limited supply of production brass available.
- Production rifles are no longer available.
- Some work required on most actions to feed properly from magazines.
*********************************************************************
.338 RUM
Parent case is the .404 Jeffery and is a shortened copy of the .338 Imperial.
Pros; - Almost equal to the .338 Imperial & Lapua in power.
- No bolt modifications for standard magnum bolts.
- Good production brass easily available at reasonable price.
- Factory guns available.
Cons; - Not quite equal in power to most other large .338’s
- Production brass available not as good as Lapua.
- Some work required on most actions to feed properly from magazines.
- Remington production rifle accuracy , on average, not as good as Sako TRG.
*********************************************************************
.338 Lapua
The .338 Lapua is an original design with no parent case.
Pros; - Great performance from a .338 production cartridge.
- Very high quality production brass available.
- Factory guns available.
- Sako TRG rifles, on average, are very accurate.
Cons; - Factory brass is expensive.
- Custom guns require major bolt, extractor, ejection and magazine work.
*********************************************************************
.338/378 Weatherby
This cartridge is basically a .416 Rigby, necked down to .338 with a belt added. There is no parent case.
Pros; - Very high performance from a production case.
- Factory production guns are available.
Cons; - Cases cannot be formed from any other production brass.
- Brass available not the same quality as Lapua.
- Very large actions are required for a custom rifle build.
- The belted case can cause resizing problems.
**********************************************************************
.338 Excalibur A-Square
This cartridge is an original design and has no parent case.
Pros; - It has the highest performance potential of any production cartridge.
Cons; - Expensive production brass is in very limited supply and quality varies greatly.
- Semi production rifles are only available from A-Square.
- Very large actions are required for a custom rifle build.
**********************************************************************
8.59 (.338) Titan - Lazzeroni
This is an original design with no parent case and powder capacity somewhere between the .338 Lapua and the .338/378 Weatherby.
Pros; - Production rifles and cartridge cases are available.
Cons; - Quality of expensive brass does not equal the Lapua cartridges
***********************************************************************
.338 Wildcats
There are many wildcat .338 Super Magnums. Most, if not all, are modifications of cartridges that already exist. They are mostly expensive, time consuming and offer little if any advantage over current production cartridges. They are attractive only to those who want something unique and/or like to experiment. To those few the chase for perfection can be very satisfying.
Regards
Aubrey
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I`m interested that many seem to accept that the .338 Ultra and the .338 Lapua are ballistic twins. I can tell you that the .375 Ultra and the .378 Weatherby are not twins, but the .416 Rigby when hot-rodded and the .416 Weatherby can be. To my way of thinking, the larger case capacity of the Lapua means it will have the edge over the runners up, all things being equal. Now whether or not that advantage can be exploited in the real world is another question.
The Edge is a very good .338 but it is a Wildcat like many other good Wildcats. There are no production rifles or cartridge cases available. It is an exact copy of the Canadian designed .338 Imperial from the 1980's.
The .338 Ultra is a shortened version of the .404J parent case. Because it was shortened it does not have the case capacity of the .338 Lapua. It is curious that Remington used full length cases for their 7mm, .300 and .375 Ulta's but decided to shorten their .338
To correct this mistake the wildcatters got to work and designed the .338 Edge.The case capacity difference between the 300 ultra and the 338 ultra is negligible. One of the "go to" powders for the high BC bullets (300 grain-SMK, Scenar or Berger) is H-1000 and you will run into pressure issues with the RUM brass before you run out of case capacity. The Lapua brass is supposed to be heavier and thus can take more pressure.
Initial cost maybe, but when you consider the number of firings you get on each case, I don't think the Edge is cheaper than the Lapua AI in the long run.
