I want to buy a .338 Lapua magnum but I'm definitely addicted to brand names. I'm not into any of the factory rifles so I've decided to build one. What do people think of the Remington 700 Sendero (fluted) as a vehicle for the .338 (rechambered from .338 Ultra). How would the 26" long barrel 1:10" twist rate be for bullets mostly around 225-250 grains? Anything heavier kicks too much and goes too slow. Also can anyone take a stab at barrel life with Norma and Lapua factory loads as well as handloads

For a factory rifle that would be an awesome long range weapon especially in 338 lapua its a monster. The combo would be accurate and extremely deadly other than that you wouldnt have problems taking 1000lbs animals at 400 yards.

I just started with a Sako .338 Lapua I bought from a buddy. I shot it for him and was not totaly pleased with the accuracy, with nothing better than an inch group, but didn't like his scope. After I bought it I put a 4.5 X 14 Ziess Conquest on and WOW, will it ever shoot. I have got three different bullets to shoot excellent groups, and I am still playing. My 14 year old grandson will shoot it this year in Colorado, needless to say he loves the rifle. The Remington sounds nice, but replace that god awful safety. Good shooting.

Get a longer barrel. I have a 26" barrel on my Sako TRG-S, and frankly, velocities are disappointing. Just slightly better then a 340 Wby. The 10" twist should work ok, though. - Dan

What do you want to do with it?
If it's a hunting gun, I'd have a hard time not going with the RUM, since with a 26" bbl it'll do what the LM does.
If it's more for extreme long-range stuff (do you have access to that kind of range?) I'd go full-bore with the 338 Yogi (LM Imp) with a 34" bbl.
You don't shoot 1000 yds offhand, so the gun would be set up entirely different from a 9# RUM, for instance.

It's mostly going to be used as a target rifle/ loading project however it'd be so good to try it out on moose and extreme range shots on sheep and caribou. I don't mind the Accuracy International family of rifles but in Australia our paranoid government probably wouldn't let me have it. Even if i could it'd be far too expensive anyway

You might want to check out the .338-378 Weatherby Magnum before you commit to the Lapua. Brass, ammo, and dies are easier to find, and the performance is a little better. Bill T.

Don't get me wrong, I really like what Lapua did to that case. But if it were my project, I'd figure out how long my barrel was going to be, then compare data between the Lapua and the RUM. Or other 338-404 type round. The Lapua and Weatherby both have lots of room, and need lots of barrel to make up for the decreased magazine capacity.
But if you want a Lapua Magnum, then none of this matters, and you just need to find a smith to make one on your favorite action.

Methinks there is some serious testosterone among Aussie hunters.

I'm going to have one built on a Remington made 1917 Enfield with 28" Krieger bbl. Mine will be the improved version and I'm shooting for 13 lbs. See threads under gunsmithing and benchrest.

.338

I would like to get a .338 Lapua one day as well, I already have the dies here so I need the rifle to keep it company. I think the best thing to do is to just buy either the full blown Sako TRGS 42 or just the plain Sako TRG which I have handled once before.

I was thinking of building on a cz 550 but I am not sure how to tackle this one.

If I could afford it I would just opt for the big Sako around $6000 AUS with all the bells and whistles

PC, I know a guy who has a TRG and it beats him to death. He says it's worse than his ten pound 458 Lott. I haven't shot one but an eight pound 338 Lapua makes me nervous just thinking about it. That's why I want mine to weigh thirteen pounds.

You might check with a good gunsmith as I don't think the Remington bolt face will open up enough to fit the Lapua case. Having said that you might look into the 338RUM in a 26" barrel as it will get you 3000+ with any of the 250 grainers, 3250 with the 225's and 3650 with the 180's. This is the voice of well over 1000 rounds fired in my 338 RUM's. I also conograph most all my loads, so fps are real world.
Jim the Plumber

Bob,

I did not know they where that light. It would definitely be up there in the recoil department.

A few posters here have them built on cz 550's and they certainly look good and the owners claim excellent accuraccy. You also get the set trigger feature which would be alright for LR shooting.

I think that the 338 Lapua will not stand up against the 338 RUM in an accuracy contest, and will start another thread on RUM vs Lapua so you get the benefit of some other points of view. Good luck!!

PC, I'm going to Houston this weekend to complete a trade on some actions with a guy on this forum. He has a 376 Steyr which weighs ten and a half pounds which he is kind enough to let me shoot. He says it's recoil is not as strong as a 338 Win Mag. Since that is my next project (the 338 Lapua is second in line)I am really interested in my impressions. I really think weight, stock design, and recoil pad are the combination. I'll post here after this weekend.

