Factory 338 Lapua carry rifle for hunting?

[asd9055]

+1 for the weatherby accumark. This is the first load that I tried with this rifle...no barrel break in, it feels good in your hands and looks good too. View attachment 369897View attachment 369898

Wood or synthetic, they sure look nice, don't they

 

[skipglo]

What are good hunting bullets in the 250-280 range?

Hornady...235-285 x's, SMKs, Lapua 255 (or 250 scenars, )But the 300 smks are an excellent choice too! And others which I haven't tried ( yet)

 

[baggy270]

Looking at getting a 338 lapua in a hunting gun. The savage LRH seems about the best bang for the buck. Any other I should consider?

Have the Savage and it puts 5 into same hole at 100 yards

 

[30378wbymag]

My .02…
Christensen MPR in .338 Lapua is worth every penny. I put 2 of them together one for myself and one for my brother. Topped them both with Vortex Razor HD scopes. Both guns shoot factory Hornady Precision Hunter ammo (230gr and 270gr ELDX) at 1/2 moa and I have made hand loads with the same bullets that shoot 5 bullets touching day after day. With the adjustable muzzle brake, you can spot your own impacts consistently and the recoil is minimal. (My 14 year old daughter has shot it several times and she thinks her .243 kicks harder). It is loud AF though.
My gun killed 5 elk last year in NV and 3 of the 5 were bang/flops on big bulls. The other 2 only needed 2 rounds with the average distance being 575+ yards.
This gun is very manageable in a pack, the folding stock is solid and it flat out performs in the field day after day. There are other good options out there but fully set up with bipod, mono-pod, scope & rings, you are in the neighborhood of $5500

DANG that's A LOT of elk meat, you must have many mouths to feed!!!

 

[747fullscale]

Looking at getting a 338 lapua in a hunting gun. The savage LRH seems about the best bang for the buck. Any other I should consider?

IMHO I think that caliber is an excellent choice. I own several, from the Savage LRH all the way to a $12,500 Gunwerks….. Extremely happy with every one!. I use a Limbsaver recoil pad and American Precision Fat Bastard brake on all of them. Recoil is neglible…..

 

[dougduey]

Sounds like that gun has problems.

No it doesn't. Tight tolerances. Fires virgin brass just fine. Had it looked at by one of the best gunsmiths in the country……it's fine.

 

[judgebill]

Have a Fierce in 338 LM,love it. Recoil with factory brake is easily tolerable. Shoots 236 Hammers,252 Cutting Edge and 270 Hornady ELX into .5 at 100 yards. Love the gun.

 

[dr.frank338]

Have a look at Voere LBW, a true hunting rifle that is very light and portable, but add a muzzle brake for lr prone shooting. Very cheap too, 1/10 twist

 

[FEENIX]

I'm going to put together a 338 Rum or 338 Edge with one of these stocks !
I really like the feel of it !

Rum Man

Me too! It has all the features I am looking for and with competitive price.

 

[asd9055]

Me too! It has all the features I am looking for and with competitive price.

I want that one!

 

[ARlife4me]

I use a Savage 110BA Stealth in 338LM. Fully loaded and ready to roll, bipod and all, it weighs in at a hefty 15lb11oz. I'm used to 40lb rucks, so it's not a big deal for me personally.

Load my own for it and am happy to 700yards with a repeatable 3.68" grouping

I changed the muzzle break out (TA Terminator from NZ) and it's now a shoulder shootable rifle.

The bugger next to you gets knocked off his feet tho.

I have the exact gun, but probably a different scope. What ammo or handloads do you do for that gun?

 

[CasperTheMedic]

I have the exact gun, but probably a different scope. What ammo or handloads do you do for that gun?

I do load my own. Got a stupidly good deal on 600 pieces of once fired factory Hornady brass. Test loads for the camo boys heading to afghan etc.
Everyone I have spoken to said that Hornady is too soft and gives stuck cases. 400 rounds downrange & not one even slightly hard to extract.
250gr Hornady BTHP #33361
88.1gr H4831SC for a nice solid 2855.8fps
Ogive 2.962"
COL 3.625"
Case Length 2.714"
ES 14fps
SD 6.53
100yrd 0.43" / 0.39MOA
360yrd zero 1.80" / 0.48MOA
Can NOT find the projectiles anymore. Have 100 in the box.

Probably going to switch to the Lapua 250gr HPBT Scenars. I have heard good things about them.

 

[747fullscale]

If I'm buying a 338 LM and want bang for the buck, I want a rifle that will feel as comfortable on the range as in the field. To me, that would put me into the Fierce or Christensen category. I don't have any experience with the Fierce, but they have the reputation to speak for themselves. I have a good chunk of experience with the CA ELR in 338 LM. Berger 300 EOL atop RL33 makes for a very easy to tune round that will allow you to have a good longer range target rifle that will still allow you to hunt. If I was to buy a 338 LM to be a hunting only rifle, I would probably convert it over to 300 NM on a thinner profile barrel and have slightly lower recoil. FWIW, the brake on the LRH is the most obnoxious I've ever encountered. Kid sat 3 benches away from me at the range and peppered me with about 10 rounds, once. It gave me more of a concussive headache than shooting unbraked, lightweight 300 RUMs. If you do go down that path, I would encourage a change if you have friendships that you value!

I use Limbsaver and American Precision Fat Bastards on all my high powered rifles. My 338 LM's have negligible recoil. Something Very Important: I always tell everyone around me at the range I have a brake and suggest where not to stand…..I also offer to let them shoot my rifle. Those 2 things go a long way….