thoughts on 338 Edge?
- Thread starter sigarms226
- Start date
I'm doing the same sort of investigation but from readin other threads on here that you could most likely find like I did the majority vote goes to 338LAI, that is what I gather from reading threads, they are all not cheap, they are all powder pigs & they all will eat your barrel if you dont take care of them & have decided that when the money appears I will go 338LAI
How much do you want to spend??? 338 Edge will work in a Savage action without too much work.. This is how I chose to go..
My buddy has one on a Rem 700 built by ATR.. But when it comes time I believe he is going to go with the Lapua AI next time around..
My buddy has one on a Rem 700 built by ATR.. But when it comes time I believe he is going to go with the Lapua AI next time around..
If you want maximum energy and velocity, go LM or LMAI, but you need the right action/bolt face.
If you want something very darned close AND works with a standard magnum bolt face/long action, go Edge. The 340 Weatherby aint too far behind that.
Brass is the achilles heel of the Edge, but being a fraction of its proprietary brother, you can afford to replace it and sort through the significant quantities of mediocre brass you get with a 300 RUM.
If you want something very darned close AND works with a standard magnum bolt face/long action, go Edge. The 340 Weatherby aint too far behind that.
Brass is the achilles heel of the Edge, but being a fraction of its proprietary brother, you can afford to replace it and sort through the significant quantities of mediocre brass you get with a 300 RUM.
I found the Nosler brass I bought for my 264 WM to have very tight necks. So tight they would peel copper off the bullet. Even after running an expander ball over them & a once firing still resulted in tight neck tension. I found the Rem & Win brass I have much better in the neck tension department.
Case life in mine is excellent with a lot of the brass having been reloaded over 16 times and thats more than any other chambering I load for.
All I've ever loaded are full-power loads with a 300SMK and a case full of US869.
Of all my rifles it is without a doubt the most fun !
Case life in mine is excellent with a lot of the brass having been reloaded over 16 times and thats more than any other chambering I load for.
All I've ever loaded are full-power loads with a 300SMK and a case full of US869.
Of all my rifles it is without a doubt the most fun !
I picked up not too much but 2lbs of US869 just for this reason when I get a 338LAI one day & because it was cheap @ the UFA & to try with the 30-378Wby!!!!
- Location
- calgary alberta
Ballisticly the Edge comes very close to SAAMI 338 Lapua. The Lapua AI is a bit more energetic.
Using 300 gr SMKS 338 Edge will get about 2850 to 2900 fps as will 338 Lapua. The LAI chamberings that I build typically get over 3000 fps, which is not a huge leap, but the real gain is brass life.
The crap that Remington makes for brass I think is the major downfall. It takes a ton of work to get it into the same condition that Lapua sells there brass out of the box for.
Granted the 338 Lapua brass is double the price per 100 of the Rem brass, but with getting 15 to 20 reloadings, makes it a bargain in my mind, without taking into account the amount of time wasted match prepping the Rem brass.
The real drawback to 338 Lapua is that either you need to do major bolt and action modification or buy a custom action if you want the luxury of the aftermarket parts that the 700 type platform offers.
The Nosler brass is a big step up from the Rem brass, it is very consitant and close to match grade, the down side is that it is soft and grows alot from shooting.
340 Wby is close as well but the brass is also spendy, and unless you get a custom reamer with alot less freebore, accuracy is not generally as good.
Wby uses alot of freebore to get the velocities up, personally I would prefer accuacy to velocity.
Using 300 gr SMKS 338 Edge will get about 2850 to 2900 fps as will 338 Lapua. The LAI chamberings that I build typically get over 3000 fps, which is not a huge leap, but the real gain is brass life.
The crap that Remington makes for brass I think is the major downfall. It takes a ton of work to get it into the same condition that Lapua sells there brass out of the box for.
Granted the 338 Lapua brass is double the price per 100 of the Rem brass, but with getting 15 to 20 reloadings, makes it a bargain in my mind, without taking into account the amount of time wasted match prepping the Rem brass.
The real drawback to 338 Lapua is that either you need to do major bolt and action modification or buy a custom action if you want the luxury of the aftermarket parts that the 700 type platform offers.
The Nosler brass is a big step up from the Rem brass, it is very consitant and close to match grade, the down side is that it is soft and grows alot from shooting.
340 Wby is close as well but the brass is also spendy, and unless you get a custom reamer with alot less freebore, accuracy is not generally as good.
Wby uses alot of freebore to get the velocities up, personally I would prefer accuacy to velocity.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
http://www.longrangehunting.com/articles/338-edge-1.php
All you will ever need to know about the Edge.
From a case capacity stand point - 338 RUM, 338 LM, 338 Edge/Tomahawk/Mystic, 338 LM improved, 338-416 Rigby improved, 338 SnipeTac (or something close), 338-408 CT (yes 408CT brass is available).
If you look at SAAMI/CIP load data, you will find that the 338 RUM is not far off the LM and the larger Edge pulls away. There is no replacement for displacement.
Having spent some time shooting a 300RUM I can say that Rem brass shoots just fine. The parameters that matter are more then good enough to get you under 1/2 min. You should give the necks a bit of a skim but then I would do that for all makes of brass. The normal deburr is also needed.
