338 RUM upgrades

[ATH]

There is more involved to getting a standard long action to feed the Edge than swapping barrels, unless you want to run it as a single shot. You will need a new mag box, shorted the bolt stop to allow for longer throw, and open up the back of the magazine window (machine the action). I did it with a Dremel but it's not for the light of heart.

I would recommend you stick with the 338 RUM for now. In fact I'd drop that gun in a nice pillared and bedded stock of your choice, probably a new trigger, and just see how it shoots. You can always do more later, and none of these improvements will be wasted effort if you do.

 

[Wolf76]

There is more involved to getting a standard long action to feed the Edge than swapping barrels, unless you want to run it as a single shot. You will need a new mag box, shorted the bolt stop to allow for longer throw, and open up the back of the magazine window (machine the action). I did it with a Dremel but it's not for the light of heart.

I would recommend you stick with the 338 RUM for now. In fact I'd drop that gun in a nice pillared and bedded stock of your choice, probably a new trigger, and just see how it shoots. You can always do more later, and none of these improvements will be wasted effort if you do.

Definitely going to have a Smith do the box extension. I refuse to have a limited coal when seating depth is so important.

Follow up question. I always bed my guns with devcon and the stocks have a full aluminum block. Am I missing something by not using pillars?

 

[Elk Hunter 338]

Love the ideas.
Going to get a BC m40 stock and do a bed job. Less than $300 and has a 14" lop. Will do a bedding job as well.
Still tempted to have a Smith run a chamber reamer 90 thousandths deeper due all the 300 rum brass available.
Would you guys suggest adding a Wyatt's box extender?
Need to have the barrel threaded also.

check out ADG brass its pretty dam good stuff .. better than norma/nosler or get some Bertram and never look back.. have a good smith take it out to a 4.00 wyatts center feed. if your goal is 1000 at least run the 250 berger or 300 berger with some h1000 youll love it. as far as running the reamer in more to convert to338 edge really not worth it when the rum is dam close and all comps are easy to come by as well as a bunch of good dies!

 

[sable tireur]

Follow up question. I always bed my guns with devcon and the stocks have a full aluminum block. Am I missing something by not using pillars?

This should not be considered to be an in depth training explanation.

Bedding can be handled in three methods:

Just bedding compound
Pillar Bedding
Bedding blocks (with or w/o skim bedding)

If you're using the HS or B&C stocks with the aluminum block, Stress-free skim bedding should be all you need to consider. Be sure that the barreled action is in the center of the stock or adjust the areas which are out of alignment.

The blocks are machined to a generic contour and not made to have a specific stress-free fit. The skim bedding makes sure that the contour of the action fits stress-free in the inlet.

Stocks without a block should have pillars installed and the proper stress-free bedding technique applied.

Here is the article by Richard Franklin regarding stress-free bedding:

http://www.6mmbr.com/pillarbedding.html

I prefer and use Marine-Tex as a bedding compound but there are any number of folks who have a different opinion about the compound and the techniques. Just be sure to use the best release compound and application of it. Clear shoe polish for the amateurs is a good start.

Regards.

 

[ATH]

Definitely going to have a Smith do the box extension. I refuse to have a limited coal when seating depth is so important.

Follow up question. I always bed my guns with devcon and the stocks have a full aluminum block. Am I missing something by not using pillars?

You need to have metal-to-metal contact from the bottom of the barrel to the bearing surface of the action screw head. In a typical stock, this means installing a metal pillar for the barrel to sit on on one end, and the screw head to bear on on the other end. This leaves no compressability in the system. If you have a bedding block, and have good contact by the barrel on the top end and actions screws on the bottom, there is no need for pillars. But I would still recommend a skim bedding to make sure everything is sitting true and snug.

 

[alaska]

I have a Rem 700 XCR2 in 338 RUM
Before I even shot it
Replaced the stock with a HS Precision Stock ( Rem should be ashame of that stock)
Replaced the trigger with Timney
Mag Na Ported
HS Extended Magazine Installed
For Handloads RL 22 or H1000 with 225gr Barnes and Swift A Frame
Leupold 3.5 x10 B/C Reticle

And it shoots great
it's a new addition to my hunting guns so no game has been harvested yet.