338... a revisit on a specific build.

I'd go with a 22" barreled 33 nosler and 265 ABLR or 270 ELDX. Should be able to stay pretty light if you use the right parts. My .338 Lapua improved weighs 10 pounds with a 28" carbon barrel and a March 2.5-25x52 scope on it. Could have used a shorter barrel with. Faster burning powder but my 2950 fps velocity would probably be closer to 2800 out of a 22" barrel.

Find the action you like and go from there. I'd probably build a 22" barreled 338 RUM just to keep it easy. Skip the carbon Fiber barrel and save yourself some money, save weight on the action and stock instead. A 22" barreled 338 RUM with a 1-9" twist shooting a quality 250gr bullet would be perfect. Or, skip the 338 all together and move to the 375 RUM or 375 Lapua improved! A 325-350gr bullet at 2600 would work pretty well!

I'd also consider how often you think you'll actually get a shot on an elk sized animal at 1000 yards. It's easy to get hung up on having equipment capable of making a shot that may never present itself. Plan for the situation you're most likely to encounter rather than the one you "might" encounter. Otherwise you end up being the guy who buys a 1 ton dually truck because someday he "might" need to haul a 24,000# trailer on a regular basis. More than likely he could have been just fine with a 3/4 ton.

I built a 338 rum on a rem action with a carbon six barrel manners stock and a mbm brake. It is just over 7 pounds bare gun and a pleasure to shoot. I opened up the mag well for a wyatts 4" and am shooting the 285 eldm at 2870 fps with retumbo powder. It is a hammer and i love it. A good brake is a must. The mbm 5 port beast is exceptional. Works better than a terminator t2 imo.

Over on LR only a ID guy shot a bull at 1583 yrd with my dream gun,LRKM IN 338 edge +p,but id prefer the terminator I think it is,338 lapua +p

Kristopher Megahan said:

I am new to the forums. When I got here the first thing I did was search and read, but I wasn't satisfied. I hope to re-stimulate this conversation and get some new insights.

I currently shoot "long" (<-- Recognise this is relative) with a 6.5-284 Norma I built. I love it, but I have been shooting it a long time and I want to hunt further. I regularly and effectively take down white tails and pigs at 300-400 yards without difficulty (several kills a year and zero losses, rarely do I have to track more than a few yards), but I want to reach out further and I believe, 338 it the way to do that. It should be noted that I reload. So....

338...

• I want it to be as light as possible and as short as possible. It will always be suppressed...So how light can it be? How short can it be? Remember it will always have a suppressor on the end.
• This is not a discussion about platforms, as I am working that out on my own, though I will take input on platforms should someone feel the need to profess. The final rifle will be a bolt with a magazine though, so the cartridge will need to reliably feed from a magazine.
• For this thought experiment, I want a rifle that can shoot and kill a bull elk ethically at 1000 yds, so that If I can ever get good enough to do it, the rifle is there with me.
• Which one? I reload, but I don't form my own brass, and I like being able to reload the same brass a lot. RUM? Lapua? Nosler? Norma?
• Thoughts on Chamber dimensions? Barrel will be custom, I can cut the chamber to saami and then load for what works in it, but I would love to here if you guys have found a custom leade length and throat that worked well for you in a given caliber.
• Rifling stlyes?
• Twist rate?

I look forward to the collective wisdom of this group.

Kristopher

Click to expand...

As I'm sure you are probably aware the best way to build a gun is for a specific bullet. The bullet selection should be based on what you are planning to use it for and realistic expectations of its capabilities. Based on what you have posted it sounds like the majority of your hunting now is for white tails and hogs. The best bullets for these animals at short, medium and long ranges will probably be totally different than what you want or need out of a long range or extreme long range bullet. When you go bigger than you need you end up with other potential problems such as over-penetration and bloodshot meat. I'm not saying that a 338 caliber is overkill for whitetail or hogs, especially with the right bullet at the right speed for common distances that you would normally encounter in your individual hunting situation. But you will want different characteristics out of an ELR bullet and gun. I'm a fan of 338 caliber for ELR shooting and hunting but once you select a bullet weight in 338 that has a high BC and will perform well on large animals at 1,000 yards or more then you will select a chambering and twist rate best for that bullet. Once a load is developed for this purpose it may or may not serve the purpose of hunting whitetail deer and hogs without some trade offs. I'm just pointing out that when you try to make a single gun become a multipurpose gun there are frequently compromises. As long as you are aware of the compromises and accepting of them then proceed with the best parameters that fit the bill for both. Based on what you said you are looking for in a shorter lighter gun I would suggest looking at some of the work Shawn Carlock at Defensive Edge has done. He builds a short lightweight hunting rifle that is awesome for LR and ELR hunting. Keep in mind however the lighter the firearm the more felt recoil you will experience. Personally I like the 338 Edge. Brass is available from Bertram already in 338 Edge, otherwise you will have to size and fire form 300 RUM brass. But it's one of the best performing 338 chamberings available. If it's not for you there are others to choose from. I'm sure you will make the right choice for you. I'm just trying to bring up some issues that should be considered before starting your build. Maybe you've already thought of these issues maybe not. If not I hope I've helped you or the next guy that reads this in some small way.

Kristopher Megahan said:

It looks like this thread is drawing to a close. I appreciate everyone's insights. Final numbers below.

Norma - 7
Lapua - 10
Nos - 1
RUM - 10
Sherman - 8<-- That is an interesting result

Barrel Length - one 22, three 24's,six 26's one 28

TR - two 9, one 9.3, one 9.5.

Weight min -one 9, five 10, one 11,12,and 13, two 14#<---that is a good statistical distribution, almost gaussian

Recommended redirect to big thirties - 5

Thank you all also on your projectile inputs and the 375 discussion.

On a side note, I have a friend selling a Desert Tech chambered in 338 Lapua. Any insights specifically into this platform. I might be able to get it for a steal. Anybody here actually hunting with it?

Click to expand...

Assuming it's not hurt-buy it and be done. You will not likley build anything with that capability, quality or more importantly, the support for the $$$$

Im building a load for my proof carbon 338lapua barrel for my desert tech right now.. just waiting for my beast brake to get here so i can do load development. Not fun without a brake haha.