700P MLR .338 Lapua on its way

pwrwgnwalt

Active Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2008
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25
After researching, calling potential retailers, researching more, and finally finding someone who would put me on a waiting list, a new Rem 700P MLR is on its way to me! :D ($1,070)

I ordered the Badger 20 MOA base with it, and once I decide on a scope, will get the rings to mount said scope.

I've hunted for almost 3 decades, mosly in the west, with a 7mm-08 and .30-06. I've reloaded for most of these years, and have had Nikon, Sightron, and Tasco (hey, it was a World Class Plus-I liked it!) glass. I have read all sorts of interesting stuff on the 'net regading selection of optics for my new 700P MLR, but a lot of it seems to be dated ( agreed, the basics never go out of style ).

My questions are these - especially for those of you shooting the .338 LM:
1. For longer-range shooting of up to 1000 yds (I will likely work up 250 gr and 300 gr loads for this 1:10 twist tube),
What scope, commonly available today in the <= $ 500 range, would you suggest? I do not want to spend more than that, period. (It's a mental block - I'm Scottish;))

I really like the lifetime warranty (e.g. Nikon) compared to a seemingly lesser warranty (Bushnell?). Yes, I am concerned about longer-term ruggedness, being on the .338 LM. I am now considering the following, given what I have read and can find:

Bushnell Elite 3200 5-15x40 Tactical;
Bushnell Elite 3200 5-15x50;
Nikon Monarch 5-20x44
Nikon Buckmaster 6-18x40 SF BDC

2. What Reticle is best for dual purpose (hunting and long range target)? I am unsure about the MilDot for my uses...

3. From what I read, choices of brass are slim. I do not want Remington brass, which appears to leave either Lapua or Norma. I've read the pros and cons of each (Lapua=stronger; Norma= more consistent).
What brass do you .338 LM reloaders prefer?


Any answers are greatly appreciated as I gather components to complete the rifle and head to the range in a few weeks...

Happy 4th of July!
-Walt
NRA Life Member
 
I only have a couple minutes to reply(ignoring company I have over is never a good thing) so I'll make this short.

You have $500 for optics, skip the Elite 3200 and get a 4200 model. The difference in glass is noticeable. You can get the 4200 6-24X50 Tactical @ good prices from after The Optic Zone and Brunos Shooters supply(you won't find cheaper unless you get an used one or scour ebay). I can't vouch for the Nikon's as I've never used them but they come highly recommended.

Gotta run! Happy 4th everyone, have a great weekend!!

*If Nikon's warranty bests Bushnell's, that's news to myself and many others here.
 
I would get a Leupold vx2, 6-18x40 Target, w/fine duplex. They come with target turrets so you can "dial up" to your given range. They run about $450-500. I"ve got several of these scopes on anything from a 25-06 to 300 RUM and never had any problems. Good power range and fine duplex is nice for longer range shooting. Best scope to be had for $500, IMO. Lapua brass is better, by better I mean stronger and more consistent then Norma. Norma IS NOT more consistent then Lapua, at least from everything I've ever read. Good luck with your rifle!
 
Brass and Scope

I shoot the Lapua mag a lot, but have never used anything but Lapua brass. I found it to be very consistent and durable.

As far as the scope I have several Super Snipers scopes (I know, it sounds stupid) and found them to be accurate and very rugged. I like the turrets even better than the ones on my Leupold Mk4. You can only get them from SWFA, depending one which one you can get them for under $300. The company ships fast and has excellent customer service.

If you are interested I can give you some load data that I have found to be very accurate in my rifle.

For any of you reloaders out there, How many reloads are you getting out of your 338 lapua brass? Mine seems to be holding up almost too well.
 
338

I started this game myself a few years ago (2) and I'll give you a little advice as far as optics go.

Do yourself a favor and get a Nightforce, USO, or Schmidt Bender asap. Period!

