So I am wanting to build a long range 338 lapua rifle now I am planning on using the McMillan A5 stock (unless otherwise advised) and doing most of this build from the ground or table up i want to be very accurate out to 800 yards +++++ which I know is possible. But what action is recommended? And bolt? Really everything I have shot 400 yds at deer and 300 at elk but have desires to reach farther and strong desire to build this 338 thanks for any advice. I am planning on using a brux barrel as well I appreciate all the input and help.
Advice and best products 338 lapua
- Thread starter Diesel320
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
Before you sink $4k into a Lapua custom I would council you to buy a Savage Magnum 112 and see if its your cup of tea.
Street price is around $1k and quality is stupid for that level, before you discount it, as I initially did, go LOOK AT IT, then make up your mind. The solid bottom 3 screw action and 6oz capable trigger is nothing like an AVERAGE Savage.
This would give you a chance to dip your toe into the 338 waters without getting drenched.
I have built 338s on the RUM, Weatherby and other platforms and this gun is silly good for the $$$.
If not go with any 338 sized action and any 338 barrel you want. They all make good stuff. Most action makers are building Lapua oriented actions, I would ask whatever smith building it what he prefers.
Personally I would save $3k and spend it on shooting and learning the 338 platform first. If you don't like the Savage it should bring a few hundred under what you paid all day long.
I was also curious of that savage.... just loved the build idea.. but truthfully thank you I will look into it and consider it. Could I also build off of the Savage and be well off? Or even the 110 ba by savage? I didn't know if that would be a wise option. Not to sound stupid but I want a very accurate good quality gun and I have learned it's better to pay for quality then settle for ok. I know it's gonna be $$$$ is am prepared for that.
The BA is built off of a different action and trigger than the 112 Magnum. The build quality on the 112 is INSANE for the $$$. I don't think you are giving up hardly anything going this way. Some customs will out shoot a M112 BUT some M112s will outshoot some customs.
I have built hundreds of Savage rigs with custom barrels and haven't bought a stock rig in 30 yrs and NEVER PLANNED on buying another. Then I saw the 112 in person. Definitely not production line quality. I checked the machined surfaces and they are blueprinted from the factory.
You don't really need a repeater for the 338 IMHO. I can run a single shot 338 as fast as a clip. By the time you come out of recoil you already have a case in the action. Also in a Savage anyway I would prefer the solid bottom.
The trigger on the 112 will go down as low as anyone will run on anything not short range bench rest. I have mine about 12oz with no issues and it will go lower but I wanted a little safety factor.
I have had a bunch of 338 Edges built on the Savage action as I felt the Lapua was too large a base for the Savage. Then I saw the M112.
The only part I don't like on the 112 is single shot but I'll give it a good look cause like you said about the same as a magazine fed. I guess I'll price them out and see what I like and all that. Any other information is still appreciated thanks guys.
You can run a single shot 338 just as fast as you can a magazine one and do not have to spend $500 on bottom metal and magazines.
This is not the military and you are still after an accurate first shot and with a second round laying there, you can reload and close the bolt by the time you get back on target.
Plus you have more flexibility with COAL and no worries will the most accurate seating depth fit in a magazine.
I have run two single shot 338 AIs and IMO that is the way to go.
This is not the military and you are still after an accurate first shot and with a second round laying there, you can reload and close the bolt by the time you get back on target.
Plus you have more flexibility with COAL and no worries will the most accurate seating depth fit in a magazine.
I have run two single shot 338 AIs and IMO that is the way to go.
+100000000000
Unless you get REALLY crazy building a LOOOOONG REPEATER you will end up as a single shot anyway lol. Most long boxes wont JAM a VLD. I know there are some 4" boxes out there but the hassle isn't worth it. I would rather have the accuracy benefits of a solid action than a .00002 quicker shot. Most Lapua or any 338 stuff is 1 and done. If not, you have 1.4 seconds TOF to 1100yds anyway. You are reloaded before the bullet impacts and ready to roll again. May not make sense till you have done it a lot.
