Need Advise on .338 Lapua

H

HKFan9

New member
I am kicking around the idea of buying a .338 Lapua. Ideally I was considering the Barret M98B as I really like that gun, obviously know Barret is well made, and meant for serious use.

Before anyone starts on me about WHY I would want a 338lapua, or that I don't need one, you are right, I know the ammo is $$$, but I simply want one, if nothing more than to have one loud, expensive, toy. I have a bunch of other stuff, this is something I simply want. If I want to shoot long distance for cheap I can use my Kimber 8400 Advanced Tactical .308.

Getting that out of the way. I was looking for other considerations for rifles. I know I could go "cheap" and buy a Savage. Nothing wrong with a Savage and I have shot them and they are accurate I know, but it is not very appealing to me. I was wondering what other recommendations people would throw in the ring between the Savage and the Barret.

Also I DO have a hand-loading set up, however I have not done it in awhile. I don't expect this round to load dirt cheap, but I was interested to hear what are some costs per round on some of the loads you guys worked up.
 
I have shot both the BA and the HS stocked one, they are good rifles, but my budget is higher I would rather get something better. I work for a gunshop, I generally don't pay retail with the exception of a very few things.

I am aware of the price differences between the two, that is why I said I really like the Barret, however I know on the cheap end of the spectrum are the Savages. Just seeing what other rifles between the two ends people can personally attest for.

I do not want to focus on price at all. I am comfortable with the Barrets price tag, and really nothing against the Savages, but a good scope will cost you what their rifle runs, and the ammo is $100-$150 a box. The cost of the gun is just the initial investment, scope, ammo, reloading will cost more in the long hall. I am not bashing them, they shoot very well, and I have owned Savages before.

I used to own more guns than I knew what to do with. I started selling off the ones I wasn't in love with and slowly upgrading my collection to quality over quantity, with the exception of firearms I received from being passed down.

.338 Lapua is an expensive venture no matter how you cut it, I would rather buy once and cry once vs buy twice and cry twice. Even if I did want to buy a Savage at a lower price and eventually upgrade, I could only imagine the resell of a .338 gun is pretty tough.

I was just looking for other considerations, I am just starting to do homework on them now, and eventually buy one at some point this year. I have a LWRC REPR .308 I would probably end up selling to cover some of the cost.
 
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Price

If price is not involved, I'm with Hog Red. Ammo and specialty ammo type is more readily available for the fifty. My friends would tell me, "go big or go home"!! LOL!!
 
Not interested in the .50 at the time. If anything I would take the .408 Cheytac over a .50 anyways. Really if you can't answer my question you can go check out a different thread. I asked about a specific round, and asked for other opinions on rifles chambered in it, not why I don't choose X round vs Y round. I have shot a few .50's I am not in awe of them like some people are.

Ammo availability is not an issue. I have a few cases of Federal Premier .338 Lapua at work right now. Like I said I would be hand loading anyways.
 
I am currently setting up, after much research, a Sako TRG 338 Lapua with a Nightforce scope. I have shot a Savage 110 338 Lapua and made a 820yd shot with it on a Deer. I also have a Sako TRG in 300 win mag. The TRG's are very well made.
 
Good for you HK,I went through the same responses when I built my 338-06 AI.I opted for that chambering for very specific mid range application of a very specific bullet. I ended up doing a Spiller custom Rem 700 action and a Benchmark barrel used local talent to chamber and thread the barrel/action.I used HS Precision stock but would use a Manners stock to do it again.I did my own pillar and glass bedding,installed a Jewell trigger,Wyatt bottom metal.I opted for the Wyatt for weight vs cost and I love the Wyatt system.Badger is the best but weighs a lot more and uses Accuracy Int. mags.I used TPS Picatinny steel rail and their 30mm matched steel rings topped with a Steiner 4-16 50mm scope. By doing some of the work and buying my own specific trigger and B/M I saved a considerable amount of money and got a rifle as good as I could buy elsewhere.Highly recommend the TPS rails and rings,might be the best out there at much less money.The rifle is my finest best shooting smokeless powder rifle I own out to 500m. with 250 gr. Sierra GK.
Good luck in your quest,settle for nothing less than what you really want.
 
Your rifle sounds like you put a ton of thought and work into it. Hope you're enjoying it half as much as the fun you had building it.
 
Pongo thanks for the suggestions. I considered going with a rifle built in a McMillian stock as I am used to shooting my Kimber 8400 Advanced Tactical that has the same stock (even color pattern) for a similar feel.

The TRG is certainly worth a look, can't believe it slipped my mind. I believe I even have a discount on them. I have handled a few in person but never got a chance for any trigger time on them.
 
Did you consider a factory Rem 700? At $3K, price is very reasonable and seems to be in the right range for what you're looking for.

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire/model-700/model-700-tactical-chassis.aspx

http://www.shwat.com/ArticleIndex/t...is-Rifle-Big-News-Exclusively-from-SHWAT.aspx

You could always go custom, but I suspect this would be a good shooter... if needed, you can always send it to a smith to have the action blueprinted after you see how it shoots out of the box.

