Stock recommendation for 338 Lapua

This thread could probably go in a few places but thought I would start here.

I am considering a 338 Lapua build. I am unsure of stock and mag stuff. Does a 300 grain 338 Lapua round fit in an extended mag box or do I need to go with a detachable mag of some sort? If a detachable mag, do I have the Smith ream the stock for the mag hardware?

I have done a fair amount of bedding and such on standard magnums and non magnum Remington 700's but am considering stepping into the 338 genre. Curious what i need to be thinking about to wrap my head around this portion of the project.

Haven't made choices on action yet but most likely custom.

You can run either an extended internal mag box or a DBM setup. That's completely up to you. What type of shooting do you do? What is the intended purpose of this build?


t

Outlaw6.0 said:

You can run either an extended internal mag box or a DBM setup. That's completely up to you. What type of shooting do you do? What is the intended purpose of this build?


t

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Well, I currently have a 7 rem mag Sendero that shoots in the .5 MOA area out to 1000 yards. Good shooting gun, love the gun. In all honesty, it is probably all I would ever need for a 1000 yard hunting/recreational rifle.

But I kind of have this itch to build a custom. In the process of accurizing my Sendero, I learned a lot. Had a brake installed, Jewel trigger, bedded the stock. I really enjoy the process. It is kind of a sense of pride type rifle since I put in the work on my own.

But I have always had the itch for a custom, and with that said, a 338 lapua. Is it going to probably do anything different than my 7 will do, most likely not. Just do it better. And it is a little bit of a pride of ownership thing in it's own.

Plus, I am going to start working into ELR type distances and the bigger/heavier bullet is going to really start to shine out there. This is where the 7 starts to fall off. Thought about a 300 RUM also to some extent.

I have never seen an animal killed with a 338 cal anything, so I figure the terminal capabilities have to always be a plus. I don't believe in a such thing as over gunned!

Also, my daughter is getting to that age where she is pretty interested in this stuff. That 7 with a brake will be a really nice gun for her when she starts being able to stretch distance. That means daddy needs a new gun!!!

So even with the extended mag boxes, can I get the rounds in them with the bullet seated all the way out to the lands? Or is it pretty common for this cal to be more of a single shot?

If you're using the 338 for 1000yds and under, can you build it with a 20 in barrel for my own education lol.
I've been considering a 338 for several years but weight while hunting is a concern especially at elevation. I've been trying to get a wealthy friend to buy a GA Precision short barrel in 338 to see what velocity he gets. I believe they use a McMillan stock for these which would be my choice. I painted a ScaleTek (kryptek style) design on his rig several months back. When I disassembled it for blast prep I was surprised how light that stock is. It's like a toy lol. Expensive but good with a magazine set up fwiw. Good luck on the build because no matter what it will be awesome.

A couple things to throw out there.

1) Any thoughts on the Savage and Remington 338 lapua offerings in regard to accuracy? Keep in mind, every factory rifle I buy gets bedded and a Jewel trigger.

2) How about a 300 RUM with 230's? Looks like it runs right behind the 338 Lapua after 1500ish. Juat curious what people think out there.

OP, there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a custom rig! Terminal ballistics of the 338 are down right impressive, they kill very well.

ELR is where you're really going to see the 338 shine, out to 1200 or so, the 7mm will do fine except in high wind (compared to the Lapua). I don't believe in being "over-gunned", IMHO it isn't possible; provided you can shoot it well.

From what I've seen, read, witnessed etc, the ELR and Hunting guys tend to favor a single shot. It's simple & cost effective. The more competition/tactical crowd tends to favor the Mag Fed setup. Each to their own, as they both work just fine.

As far as bullet seating/COAL ect are concerned. That can be easily accomplished by your gunsmith. Now, don't go thinking you have to seat your bullet on the lands to get it to shoot; because you do not. With that being said, as long as your gunsmith knows what they're doing with the chamber, they can set it up however you want. You want to jam as 3.6", no problem although they may not prefer that.