For $1450 or so you can get an 3.5-15x50 Nightforce NSX and have enough scope to hunt/shoot close or far. Your shooting will be improved with the better resolution and reliable optic and if you purchase it upfront you'll actually save money. Because sooner or later you'll want to upgrade and you might as well do it now at todays costs while our Peso is still worth a little bit.

So in the end the Better optic will save you money because it will allow finer shot placement, saving time in load development and on misses.

Having an repeataable optic that is tough and works well is worth it's weight in gold. It instills confidence and makes one more consistant.

I once used Tascos with BDC cams and stadia lines. Now I'm far along enough to NEED a NF, USO, and SB. Wish I just would have purchased these the first time around instead of spending money on lesser products.

BTW the Lapua brass is fantastic.

I'm just telling you the simple truth, and others used to advise me just the same.
 
I would suggest the Nikon Monarch for the price range in a 4-16. I don't shoot the LM, but I think if 500 is your limit, this scope will give you the most durability and clear glass for the money. Another opition is the Bushnell 4200, but I know the glass in Nikon has better light transmission.
 
I can't imagin Norma brass being more consistent than Laupa. I use the Laupa brass and I find it to be VERY consistent.
As to scopes, I have a hard time recomending anything below a Nightforce, but if that's what you are set on then take a close look at the Meopta 4X16 and as allready mentioned the Elite 4200
 
Thanks for the input, everyone!

I have been reading all that I can find on the topic of scopes. I decided to do a little 'shopping' and have been looking critically at - and through - some of the scopes mentioned herein. It appears, to my eyes anyway, that the Bushnell 4200, Nikon Monarch, and Leupold VXII glass are all fairly equal, IMHO.

Considering my .338 Lapua Magnum (w/ 20 MOA Badger base) and up to 1000 yd shooting, my dilemma comes to this: eye relief, reticle choice, overall MOA adjustment, repeatability, and durability.:confused:
I am guessing that with the 20MOA Badger scope base I will still require quite a bit (??) of adjustment to reach 1000 yds, even with a 200 yd zero on the .338 LM. Therefore, I have left off any scope with less than 40 MOA of adjustment (many had as little as 20-something!).


Here are the specs I found, presented in relative price order, staying below $520:
(m/n= model#; ER= eye relief; MOA= total MOA adjustment available)
m/n .... ER (in.) ... MOA ... Reticle ..... 1 click ...... price
Bushnell 3200:
5-15 x 40 ........ 5154M .... 4.3" ....... 50 ...... Multi-X .... 1/4 MOA ..... 290
5-15 x 50 ........ 5155M .... 3.4" ....... 40 ...... Multi-X .... 1/4 MOA ..... 300
7-21 x 40 ........ 7214M .... 3.3" ....... 40 ...... Mil-Dot .... 1/4 MOA ..... 360

Nikon Buckmaster:
6-18 x 40 ........ 6473 ...... 3.5" ....... 50 ...... Fine Dplx .. 1/8 MOA ..... 350

Falcon Menace:
4.5-18 x 56 .... MS4.5-18 . 3.0" ....... 80 :)... MP-20 ...... 1/4 MOA ..... 390
4.5-18 x 56 .... MM4.5-18 . 3.0" ....... 80 :)... MP-20 ...... 0.1 Mrad .... 390

Vortex Viper:
6.5-20 x 44 .... 05BDC ...... 3.3" ....... 68 ...... BDC ......... 1/4 MOA ..... 480

Bushnell 4200:
6-24 x 40 ...... 6242P ....... 4.6" ....... 40 ...... Mil-Dot ..... 1/8 MOA ..... 480
6-24 x 50 ...... 6245T ....... 3.0" ....... 50 ...... Mil-Dot ..... 1/4 MOA ..... 500

Nikon Monarch:
4-16 x 50 ...... 8440 ......... 4.0" ...... 40 ....... BDC ......... 1/4 MOA ..... 480
5-20 x 44 ...... 8425 ......... 4.0" ...... 40 ....... BDC ..........1/8 MOA ..... 500

Millett Tactical LRS-1:
6-25 x 56 ...... 81004 ....... 3.5" ..... 140 :D... Mil-Dot ...... 1/4 MOA ..... 500

Leupold VXII:
6-18 x 40 ...... 61295 ........ 3.7" ..... 56 ...... LRV Dplx ..... 1/4 MOA ..... 500

Leupold Mark 2:
6-18 x 40 ...... 62950 ........ 3.7" ..... 56 ...... LRV Dplx ..... 1/4 MOA ..... 519


Here are my questions for you experienced long-range shooters...

