Re: help!!! i want a 338
WOW, you are picking a nice rat hole to throw money down. Don't get me wrong, there is something seriously sexy about a .338LM and I had been lusting after one for quite a while. You need to be very aware of what you are setting yourself up for.
I have a Remington 700P MLR that only cost me $1069.00 NIB, but that was only the beginning of my .338LM quest. I had been looking at one for about a year as a lower cost way get in on the .388LM and then stumbled on a serious deal on one. Those same rifles are now going for anywhere between $1500.00 to $2000.00 now.
New bolt knob install - $110.00 (Don't like Remington bolt knobs)
New Precision Armament M41 Severe-Duty™ Muzzle Brake,self install - $120.00 (factory one just sucks, went this route so I did not have to have it sent out and timed, just ordered this week so will post opinions on it later)
Atlas bipod and rail - $300.00
New trigger in the future - $120.00 (probably a Timney)
Scope mount - $140.00
Spuhr 34mm Picatinny Mount - $400.00
Spuhr QD ACI mount - $120.00
Milspec ACI - 140.00
Leupold 6.5-20x50mm ER/T M5 Locking Adjustment with TMR reticle - $1500.00 (I know, blasphemy to not buy a Nightforce, S&B, or Vortex on this site but I got a good deal and it is a really nice scope, there are times that I kind of wish I had got it with the Horus H-58, but I have a hard time swallowing a $450.00 reticle)
Magazines - $125.00 each (there may be a cheaper source but I have yet to find it)
That was just to get the gun setup the way I liked it and it is more accurate than I can shoot it. I personally don't have any dislikes about the stock, so I am not going to upgrade that at all (I figure that if I decide to upgrade the stock later on then I would just sell the thing and buy a new rifle like the TG-42). If I do decide to sell at a later date then I figure I would not loose money on the rifle, might even make some.
Now to feed the thing:
Dies, shellholders and bushings: call it $350.00 to $400.00 for the top of the line Redding dies.
Assuming that you already have all the necessary tools to reload, then Lapua brass is going to cost $250.00 to $300.00 per hundred. Hornady is cheaper but all the reviews that I read on their brass was not encouraging, so I bought 300 rounds of Lapua brass and do not regret it. Throw out the brass cost and reloading tool costs and the reloads cost about $2.00 to $2.50 a round depending on bullets, primers and powder.
Then you have the costs of all the other gear you are going to want to get for extreme long range shooting that you may or may not already have. Things like a Kestrel, good spotting scope and tripod, steel targets, shooting mats, bags etc. At least you can justify those items as useful for your other rifles.
Now I am not saying to not go with .338LM, but I think that your budget is awfully optimistic. Granted I did get some top shelf ancillary gear for mine, but I subscribe to the "buy once, cry once" philosophy. I think you need to allot about three times that amount. Given the issues that I have heard about concerning the Savage 338's and the cost of the new 700P MLR's, I would give a serious look at the TRG-42 as a factory option that is already tricked out right out of the box. It fits your budget for the rifle only, however once you buy one your are going to want to shoot it, so have the money set aside for everything before you buy.
I have been shooting/reloading for over 35 years and even with that amount of time and experience devoted to this "hobby", I was a little taken aback at the costs for me to shoot this rifle. On the plus side, I do really enjoy shooting it and do not regret it for an instant. Just my $0.02 so take it for what it is worth. If you really want one then by all means get one, you only live once and they are a hoot. Just tried to put it into perspective for you and relate my experience. Just don't let your wife find out or she may skin you alive unless she shoots also.