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Posted: 2/3/2012 5:03:27 PM EDT
So I'm looking at a Sako TRG42. Whats the better overall round? Uses will be shooting things a long way away Primarliy paper, maybe an occasional hunting trip. Any real downside to the .338 Lapua other than ammo cost? I'm assuming in traditional arfcom fashion that bigger (.338) is better. Before any of you knuckleheads say get both....I aint' t gettin' both. They don't go for chump change unfortunately, or even more unfortunately, it ain't chump change to me. |
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I love my .300. I think any balistic advantage of the .338 is outweighed by ammo cost and availability. YMMV.
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Long distance shooting; .338LM > .300WM
Not even really much of a fair comparison. |
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Quoted: I love my .300. I think any balistic advantage of the .338 is outweighed by ammo cost and availability. YMMV. That is my feeling as well. I think it really depends on what you intend to do with it. |
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Quoted: Quoted: 338 Lapua. End thread. $4.00 per shot at best I've never paid $4.00 per shot. $1/shot is about average and if you're doing long range reloading is really the only option. |
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338 Lapua. End thread. $4.00 per shot at best I've never paid $4.00 per shot. $1/shot is about average and if you're doing long range reloading is really the only option. Bullshit, Federal Gold Medal is $117.99 per box at Midway. You loading match ammo for .338 lapua for $1.00 a shot. I will buy a bunch of it for $3.00 a shot from you. Make a profit. |
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"Any real downside to the .338 Lapua other than ammo cost? " RECOIL!
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I'm working on a .300 Win Mag right now and it's very nice for what it is. But it's no .338LM.
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That'll be a thumper.
I have an A-Bolt II in .300 Win Mag and it'll make me start wincing after about 15 shots off the bench. Enjoy that Sako. Nice. |
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There is an article in the Feb 6, 2012 Shotgun News by Fortier about the two rounds.
.300WM is a lot cheaper and it's performance envelope is slightly below that of the .338LM I want a .338LM because I plan on reloading and I like the Remington MLR, but that's just me. And in the spirit of Arfcom, I will mostly likely buy both and still one on the back burner for the next 6 years. |
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Long range vs really long range, I don't even have access to any range that's longer than 400yds, I wish I had your problem.
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Quoted: "Any real downside to the .338 Lapua other than ammo cost? " RECOIL! LULZ Don't be an idiot and buy a 9 lbs rifle to shoot .338LM |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: 338 Lapua. End thread. $4.00 per shot at best I've never paid $4.00 per shot. $1/shot is about average and if you're doing long range reloading is really the only option. Bullshit, Federal Gold Medal is $117.99 per box at Midway. You loading match ammo for .338 lapua for $1.00 a shot. I will buy a bunch of it for $3.00 a shot from you. Make a profit. Bullshit? Lapua brass is $250/100. You get about 10 shots out of each brass, so $.25/shot Powder charge is about 30 cents .05/rd for primer .66/rd for 300 SMK's. That's $1.26 a round, bitch. |
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Quoted: Quoted: "Any real downside to the .338 Lapua other than ammo cost? " RECOIL! LULZ Don't be an idiot and buy a 9 lbs rifle to shoot .338LM |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: "Any real downside to the .338 Lapua other than ammo cost? " RECOIL! LULZ Don't be an idiot and buy a 9 lbs rifle to shoot .338LM It's not unusual in the Army to see 15 lbs sniper rifles that shoot 7.62NATO Look at it this way, most rifles that shoot .50 cal are in the 25-30+ lbs range. |
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338 Lapua. End thread. $4.00 per shot at best I've never paid $4.00 per shot. $1/shot is about average and if you're doing long range reloading is really the only option. Bullshit, Federal Gold Medal is $117.99 per box at Midway. You loading match ammo for .338 lapua for $1.00 a shot. I will buy a bunch of it for $3.00 a shot from you. Make a profit. Nope, he's right. I'm loading mine for just over a dollar a round. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: 338 Lapua. End thread. $4.00 per shot at best Gotta pay if you want to run with the big dogs. The .300 WM isn't even in the ball park with the .338. If you want a cheaper alternative than the Lapua, try the Remington Ultra Mag. But if you want one of the most ballistically stable and accurate calibers around, the .338 LM is really hard to beat. Here is mine... http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr136/efillc/guns/IMG_2263.jpg Here's a ballistic gel test with the 300 grain SMK's at 2900 fps... Wound depth is approximately 26 inches. http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4110/5183077749_658be161e6_b.jpg I'll add mine: |
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"Any real downside to the .338 Lapua other than ammo cost? " RECOIL! LULZ Don't be an idiot and buy a 9 lbs rifle to shoot .338LM I must be really Sensitive to Recoil then because I had a 9+lb Rem Sendero in 300 win mag and could'nt handle the recoil. Thought about putting a brake on it but thought(thats a lot of thoughts) what if it still recoils to much for me. I sold it. Nothing bigger than a 308 for me. |
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OP. have you shot either?
