Buidling a rifle....Opinions & Suggestions Appreciated!

FullCurlHunter

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Apr 5, 2006
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I am relatively new to the idea of tactically taking an animal at ranges beyond 400 yards...with all honesty, I am extremely appreciative at the level of skill, knowledge as well as the equipment that is needed for this type of hunting. Last summer I bought a weatherby ultra-lightweight in .300 weatherby, had the trigger done, an accubrake installed and invested in talley one piece mounts as well as a zeiss conquest 4.5-14x44mm scope. I bought the rifle mainly for my dreams of backpack hunting out west as well as my aspirations to one day go sheep hunting. Anyways, the reason for this post is to inquire as to your opinions on having a semi-custom rifle built. Some day I plan to hunt some of the larger species located in North America like elk, moose, brown/grizzly bear and caribou as well as african game. I know that my .300 weatherby will adequately take any of the above, but I like guns and the idea of having a part of what it becomes. I have heard a lot abuot the 338 edge that Shawn Carlock has introduced based on the 300 RUM cartridge necked up to accept .338 diameter bullets. I have two main questions that I would appreciate input on. These are:

1. If what I assume to be true concernign the 338 RUM compared to the 338 edge, the 338 RUM is a .300 RUM case that has been cut down in shoulder length so 300 RUM will not fit into a 338 RUM....(which is probobly the result of human error that I have came in personal contact with...a guy was shooting at my range and was shooting 7mm RUM cartridges through a 300 RUM gun...and asked my father and I if we had any idea why the bullets were going in legth wise making inch tears instead of bullet holes....Anyways, back to my assumpions. The 338 edge is indeed a full size 300 RUM that has been necked out to 338 caliber which allows it to have on average 6-8% more capacity than the 338 RUM.

To the average weekend shooter, would it be worth having a rifle chabered for 338 edge rather than the 338 RUM?

2. I am thinking of purchasing an remington 700 long action and sending it to a gunsmith to have it trued and chambered to one of these calibers. I also like the looks and recoil depressing capability offered by Brown Precisions thumbhole compostie stocks or McMillans lazzeroni thumbhole. With a caliber like these two what contour barrel do you suggest to get a complete gun weight around 9.5-10 pounds or so (to be able to carry on hunts while still being able to be efficient at long ranges)..I was thinking 26-26.5" stainless steel barrel by a premium barrel manufacturer with the addition of a muzzle brake since I do mind the muzzle blast and added noise (to be honest I do not notice much of a difference on both of my rifles that have muzzle brakes on them). That is one thought. Here is my other thought. Would you advise just having a custom gun-maker build a rifle to my needs? What are the costs of each rifle option...if at all possible I would like to save in all areas. Also how practical in a hunting situation are target nobs, mil dots and range reticles such as the NightForce 3.5-15X50mm NXS with the NP-1RR....what reticle would you guys reccomend for long range shooting as well as hunting purposes that I listed earlier.

I know there is a lot of info and questions here, but I greatly respect all of your opinions and value any suggestions/opinions that you can offer!

Thanks!

Daniel
 
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To the average weekend shooter, would it be worth having a rifle chabered for 338 edge rather than the 338 RUM?

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If you reload YES, if not then no.

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was thinking 26-26.5" stainless steel barrel by a premium barrel manufacturer with the addition of a muzzle brake

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About a no 6 contour fluted @ 28 inces plus a brake.

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to get a complete gun weight around 9.5-10 pounds

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I would not get hung up on a set weight, you can always cut 2-3 pounds out of your pack to make carring the extra weight of your rifle.

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Also how practical in a hunting situation are target nobs, mil dots and range reticles such as the NightForce 3.5-15X50mm NXS with the NP-1RR

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very practical, and i would suggest the np r2 instead.

Just my opion

d-a

oh welcome aboard
 
Appreciate It a lot! My father reloads extensively and I hope to learn the trade more in depth in the near future!
 
Daniel,

The guys have you headed down the right track. If you are going to reload then go the EDGE. If you are building a packing rifle you can go a little lighter on profile, but you can build a fairly light rifle on a 5 or 6 conture barrel. You will want a break for sure. I also am a Nightforce NPR2 fan. I am not a big thumbhole fan but that is personel preference. So far as prices go drop me a line at my email address.
 
Daniel,

Shawn is building me a 338EDGE right now. I'm very excited about this rifle and I've heard nothing but good things about it. I sent Shawn my Remington Sendero (300wm), that had been previously worked on by him and I can attest to his craftsmanship. He did an awesome job on that 300 of mine. The previous owner and I were able to shoot 2 3/8" groups at 500 meters with that rifle. And that was with the factory barrel that had been cut down and trued by Shawn.

I'm really looking forward to the magic he's going to work on this rifle by turning it into a 338EDGE!

I'm getting a Nightforce scope from him also, but I chose the MLR reticle.

Devin
 
Run with the 338 EDGE with a 28" + brake for your listed uses. That will offer you the most terminal performance at long-range with the species you listed. You can shoot the 225 NABs on the "lighter" game, you can step up to a 275 gr Swift A-Frame or 225 gr MRX/TSX for all the above.

If you get right down to the bottom of it, the EDGE allows you to take advantage of the 225 to 300 gr .338 bullets. It has the edge on the 338 RUM. Plus the formed cases look sweet! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
From one sheep hunter to another, dont worry too much about the rifle's weight. Obviously there are limits, but a 11-13 pound rifle is OK. My favoriate sheep rig is 12#. I tried 15# and it was doable yet uncomfortable. The added stability for the cold bore shot and the long range shot is worth the extra weight.

As far as which reticle, there is a plethora of them to choose from. NP-R2 is great for the 300-338 RUM's and so is the TMR from leupold or MLR from night force.

If you download the software found at the link below, you can enter atmoshperic conditions and BC and bullet velocity, zero range ect... and it will show you which reticle will best suit your caliber and loads.

27.25" of barrel minimum.

For the average weekend hunter or shooter, no its not worth a wild cat. Wild cats are however more fun and intriquing!

You cant go wrong with building a custom LR rig on the tried and true Rem 700.

Good luck!
 
Why not just pop for a new Accumark in 338-378Wby. It comes with everything you are looking for and I believe it has a performance advantage over the 338 Edge. I can show you how to adjust the trigger. No need to pay to have it done.
 
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