Building three 338 big bore long range rifles.....

[2 dogs]

Ive done the search thing for 338 long range info. There is a pleathora of information all right, but its quite scattered about. I want you to spec me out 3 differnt 338 long range rifles to include actions, barrels, stocks, optics, and bottom metal etc. WHICH 338 cartridge and why. Rifle #1 should be top of the line, rifle #2 should be middle of the road, and rifle #3 should be a budget build. Of course pics of your rifles would certainly be appreciated. Price ceiling about 4 grand say...

I almost pulled the trigger on a new Remington 338L but the more I read, the less I was sure 338 Lapua/Remington 700 is the way to go. Then came the custom action information as well as the Savages and such.

Finally, I saw a thread somewhere on a 300WM shooting 220 or 240 grain bullets that was supposed to be right on the heels of the 338's but I cant find it anymore. Can anyone point me to that thread?

My thanks for your time and for sharing your experience.

 

[Goin'Hot]

Re: Building three 338 big bore long range rifles.....

I don't think the WM has enough @ss to push a 240 on the heels of the LM. The 300 RUM on the other hand would be an excellent LR setup using the 240 SMK's.

The 338's have been talked about pretty heavily here lately. My OPINION is if you must have a 338, build a Lapua from scratch on the proper sized action (insert any big name here) with a minimum of a 30" 9.5 twist or faster barrel with a comp. If it'll be used for shooting steel and not carried, I recommend a 32" tube.

 

[armada]

Re: Building three 338 big bore long range rifles.....

I have a GAP built with a Surgeon XL, Surgeon Bottom metal, Rock 27.5 in 1/10 barrel in a McMillan A5,Terry Cross hardware and Badger FTE brake. I love it. I comes, price wise, to your max.

The second would be a factory rifle for me. Sako TRG-42 or DTS. Actually for around the same price you could have a Badger M2008 in an AICS 1.5 for about the same price as a DTS.
I have the parts for the Badger build now, just waiting on some other projects to finish and for GAP to catch up a little, actually my wallet, then it's off.

My last would probably be a Remington or Savage. With the Remington preferred. I'm not saying Savage is bad, I've just always purchased Remingtons until I found Snipers Hide. Then my wallet got really thin and lost a lot of sleep. But its all good.

I have these rifles in 338 Lapua due to the barss. Easy to pick up brass at my local store and online,then build them up. I didn't want to spend time fireforming or looking for 338 Norma brass. I've also had 10 lodings on my Lapua brass and still holding. Running 250 cenars and 300 SMKs.

Good luck, the larger 338s are all great. I forgot to mention, the FTE brake does such a excellent job on recoil, it kicks like something around an AR15 to a 243. You can shoot it all day. I was expecting something like a 308, but realized the recoil was even softer than shooting a 308. My gun does weigh 19.5 lbs with a scope but my Badger m2008 in an AICS 2.0 with scope weighs 2 lbs less.

 

[2 dogs]

Re: Building three 338 big bore long range rifles.....

Thanks guys. Excellent posts that make alot of sense.

 

[baldie]

Re: Building three 338 big bore long range rifles.....

This is my own .338lm. I built it on a surgeon xl, it has a border barrel, our own brake, and a mcmillan bedded A5, jewell trigger, etc. Paint is duracoat. Its a great cartridge, but you must brake it, otherwise its very unpleasant. I,ve built quite a few now, which are carbon copies of this gun, as the format seems to work well, and more and more people wish to own this great cartridge in the UK.

Good luck with the guns you are building.

 

[2 dogs]

Re: Building three 338 big bore long range rifles.....

Is the Remington action a bit light for this build? Many seem to be opting for a heavier thus stiffer action. Also, Some of my research indicates the 338 Lapua OAL gets a little cramped when running 300 grain bullets. Does the Surgeon action use a magazine with a longer box or are the 338 mags all the same?

 

[2 dogs]

Re: Building three 338 big bore long range rifles.....

Here are one builders specs which sound really good to me. Note the reference to the longer magazine...Thoughts?

Action: Badger M2008 Lapua Mag Action

Barrel: Bartlein, need input on the twist rate length will be
either 27 or 28 in.

Stock: McMillan A-5, I've got another build on a 700
in .308 that sits in an A-3, so that was a no brainer.

Bottom Metal: Badger DBM floor plate that will accomadate the
new 3.8 in. COAL AI mags.

Glass: Razor HD 5-20x50, have one sitting on my .308 and
absolutely love it, see no reason to change that up.

 

[armada]

Re: Building three 338 big bore long range rifles.....

You can buy a Surgeon XL with the CIP length magazine which is longer than the standard 338 Lapua. I would call Surgeon Rifles to see what your options are. They also have the AICS designed for the XL and does have the magazine length for CIP specs.

 

[psinclair]

Re: Building three 338 big bore long range rifles.....

Here's what you have to look forward to!! I've worked that load up a bit and I'm getting 3100+fps with the 250gr scenar.

 

[2 dogs]

Re: Building three 338 big bore long range rifles.....

OK, tell me what CIP stands for?

 

[Bluejazz]

Re: Building three 338 big bore long range rifles.....

The easiest 338 to build would be the 338 EDGE. Buy a donor Rem SPS 300 RUM and put a custom 28-30" barrel( Rem varmint contour 9.3 x) on it chambered in 338 EDGE. Add a Wyatt magbox for a COAL of 3.780-3.80 and 92gr H-1000 to get 2850 fps with the 300gr SMK. Also, put a HS stock on it. Should be able to get this put together for around $2000.00
Build costs go up from there, but won't perform any better than the EDGE.

 

[armada]

Re: Building three 338 big bore long range rifles.....

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 2 dogs</div><div class="ubbcode-body">OK, tell me what CIP stands for? </div></div>

Commissione Internationalle Permanente

It is the European equivalent to SAAMI in the states.