I haven't read any reviews on their chassis yet, looks functional.
 
Sako TRG, Accuracy International or the Barrett you mentioned would be my picks as well. Have you looked into the Barrett MRAD as well? Pretty neat concept.

Honestly if your wanting a top of the line .338 Lapua and money isn't a concern, I would go the custom route and spare no expense.

Start with a GAP Templar action, or something similar and go from there. The sky's the limit.
 
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I discussed building one with one of the smiths we have at work, he is more than capable, but it is probably a longer endeavor than I would like to get involved with.

Least I know with a name attached like Sako or Barret, if I ever wanted to, I could resell it a tab bit easier. The AI rifles are nice... but I never said money wasn't an issue, just don't need a bargain barrel rifle either. The AI I would not spend the money on. I have shot them in .308 they are incredible, but a little too pricey for me looking for a weekend toy. The MRAD is nice, we had a few at work before, but I would probably stick to the M98B.

The Sako has me intrigued however because I believe I have one of their pro staff order forms tucked away somewhere.

I have a couple of Vortex Viper PST's, a Vortex Razor, Leupold Mark 4 and a Trijicon I could try out on this rifle. Like I said it's gonna be a toy for me to enjoy, not trying to skimp on it but I am also not HALO jumping out of a C130 into a warzone with it either.
 
I never said money wasn't an issue
Click to expand...

Well... Kinda

I do not want to focus on price at all
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Anyways, seems like you've already got your mind made up, after every suggestion besides the Sako you go right back to the M98B. That's fine, if it's what you want then go for it. Just going to throw out this out there while it's one my mind as well. When I was looking into getting a .50 BMG rifle Barrett was one of my choices as well. Everywhere I asked opinions all stated the Barrett was slightly less accurate than most offerings. Most stated the Armalite AR-50 being the most accurate .50 cal. I would also look into their Lapua offering the AR-30 as well, lots of positive feedback.

Pretty much any rifle chambered in .338 Lapua is going to be of quality and be a much better gun that 99.9% of users can take advantage of anyways. There is a guy on here and the highroad that post videos all the time of himself shooting up to 2500 yards with a Savage 110 BA in .338 Lapua. And he's hitting pretty consistently out that far with a "bottom of the barrel" rifle. So regardless what you choose, you're good to go!

Also, on a side note you said it yourself. Your not jumping in the middle of Afghan or part of covert operations where your life is depending on your rifle... So in all honesty just for a range toy the Savage would be the ideal choice. It's also tiring hearing people call Savage "cheap" still, at one time that was true. Savage is now on par with the rest but their old reputation still follows them around, which is a pet peeve of mine. Sorry for the small rant. In conclusion get what you want, what you'll be satisfied with. No one will know that any better than yourself. All are great choices and all will fill your needs exceptionally well.
 
I said I don't want to focus on price because I was just looking to discuss rifles between the two I stated, mainly being the Barret (High End) to the Savage (Low End).

AI makes incredibly nice guns, however like you stated, the expected mechanical accuracy of any of these rifles is likely better than 99.9% of shooters. So paying $9000 for a rifle when I could buy a Barrett or the Sako for almost half seems rather silly, UNLESS you are fielding it in war fare.

I am glad you mentioned the Armalite however. My co-worker has a AR-30 and he likes his a lot, however he admitted to only shooting it about 3 times (range sessions not 3 shots) and haven't not played with it in awhile. Before you ask yes I already asked if he would consider selling it but he said no. I am interested in this one as well, but I would like a little more feedback than 1 soul.

As for Savage. I have owned them, I have shot them, I sell them all the time, I have built custom rifles off of them. I have no qualms about them. However they do make a CHEAP product that works WELL. Being on their prostaff I can get theirs for considerably less money even, however I shot both of them, and had a lot of fun with their Reps, but I just did not really like the rifles. There is nothing wrong with a Savage but speaking from experience there is a reason their price tags are lower, corners are cut in production, parts are made cheaper, we do get a fair share of them back for repairs. However they make a GOOD product, good enough that Remington basically decided to copy it with their new rifle line, even got the same guy to design their accu-trigger.

The reason I am focusing more on the 98B and the Sako is they seem like the middle of the road is terms of cost vs benefit. The MRAD is nice, but I don't need to change calibers or barrels on it, and I don't care for folding stocks. The Savages I stated from the get go I did not care for. I understand it will be a range toy but really isn't all our gear? Sure they are there for that off chance I may need it someday but really they are just expensive and fancy range toys.

I can't justify the cost of the AI rifles or the cost and time of a custom build. I am sure they are worth it, but any of them listed will be more than plenty accurate for me.

So it seems like I am still most interested in the 98B admittedly, the Armalite, and the Sako. I am still open to suggestions. I have no gotten my hands on to see the Remington yet.
 
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