which big boy of the 338's

[tkdguy]

This could go on and on. I'll just say that with my Remington 700 (action only) everything else has been upgraded. I load 98.5 gns of H1000 for an average MV of 3148 FPS. 225 gn Hornady SST with BC of 413 if I remember correctly. Out of a 28 inch barrel this gets me an 8 inch group or less on a good day at 1000 yards. All for MUCH less than Lapua ammo. The brass is the only real difference and it's less than half the cost. I have brass that I have loaded ten times and it is still holding up but nearing the end of it's life. ELK! It's all about accuracy and energy!

This RUM has been touted as a near perfect alternative to the lapua 338 all becasue of the specific reasons you listed. This is a great round. A question remains on the availability of the RUM vs Lapua.

 

[tkdguy]

I want certain minimum energy levels at certain ranges. The application is hunting. I thought that would be pretty clear. Elk if I have to be specific. Rocky Mountain Elk. Big ones. Big bulls. Long ranges. Lots of knock down power.

I killed a 292" bull with a 300wm a few years back at just over 600 yds, but he did not drop right there. Even with good shot placement.

Sometimes they are in shock and do not fall over. I did that tow times once with 30 06 at 200 yrds, stone like; another with a 338 WM at 90 yrds putting 3 rounds through the shoulder and just plain paralyzed. I think they can be stone dead and standing for a few moments before they fall over. But, i'd be very distressed to wound an animal at 600 yards and have them wounded and wander off somewhere. That would be awful.

If one was to shoot at long distances I'd hope the shooter was damn good at it.

Does anybody know if the military had effectively tested the 300 WM our to modal long distance ranges that their snipers could reliably shoot and hit the target effectively.

 

[U8395279]

Get a 300 win mag and shoot Juggernauts. 1700+ yard range, longer barrel life, less then half the cost = more shooting.

Anyone that shot at an Elk at 1,700 yard with any kind of gun deserves to be beaten to a pulp by fellow hunters.

.

 

[U8395279]

This could go on and on. I'll just say that with my Remington 700 (action only) everything else has been upgraded. I load 98.5 gns of H1000 for an average MV of 3148 FPS. 225 gn Hornady SST with BC of 413 if I remember correctly. Out of a 28 inch barrel this gets me an 8 inch group or less on a good day at 1000 yards. All for MUCH less than Lapua ammo. The brass is the only real difference and it's less than half the cost. I have brass that I have loaded ten times and it is still holding up but nearing the end of it's life. ELK! It's all about accuracy and energy!

Benchrest groups are irrelevant.

Anyone that shoots at an Elk from 1,000 yard away in the field deserves to have his hunting license pulled.

.

 

[Vaultman]

Sometimes they are in shock and do not fall over. I did that tow times once with 30 06 at 200 yrds, stone like; another with a 338 WM at 90 yrds putting 3 rounds through the shoulder and just plain paralyzed. I think they can be stone dead and standing for a few moments before they fall over. But, i'd be very distressed to wound an animal at 600 yards and have them wounded and wander off somewhere. That would be awful.

If one was to shoot at long distances I'd hope the shooter was damn good at it.

Does anybody know if the military had effectively tested the 300 WM our to modal long distance ranges that their snipers could reliably shoot and hit the target effectively.

The 600 yd shot I took mentioned above, conditions were such that I knew I could make the shot: he was in a wide open hillside (200 yards from any brush for cover), no wind, I had a spotter, plenty of time to get prone and wait for a broadside shot. Hit him good, and he could only travel down hill, and didn't go but 100 yards. I was comfortable with that 600 yard shot, but I have passed up shots at under 150 yds.

Benchrest groups are irrelevant.

Anyone that shoots at an Elk from 1,000 yard away in the field deserves to have his hunting license pulled.

.

This may be true now, just like 30 years ago anyone shooting one a 500 yds may have deserved to have a license pulled. Times change. I believe any one single factor, such as distance alone, should not disqualify someone from hunting.

 

[clearconscience]

Just because you can punch paper at 1000yds with accuracy doesn't mean you can do it when you in the woods, no bench, winded from hiking, etc.
I'm not saying you shouldn't be able to do it, but it's not the smartest thing to do.
Tracking an animal from 600+yds away if it didn't drop dead is going to be tough.

Wounding an animal is my biggest fear hunting. I won't take a shot past 300yds, but I'm shooting a .308.

 

[No_Regerts]

Benchrest groups are irrelevant.

Anyone that shoots at an Elk from 1,000 yard away in the field deserves to have their hunting license pulled.

.

Just because you cant do it, doesnt mean others cant or shouldn't. I know a few guys that only hunt long range because its what they do all year long. They are better at 1000 than most are at 200 with a rifle or 40 with a bow.

 

[Certaindeaf]

This is why Hayduke preferred "slow elk" (cattle).
The Monkey Wrench Gang - Wikipedia
lol

 

[Grendel65]

I went with the .338 Lapua, yes brass is a spendy investment. But you get 15-20 reloadings with it. Its a great case design. The .338 RUM I only got to 3-5 reloads on the brass, and had 75% separations.
Barrel life out of the .338-378 Wby and brass cost just doesn't interest me.

I've had awesome luck with the Lapua, so i'm sticking with it. Sierra makes a couple great bullets for it. The Sierra 300 grain SMK and the 250 grain SMK.
500 yard accuracy is amazing! As is 800 yard plus, just incredible.

In the future I have my eye on something new. Its very well designed, and they say its going to be king of 2 miles. But this is a long way down the road.

View attachment 319496

Do you mind sharing your recipes for the 250 and 300?

