I have been thinking about this rig for a year or so now. I have all the parts picked out but Im trying to deciede the calibre. .338 lapua is to expensive, 50 is to expensive. I want something to target shoot out to 1500 or so, good accuary and brass readily availible so not really interested in wildcat cartiriges. Gunsmith recommended a 8mm necked to fit a .338 bullet. I read a short review of the .338 lapua comparing to the ultra mag and it was for the ultra. anyone own a big heavy .338 ultra mag and have good or bad things to say?
thoughts on the .338 remington ultra mag
- Thread starter rem856
- Start date
Note that those velos are out of a 32 incher, 6 inches longer than an "normal" barrel. Add 50 fps per inch, add some moly, factor in that the MK has a shorter bearing surface, and I think you'd be nipping at the heels of 3000 fps.
Plus the Lapua has that big Rigby/Weatherby head, so it limits your action selection.
And if you are already going that big, think about .340-.378 Weatherby or .338-416 Rigby, both of which are a little longer than the LM
Plus the Lapua has that big Rigby/Weatherby head, so it limits your action selection.
And if you are already going that big, think about .340-.378 Weatherby or .338-416 Rigby, both of which are a little longer than the LM
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
Since you want to target shoot, the best LR rig out is based on new Canadian bullet - the Wildcat 200gr ULD.
Build a 7RUM with a 7 twist in a 30" barrel and you should reach 3000fps with no issue. The estimated BC of the 200gr wildcats is higher then ANY conventionally produced bullet on the market today. A few 50BMG match bullets may be higher but not by much.
The estimation is based on a drop charts from firing. The shooter is a true shooting techie so I trust his data. Richard of wildcat bullets is on here sometimes so you can ask him for more details about the 7AM project.
For a less expensive choice, you can use a 7STW or a 7RM and 162gr Amax bullets. At over 3150fps, these bullets rock and 1500yds is not a problem at all. They will easily travel as far as you have elevation in your scope.
Distance is not that big a deal and just about any VLD bullet can shoot to a mile (1750yds) or further. Bigger is better is you plan on LR hunting but for rock busting, the fast 6.5, and 7's are tought to beat.
Jerry
PS I have a project rifle on my 338 Mystic which is a 338-300RUM improved and long throated. Should get those 300gr MK to 3000fps or higher at moderate pressures. I am waiting for a barrel block to continue the project. Big horsepower, big money per bang. I will definitely be spending more time with my fast 7's.
Build a 7RUM with a 7 twist in a 30" barrel and you should reach 3000fps with no issue. The estimated BC of the 200gr wildcats is higher then ANY conventionally produced bullet on the market today. A few 50BMG match bullets may be higher but not by much.
The estimation is based on a drop charts from firing. The shooter is a true shooting techie so I trust his data. Richard of wildcat bullets is on here sometimes so you can ask him for more details about the 7AM project.
For a less expensive choice, you can use a 7STW or a 7RM and 162gr Amax bullets. At over 3150fps, these bullets rock and 1500yds is not a problem at all. They will easily travel as far as you have elevation in your scope.
Distance is not that big a deal and just about any VLD bullet can shoot to a mile (1750yds) or further. Bigger is better is you plan on LR hunting but for rock busting, the fast 6.5, and 7's are tought to beat.
Jerry
PS I have a project rifle on my 338 Mystic which is a 338-300RUM improved and long throated. Should get those 300gr MK to 3000fps or higher at moderate pressures. I am waiting for a barrel block to continue the project. Big horsepower, big money per bang. I will definitely be spending more time with my fast 7's.
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My project a year ago was to build a long range .338 without breaking the bank so here's what I did.
I built a .338 RUM on a rem700 action with a 30" Pac-Nor pipe and put it into a choate stock, also I used standard leupold base and rings. The only thing I did not cheap out on was the scope which is a Leupold MK4 8.5-25x50 (to me glass is everything).