Bob,

It's a hard question to answer the .338 performance thing, the long range heavy rifle is the last niche I want to cover in my rifle battery, does not mean I will not over lap with other purchases in the mean time But my thoughts on it are in a nut shell do you take the economically sensible route and just buy a rem 700 sendenero in .338 RUM and spend the money on the glass or do you go for the touch down and build a lapua which will almost be unweildy and impractical if you where to go for a 32" barrel which some here feel it needs, unless keeping low case pressures similar to the .416 Rigby case V .416 Rem mag is the major consdieration for those choosing the Lapua, It would amke a fine round for African PLains game wouldn't it.

Yeah i think the .338 is a an underrated game round. I don't believe in muzzle brakes unless you have to have one, as in .50 BMG. I'd definitely go for a recoil pad. The kick figures aren't that bad it's in league with
.375 H&H. What i'm wondering those spring weights and mercury tubes in the stock are they as good as they reckon? Also what is barrel life like?

.338,

I have 3 mercury reoil tubes in a .585 Nyati rifle I am not sure what it's like without them I have fired it only with them in there integral with the stock. But they will at least add weight and that in itself reduces recoil. I tend to beleive in the thoery behind them I mean the mercury would ahve to move in the opposite direction to the rifle wouldn't it ?? I mean thats just the laws of physics (I know shit about physics however )

I would not even worry about barrel life, you will probably get 500-1000 rounds from it and a new barrel will set you back $500.00 If you you get to shoot out a barrel a year well you will have had some good shooting. If you want to burn that much powder you have to except that barrel life will suffer to some extent.

PC
What do they weigh each? Also do they run the length of the foregrip and butt of just the butt? That'd have the added bonus of balancing the rifle if i need a longer barrel.

.338,

I am not sure what the weigh exactly as Alan Nuamann of Corporal Trading built the stock and supplied the three Mercury tubes he charged me $60.00AUS per tube I think. You could ring him and ask what they weigh The figure of 40oz sounds familiar but I am clutching at straws there. Although my .585 is heavy it balances really well just forward of the trigger guard.

PC,

Here in Aus where decent magnum length actions are a bit hard to find you may consider using a Ruger No 1. I am about 9/10th there on a 7STW in a ruger 1 with a 30" straight taper barrel. Hope it works out as it will then point the way on something in the 338 class.

I like the No 1 for the short action length which means that you can get a reasonable length rifle with full barrel length to get your monies worth out of the hot performers.

Hux
Brisbane

quote:

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Originally posted by PC:
Bob,

It's a hard question to answer the .338 performance thing, the long range heavy rifle is the last niche I want to cover in my rifle battery, does not mean I will not over lap with other purchases in the mean time But my thoughts on it are in a nut shell do you take the economically sensible route and just buy a rem 700 sendenero in .338 RUM and spend the money on the glass or do you go for the touch down and build a lapua which will almost be unweildy and impractical if you where to go for a 32" barrel which some here feel it needs, unless keeping low case pressures similar to the .416 Rigby case V .416 Rem mag is the major consdieration for those choosing the Lapua, It would amke a fine round for African PLains game wouldn't it.

---

Hux,

not a bad idea !! I see a few posters here have built long throated .500 A2 's on #1 actions thye shoot the 750 gr A-Max .50 cal target bullet and get 80% power of a .50 BMG !! So that action would work for a .338 Lapua for sure !!.

Or you could do it on a cz 550.

The most accurate out of the box .338 you can buy?

The AWP.

www.accuracyinternational.com

Tim

Full auto I doubt there availbein Australia though. What action do they ise for there .338 lapua ??

Phurley, Does your grandson wear lead boots when he shoots that beast? My TRG-S kicks like a mule!

ktg ----- My 14 year old grandson, my son and I just got back from Colorado on an Elk hunt. My grandson, who is six foot one and a half inchs tall and 170 pounds, aspiring to be the next best football player in the world, hunted side by side with me each day. This is a requirement for junior hunters, by the rancher we pay a trespass fee too, in order to cross his land and hunt public ground, on our own. First day he killed a large cow with one perfectly placed shot just above the heart through the lungs, with the .338 Lapua and my handloaded 240 grain North Fork bullet. I killed a smaller cow at the same time, then we got the meat out that day and became Bull hunters the rest of the season. Next day he missed a nice 5 X 5 Bull at 250 yards straight up the mountain with only a short timeframe to shoot, shooting under the Bull, later killed by another hunter, who said it had a limp. We scoured the mountain, finding no blood after hours of search. He failed to pull the trigger on another Bull, failing to put the rifle off safety. I had the opportunity to kill both, prior to his shots, but passed on the shots, giving him first shot priority, from now on he is own his own. His experience this year was great, having seen the good, bad and ugly all in one year. His attitude is very good for the remaining years of his hunt life. By the way he said he could not feel recoil from any of the shots. He shot many shots from the bench and off hand prior to the hunt. The rifle does have a muzzle brake and we are very conscience about hearing protection, him wearing muffs as ear warmers most of the time. Good shooting.

[ 11-15-2003, 19:00: Message edited by: phurley ]