I am concerned a bit with eye relief for the .338 LM. Any experiences or advice anyone would care to share?
3.0" seems kinda short to me.

For dual purposes (target and hunting), which reticle(s) would you recommend?

Likewise, there are 3 basic choices for w/e adjustment: 1/4 or 1/8 MOA, and the 0.1 Mrad of the Falcon. Once I get accustomed to it, which would you suggest?

As for the .338 LM, should any/all of the above be reasonably expected to stand up to the recoil?
Somewhat subjective...

I realize this may open the proverbial can-o-worms, but any insight or advice you can share on the above specs would be greatly appreciated, given my "short list", use, and price range!

Thanks in advance, everyone!
- Walt
 
Hello,
I have just taken my second M700P 338 Lapua back to the dealer with a faulty barrel. The rep here in Australia is interested in replacing again and told me to go and buy a Sako. Good factory backup. I know of three other people that have had the same issues. Remingtons QA is obviously not very good. Inspect the barrel just past the throat area. Cheers
 
Thats real nice. I wouldnt worry about that , other people who are not crapping on your thread love that rifle. Get it and shoot it. A benefit of this rifle is the sky is the limit. It will probably be fine.
 
If your going to be dialing I feel that you are selling yourself short with your $500 budget, period.

Sure you may be able to buy a sub $500 scope, but with the 338 lapur you are driving a sports car, so put sport tyres on it. I think you will be setting yourself for heartache if you put a cheap scope on a 1000 yard rifle and hope every click is the same , everytime.

No matter how accurate your gun is, if your scope does not track and click exactly right everytime, you will keep on missing 'em.

Forget you are scottish and buy the NF and brag about it !!

Good luck

Cheers

DUH
 
Remington 700P MLR

Hi,

I just took delivery of one of these riffles here in Australia. On the whole I am very, very impressed with it. Mine even came from the dealer with a black hard case! All in all quite a bit of gun for the money.

Thank you Remington for making the 338 Lapua Magnum affordable!

I just thoroughly cleaned her, fitted a picatinny scope rail (courtesy of Evolution Gun Works - in PA) and pressed my first dummy test cartridge. Now I too am faced with the choosing of glass.

I think I am going to bite the bullet (so to speak) and save up for a Leupold 8.5-25X50 Mark4. I have a nice Burris med range scope that will get me by in the mean time. Maybe you could do something similar..

-Mike
 
Thanks for all the input, everyone.

I made my decision Friday and have already received a Vortex Viper 6.5-20 x 44 Scope (w/ BDC reticle) - thanks to Scott at LibertyOptics! It is going in IOR 30 mm low-mount alloy rings, and test fits show it complements the Badger 20 MOA rail nicely, with enough clearance all around.

I chose the Vortex Viper because it comes with a lifetime warranty and the features I wanted - all for under $500 (variable, high magnification, pop-up-zero, solid forever warranty).

In looking through the scope (prior to mounting), I can easily see the houses 1 mile away with great clarity at all magnifications. This is equal to (maybe even better) than my Nikon Monarch! I hope to get to the range this weekend to get some real data on the rifle and setup.

More later...
- Walt
 
REM 700p 338lapua

I will be picking up my 700p in 338 lapua hopefully monday if it gets here. I have read good things on this rifle so far, planin to shoot the 300smk. Any one with 338 lapua load experience chime in here. Didn't take me long to get one of these rifles I was expecting alot longer waiting period will find out this week how she shoots. I hope remington's porting job tames the recoil
 
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