When run at MAGNUM pressures, I was able to get at least 6 reloads from my brass with most going 8 to 10 reloads. So it is plenty strong for what it was designed for.
If you started with 100 cases, you would be nearing the end of the barrels life before you killed all the brass. That is strong enough for me...
I do agree that when pressures are ramped beyond magnum pressures, primer pockets will open up quickly but then should be be loading in proof pressure territory?
The biggest advantage to the Edge and other RUM based derivatives is the ease to put them into comtemporary actions. There are a few full magnum length actions that will feed the Edge no problem. All magnum actions will single feed.
The LM does require a larger bolt face and other mag mods. Adds quite a bit to the overall build for little ballistic advantage.
YMMV.
Jerry
All you will ever need to know about the Edge.
From a case capacity stand point - 338 RUM, 338 LM, 338 Edge/Tomahawk/Mystic, 338 LM improved, 338-416 Rigby improved, 338 SnipeTac (or something close), 338-408 CT (yes 408CT brass is available).
If you look at SAAMI/CIP load data, you will find that the 338 RUM is not far off the LM and the larger Edge pulls away. There is no replacement for displacement.
Having spent some time shooting a 300RUM I can say that Rem brass shoots just fine. The parameters that matter are more then good enough to get you under 1/2 min. You should give the necks a bit of a skim but then I would do that for all makes of brass. The normal deburr is also needed.
When run at MAGNUM pressures, I was able to get at least 6 reloads from my brass with most going 8 to 10 reloads. So it is plenty strong for what it was designed for.
If you started with 100 cases, you would be nearing the end of the barrels life before you killed all the brass. That is strong enough for me...
I do agree that when pressures are ramped beyond magnum pressures, primer pockets will open up quickly but then should be be loading in proof pressure territory?
The biggest advantage to the Edge and other RUM based derivatives is the ease to put them into comtemporary actions. There are a few full magnum length actions that will feed the Edge no problem. All magnum actions will single feed.
The LM does require a larger bolt face and other mag mods. Adds quite a bit to the overall build for little ballistic advantage.
YMMV.
Jerry
Very good read!
- Location
- calgary alberta
By the time you do all the modifications to your current action, you will be within a hundred $$ or so of a custom action.
If economy is the plan the Edge is the better way to go with your current rifle. If $$ is not a major concern, sell the current rifle and then go custom action in a Lapua or LAI.
I know you are asking about the big 338's, but...
your Sendero in 7 RUM tuned with some custom hand loads pushing todays high BC 7mm bullets, such as 180 grain Bergers or 175 SMK can do some incredible things way, way past 1000 yards. You could always shoot it until the barrel needs replacement (unless it already needs it) before rebarreling to a big 338. Just another option. Your 7RUM can be incredibly capable at LR.
Already been there done that! Great minds think alike. The reason I am thinking of the 338's is that two of the guys I shoot with have them so a starting point for data is readily available(same rifles) Ted Gaillard lives just up the road and my barrel is burnt right out..... Much to my dismay 180 bergers are outstanding. I may build another in the near future!
I have 338 Edge rifles in an 8.5 pound hunter as well as a heavy barreled A-5 tac style rifle. I believe Dennis Sorrinsen (Guntech) blueprinted my actions for a $200.00 a piece. If you already own the action I believe the Edge is by far the best bang for the buck.
I love both the rifles and don't see the point of spending the extra money on a 338 lapua build. I would spend the money on a 338 LAI build if I were looking for more bullet velocity.
Whatever wax's you board I guess!
I use Nolser brass...While it still isn't Lapua I find it works just fine. Lapua stopped making brass for my beloved 300 Winchesters so I was forced to switch to Nosler here as well and found no (zero) loss in accuracy. I crush my big magnum brass after 5 firings so the extra life is lost on me.
A few counter points to consider ...
1)These things are fairly expensive to feed and if you can afford to shoot them the Lapua brass doesn't make much of a difference in cost.
2)Unless you are taking the total Jerry route heavy tactical style rifles are expensive to build. The higher cost of a custom action makes them slightly more expensive, but if you can afford one you certainly can afford the other.
3) Some of the custom action cost should come back to you at time of resale.
Good luck with whatever you choose!
I love both the rifles and don't see the point of spending the extra money on a 338 lapua build. I would spend the money on a 338 LAI build if I were looking for more bullet velocity.
Whatever wax's you board I guess!
I use Nolser brass...While it still isn't Lapua I find it works just fine. Lapua stopped making brass for my beloved 300 Winchesters so I was forced to switch to Nosler here as well and found no (zero) loss in accuracy. I crush my big magnum brass after 5 firings so the extra life is lost on me.
A few counter points to consider ...
1)These things are fairly expensive to feed and if you can afford to shoot them the Lapua brass doesn't make much of a difference in cost.
2)Unless you are taking the total Jerry route heavy tactical style rifles are expensive to build. The higher cost of a custom action makes them slightly more expensive, but if you can afford one you certainly can afford the other.
3) Some of the custom action cost should come back to you at time of resale.
Good luck with whatever you choose!
So, I guess you've seen that Bat actioned .338 of Ted's? Quite the unit.
