Thinking of getting into the 338 Lapua Game,What Rifle Sako, Remington or Other

Gunneegoogoo said:
I'm about 18" from armpit to armpit.

Correct me, but I think that when the Timberwolf won the CF contest, the goal was "a chest sized target at 1000M 80% of the time"....so 1.8MOA..... Unless it was a sniper contest for ants!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Exactly my point. Relatively large targets, considering F class guys are shooting 5" Vbulls with .308's at the same distance.

To stay on topic.
SAKO all the way if you want to go high end factory.
 
The insite boys directed me to the 300 Norma after I inquired about them making me a .375 Lethal.....

That project is a ways away, but I'll be watching both calibers closely.....
 
The .338LM is a very accurate round. The C14 was mentioned and sniper specs, to which I will mention that DND accuracy requirements are for sealed FMJ ammo, as well as many other technical requirements. My experience with this cartridge started with meetings at the Master Sniper Cell in 1998 on the MRSR project which became a reality 6 years later.
We demoed our H-S .338LM with handloads at Gagetown, which shot under .5 MOA at 930 m. Our .338LM BAT-McLennan-A-5 is a tack driver as are many Timberwolfs and other rifles in .338 Lapua Magnum. We do not believe the other mentioned calibres are superior and this opinion is held by many reg and SF forces as well as many longrange shooters around the world.

We are fans of PGW and the top Canadian shooter, with C/S 66, uses their gear at Meaford shoot and elsewhere.

Best regards,

Peter
 
Last edited:
I am with peter wrt to 338LM accuracy. Been around this boomer for many many years and in various custom forms. Sub MOA at 1450yds and out was really limited to the level of recoil management of the shooter.. . the guns would do it.... at least the ones I have been around.

Even the grand pappy TRG pushing the "little" 250gr loads was deadly at 1 mile so I am not sure about lack of performance at distance.

Look at the number of ELR hunters who also use the 338 Edge... more or less the same thing in an easier to package case.

Nothing against the 300NM. Should shoot really really well too given it is more or less a 300 RUM. I played with the RUM way back when and it shot great... just the brass didn't like the abuse but that is another story.

With proper installation, load tuning and chamber specs, most any modern chambering can be made to shoot well.

Dealing with the recoil... that is another thing.

Jerry
 
So Peter and Jerry.....for dudes that just wanna ring steel and punch paper, 300NM, or .338LM, for out to a mile?? What about beyond??

Once you get into the insano realm - cheytacs, lethal, 416 Barrett etc - what's your call??

I'm asking, not being antagonistic.

GGG
 
Depends on your goals and objectives. I have taken a 223 to a mile and on a dead calm morning, it was very accurate. Would I recommend this.. of course not, but it does make the journey.

I know shooters using 6BR's to 1 mile on MOA sized gongs and they were not spraying and praying.

Club in the US was shooting 308's to 2000m... The target was on the prairie floor so pretty much really long range lawn darts. I compete with a 308 at 1000yds and we are trying to hit a 5" circle on any given Sunday.

6.5 Mystic to a GPS ranged 2340yds

So it just depends on what level of "ease" you want to reach extreme distances. If you are having fun, you can get pretty small to reach out pretty darn far.

if the goal is to have a high success hit ratio in higher winds and more turbulent air, then you go bigger. BUT the set up must allow the shooter to be able to deliver an accurate shot with bullets that will be stable when they go subsonic.

Then you have to be able to provide enough elevation to make the trip and that will require mechanical scope adjustment if you go far enough.

Decide on the parameters of the trip, budget, recoil management, tasks... then the option is pretty straight forward.

Really no different then high speed driving in cars... Big engines with huge horsepower make going to very high speeds a matter of stepping on the gas. you can make a smaller power car go pretty darn fast but you have to work alot harder to get things just right.

Having done enough ELR shooting, the challenge was to take something that shouldn't... do. Pretty straightforward to take a 50BMG to 2000yds. A real head scratcher with a 6.5 and 140gr bullets.

So do you just want to step on the gas... or work for it?????

Jerry
 
Fair enough. That's my semi annual reminder to "be a man" and decide for myself!!! Hahahaha....

On our family farm, I think I can teach to 3000+ yards.... I'd like to do that, and then sell all my guns and become a monk....

Right now I'm thinking my absurdo build will be a .375 Lethal....but who knows where that'll go in 18 months.
 
Not a derail at all.

I don't see the edge as much of a step up from the LM, same with the AI. They're a bit better, but not enough to make me wanna spend 5k.

To me the cheytacs/lethal are a whole other league of crazy high BC's.

Thoughts on that??
 
