Ideas on a 338

[bc160]

Good info coming in for sure. I'm not looking for a 1000 yard paper puncher (I already have those) what I'm looking for is an honest hunting round for longer ranges. I have had a bit of love affair for the last several years with the lapua. It has been enough gun to help offset a few shots that missed the mark but the round still had plenty of punch to get the job done. I would, and still might, buy another lapua but would like to find something different just to aid in keeping brass separate between the wife's gun and whatever I end up with. I have been looking over the 300prc and wondering if it has the horsepower needed to replace my old rifle.

[Monkeymaster]

Really love my 338-06
Shoots honest clover leads at 200 yds with 215 grn sierras and 4350.
Easy on the shoulder
Steven's action with A&B barrel
Good luck

[yobuck]

Shooting is one thing, and hunting including long range hunting, is yet another.
For sure it can be fun and informative to be able to shoot various cartridges at long and extreme distances.
And it can be very easy getting caught up in all the talk on the internet especially regarding cartridges.
Last year was my 72nd hunting season hunting PA, all of which has been done in the N C region.
The area I hunt in PA is as good as it gets for hunting long range in the East and even many parts of the west.
The population of long range hunters in the immediate area around our camp is large and I know many of them personally.
You wont go anywhere in the world and find a better equipted group of hunters for that type of hunting, or ones having more knowledge on the subject.
Over the past 40 years or so there have been many improvements in every facet of long range shooting and hunting.
That would be all except one, which hasent changed or improved in all the years ive been involved, regardless of the guns, scopes, bullets etc we now have.
And that would be the distance at which most animals get killed by long range hunters.
Fact is if we cant get it done with cartridges like a 300 Rum, we wont be getting it done with larger ones either.
Mind you now the hunting part at extreme distances can go pretty well with the right equiptment.
Its the hitting part that usually causes things to fall apart. lol

[bc160]

Yobuck.
I couldn't agree more. I have shot quite a few game animals in the 5 to 7 hundred yard range with a variety of different calibers. That's not even considered long range anymore buy some standards but its a pretty far piece for me. The lapua was probably overkill for that yardage but it definitely gives you a but more confidence shooting. With that said I have also shot those distances with a 6.5-284 and the results have been great. I'm currently working with a 240 incinerator and the 115 Berger's. It would also probably do fine but I personally think it's a little small to shoot animals with at that range. That's why I was getting some ideas on what calibers were out there that might be a little less known and provide me with a bit more "thump"
I appreciate everyone's comments and ideas. Yobuck, what would you think of a 308 norma mag out to say 800 on game?

[psharon97]

Have you looked at the 300 PRC as an alternative? It doesn't have the horsepower of the 338LM or the 300NM, but it should perform close if not edge out the 300WM without the belt. Also, it won't require a specialized action.

[bc160]

That's a good idea. I will check into that since I have some actions laying around.

[efm77]

Only thing about the PRC is that, just like the RUM, you will have to modify the magazine to make it a repeater. The case isn't as long but the bullet is seated so far out that it requires a full length magnum magazine.

[psharon97]

Only thing about the PRC is that, just like the RUM, you will have to modify the magazine to make it a repeater. The case isn't as long but the bullet is seated so far out that it requires a full length magnum magazine.

I'd have to disagree. The 300 Win Mag has a case length of 2.62" while the 300 PRC is 2.58". The 300 RUM has a case length of 2.85" which would require modifications to the magazine box.

[yobuck]

Yobuck.
I couldn't agree more. I have shot quite a few game animals in the 5 to 7 hundred yard range with a variety of different calibers. That's not even considered long range anymore buy some standards but its a pretty far piece for me. The lapua was probably overkill for that yardage but it definitely gives you a but more confidence shooting. With that said I have also shot those distances with a 6.5-284 and the results have been great. I'm currently working with a 240 incinerator and the 115 Berger's. It would also probably do fine but I personally think it's a little small to shoot animals with at that range. That's why I was getting some ideas on what calibers were out there that might be a little less known and provide me with a bit more "thump"
I appreciate everyone's comments and ideas. Yobuck, what would you think of a 308 norma mag out to say 800 on game?

I think there are quite a few very good cartridges today for taking game at long distances.
I would personally rule out anything less than .284 because of bullet weight.
When you can achieve equal or more velocity with a 160 gr class bullet over a 140 gr class its a no brainer for l/r hunting.
Likewise when you can do the same with a 30 cal over a 7mm.
That said if all your shots are under 1000 yds which most are, pretty much any will work well.
I feel how well we shoot is more important than what we shoot to a large degree.
All l/r hunters in PA shoot from some type of bench mostly due to terrain conditions.
No doubt that can improve the shooting of marginal shooters of any age.
As for my personal preference, it's a pretty easy call for where I hunt, If I hunted elsewhere, it might be different.
Currently I own 7x300 wby, 300 Norma, and 338 Cheytac.
If I were starting over today I would own just one, and that would be the 300 Norma.
We have killed one deer in about 7 years with the Cheytac that we could have just as easily killed with the 300 Norma or a 300 Ultra.
With all the b s talk about distance, one thing is always left out. You have to find them first, and in places like PA that can be very difficult due the conditions we encounter for the most part.

[efm77]

From an economic standpoint, relatively speaking, the 110 LRH is a good option in 338 lapua. It can be had for less than $1k (cheap for a rifle made for a cartridge that size). It’s light enough to carry hunting and if you wanted to try another round it would be an easy platform to start from in that it already has a magazine and mag cutout long enough for other full length rounds. It would require a bolt head and magazine swap depending on the cartridge.