I shoot sierra 250 grain Game Kings with a BC of .565 using Retumbo powder at a velocity of 3050fps. While working up a load I reached velocities of over 3200fps with the 250 grain bullets but had to settle for my current load for the accuracy, which is under a 1/2 MOA. That is not just one lucky 3 shot group at 100 yards but of several 5 shot groups shot at ranges out to 900 yards, which to me is more realistic when talking about the accuracy of a rifle.
Not including the scope everything so far has cost me less than $1600. That includes the brass and reloading supplies I have used to date. I guess my point is that as long as the bullet consistently gets to where it is supposed to go, it could care less what sent it there.
Main thing is to have fun and don't break the bank if you don't have to.
Hope this helps and good luck with your new rig.
I have pics of the rifle and targets if you want to send me your e-mail.
I built a .338 RUM on a rem700 action with a 30" Pac-Nor pipe and put it into a choate stock, also I used standard leupold base and rings. The only thing I did not cheap out on was the scope which is a Leupold MK4 8.5-25x50 (to me glass is everything).
I shoot sierra 250 grain Game Kings with a BC of .565 using Retumbo powder at a velocity of 3050fps. While working up a load I reached velocities of over 3200fps with the 250 grain bullets but had to settle for my current load for the accuracy, which is under a 1/2 MOA. That is not just one lucky 3 shot group at 100 yards but of several 5 shot groups shot at ranges out to 900 yards, which to me is more realistic when talking about the accuracy of a rifle.
Not including the scope everything so far has cost me less than $1600. That includes the brass and reloading supplies I have used to date. I guess my point is that as long as the bullet consistently gets to where it is supposed to go, it could care less what sent it there.
Main thing is to have fun and don't break the bank if you don't have to.
Hope this helps and good luck with your new rig.
I have pics of the rifle and targets if you want to send me your e-mail.
right on, thats what I wanted to hear. Email is dowierj@hotmail.com, pictures would be awsome. did you buy a 700 to start or just the action. the new remy sps is only 499.99 and unless i find a action cheaper i think im gonna go with that. im thinking of going with the a4 or a5 stock and a 30 or 32inch barrel sounds pretty good...I just gonna remmeber the make. how far have you shot this thing out to?
Glad I can help. Pics will take a day or two though cause I'm out at work right now.
I have only shot it out to 900 yards so far (it’s all the room I’ve got being just outside the city). I'm new to shooting at these distances so I have had quite the learning curve. It has not been so much about getting a good grouping (most days) but more about where the group is hitting with different conditions. I have had good days and bad days but mostly good.
Even with the somewhat lower cost of shooting the .338 RUM I still find it expensive to shoot so I am in the works of building a 6.5/284 with the same components to practice with and save some barrel life on the .338 RUM.
As far as the stock you want I hear they are second to none however very pricey and I was told to expect to wait up to 18 months for it and even then there was no guarantee on that time. I only asked at the local shops, Mil Arm and P&D but I wanted to get shooting so I went with the choate. Surprisingly I like it and it works just fine. I would still like an A5 though so if anyone knows something I don’t or knows where I can get one in less than half a year I’d be interested.
From my research I went with a 30” barrel because from my understanding that with a straight cut bbl any longer you should consider block bedding which I did not want to get into. Looking back at my decision I know I made the right one cause I get the velocities I wanted out of the 30 inch pipe and even then I ended up deciding to cut back on the velocity and load for accuracy. (3050fps with a 250 grain bullet is still respectable though)
As far as the action is concerned I had a 7mm rem that jammed up on me when a huge bull moose walked out 150 yards away. After the moose “walked” into the bush never to be seen again and the gun had gone for a short flight after it, I decided rather than sell it I would turn it into something to redeem itself. I’m not sure of the quality of an SPS but for the price it is worth a try and you can sell the barrel and stock to make a few bucks back. That would make a good thread to find out if an SPS 700 action is every bit as good as an older 700 adl or bdl.