May also want to read Bryan Litz' articles on .338 LM vs. .300 WM - his thesis is that the .300 WM can push the bigger Berger .308 projectiles to ballistic performance that approaches the .338 - basically a message to the US military to have a hard look at their ammunition selection for the .300 WM platform...they could be getting much more performance out of that round.

This was a big factor in me going with the .300WM for my medium-range precision platform.
 
The OP asked about 338 Lapua Magnum rifles. Perhaps a debate elsewhere? Our dedicated BAT can be shot in a TShirt all day long, but it's single shot, has a Joe Kroetch muzzle brake(rifle built by Joe) and weighs 21 +/-pounds. My friend's field-practical Timberwolf is just as accurate and is field practical. Of course there are other options - just commenting on our experience with .338LM.

Regards,

Peter
 
Hey Guys,thanks for the replies,some very great info,Now I am scratching my head and thinking of going something in the 30 cal but not sure yet .I used to have a 300 RUM in a rem 700 BDL when I first started shooting long range but it was more of a hunting rifle and I would like more barrel life but I guess that's the price you pay for performance and barrels really aren't that much when you look at the price of everything else.
thanks again.
 
Gunneegoogoo said:
Not a derail at all.

I don't see the edge as much of a step up from the LM, same with the AI. They're a bit better, but not enough to make me wanna spend 5k.

To me the cheytacs/lethal are a whole other league of crazy high BC's.

Thoughts on that??
Click to expand...

And this is why I asked about end use goals... For the guy that MIGHT reach to a mile once in a while but really is a 1k and shorter type shooter, go smaller cal and save a ton of $$$

For the shooter that will start at the 1 mile "chip shot" then get serious about going beyond 2k, more can be better BUT it requires a complete understanding of the entire rifle system, optics AND bullet.

Just because you have a great big pointy monster bullet doesn't ensure it will actually do the things you expect. MANY bullets do not like going transonic/subsonic and unfortunately, many new bullet designs make this problem really tough to work through.

SO, you will need to test. That can become a wonderful money pit when you build some mega dollar rig and find out the "2 bullets" offered in this cal will not make the trip.

Sure you got big cals like the 375, 408, 416 and even the 50 but how many bullets do you get to choose from? AND who has actually pushed them to these extreme distances with enough data to prove stability?

There is alot of marketing hype going on .... just look at the history of things like the 408 CT and 416 Barrett. What is their current market exposure?

The recent 2 mile challenge held at the Raton, NM NRA range is telling of where the real tech is... see the shooting results and the number of set ups that actually got much beyond 1 mile.

I know this will sound A$$ backwards but for those that truly will go ELR shooting, MUZZLE VELOCITY is of secondary importance. The ability to launch each shot PERFECTLY is far more important then how fast it left the muzzle. If you are truly talking ELR, then your bullet is going to go subsonic... Whether it goes subsonic at 1800yds or 2000yds, it is going to slow down so you better make sure the bullet will be stable.

AND if it will be stable, does it matter if it goes subsonic at 1800yds or 2000yds? or $1500yds or 1400yds or?????

For those that enjoy ELR shooting, they will understand what I am getting at.... winds and actual final distance will box the parameter better then just wanting the biggest fastest option.

Spend some time with JBM inputting muzzle velocities for your favorite mousetrap and see how far out the combo will go subsonic... then figure how much more powder you need to burn for each 100fps desired. It will be a very enlightening exercise.

Just because you have the biggest baddest cigar shaped monster cartridge... doesn't mean it will actually work when distances get beyond 4 seconds of TOF....

it is all about the bullets and some will, others will not. Be interesting to see how this Berger 375 evolves.... very interesting. Sierra has an interesting 375 as well. dont hear much about the Hrn big 40's but I am sure there is some good results out there.

Then are is the mechanical scope bases needed and on and on... yeah, it is a great big rabbit hole for tech.

Jerry
 
I dont know much about 338 LM, i have been using it for only 18 years.
If you realy want to get what the cartridge is capable of, just forget about factory reapeter rifles. I built my last with a stiller tac 338 single shot action and a 32" 1-9.5 3C idaho Benchmark barrel I shoot 300 berger at 3015 fps.
Amo is 3,910 long @ 0,050 from riflings. And I use Retumbo.
If you are to shoot paper with magazine lenght in a 26" pipe, stick with what you already have, it would just be waisted money
 
Thats some crazy velocity from a 338 lapua even a single shot must be a really fast barrel. Thats what most of us are shooting with our 338 lapua AI's.
 
I went through this same dilemma, 308, 300WM, 338. I instead opted to go the DT SRS A1 route. Love the rifle and currently have the 308 and 300 WM conversions. Looking to get the 338 sometime this coming year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom