Savage 11/111 Long Range Hunter in .338 Lapua

BoogerChew

BoogerChew

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Has anyone hunted with the Savage 11/111 Long Range Hunter in .338 Lapua?

I am looking for a caribou gun and a gun to hunt deer next year. I am hopefully heading to NFLD in 2015/2016 for Caribou/beer/moose and would love to get a long range hunting rifle for the trip. I have lots of short range guns so I know that there are a lot of short range guns available. I am only looking for a long range hunting rifle.

For deer hunting a friend of mine has 600 acres with a 800 yrd clear runway through the middle. The deer love it. I want to sit at one end and pick my buck at the other and be able to hit it.

Thoughts? or Reviews on the 11/111?
 
I won't preach about the ethics of long range hunting as I believe ethics are personal(be prepared for the preachy responses though) BUT, how much practice do you have hitting 6" targets at 800 yards and making a clean hit 10 times out of 10?

As per the rifle, it will do the job just fine. But for 6-800 yards the 300 win mag will do that just as well and cost a whole lot less to feed. There are lots of reviews on the web for the Savage. General consensus is that it's a good rifle, just don't use Hornady brass. It's too soft/ perhaps the chambers are too ruff and it will stick in the chambers.
 
Any accurate rifle in .300 WM or .338 Lapua with appropriate optics and appropriate handloaded ammunition will do the job.

Huge disclaimer!!! It takes thousands of rounds of practice to hit a 8" target 100% of the time at 800 yards in field conditions. If you can't do that than do not even think of trying to hunt at that range. The cost of the rifle is cheap compared to the cost of components you should budget for this endeavor.
 
It would be cheaper to get a .300 Winchester with a fast twist barrel, and find a couple of thousand .308/230 gr Berger Hybrids; they'll apparently shoot with a 250 gr .338 Lapua. If you insist on a .338, you might consider the .338 Ultramag. Once you have the rifle and suitable glass, learn the conditions under which you have a high hit probability, and what your personal maximum range is under those conditions, never mind what the rifle and cartridge are supposed to be able to do. Learn the conditions under which you have a low hit probability, and what your maximum range is under those conditions.
 
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From first hand experience hunting with one, they're a pain in the butt for hunting. Without hearing protection you're going to have ringing ears for the whole day, barrel's too long and gets hung up on things, and the rounds are expensive and hard to get. I agree with Boomer, if your max range is 800 yards, just go 300 win mag with no brake. Make sure you know your drops or have a chart handy, and that you use an accurate rangefinder. The 338 LM is more capable theoretically, but only at ranges even further than you'd need.
 
BoogerChew said:
Has anyone hunted with the Savage 11/111 Long Range Hunter in .338 Lapua?

I am looking for a caribou gun and a gun to hunt deer next year. I am hopefully heading to NFLD in 2015/2016 for Caribou/beer/moose and would love to get a long range hunting rifle for the trip. I am only looking for a long range hunting rifle.


Thoughts? or Reviews on the 11/111?
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Until you can make a clean kill on a beer at 800 yards I don't think you have any business torturing animals in the field, just my 2 cents.
 
razorbeck said:
Until you can make a clean kill on a beer at 800 yards I don't think you have any business torturing animals in the field, just my 2 cents.
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While I agree with this sentiment, if someone is interested in long range shooting, they must first purchase the gear necessary for it, and if they don't ask the question, the learning curve can be a steep one. I started long range shooting with a spoterized M-17 Enfield, that was accurate enough for MOA at a half mile, but when shooting with the cheap 3-9X scope and the flat base mount I had in those days, I had to put an aiming target on top of the berm in order to hit the impact target or steel plate. I think the OP is in for a bit of sticker shock if he thinks he can get into this with low priced equipment. A good scope with a hold off reticle and the suitable mounts will set him back between $2-3K, an accurate laser rangefinder for use on non-reflective targets beyond a half mile breaks $4K, then there's the ammo he has to burn up, just to learn his limitations, and the effects a bit of wind or mirage has on his long range marksmanship. When he's not on the range he can immerse himself in all of Bryan Litz's apps, books, and videos, then on all the information that can be learned from Accuracy 1st and the Magpul long range video. I'm not writing this to dissuade him, just to let him know that there is a lot of country to cross between getting the idea, that long range shooting might be fun, and arriving at the point that shooting game at long range can be done ethically. If all hunters put as much effort into learning field marksmanship as the ethical long range game shooter must, many of the criticisms hunters face would be resolved.
 
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Last year, a friend shot and killed a deer at 700m. He used a purpose built rifle, and planned for two years. He had the correct elevations, and had practiced extensively with the rifle at long ranges. He is also a superb long range shot, and wind reader. I may be wrong but iirc, the rifle is 7mmWSM, with a Leupold Mk.IV scope.
I also know a chap who killed a caribou with one shot from a custom Hall actionned .338LM at a known distance of 900y. Once again, the range was known, and the shooter was experienced at that distance.
Wouldn't worry about a brake - if a person is set up for such a shot, there is no issue with hearing protection.
Similarly, rifle weight and length are irrelevant. The shot is made from a set up position.
If the Savage and shooter are capable of reliably hitting a dinner plate under field at such extended ranges, then it is possible.
But it sure isn't a type of hunting to be entered into casually.
 
Boomer said:
While I agree with this sentiment, if someone is interested in long range shooting, they must first purchase the gear necessary for it, and if they don't ask the question, the learning curve can be a steep one. I started long range shooting with a spoterized M-17 Enfield, that was accurate enough for MOA at a half mile, but when shooting with the cheap 3-9X scope and the flat base mount I had in those days, I had to put an aiming target on top of the berm in order to hit the impact target or steel plate. I think the OP is in for a bit of sticker shock if he thinks he can get into this with low priced equipment. A good scope with a hold off reticle and the suitable mounts will set him back between $2-3K, an accurate laser rangefinder for use on non-reflective targets beyond a half mile breaks $4K, then there's the ammo he has to burn up, just to learn his limitations, and the effects a bit of wind or mirage has on his long range marksmanship. When he's not on the range he can immerse himself in all of Bryan Litz's apps, books, and videos, then on all the information that can be learned from Accuracy 1st and the Magpul long range video. I'm not writing this to dissuade him, just to let him know that there is a lot of country to cross between getting the idea, that long range shooting might be fun, and arriving at the point that shooting game at long range can be done ethically. If all hunters put as much effort into learning field marksmanship as the ethical long range game shooter must, many of the criticisms hunters face would be resolved.
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Except judging by the tone of his post he just plans on buying a gun and blasting away with minimal practice at best
 
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