Do you have any long range training or experience? Do you have access to a range/shooting area longer than 1k? |
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Long distance shooting; .338LM > .300WM Not even really much of a fair comparison. Not if you're shooting paper. The .338 only holds a real distinct advantage in terminal ballistics because the bullet is heavier. |
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338 Lapua. End thread. $4.00 per shot at best I've never paid $4.00 per shot. $1/shot is about average and if you're doing long range reloading is really the only option. Bullshit, Federal Gold Medal is $117.99 per box at Midway. You loading match ammo for .338 lapua for $1.00 a shot. I will buy a bunch of it for $3.00 a shot from you. Make a profit. Bullshit? Lapua brass is $250/100. You get about 10 shots out of each brass, so $.25/shot Powder charge is about 30 cents .05/rd for primer .66/rd for 300 SMK's. That's $1.26 a round, bitch. I'm going to ignore the bitch comment. how are you getting 10 loads out of that and retaining match accuracy? case walls are getting pretty thin. I could see 5 or 6 but we arent really talking about true match ammo are we? |
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Quoted: Quoted: Long distance shooting; .338LM > .300WM Not even really much of a fair comparison. Not if you're shooting paper. The .338 only holds a real distinct advantage in terminal ballistics because the bullet is heavier. If you're shooting over 1.2k there is a big difference....... |
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Quoted: I'm going to ignore the bitch comment. how are you getting 10 loads out of that and retaining match accuracy? case walls are getting pretty thin. I could see 5 or 6 but we arent really talking about true match ammo are we? It's all in jest, bro. If you're not reloading with Lapua brass you should be. I usually have to trim after the 2nd or 3rd batch. It's solid stuff. I've had quite a few people tell me they are getting similar results. |
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BTW i am running a .300 ultramag with 210 berger vlds. It will really get out there but wont compete with the .338 lapua.
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: "Any real downside to the .338 Lapua other than ammo cost? " RECOIL! LULZ Don't be an idiot and buy a 9 lbs rifle to shoot .338LM It's not unusual in the Army to see 15 lbs sniper rifles that shoot 7.62NATO Look at it this way, most rifles that shoot .50 cal are in the 25-30+ lbs range. I understand that there are lots of heavy rifles out there. He mentioned that he may occasionally use it for hunting. If that's the case he might not want to carry a heavy rifle around all day. It's just another thing to consider. |
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Quoted: BTW i am running a .300 ultramag with 210 berger vlds. It will really get out there but wont compete with the .338 lapua. Isn't .300UM a major barrel burner? like it only lasts 1k or so rounds? |
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Long distance shooting; .338LM > .300WM Not even really much of a fair comparison. Not if you're shooting paper. The .338 only holds a real distinct advantage in terminal ballistics because the bullet is heavier. It holds a distinct advantage in ballistic coefficient. TB dont even matter when its a 338. |
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BTW i am running a .300 ultramag with 210 berger vlds. It will really get out there but wont compete with the .338 lapua. Isn't .300UM a major barrel burner? like it only lasts 1k or so rounds? most of those problems are from guys running light weight bullets at very high velocity. i am at about 900 rds and no accuracy issues, no throat problems. |
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"Any real downside to the .338 Lapua other than ammo cost? " RECOIL! LULZ Don't be an idiot and buy a 9 lbs rifle to shoot .338LM I must be really Sensitive to Recoil then because I had a 9+lb Rem Sendero in 300 win mag and could'nt handle the recoil. Thought about putting a brake on it but thought(thats a lot of thoughts) what if it still recoils to much for me. I sold it. Nothing bigger than a 308 for me. This. All you folks turning in sub moa groups with these rounds have my deepest respect. |
