need action advice

[fmajor]

I choose the 338 Edge:

1) because it has a (albeit just slightly....) higher case capacity than a 338 RUM
2) because it *does not* require a larger bolt-face - ala 338 Lapua - so action choices are greater (unless going the custom action route)
3) because as of just recently, high-quality brass can be obtained for it (from the vendor in Austrailia and purchased through Shawn Carlock)
4) because the user base/info base is continually growing which helps with load development/performance questions

With an open-ended question of which .338, of any, to choose i would possibly go with the 338 Edge +P to gain some extra case capacity w/o going to a larger bolt face. I suspect this would require a custom action to gain a longer/larger tenon. I'm not a 'smith nor well-enough educated/experienced to speak authoritatively on the matter, but that would be my choice....

 

[Alfred Crouch]

Outlaw 6.0 is giving very sound advice. I recommend you reread all of his comments above. I have used Rem 700 and custom actions. By the time I have gotten through with each build that used a Rem 700 action I have wished I had gone with a custom action. When you get through the $ savings you get by using a Rem 700 just isn't very much and you still have a Remington. Nothing wrong with a Remington, but if I am spending that much money I will pay a little more and have a custom build. I feel sure if you PM him he will be happy to share his thoughts in detail with you and it would be good info to consider.

 

[BillR]

The bolt face for a .300 Win Mag will be the same as a .338 RUM/ .338 Edge.

Any decent gunsmith worth going to will square up the action and deal with the feeding issues I would suspect. If he does not suggest this WELL! There are also some other things he needs to look at like the firing pin hole size and possibly bushing it, lengthening out the box magazine if you want it to feed Edge length cartridges, lapping the bolt lugs and enlarging the scope base screws. All are things that make the gun a bit easier to shoot. Now if your just looking to make it a single shot some of those things can be passed over.

 

[HoytFlinger]

Alot of the actions mentioned start at about $900.MY Defiance dressed out is about $1200.The Sako TRG in a 338 lapua is close to a custom and fully adjustable.I have seen groups out of them that match any custom.You can look at the at euro optic to see rifle specs.

That is exactly why I went with one. I was going for a build in 338 Lapua and went through Badger, BAT, and Stiller actions and ended up selling each of those actions and picked up my TRG42 from EuroOptic last Thursday. I could not be happier. Haven't shot it yet, but it is as smooth or smoother than the BAT I sold.

 

[gphil]

alright, I dont know exactly how much this is going to cost. My game plan was to get an action. Some people say use a stock action while others say spend the money on a custom action. for 1/3 or 1/2 the price realistically i will probaby use a rem 700 LA. I figure I can get a used one for $400-$500, Barrel will be $400, stock $400, muzzle break $200 once installed, Labor is where im not real sure, and this does come down to what all I have done I guess. A lot of you gies know from experience but for $2000 I can have a decent 338 RUM Built cant I? haha i dont think i can make myself spend $4000 on a TRG i would love to but I think Its a little out of my budget.

I should have specified earlier, but my intended purpose is a LR hunting rifle
I like the looks of the Grey bull stock especially, and Ill get a 28in barrel, I want it to be around 12lbs I THINK. then spend around $1000 on glass.
I like the looks of the Holland art reticles, and the vortex XLR MOA reticle

 

[joe0121]

alright, I dont know exactly how much this is going to cost. My game plan was to get an action. Some people say use a stock action while others say spend the money on a custom action. for 1/3 or 1/2 the price realistically i will probaby use a rem 700 LA. I figure I can get a used one for $400-$500, Barrel will be $400, stock $400, muzzle break $200 once installed, Labor is where im not real sure, and this does come down to what all I have done I guess. A lot of you gies know from experience but for $2000 I can have a decent 338 RUM Built cant I? haha i dont think i can make myself spend $4000 on a TRG i would love to but I think Its a little out of my budget.

I should have specified earlier, but my intended purpose is a LR hunting rifle
I like the looks of the Grey bull stock especially, and Ill get a 28in barrel, I want it to be around 12lbs I THINK. then spend around $1000 on glass.
I like the looks of the Holland art reticles, and the vortex XLR MOA reticle

IMO Base your Build of a savage action. You can buy the action by itself for 350 bucks, 1000 bucks isnt very much for good glass I'd use the money you save using a savage action and bump your glass budget to 1500 and pick up a used night force.

 

[etisll40]

Sometimes I read that people say a Rem 700 is too small for a 338 Lapua, but I don't know where this comes from. If rem brought out a model on the 700 with the bolt face machined to 338 Lapua, they would have tested it thoroughly I'd think? George Gardner and many other shops have been doing it too, for many years. The military does too? Has anyone seen a scientific example of why the rem 700 is weak for 338 Lapua? I guess I'd like to dispel that notion unless it's documented. The 338 Lapua is a significantly better cartridge design then 338 rum or edge, case closed. The round has lower pressure to achieve the same results as the other 338's. Lapua brass is so much better that actually reloading costs are cheaper, and barrel life is longer. Lower pressure is cooler, that's what burns barrels out as I understand it. Am I all wet here.

Remember, the 338 Lapua is going to be here for years to come, like the 5.56, 7.62x51, 300wm, 338 Lapua, 50BMG. The military establishes cartridges for the long haul and Lapua is going to make brass. What else could be simpler. Build one on a rem 700, there's a lot of data behind it already.

Please comment if you really know or have documentation, I'd like to learn more.

Thanks

 

[gphil]

Does 338 edge brass life last longer even if you use remington brass to make it out of? or would it last just as long as the 338rum remington brass?

and are squaring an action, blueprinting an action, and truing an action all the same?

 

[dfanonymous]

the RUM cost less the the lapua.