The Ruger Hawkeye stainless is about 7.75 pounds, the Remington XCR about the same, the Kimber Montana is a bit lighter, and then there is the Tikka T3 stailess? The Remington and Ruger seem a bit heavy to me.

All are pretty good choices. Add the Weatherby Vanguard as well. 8 lbs will feel light when you pull the trigger. I wouldn't feel bad carying an 8 lb 338. Of all the choices, the XCR will be the standout for wet weather. The T3 has the nicest barrel. I haven't had too much experience with the new Hawkeye, but the MkIIs are pretty decent for the money.

So far not much help. If I were to spend a lot of time in the water, I would pick the XCR. If I wanted a good all around gun with occasional wetness, I would pick the Vanguard or the Tikka. If money was really tight, and I didn't mind a poorer finish, I would lookto the ruger.

John

I have a Ruger MKII SS/SYN in 338 Win. and as Big Bore Boar said the weight is a + with the 338 Win. Did some trigger work and a new recoil pad, got it to work good for me.

6.5 SWEDE

Thanks for your replies I have to look at the Tikka, I like the concept of the XCR for a whatever gun. Can you get 4 rounds into the XCR, 3 in the mag one in the chamber?

The standout for me remains the Ruger stainless/synthetic. The T3's inability to be loaded from the top would cross it off my list in a calibre potentially used on something large ... also dont like detachable magazines. The XCR's overall weather resistance is also questionable given that an Australian shooter has reported "rust" on his bolt handle. My blued Rem700's oddly usualy start rusting in exactly the same spot . Locally, in some very wet, cold and miserable conditions and hunting Sambar deer ... the Ruger S/S in 338WinMag remains conspicuous through it LACK of availability on the S/H used market. Wiped down with WD-40 ... even the old boat-paddle stocked ones look virtually unused.
Cheers...
Con

quote:

Originally posted by Jimmy P Coaltrain:
Thanks for your replies I have to look at the Tikka, I like the concept of the XCR for a whatever gun. Can you get 4 rounds into the XCR, 3 in the mag one in the chamber?

I am not sure, my wife has the XCR in 375 H&H, she can get three in the mag.

John

quote:

Originally posted by Con:
The XCR's overall weather resistance is also questionable given that an Australian shooter has reported "rust" on his bolt handle. My blued Rem700's oddly usualy start rusting in exactly the same spot . Locally, in some very wet, cold and miserable conditions and hunting Sambar deer ... the Ruger S/S in 338WinMag remains conspicuous through it LACK of availability on the S/H used market. Wiped down with WD-40 ... even the old boat-paddle stocked ones look virtually unused.
Cheers...
Con

I can see the XCR not being totally rust proof, the standard steel and stainless parts are coated, but this coating could wear off, especially in high wear areas like the bolt handle. A silicon cloth should be brought into the field blue or stainless... However, the XCR does offer quite a bit of rust protection, especially if there is salt in the air.

john

I have a Ruger 77 MKII stainless/laminate and highly recommend it. The gun is a bit heavy, but takes some of the bite out of the .338s recoil. It also shoots most bullets I have tried into small groups.

-Lou

I have owned a number of .338's - including Rugers, Winchesters, Remington and Weatherby. I have shot a Tikka in .338, but have no experience yet with a Kimber in .338. Besides price, for most of us, most of the decision will be based in which rifle has the features you desire most.

For me, the preferences for a .338 in a bolt gun are:
1) Magazine: no detachable magazine - just something else to lose.
2) Blue vs. Stainless: Stainless/synthetic is a plus for a gun that will see general use here in Alaska.
3) Push vs. CRF: Controlled feed - a definite plus. I hunt bears.
4) Light vs heavy gun: I handload. This means I do a lot of load work off the bench. I don't want a light weight gun. 7 3/4 to 8# for me is about right. I have shot light .338's. I don't want one. I do not use .338's for mountain hunting.
5) Out of box accuracy guarantees: Out of the box accuracy is nice but not absolutely critical for me - I enjoy doing some smithing.
6) barrel length - I like a 24". I have owned a number in 26", but really don't see much velocity difference if any when chronographed.

Your choice may be different than mine depending on what you are looking for.

Gidday Jimmy,

Don't muck around with second stringers. Just get a Sako and get it right first time.

They are more expensive but worth every cent.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

the stainless in rifles rusts because they do not have enough chromium content. if they did however, it would not be a suitable material to make a barrel out of. stainless kimbers rust, so do sakos. if your really that worried about it just have it duracoated, or just oil it all the time.

