Which 338 should I build?

I have a pre 90's Sako long action with magnum bolt face. Which 338 should I build from it? Right now I am leaning toward the 33 Nosler is there a better choice. I want to be able to find brass easily enough without having to form my own.The rifle is chambered in 338 Win Mag right now but has never shot as well as it should. Add to that I think it has a slow barrel when it comes to velocity. The stock on it is a Mcmillan of some sort was on the rifle when I bought it. Any advice here will be great.

With a magnum bolt face, .338 Edge.

I am a reloader but I do not know what case tthe Edge is based on. I am thinking it would be nice to be able to shoot this rifle without the brake if I had to. The stock I have is not for a heavy barrel more of a factory sporter contour. It could be opened some but not a lot. Kind of wat to keep this rifle relatively packable as well. I am not a big guy only 5 foot 3 and 140 so my packable may be different then what others think is packable.

338 Edge is based on the .300 Remington Ultra Magnum necked up to .338. Bertram and ADG both offer factory brass. It will be a little punchy with no brake.

https://atlasdg.com/product/338-edge/

C.O. Shooter I am not really sure how easy it would be to get brass here in Canada. That is why I would like to stick to more common cartridges for this semi build. What I am thinking is 33 Nosler,340 Wby 338RUM and the likes. If I go with one of tyhe does the bolt face need to be opened for the tiny bit larger head size. The Lapua would need to be opened and not sure if the action is strong enough for it.

Sorry, I'm not familiar with what's available in Canada. What can you easily obtain there?

I have a feeling 338 RUM maybe 33Nosler and 340 Wby not sure about 338 Lapua brass but people around here shoot it. After reading the Nosler manual the 340 looks like a tough cartridge to beat. However I came here for ideas from those who know and give good advice like you have C.O.

I like the looks of the 33. I've been doing some research on it. If in a pinch nosler offers ammo. Barrel life should be good also.

Why not just rebarrel and keep it a 338 win. mag. One thing to keep in mind is mag box length with the RUM's you need a 4" to take advantage of the RUM and heavy bullets and I would even consider a 338 Lapua with the mag box length and personally I dont like opening up bolt faces for that cartridge I know some do.

The .340 is still a legitimate choice. I prefer the standard .338 RUM, but a brake is mandatory for me, and logistics haven't always been favorable.
How long is the magazine in that Sako?
And how do you feel about wildcats?

I used a 338 win mag on 3 hunts in my younger years, moved up to the 338 RUM 4 years ago. Used on 2 hunts so far Moose and Griz , a real hammer.
Steve Bair

I have a 338 Jarrett, love it. 250 gr. Accubonds at 2950. 8.5 pound rifle. It is however a fire forming proposition and the requisite cases, 8mm Remington mag, are hard to find anymore. You can squeeze down 375H&H but the necks end up pretty short, and it's a bit of a pain.
The 340 bee is pretty close particularly with careful construction of handloads.
I think the 340 would be a pretty simple rebarrel job.
I'm not as tough as some guys and find anything launching 250 grain bullets at near 3000 FPS to be a handful regarding recoil.
Nothing wrong with a .338 win mag either. Not quite as fast but with the scopes and range finders we have now, more than capable out to further than I like to shoot critters.

C.O. Shooter said:

338 Edge is based on the .300 Remington Ultra Magnum necked up to .338. Bertram and ADG both offer factory brass. It will be a little punchy with no brake.

https://atlasdg.com/product/338-edge/

Click to expand...

"A Little Punchy"-

Let's correct that to "If you're shooting the heavy for caliber bullets in a carry weight rifle it'll knock the snot out of you".

There's a whole lot of medium bore super magnums that end up for sale after less than 50 shots simply because the buyer/builder didn't know what he was getting into recoil and muzzle blast wise.

The big .338's can be manageable for sure they come with significant recoil and muzzle blast that have to be taken into consideration before you even start.

Salmonchaser said:

I have a 338 Jarrett, love it. 250 gr. Accubonds at 2950. 8.5 pound rifle. It is however a fire forming proposition and the requisite cases, 8mm Remington mag, are hard to find anymore. You can squeeze down 375H&H but the necks end up pretty short, and it's a bit of a pain.
The 340 bee is pretty close particularly with careful construction of handloads.
I think the 340 would be a pretty simple rebarrel job.
I'm not as tough as some guys and find anything launching 250 grain bullets at near 3000 FPS to be a handful regarding recoil.
Nothing wrong with a .338 win mag either. Not quite as fast but with the scopes and range finders we have now, more than capable out to further than I like to shoot critters.

Click to expand...

8mm RM and 7mm STW brass are no longer in short supply as we have quite a few mfg's producing them today.

Bertram produces it for 1.50ea/100ct.