I have a 338 Lapua built with defiance deviant action, manners stock, bartlein barrel and badger bottom metal. Shooting hornady factory match ammo I have no feeding issues. IMHO there is ABSOLUTELY no way I would ever use a single shot for hunting unless it was strictly hunting where you are only taking shots that you have plenty of time to set up for the shot.
I hunt alot and have shot plenty of animals at long range but I have also shot plenty of animals at close range where a quick off hand shot and a fast follow up shot or 2 are needed.
I am sure there are guys out there that can shoot a single shot very fast but there is absolutely no way they are as fast as a repeater.
I hunt alot and have shot plenty of animals at long range but I have also shot plenty of animals at close range where a quick off hand shot and a fast follow up shot or 2 are needed.
I am sure there are guys out there that can shoot a single shot very fast but there is absolutely no way they are as fast as a repeater.
I am ASSuming the follow up shot is after a miss lol. Never had to shoot anything 3 times with a Lapua class 338.
Living in Wisconsin I can see your point. Most Lapuas are built for long range precision work, not 3 fast shots at a running deer in thick woods. I would choose something other than a Lapua for close range work.
You won't have feeding issues shooting factory ammo as the COAL is short. Load some out to the lands where many bullets shoot well and it may be a different thing.
MOST Lapua work will be prone or from a solid rest and in that situation I can run one as fast as a repeater. While I am working the bolt, I am throwing another in. Takes practice but can be done.
Offhand shooting with a Lapua is a separate conversation and something generally a lot better covered by a 300 WM or smaller 338.
Personally I don't need a repeater BUT I also shoot LR mainly, NEVER offhand and can't imagine needing a 2nd shot under a 100 yds anyway.
Well toddc I have been hunting out west almost every year for the last 20 years and have killed plenty of animals in my 26 years of hunting.
The fact of the matter is that I am not a prefect shot as you must be and have done my fair share of missing.
Believe it or not there are a lot of factors when shooting that affect accuracy and I don't have control over all of them hence why I miss once in awhile.
I don't know how many wisconsin deer you have shot but I have shot a lot and even deer shot with my 338 in the lungs can still run quite a ways. From experience I found that continuing to shoot till the animal is down or out of sight is the most ethical way of harvesting animals.I have personally see way to many wounded animals that are not recovered because the hunter said his one shot was good and he let the animal run away.
I don't think longer hand loads for my gun would be overly helpful since the factory match grade already shoots 1/4MOA But maybe thats the difference between my custom and your savage.
The fact of the matter is that I am not a prefect shot as you must be and have done my fair share of missing.
Believe it or not there are a lot of factors when shooting that affect accuracy and I don't have control over all of them hence why I miss once in awhile.
I don't know how many wisconsin deer you have shot but I have shot a lot and even deer shot with my 338 in the lungs can still run quite a ways. From experience I found that continuing to shoot till the animal is down or out of sight is the most ethical way of harvesting animals.I have personally see way to many wounded animals that are not recovered because the hunter said his one shot was good and he let the animal run away.
I don't think longer hand loads for my gun would be overly helpful since the factory match grade already shoots 1/4MOA But maybe thats the difference between my custom and your savage.
Solid reply boss. Are you running the 285 or 250? I can imagine something being left of a deer with 2 shots from a 250. A 285 and a running away deer? Uhhhhh hmmmm. Burger anyone? You and I obviously hunt in vastly different circumstances which is often the reason for differing opinions on the web.
I have seen probably close to 1000 deer killed with a 338 300SMK and only seen 1 shot twice. We got about 3 lbs of edible meat off of it. Weird deal as the deer was facing quartering to us and the 1st shot took out the left shoulder and right hip and the deer just slowly pivoted and my cousin hit her again from right shoulder to left hip. It was TERRIBLE. I made him deal with it. Deer fell in 3 pieces while he skinned it. To this day I have NO IDEA how that thing was standing after the 1st shot.
We hunt in vastly different areas obviously and while my choice of the Lapua for plains hunting is regarded as slightly strange by the locals, a Lapua is quite a bit stranger as a woods gun for fast follow up. Kudos to making it work for you, outside the box thinking is something I admire.