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BTW i am running a .300 ultramag with 210 berger vlds. It will really get out there but wont compete with the .338 lapua. Isn't .300UM a major barrel burner? like it only lasts 1k or so rounds? This... I've had a 300WinMag for around 6 years now and love the cartridge. Really love popping 163grn AP out of it at around 3200fps as well. My rifle has shot right at MOA out to 800 yards and I love shooting it. I'll play with it any day of the week over my 50BMG, it's just more fun. With a good 210grn VLD I should be able to get out to 1400 yards but I've got this pesky box of 500 200grn SMKs that I am working through. When I rebuild I will be doing so with the intention of being in the 206-210grn range. But in terms of putting a round way down range, 338Lapua. If you wanted a 30 that goes really far, farther than the 300WinMag, then the 300RUM should do the trick. But barrel wear, yeah it's bad enough with a 300WinMag, 300RUM is even more redonkulous. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: BTW i am running a .300 ultramag with 210 berger vlds. It will really get out there but wont compete with the .338 lapua. Isn't .300UM a major barrel burner? like it only lasts 1k or so rounds? most of those problems are from guys running light weight bullets at very high velocity. i am at about 900 rds and no accuracy issues, no throat problems. Yep, run the heavier bullets and it shouldn't be an issue. 190-210's should run quite a while. |
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The Win mag has the advantage of cheap reloading components and being able to get ammo anywhere. The Lapua has the advantage at long range.
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: BTW i am running a .300 ultramag with 210 berger vlds. It will really get out there but wont compete with the .338 lapua. Isn't .300UM a major barrel burner? like it only lasts 1k or so rounds? most of those problems are from guys running light weight bullets at very high velocity. i am at about 900 rds and no accuracy issues, no throat problems. Right, I don't understand why alot of people think velocity = better range and accuracy. I mean it can, but not all the time. I remember reading something about how the Army in the 30s or 40s, experimenting with .30-06 with like 160 or 170 grain instead of the usual 150 grain or whatever. and the heavier bullet, though slower actually did better at long range and the heavier round basically went out to distances the ranges couldn't handle. |
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BTW i am running a .300 ultramag with 210 berger vlds. It will really get out there but wont compete with the .338 lapua. Isn't .300UM a major barrel burner? like it only lasts 1k or so rounds? most of those problems are from guys running light weight bullets at very high velocity. i am at about 900 rds and no accuracy issues, no throat problems. Right, I don't understand why alot of people think velocity = better range and accuracy. I mean it can, but not all the time. I remember reading something about how the Army in the 30s or 40s, experimenting with .30-06 with like 160 or 170 grain instead of the usual 150 grain or whatever. and the heavier bullet, though slower actually did better at long range and the heavier round basically went out to distances the ranges couldn't handle. Yep, those heavy bullets start slower but lose velocity slower and usually at about 500 or so yards the slow bullet catches the faster/lighter one. As true long range approaches (past 800) the heavy bullets really begin to shine. |
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Do you want to hit something at 1600 meters or save $?? CP 1600m at my DA is barely breathing for my 300WM. We have steel set up at 1500 yds. When I take out my WM I shoot at this plate first and I'm at roughly 75% cold bore, first shot of the day accuracy. The 338 Lapua is a great round and has tremendous potential. So does the 300WM WHEN LOADED CORERECTLY. But in my experience, there are few out there that shoot *EITHER* round well enough to extract their full potential. I have embarrassed 338 LM owners with my 22" WM, because they didn't know how to run what they brung. Oh... BTW that "little" rifle has shot accurately out to 2300 yds. But wait... there's more.... Next wimpy 300WM project is my son's 30" monster with a custom chamber designed to shoot 225 H's and 230 B's. These will be loaded to 3.75"+ and 2500 yards is the goal with accuracy. Should be done just in time for the snow to melt at some of our ELR spots. Stay tuned "Bigger is Better" fans. John |
