Considering doing a pretty light 338 Win Mag.

Anyone else out here doing the same? Reactions? Thoughts? Likely end up with a finished rifle in the 7lbs range.

I have shot and carried many 338's. IMHO if you get much below 8-8.5 pounds, even with a good muzzle break and Limbsaver recoil pad, it will be a real thumper and very hard to shoot well.

I actually added weight to one of my 338's and when I needed it for a 360+ yard shot on an Eland, I don't remember the weight of the 10 pound rifle being an issue on a 40 mile two day tracking marathon.

I would suggest lightening your pack/gear belt and keeping the weight in your rifle to make it more "shootable" The second option would be a few months with a personal trainer or do the P90x program to improve your fitness level if necessary.

I have a Tikka T3 lite SS. With scope, sling and ammo it goes 7.3 #'s. It is a great shooter and easy to carry. I do not find recoil to be a problem.

Years ago I took a Ruger 338 cut the barrel to 22" reduced the contour made a blind box and used a 1# Kevlar stock. With scope loaded it was about 7.5#. It was too much of a good thing. Recoil was intense and muzzle climb was terrible.

quote:

Originally posted by TJAY:
I have a Tikka T3 lite SS. With scope, sling and ammo it goes 7.3 #'s. It is a great shooter and easy to carry. I do not find recoil to be a problem.

I've got one, too. It's great. I put a Limbsaver on it. In fact, it's so great that I'm considering rechambering it in 338 Campfire (338-375Ruger, which is Weatherby capacities/ballistics).

The only thing that I remember from the Tikka 338WM is that from time to time I realize that it recoiled. My 115 lb. wife said on shooting it, 'it jumps a little.' She's new to shooting, just concentrates on the target and turns in some subMOA groups.

quote:

Originally posted by f224:
I have shot and carried many 338's. IMHO if you get much below 8-8.5 pounds, even with a good muzzle break and Limbsaver recoil pad, it will be a real thumper and very hard to shoot well.

I actually added weight to one of my 338's and when I needed it for a 360+ yard shot on an Eland, I don't remember the weight of the 10 pound rifle being an issue on a 40 mile two day tracking marathon.

I would suggest lightening your pack/gear belt and keeping the weight in your rifle to make it more "shootable" The second option would be a few months with a personal trainer or do the P90x program to improve your fitness level if necessary.

+1 on everything mentioned in this post.

My Kimber 8400 Montana weighs 7.5 pounds with an M8 4x on it and Talley LW's. Recoil is not a problem for me, but I only shoot 200 grain Bitterroots in my .338's.

I have a Ruger .338WM that I cut the barrel to 22" no other mods & am using a 3x9x40 Luepold on. With a leather sling it's still over 8.5 lbs. if I remember correctly. It may have had ammo in it but either way, I actually like the way it feels and the recoil isn't bad.

7 lbs 338?

I would suggest a thick recoil pad and a brake.
Personally, I like something a little heavier.

Mine weighs right at 8 pounds, it carries well, shoots well and is my 'go to' rifle.

I agree with Captain Dave on this one.....my .338wm weighs 4kg.(9lbs.) and Shooting 225-250 gr. Bullets is no problem, I would certainly NOT like to shoot a 7lbs. Rifle with a full power 250 gr.

quote:

Originally posted by Ingvar J. Kristjansson:
I agree with Captain Dave on this one.....my .338wm weighs 4kg.(9lbs.) and Shooting 225-250 gr. Bullets is no problem, I would certainly NOT like to shoot a 7lbs. Rifle with a full power 250 gr.

You would get used to it.

I used to have one about 7.5 lbs, and even with a brake, it kicked to hard for me. I don't like light weight magnums or brakes. You probably won't be happy until you try it, so go for it.

My .338, a Winchester M-70 Stainless/synthetic with BOSS weighs 8lbs, including the Leupold 3.5-10 scope.

It has been my "go to" plains game rifle for 10+ years and has been a joy to carry and shoot.

With the BOSS the recoil with all loads up to 250gr is in the .243 category at most.

Les

Rem 700 LH Mountain KS. A little under 8#.

I shot one from Ultralight Arms, and standing or sitting was easy. Prone shooting was not fun.

A friend has a Tikka T3 Lite that I have shot a lot. I remember thinking it recoiled too much, at first. It weighs less than my 30-06's, but we never weighed it. We both got used to it, and I started shooting heavier kickers, now it doesn't seem too bad. Even the rifle's owner doesn't do badly with the kick, and he rarely shoots. That Tikka is a good shooting rifle, by the way.

quote:

Originally posted by jtinidaho:


Rem 700 LH Mountain KS. A little under 8#.

reweighed it tonight with fish scale. 8#2oz. Manageable recoil, though haven't tried it prone. You don't notice it anyway when shooting at game.

quote:

Originally posted by Ingvar J. Kristjansson:
I agree with Captain Dave on this one.....my .338wm weighs 4kg.(9lbs.) and Shooting 225-250 gr. Bullets is no problem, I would certainly NOT like to shoot a 7lbs. Rifle with a full power 250 gr.

Thanks for the dittos. The main reason I like the slightly higher weights on the magnums is my screwed up neck. After four surgeries and six years off in the flying business, I just cannot handle the repeated recoil of the magnums. Even six boxes of shells on doves recently with my 20ga SXS and my neck hurts for four days.

I have gone to a 9.3x62 Blaser R8 that weighs 8.75 pounds to replace my 338's. Modest recoil, more of a push than a punch and I am still getting 2600 fps with 250gr high BC bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by TJAY:
I have a Tikka T3 lite SS. With scope, sling and ammo it goes 7.3 #'s. It is a great shooter and easy to carry. I do not find recoil to be a problem.