As to the .25 MOA with SHORT match ammo, that is a matter of luck to some extent as we never KNOW how a rig will shoot until we shoot it. Many Lapuas especially with the longer VLDs will NEED a longer COAL to work well in ANY gun be it a Savage or Stiller or Surgeon. No builder on the planet can 100% gauarantee that a specific load at a specific COAL will shoot .25MOA be it custom or a H&R Handy rifle.
And yeah I think we all have been known to miss. I can't even really comment as I haven't taken an OFFHAND shot at a STATIONARY animal much less something running in 15 yrs and definitely wouldn't be doing it with a Lapua of any kind if I did. I guess if you are using a Lapua for short range offhand running shots then a repeater might be a good choice, this probably doesn't' cover the vast majority of Lapua usage I would guess and if it does those using it for such might know there are rigs better suited to this type of hunting. Of course its a free country thank God so don't let that stop you. I know guys who shoot a 505 Gibbs on deer as well.
If it works for you then stick with it, just realize your hunting situation probably could be better served by a lot of rigs other than a Lapua. Of course a lot of people have told me the same thing so rock on and keep whackin em.
Great response toddc sorry about the last comment of mine it was kinda a little stab at Savages which I really don't like although
" they can be great shooting rifles at a great price"
I do know I got really lucky with the accuracy of my rifle! you always have that chance a new build wont shoot as good as you want but I feel a full custom really reduces the probability that it will not shoot great.
Like you said we do have very different styles of hunting. Thus I think a bit different style of gun we like also.
Now back to the OP's topic for hunting. I would only use a repeater and, after many many different rifles that I have owned and, used Which I have had just about every american brand and some imports.
I without a doubt love my full customs the most! I find them to be worth every penny I have spent on them.I doubt I will ever buy another factory rifle.
" they can be great shooting rifles at a great price"
I do know I got really lucky with the accuracy of my rifle! you always have that chance a new build wont shoot as good as you want but I feel a full custom really reduces the probability that it will not shoot great.
Like you said we do have very different styles of hunting. Thus I think a bit different style of gun we like also.
Now back to the OP's topic for hunting. I would only use a repeater and, after many many different rifles that I have owned and, used Which I have had just about every american brand and some imports.
I without a doubt love my full customs the most! I find them to be worth every penny I have spent on them.I doubt I will ever buy another factory rifle.
Your Savage comment isn't the first one uttered on the web lol.
I usually just buy a junk action in a pawnshop and spin on a custom barrel, true the surfaces and put a good stock on it. I can usually get it done under $1k and MOST go well under .5MOA. .25 MOA is crazy from any large rig. A PPC yeah....a 338 THAT'S IMPRESSIVE I don't care who built it and most importantly WHO is shooting it.
Of course I'm a DIY guy and many aren't and I would be a full custom guy if I couldn't do it myself for sure, which is why I run Savages.
The main reason I counciled the OP onto the $1k Savage is that the build quality is WAY OVER typical production line stuff AND 338s are something that a lot of guys THINK they NEED and then find out they don't. Better to make a $200 loss on a gun than a $2k loss.
I know on the web people often disagree. You hunt heavier cover, probably near other people and even have offhand shots. A deer could easily get away from you in those circumstances.
I hunt short grass prairie. Any deer I shoot I can watch it run for MUCH further than they ever DO. No one hunts within 2 miles of me and if they do they would bring my deer to me if they found it. Our AVERAGE shot is 743 for the last 3 yrs and we are over 550 average over the last 30 yrs. We get to a mesa and set up a swiveling shooting table and glass. All shots are from a front rest and rear bags. Many repeater Lapuas don't work because the clip will bottom out on the table lol.
This is why guys have different equipment requirements, kinda amazing we both ended up shooting the same case. Of course I would probably shoot a 338 even in heavy cover. Probably wouldn't weigh 40lbs like most of my Edges though
Below is a pic of the bench we haul in our receiver hitch to glassing points. We don't get out and walk around as the deer freak when we do. In a truck they just think we are feeding cattle or working on the giant wind generators where we hunt.
Nice to have a CONVERSATION and see both sides of something, sometimes that's not what happens on the web.