 

[Velzey]

Everyone complains about .338 Lapua being $5 a shot....Well yeah if you are a shooting factory loaded ammo. I have never bought one box of factory loaded ammo (for the Lapua), never no way! But I have seen the prices and it's just crazy. If I didn't reload, I probably wouldn't own one. Plus I don't think you can achieve optimum performance out of factory loaded stuff.

The elk I have shot with the .300gr Sierra Match King didn't know what hit them!
As for the distance between my muzzle and the animal, well that's my business!

 

[Jamie6.5]

Not to muddy the waters even more, but have you looked at Nosler's new .33?

Nosler Introduces Their Most Powerful Cartridge Yet – The 33 Nosler

Nosler®, Inc. is excited to introduce the patriarch of the Nosler® cartridge family – the 33 Nosler®. The "33" shares the same parent case (404 Jeffery) as the rest of the family but fires .338 caliber bullets which are generally known for being tough on big game as well as having high Ballistic Coefficients and Sectional Densities for excellent interior, exterior and terminal ballistics.

 

[PaulB47]

I was looking at the .338 WM and .338 LM data on the Hodgdon site, with the 300 gr bullets IIRC. The LM is touted as a 1500 yard cartridge, but according to that data, what the LM can do at 1500, the WM can do at 1300. Kinda makes a person question why the LM is useful at all, given the obvious drawbacks.

Of course the LM is found in big heavy rifles with long barrels of the proper twist for these bullets, while the WM is found in light hunting rifles with typically shorter barrels, and I'm wondering about the twist too. But I bet you could take any magnum Savage and just replace the barrel with a longer, heavier .338 WM barrel and have yourself a poor man's .338 LM.

I'm not a fan of belted cases though. I've had some trouble with them.

 

[No_Regerts]

I was looking at the .338 WM and .338 LM data on the Hodgdon site, with the 300 gr bullets IIRC. The LM is touted as a 1500 yard cartridge, but according to that data, what the LM can do at 1500, the WM can do at 1300. Kinda makes a person question why the LM is useful at all, given the obvious drawbacks.

Of course the LM is found in big heavy rifles with long barrels of the proper twist for these bullets, while the WM is found in light hunting rifles with typically shorter barrels, and I'm wondering about the twist too. But I bet you could take any magnum Savage and just replace the barrel with a longer, heavier .338 WM barrel and have yourself a poor man's .338 LM.

I'm not a fan of belted cases though. I've had some trouble with them.

Brass life would be a benefit with the Lapua. Belted cases get weak ahead of the belt and bulge. If I was going to shoot long range at critters, I'd want to be dedicated to shooting and reloading a lot.

 

[No_Regerts]

But, like I posted before, I'd chamber for the 338 Edge. You can use a standard unmolested magnum length action, use readily available 300 RUM brass, AND get 338 Lapua performance.

 

[Sagebrush Dave]

Then there is the 338 Edge, a 300 RUM necked up to .338 so you can get a few more grains of powder into it. Ballistics are equal or better than the 338L and brass is easy to convert, just run the 300RUM through the die and pour in powder. Remember the 338 Lapua and the 50 BMG are designated in the military as anti materiel weapons, not sniper rifles even though they are used for that. Ultra long range hits are possible,, but not probable most of the time. I have built guns for folks who wanted these long range monsters and wind up whacking most of their critters at 150 or less. Years ago, in my previous life, I had to clean up many a mess left my badly placed shots so my opinion of far shooters is a bit jaded.

 

[Ura-Ki]

For me, the .338 L.M. is the perfect cartridge with in a very narrow realm in which I spend a lot of time hunting! Many of my shots are well under the limits of what I consider ethical, BUT, with in that realm, I have a very difficult set of conditions that are best met with this round! For most of this hunting, the weather is flat out nasty. Rain, Winds, Snow's and or Ice combined with a very tough and resilient predator all add up to a serious challenge. Other game can also require the same performance in the same conditions, and while there are other rounds available that are certainly cheaper, Performance is also less then what is needed! I use this and the .375 interchangeably for these hunts, with the .338 getting the nod when the winds are up or the distances start getting far. Both will anchor animals just fine! Plus, I like the L.M a lot, and find it fun to stretch things out beyond what the fast .30's can do!!!

 

[Grendel65]

But, like I posted before, I'd chamber for the 338 Edge. You can use a standard unmolested magnum length action, use readily available 300 RUM brass, AND get 338 Lapua performance.

But you can't buy Ammo off the shelf if your ammo gets lost in shipping or some other catastrophe occurs.

 

[PaulB47]

There is the .338 RCM if you don't like belts. Less power than the .338 WM though.

I read one gunsmith commenting that he gets more orders to rechamber .338 LM guns (to something less powerful) than any other cartridge.

I do see the point of having a .338 LM; more or less the same point as having a .50 BMG.

Here's a gadget for belted cases:
http://www.larrywillis.com/answers.html

 

[bsa1917hunter]

I have a 338 Winnie. Does everything I need come elk season. All the others just burn more powder.
Based on my notes the best load I worked up for my 338 was 75 grains of H4831 which moved the Sierra 250's at 2850 fps.

I'm in agreement with you on the 338 win mag. However, that seems like an awully hot load. Long time user here an I love the 250gr. sierra game king. That reminds me, I know where a few old boxes are here locally. I'm going to go and buy those suckers right now!!! Anyway, sorry about the side track. The others the OP mentioned are way overkill and unnecessarily powerful. Not enough gain there to really outweigh the negatives. JMHO.....

 

[Who The F R U]

Privi .338 250 hpbt
3000 fps average out of my AWSM
$2.21 delivered per round from Graff's when you buy a 400 round case.