Talk to your gunsmith, they should have recommendations regarding COAL, mag size etc.


t

Right on, makes perfect sense. Chances are good I would probably just feed it as a single shot. Hard to say. I would be using Longrifles Inc. to do my custom. Chad does some pretty nice work and is right down the road from me so that is convenient.

I appreciate the reply.

One other question or you Outlaw. I know a lot of guys go with a custom action because of bolt diameter, but how do you feel about a Remington Action on a 338 Lapua? Seems like everywhere I read, it is about a 50/50 split on what people think.

mrb1982 said:

Right on, makes perfect sense. Chances are good I would probably just feed it as a single shot. Hard to say. I would be using Longrifles Inc. to do my custom. Chad does some pretty nice work and is right down the road from me so that is convenient.

I appreciate the reply.

One other question or you Outlaw. I know a lot of guys go with a custom action because of bolt diameter, but how do you feel about a Remington Action on a 338 Lapua? Seems like everywhere I read, it is about a 50/50 split on what people think.

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If you are going to have LRI do the work, you don't need to worry with the inletting. They want you to provide a stock with no inletting so they can inlet it themselves. McMillan calls them Flat Top stocks. All you need to do is determine what stock style you like that is durable enough for a 338 Lapua. You need to consider your action size and barrel contour when choosing a stock style.

mrb1982 said:

...how do you feel about a Remington Action on a 338 Lapua? Seems like everywhere I read, it is about a 50/50 split on what people think.

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If your going custom, why bother with a 700.

Chad is a great dude to work with. He's done 3 full builds for me among various other work; stand up company. Edd is 100% correct, unless you run a chassis or Manners with a Mini-Chassis, Chad wants un-inletted stocks to do his magic.

I agree with Jrock's post. If you really are going custom, the Rem700 isn't worth your time to look at. Personally, even though they are offered as a factory chambering, I feel the Savage and Remmy are not ideal actions for 338 Lapua sized case heads.



t

Makes sense. I was more or less just seeing what everyone's thought were on the Remington for kicks and giggles. Didn't really plan on using a Remington action, but was curious what the guys who know more about them than me thought. Turns out we agree on the topic.

Gonna have to do some more thinking about if/how I want to go about this project. Decide if the 338 Lapua is where I want to go with this whole deal. Really appreciate the replies. Always helpful.

Anytime brother, it might not be worth much but I usually always have an opinion


t

mrb1982 said:

Right on, makes perfect sense. Chances are good I would probably just feed it as a single shot. Hard to say. I would be using Longrifles Inc. to do my custom. Chad does some pretty nice work and is right down the road from me so that is convenient.

I appreciate the reply.

One other question or you Outlaw. I know a lot of guys go with a custom action because of bolt diameter, but how do you feel about a Remington Action on a 338 Lapua? Seems like everywhere I read, it is about a 50/50 split on what people think.

Click to expand...

My smith is currently building me a .338 Lapua on a Rem 700 action. Its gotten significant upgrades though. It has a complete PTG one piece .338 Lapua bolt, full truing, and it has the PTG Stealth bottom metal. With the bolt, bottom metal, receiver, full true I'm right at $900 for a Remington action. Only reason I went with a Rem 700 was because I had a LA receiver laying around from an old 338 Ultramag. The Remington 700 receiver will handle the .338 Lapua fine, its just a lot of work to get it there. I am using a manners T4 stock for this build as well. Not sure if I can use 300 grainers in the mag / stock combo I have going right now.

Anyway the point of my post is the Rem 700 receiver can be done. You're looking right at a grand roughly when you're done. I wouldn't mess with the MLR either. I had one and its seemed like an oversized 700P with a .338 Lapua crammed into it. Im pretty pleased with how my build is going on the rem 700 receiver, so if you do a full custom you'll probably be even happier.

Very interesting. I haven't not been a massive lapua follower to this point, so I didn't really realize they had the upgrades for this specific application I guess. Is the $900 the price including what the action is worth, or just what you have into the hardware to upgrade?

What makes the PTG bolt so much better than the original Remington? I would assume the dimensions are the same since one is interchangeable for the other. Just curious more than anything I guess. Always trying to learn something.