I'm confused on how you got to 7.3# with ammo, sling, and scope. The Tikka website spec (http://www.tikka.fi/pdf/specs/LiteStainless.pdf) shows the T3 Lite SS in Magnum at 6.375#. Your scope, rail, rings, sling, and ammo weigh in at under one (1) pound?

I probably should have clarified a bit more, 7lbs RIFLE, before scope, mounts, sling, ammo. So a bit over 8lbs fully loaded

Mine weighs in, scoped and with the B & C synthetic stock, around 9.3 lbs. I don't like lightweights and this one is just right.

My 338 Win Mag is just over 8 lb with a 2.5 - 8 leupold, and it is fine to shoot, and fine to carry all day, a very good compromise weight.

ELR
My bad, that was without 4 rounds of ammo.
I put it back on the scale.
Scope- Burris 4 power short mag .5
Factory rings .1
Nylon web sling .4
total= 1 poun
plus rifle 6.3

that is 7.3

I have a VERY old [76XX Ser#] FACTORY Sako in 338 WM that weighs 7lb 3 oz with a Redfield 2 3/4 LPWF scope and 4 rds in it. I zeroed it with a 1/2 bag of #7 1/2 shot between us and never looked back. NOT user friendly. Luckily it only takes one shot.
Aloha, Mark

Mine is right at 8.5 lbs scoped seems just about right for a rifle pushing a 250gr at 2600.

Go lighter if you want but I don't like a lot of recoil as some do.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
Mine is right at 8.5 lbs scoped seems just about right for a rifle pushing a 250gr at 2600.

Go lighter if you want but I don't like a lot of recoil as some do.

Same here, I have a Savage stainless in .338 WM that comes in a touch over 8.5 lb. with scope and ammo. I wouldn't want to go any lighter. I use 250 gr. A-Frames.

you're still alive!

Should I ask the question 'how many rounds can you shoot at that weight without discomfort ' ??

Shooting a gun more often will get you confidence without even a thought of recoil.I don't want to have a gun that I want to put down after just 5 rounds.

quote:

Originally posted by tasunkawitko:
you're still alive!

Barely. I occasionally go slumming.

How ya been anywho? Y'all come over and visit sometime. We just passed our sixth anniversary.

Guys, if you want a .338 that is lighter and handier, take a hard look at the .338 Ruger Compact Magnum. Out of the box they are only 6.75 pounds. My .338 Win mag is long gone in favor of the RCM with a little 20 inch barrel. It's a joy to shoot and a much more portable rifle. I wish I had this gun years ago.

If I was looking at a NEW rifle in a 338, hands down I'd be searching for a 338 RCM. But, got a pre-64 magnum action sitting around not doing anything, which is what I want to use for the Win mag

re: Ruger 338 RCM

This is true, but if your not a reloader and rely on factory ammo, there are not a lot of options.

Sako used to make a 20" 338, not sure how much it weighed, but is had to be similar to the Ruger.

quote:

Originally posted by Jon Beutler:
re: Ruger 338 RCM

This is true, but if your not a reloader and rely on factory ammo, there are not a lot of options.

Sako used to make a 20" 338, not sure how much it weighed, but is had to be similar to the Ruger.

Sako also used to make a full-stock 375 H&H with about a 20" barrel. I wanted one but fortunately my father talked me out of that particular lunacy.

My XCR II in 375 Weatherby (300g bullet at 2700 fps) weighing in at 7 3/8 lb with scope (no muzzle brake) comes back a bit sharply. Shooting 375 H&H rounds through it (300g bullets at 2500 fps) it's a pussycat. I imagine a 338 Win Mag at 7 1/2 lbs with scope should definitely be manageable.

I have a RH 700KS Mtn rifle, same as jtinidaho, recoil really isn't a factor on that gun for me. I have had it since 1990 or so, and it'll stay in my collection as a favorite go to gun. That stock on that gun is the difference, it really absorbs the recoil, and makes it pleasant to shoot. I have shot lots of 7mags and 300's that were far harder on my constitution.

there's nothing like a 338 as a go to gun.

I bought a Sako 85 stainless last winter, just because I wanted it and could afford it. With Optilocks and a 2.5-8x36 Leupold, it's not really a light gun, but it carries pretty good. I can shoot a box of rounds from the bench, but I always roll up a thick fleece jacket and put it between my shoulder and the stock. It is pretty manageable that way. I also wear earplugs inside my earmuffs. That really cuts down the noise, and has improved my shooting.
I did try a couple of off-hand shots a few weeks ago just in a t-shirt. Two shots, two hits to the sunglasses, and a very sore shoulder. That was enough.
I did, however, manage to hit a blackbear with it from an offhand position a couple of weeks ago, and don't even remember my ears ringing. it's amazing what 100%concentration on the target will do for one's shooting..
Regards,
Graham

quote:

I did try a couple of off-hand shots a few weeks ago just in a t-shirt. Two shots, two hits to the sunglasses, and a very sore shoulder.

Keep your head up and jaw/cheek wedded to the stock so that it rides back with the recoil. You might also enjoy the new Nikon Inline muzzleloading 3-9 power scope with its 5-inch eyerelief. (You'll also discover that the Nikons are as rugged or even more rugged than Leupolds these days.)

Thanks for the tips! I was shooting at the 200yd gongs, so I may have had the power cranked up, I don't remember. I will keep the cheek-weld info in mind next time. I was able to hit the bear 2 for 2 while he was running at 75 yards, but that was with the scope right at 2.5. I think I picked that tip up from someone on the forum here as well. Off-hand shooting is much easier at closer ranges with low power scopes, in my limited experience. I was able to cycle the bolt and get back on target in less than 3 seconds. The stock never left my shoulder.
Regards,
Graham