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Quoted: Quoted: Do you want to hit something at 1600 meters or save $?? CP 1600m at my DA is barely breathing for my 300WM. We have steel set up at 1500 yds. When I take out my WM I shoot at this plate first and I'm at roughly 75% cold bore, first shot of the day accuracy. The 338 Lapua is a great round and has tremendous potential. So does the 300WM WHEN LOADED CORERECTLY. But in my experience, there are few out there that shoot *EITHER* round well enough to extract their full potential. I have embarrassed 338 LM owners with my 22" WM, because they didn't know how to run what they brung. Oh... BTW that "little" rifle has shot accurately out to 2300 yds. But wait... there's more.... Next wimpy 300WM project is my son's 30" monster with a custom chamber designed to shoot 225 H's and 230 B's. These will be loaded to 3.75"+ and 2500 yards is the goal with accuracy. Should be done just in time for the snow to melt at some of our ELR spots. Stay tuned "Bigger is Better" fans. John Sweet, glad you showed up. |
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338 Lapua. End thread. $4.00 per shot at best I've never paid $4.00 per shot. $1/shot is about average and if you're doing long range reloading is really the only option. Bullshit, Federal Gold Medal is $117.99 per box at Midway. You loading match ammo for .338 lapua for $1.00 a shot. I will buy a bunch of it for $3.00 a shot from you. Make a profit. Look up the component prices before you make statements like that. |
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Do you want to hit something at 1600 meters or save $?? CP 1600m at my DA is barely breathing for my 300WM. We have steel set up at 1500 yds. When I take out my WM I shoot at this plate first and I'm at roughly 75% cold bore, first shot of the day accuracy. The 338 Lapua is a great round and has tremendous potential. So does the 300WM WHEN LOADED CORERECTLY. But in my experience, there are few out there that shoot *EITHER* round well enough to extract their full potential. I have embarrassed 338 LM owners with my 22" WM, because they didn't know how to run what they brung. Oh... BTW that "little" rifle has shot accurately out to 2300 yds. But wait... there's more.... Next wimpy 300WM project is my son's 30" monster with a custom chamber designed to shoot 225 H's and 230 B's. These will be loaded to 3.75"+ and 2500 yards is the goal with accuracy. Should be done just in time for the snow to melt at some of our ELR spots. Stay tuned "Bigger is Better" fans. John The only thing I found in your post I didnt think was perfect was you misspelled CORRECTLY Jim |
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338 Lapua. End thread. $4.00 per shot at best I've never paid $4.00 per shot. $1/shot is about average and if you're doing long range reloading is really the only option. Bullshit, Federal Gold Medal is $117.99 per box at Midway. You loading match ammo for .338 lapua for $1.00 a shot. I will buy a bunch of it for $3.00 a shot from you. Make a profit. Look up the component prices before you make statements like that. It wasn't component prices that had me, it was the he is getting ten loads on each rd of brass. I know the prices. |
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I thought about this a lot before I selected 300 Win Mag. The 338 Lapua is the cartridge to go to past 1000 yds - without a doubt. On that note my range is 600 yds but I do have areas where I can get out further occasionally. The cost of brass is about $4 each so having a couple hundred rounds is spendy but once you have the brass if you reload carefully it can be done. The size and weight is a factor and quite frankly I tend to shoot my 300 WSM Tikka T3 a lot more than my GAPrecision 300 WM but if the weight of the rifle suits you and you dont have health issues that could limit you the 338 is often chosen. If you are recoil sensitive you would be better advised to stay with a 7mm08 or a 6.5x284 and be happy shooting holes in paper at 1000 and learning to read the wind. Barrel life on the 338 Lapua is not very long somewhere in the 1500 round area then its time to re-barrel to retain true accruacy. One of my friends just bought a DTA SRS which might be a good choice for you. Link When shooting that far the scope needs to be Heinsoldt Link or Premier Link or U.S. Optics Link S&B and NF are possibles but Heinsold and Premier are the best.
Really Im fine just shooting the 300 WM and 300 WSM once Ive really mastered those I may then feel the need for a 338LM but for me I dont feel the need yet. |
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Can you shoot a 5" group at 300M now?
shit, if you are even asking about 338 Lapua, you probably aren't ready. you'll know when your capabilities are there. you can get some sick groups out of 223 out to 800M and save a lot of money in the process. or a .243 and save your shoulder. |
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Shit you don't even really need .300WM anymore.
6.5 Creedmoor can produce the same trajectory as .300WM; cost much less to reload and much less recoil. |
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