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  1. #1
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    Ideas on a 338

    All I'm looking for some thoughts on a 338 caliber. I have just been informed by my wife that she is taking over my 338 lapua and that I should find something else. I was looking to build something off a long action short shank savage. My I intial thought is a 338 norma. Is this possible? Anyone have any additional ideas to get me to the lapua performance off the savage?
    Thanks

  2. #2
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    The 338lp savage 110 long action was built a little beefier than a regular 110 magnum long action. The bolt lugs are .550" thick instead of the regular .500", and the action had a little more material in it to beef it up for the 338lp cartridge. This might have changed with the 112 target model and others. Barrel tenon for magnums or the 338lp are usually 1.120" vs the 1.055" small shank. Building anything with the same case head dimension and volume of powder as the 338lp and 300norma in a smaller action and barrel tenon is a really bad idea. Its like putting your head on a pipe bomb with very little protection. Even the savage 338lp action and 1.120 barrel tenon is pushing it. Go with a custom action built for the larger cartridges with the .588" case head, or stick with cartridges with the regular (.532") magnum sized case head. I converted my 110 fcp hs 338lp to a 300wsm and kept the .550 bolt lug dimension for safety reasons noted above.

  3. #3
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    Donnie is right. If you're going to have a regular long action small shank, something on the RUM case is about as big as you want to go safely. That being said, a 338 RUM or 338 Edge are just fine for that action and shank size and as fast or a tad faster than the Lapua.

  4. #4
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    Orrr...., go 7mm RUM throated for 195gr billets, which will out distance & carry higher BC than the 300 or 338. In sticking with this case size, just under the 338 Lapua, the 7mm RUM is the most powerful(long distance) cartridge there is. To get any more power, you must step up to something using the 416 Rigby parent case.

  5. #5
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    Thanks for the replies. I was not intending to build another lapua round off the standard savage action just looking for some ideas that would get the same results in a hunting situation as I have had with the 338 lapua. The ultra mags sound good but will the feed out of a normal magnum savage action?

  6. #6
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    Yes they will. Savage already makes the long action in 300 RUM. Savage only has 3 actions, Long Short & 338 Lapua(well, 4 if you include the 2nd size short)

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Hoback View Post
    Orrr...., go 7mm RUM throated for 195gr billets, which will out distance & carry higher BC than the 300 or 338. In sticking with this case size, just under the 338 Lapua, the 7mm RUM is the most powerful(long distance) cartridge there is. To get any more power, you must step up to something using the 416 Rigby parent case.
    Dave, no disrespect intended, but you really need to put the books down and go someplace and shoot these things.
    B C is wonderfull when coupled with velocity, which you wont get enough of using 190s in any large 7mm including the Rum.
    From the standpoint of performance, the introduction of the Rum cartridges didn't bring anything to long range that hadn't been there for decades already in wildcat form. Velocities of 34 to 35 hundred fps with 7mm 162 gr Hornady match bullets in necked down 300 Wby cases has been taking place since about 1970. When the 180 gr 7mm bullets were introduced the same thing was heard, but we found we needed more clicks at 1200 yds with those than we did with 162s from the same guns, and that was due to the velocity difference.
    At 1000 yds many cartridges will perform pretty well. Move the distance out to 1500 yds and "most" of them, including many magnums are eliminated from the even "decent" accuracy standpoint.
    Without checking, you will probably be pretty close if you add 90 1/4 min clicks to get from a 100 yd zero to 1000 yds with a 190 fired from a 7 mm Rum. Probably about the same from a 300 Win Mag. But at 1500, you would probably be doubling that, and if we add 260 more yards guess what? You might hit a VW mini van, but probably not a VW beetle, assuming the conditions are pretty decent. lol
    Im not entirely joking, as those who have done it would know.
    This is where the very heavy bullets fired from guns allowing for using huge amounts of powder will have the advantage.
    In other words Win Mag velocity and higher, with 300 gr and heavier bullets.
    And, you wont fully appreciate that fact unless you see it happen with your own eyes.
    But guess what? that still requires hitting the target, and its far easier for all of us to talk about that than it is to actually do.
    Which helps explain why very few animals are killed beyond 1000 yds.
    Even by the top dog shooters and record holders.

  8. #8
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    Uhh...ok. That was a fantastic answer to a question that no one asked. But awesome, I guess.. Bye now.

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