I have a Ruger M77 Mk1 in 338 Win Mag with a 2 x 7 Leupold. It weighs in at 8.6 pounds with the scope. Even using 300gn bullets the recoil is OK. I don't feel it is too heavy. I can carry it all day hunting Sambar in the hills, and have done so many times. The newer Mk2 has CRF which is a plus. The Ruger is a very durable and reliable rifle. Mine has had a hard life in all sorts of weather, has been dropped and fallen on a few times hunting rugged terrain, and never gave me an ounce of trouble. The only work I had done when I bought it was to free float the barrel and lighten and improve the trigger a bit. I believe the new Ruger Hawkeye has a much better trigger now though.

I've had the Rem 700, Ruger MKII and Win 70 in 338 WM. The Rem is the lightest of the bunch. However, were I doing a 338 WM today I'd get a Ruger Hawkeye, cut the barrel to 22", put it in a Bansner stock and mount a Leupold 2-7x33 of 6x36 w/ LR dots on top.

Hopefully you have a gunshop nearby, where you can handle .338's from different manufacturers. I think buying a rifle that feels right to you is way more important then the name brand.

FWIW, I've got a 1983 production year, Remington M-700; it was a BDL originally. I had the action/barrel bead blasted to a matte finish, re-blued and then set in a custom fiberglas stock, with Pachmyr Decelerator recoil pad. With a Bausch & Lomb Balvar 1.5-6X scope on it, it weighs just over 7 lbs. It has beautiful balance and handling, adequate accuracy and is a pleasure to shoot. The Decelerator is a wonderful recoil pad.
I have hunted moose with it every Sept/Oct for 20 years and it has never let me down. I have never had any issue with rust and I have hunted in rain, snow pretty much every year. I think SS is over-rated.

I am a huge fan of Sako and believe they are worth every penny. The importer in Canada is Stoeger who are excellent in terms of service.

Ruger all the way.

It is a 338 afterall, you don't want it to be too light.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimmy P Coaltrain:
The Ruger Hawkeye stainless is about 7.75 pounds, the Remington XCR about the same, the Kimber Montana is a bit lighter, and then there is the Tikka T3 stailess? The Remington and Ruger seem a bit heavy to me.

Not sure about the sittuation you have with your gunshop, but try cycling a few carts through them. Put them in the mag, cycle and bring 'er to the shoulder. It makes a differance. The feel will be differant.

I would go with the ruger or wincheter if you can find a classic. I am not too fond of tikka and think that the sako is very overpriced for what you get. Kimber would be nice too. I had a tikka t3 laminate and definatly woudln't reccomend one to anywone.

I have a Ruger 338 that I've shot for 30 years. It is a heavy gun, I dumped the wood stock and went to synthetic with a good pad. It has never been a great shooter. Then the tigger guard broke and Ruger said they did not make that part anymore. Had to find my own.. I now also have a tikka t-3 syn. It goes 7.3 lbs with a Bushnell elite 4200 1.5x6. I have about 100 rounds through it now and I realy like it. If your a handloader You shouldnt worry about the weight, you can have any power level you want. By the way the Tikka is a great shooter. They are all nice so find the one that feels the best to you.

a stainless ruger Hawkeye seems to be the best value.

If you've got to have stainless, by all means go for it, but one of the nicest new rifles I've had the opportunity to shoulder is the new Hawkeye in good old wood/blue. It's got a great fit and feel to the stock, and the looks are first rate. The only change I'd make would be to install a REAL recoil pad to give a little more cushion and make the stock a little longer. (Seriously, why don't they use Decelerators or Limbsavers? Who do we have to bribe?!)

The only "Stock" 338WM I have ever owned was a Rem 700 BDL. It was a very good gun. If I were to buy another one today it would be a Rem...

I'd like to see someone put iron sights on them again.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Savage or Browning ?.

Have they gone too Hell now days ?.

Mine shoots very well it's a Stalker SS Boss Synthetic stock . I don't find either the weight or recoil objectionable .

I couldn't agree more about the Rifle fitting the person rather than the Brand name . It isn't like one buys that caliber for benchresting !.

I don't own a Savage in .338 , I was curious if they make that caliber is all .

Shoot Straight Know Your target . ...

quote:

Originally posted by Dr.K:

I don't own a Savage in .338 , I was curious if they make that caliber is all .

Yep, stainless synthetic Savage Weather Warrior