Just remember, none of it is worth anything unless you put some good glass on it.
Take care and I’ll send out the pics ASAP.
I have only shot it out to 900 yards so far (it’s all the room I’ve got being just outside the city). I'm new to shooting at these distances so I have had quite the learning curve. It has not been so much about getting a good grouping (most days) but more about where the group is hitting with different conditions. I have had good days and bad days but mostly good.
Even with the somewhat lower cost of shooting the .338 RUM I still find it expensive to shoot so I am in the works of building a 6.5/284 with the same components to practice with and save some barrel life on the .338 RUM.
As far as the stock you want I hear they are second to none however very pricey and I was told to expect to wait up to 18 months for it and even then there was no guarantee on that time. I only asked at the local shops, Mil Arm and P&D but I wanted to get shooting so I went with the choate. Surprisingly I like it and it works just fine. I would still like an A5 though so if anyone knows something I don’t or knows where I can get one in less than half a year I’d be interested.
From my research I went with a 30” barrel because from my understanding that with a straight cut bbl any longer you should consider block bedding which I did not want to get into. Looking back at my decision I know I made the right one cause I get the velocities I wanted out of the 30 inch pipe and even then I ended up deciding to cut back on the velocity and load for accuracy. (3050fps with a 250 grain bullet is still respectable though)
As far as the action is concerned I had a 7mm rem that jammed up on me when a huge bull moose walked out 150 yards away. After the moose “walked” into the bush never to be seen again and the gun had gone for a short flight after it, I decided rather than sell it I would turn it into something to redeem itself. I’m not sure of the quality of an SPS but for the price it is worth a try and you can sell the barrel and stock to make a few bucks back. That would make a good thread to find out if an SPS 700 action is every bit as good as an older 700 adl or bdl.
Just remember, none of it is worth anything unless you put some good glass on it.
Take care and I’ll send out the pics ASAP.
What to choose?
Was so happy to see that someone else is looking at the same thing I am. Really appreciated everyones opinion. I am looking at the big .30 calibers as well. I am considering the .340 Weatherby Mag, .338 RUM, .338 Lapua and the .338-378 Weatherby Mag. I would like to shoot a 200-210 grain bullet at 3200-3400 fps hopefully out of a 26" barrell to use for hunting as well. Might have to go down to a 185 grain to get that kind of speed depending on the caliber. I have pretty much resigned myself to put on a brake to help with the recoil. I have been tossing around this whole thing for some time now and was wondering if it wasn't for the price of the brass/bullets what caliber would you all choose? I to believe that good glass is crucial to LR shooting and hunting. I am considering the Leupold and Schmidt and Bender line. I see you are looking at the A4 I was thinking about the A3. Curious as to why you would choose the A4? Any constructive advice would be great.
Was so happy to see that someone else is looking at the same thing I am. Really appreciated everyones opinion. I am looking at the big .30 calibers as well. I am considering the .340 Weatherby Mag, .338 RUM, .338 Lapua and the .338-378 Weatherby Mag. I would like to shoot a 200-210 grain bullet at 3200-3400 fps hopefully out of a 26" barrell to use for hunting as well. Might have to go down to a 185 grain to get that kind of speed depending on the caliber. I have pretty much resigned myself to put on a brake to help with the recoil. I have been tossing around this whole thing for some time now and was wondering if it wasn't for the price of the brass/bullets what caliber would you all choose? I to believe that good glass is crucial to LR shooting and hunting. I am considering the Leupold and Schmidt and Bender line. I see you are looking at the A4 I was thinking about the A3. Curious as to why you would choose the A4? Any constructive advice would be great.
If money (and recoil) were no object, I'd build a .338-.416 Rigby, with a short neck and a slightly steeper shoulder. I don't like the long neck of the Weatherby, and I'm not too fussy about belts if I have the choice.
The cartridge would essentially be a stretched .338 Lapua
The cartridge would essentially be a stretched .338 Lapua
