Which rifle

hnusz

New member
I can get a used 338 win mag with scope and bipod for under 500. Or I can get a new 308 for just under 600. No optics this will be for 900 plus yards. Don't remember the Brands fend that owns the gun shop recommend them to me. I reload thanks
 
obviously you need be more specific if you are trying to gauge a good value..... I can get a pistol in .40 for 140$ or a 9mm for 300$, shooting to 50yards, which one is better? hard to answer
 
Definitely need more details on the 2 rifles(make, model, what scope, etc...), what you intend to shoot at 900 yards, what experience you have with rifles and shooting at 900 yards...
 
I think their both savages different models. My lgs guy said the scope will work for 1000 yards. Looked through it about where the target will be . Setting up in his back yard. Will have access after the corn gets cut. 4x4 plywood and 2x2 steel plate. I have a 30 06 that was my dad's with an old weaver scope don't know what power most of the markings are worn off. Have a 303 brit 8mm mouser sks and a mak90 all with open sights and an ar15 with a 36 fixed power scope. No experience shooting anything over 200 yards. Last weekend me and a buddy went to the range I'm a member of I was shooting shotgun shells at 100 yards with the ar. I want it to be accurate and consistent
 
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Out to 1000 or a bit more the 308 is adequate with a lot less recoil and cost. Beyond 1000 yards the 338 might be better, but at that range there are much better options than 338 WM
 
I have a Savage in 338 WM. It is a great cartridge for large game such as elk and moose, but doing a lot of shooting at targets with it is not my idea of fun.
 
yes, all things equal with the rifles, the 338 is the better cartridge for 1000yds, but you should get the details on the rifles first regardless, so you can at least know if your getting a good value.

and someone saying a scope is "good to 1000 yards" on a gun that's under 500$???? I find that very difficult to believe. yes, people shoot to 1000 yards with irons and it's possible with any cheap 9x I suppose, but it depends on what you are shooting at. a scope appropriate for 1000 yard "target" shooting will generally cost at least 500$, on the low end.

if you could get the specifics on the rifles, and the scope, you could get some great opinions here.
 
A different viewpoint here.........

So far, the single most interesting thing I've read in this thread is this:
I have a 30 06 that was my dad's with an old weaver scope don't know what power most of the markings are worn off.
Tell us more about this one. Pictures too, if you can. If I can have only one good bolt-action, do-it-all-rifle, I want it to be a 270 Winchester, unless, perhaps, a classic 30-'06. With a Walnut stock. Probably a Winchester model 70. All this plastic stocked, new fangled, "modern", stuff that's being promoted today, .......why, you can throw it in the brush, as far as I care. Look, now; what kind of rifle would Dick Proenneke carry in the wilderness? Hey, y'all, we all have to live in, and deal with, the modern world, most of the time. But when you head for the wilderness to hunt and fish, do you really have to bring it out there? There are rifles that were made before WWII that will still reliably take truly big game at 400 yards. None of us need a hunting rifle that post-dates our grandfathers. Back in the 1920's, a truly accurate long range hunting or target rifle was often built upon the canvas of the 1903 Springfield. Now we know better, all that old stuff is useless and obsolete. Grampa's old Springfield is little better than a spear today. Why handicap yourself with a century old cartridge when you can have a Remington Ultra Mag or Dakota or Weatherby, Lazeroni, whatever? How did our ancestors manage to do all they did, making do with such inferior tools and weapons? Well, when they were in their prime, they must have been better and tougher than we seem to be now...... Kansas, huh? Wasn't that country tamed with a Sharps for long range and a Spencer at Beecher Island? Don't mind me, boys; I'm just havin' a little Rum Therapy......
 
.338 Win Mag has pretty brutal recoil when loaded at full power. Personally I think it's a less than ideal round for all applications - if I'm hunting moose or elk, something much smaller will do fine. If I'm hunting great bears (I wish!) or bison, something with a bigger bore would be better.

There are probably more .338 Win Mags with less than 10 rounds on them than any other caliber. People buy them and then discover the recoil and suddenly decide it's OK to hunt deer with a .260 :)

For long range, I wouldn't even consider a .338 win mag. While it would stay supersonic to 900y, lots of things will do that and they won't beat you up doing it.

.308 is a more reasonable long range round with a very good ecosystem due to all the match shooting, although it's less capable than most other 6mm to 7mm long range options. Depending on your elevation and the barrel length, it's marginal to stay supersonic at 900y - you might have to use exotic bullets like the lapua scenar 155gr to get good stability.

As to whether the .308 being sold would serve you well, we'd have to know what model it is.
 
Ok will find out more about them Friday when I go out there to see if my books came in. I know from searching threads that you need a good trigger and optics but is a bull barrel necessary for just going out and putting a box or two through it once or twice a month.
 
Bull barrels are worth it to me. Are they worth it to you?

Bull barrels are stiffer, lending to accuracy especially if shooting multiple shots quickly. They don't heat up as fast which means less time letting the barrel cool between shots/groups and more time actually putting rounds downrange.
 
Just got off phone with lgs. It's a savage 111 hog hunter in 338. It has a 4-16 Bushnell scope on it. It's priced under 500 it's used. The 308 can be anything I want have to order one.
 
For 900 plus yards at what? 900 is way too far for any hunting shot. Not so much for targets, but you'd likely soon get tired for being hammered by a .338 out of a hunting rifle.
You'll need to learn about the ballistics too. For example, Hornady 225 grain factory drops 42.3" at 500 with a 200 yard zero.
"....338 Win Mag has pretty brutal recoil..." Muzzle blast for the guy on the next bench is, um, impressive, too. Nearly got blown off the bench by a guy's .338, long ago.
 
The Savage Hog Hunter comes in 338 Federal (.308 necked up to .338), not in .338 Win Mag. BIG difference.

.338 Federal is not a suitable long range caliber IMO. The bullet selection of match bullets short enough to put in the .308 type case is pretty much non-existent as far as I can tell. There are really heavy bullets designed for .338-378 and .338 Lapua magnums but those eat up too much case capacity in the .338 Federal.
 
If you have a cabelas near by, I would go check out their exclusive Savage 12FV in .308. I think they have it on sale for $399, which is a heck of a deal!
 
put the savage on layaway. checked the serial number on the savage website its a m-111 hog hunter chambered in 338 wm. 425.00 its got a bushnell scope on it cant remember the numbers forgot to write them down but I can see where we are going to set up the targets just fine.
 
Without more info, DEFINITELY the .308. Long range takes lots of practice, and .338 WM has brutal recoil and cost, and not nearly the selection of factory match ammo - if you get lazy and don't want to reload.

But yeah, needs lots more specifics.
 
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