Well, I hope you guys took advantage of that $20 deal onthe Siege’s yesterday. Some of you must have because according to the Amazon affiliate logs, 96 of them were sold off that link I posted. And even though I had bought three last week, who could resist at $20? So I ordered another three for myself. I’ll hand out one or two as holiday gifts.
For those of you who didn’t manage to read that post in time and get under the midnight deadline they had…well…perhaps next year?
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In other news, my gun buying habit, which is starting to get a tad outta control, needs to be reined in because Ruger has finally come out with their precision rifle in .338 Lapua. I got to handle one the other day and it is…big. It’s about 15# of rifle, which is really, really challenging the idea of man-portability. It’s not easy to imagine this gun as something you’d sling over your shoulder while carrying a backpack. It’s a heavy rifle. Of course, if you wanna dish it out you gotta be able to take it. The tradeoff against the 33% lighter .308 is, of course, bullet weight and a very pronounced increase in range (and operating costs).
Anyway, I’ve been wanting a .338 Lapua for a while and I was pretty much settled in on getting the Savage but I’d like to read the reviews on the Ruger offering.
How expensive? Well, its going to be about $1500 for the base gun, figure another grand (at least) for the scope. Support gear will be another $500 or so. It adds up in a hurry.
I suspect this is one of those things I’ll daydream over for a year or two until some circumstance occurs that affords me the opportunity to get one of these things. But, in the meantime, I can start collecting the less expensive parts of the package, like dies, brass, etc. As I said, the two biggest hits will be the gun and the glass.
You know, if Ruger would come out with a pump or auto shotgun you could have a survivlist’s armory filled with nothing but Ruger products…AR, 1911, .357 DA revolver, .22 rifle, etc, etc.
I am holding out for a 50 BMG Ruger Precision Rifle.
I like the way you think
A 50 BMG option would not surprise me if it was announced at SHOT because I would have expected the 338/300 version to be released at SHOT or NRA.
Have a 338LM Dakota Longbow. Great weapon and extremely accurate. It is one unique rifle in my collection and I dig it. Beautiful gun.
However, realistically most people won’t shoot beyond 1100 yards, which is adequately covered with a 300 Winchester Magnum. Even a 308 Winchester can reach 900 yards or more.
The 338LM rifle is extremely expensive to shoot, and relatively heavier than the other smaller caliber rifles. Recoil is heavy. And anti-material effects are quite limited as opposed to 50 BMG.
Obviously, the great thing in this country is you can buy whatever you want, and I encourage you to do so. In terms of real world application, most people are better served with a 308 Winchester, or a 300 Winchester Magnum to “reach out“. For anti-material effect I would always lean toward a 50 BMG.
Again, 338 is fun and sexy. Still, the limitations for me seem to exceed the advantages for all but extremely long range shooting beyond 1100 yards be that tactical or hunting.
My question is “To do what with?”
Do you have a situation where shooting several hundred yards is needed? Do you have access to a range to practice at that distance?
If you want it you want it but think about what it is really going to do and weigh if that cash could be better spent elsewhere.
Also I would hold off and do that as a reward for meeting your next major financial goal.
This is a great way to reward yourself after paying off your house.
Portability is an issue for old farts like me. I have a CZ 550 Varmint in .308 Winchester. Big honking HEAVY gun with a bull barrel, about 13 – 14 lbs total with scope. Taking it to bench or pick-up hood and shooting – no problem. Hiking with it through the brush – damn it, I’m old ! Can’t imagine walking up and down steep inclines, scrambling through scree. That would kill me for sure.
More portable is my Ruger M77 .338 Winchester Mag. About 9 lbs. scoped. A bit easier on the knees. Hits heavy, but not as accurate and damn its not inexpensive to feed.
I have the CZ 550 Varmint as well and it has been an outstanding rifle. My best group was five shots into .512″ at 200 yards. It’s a wonderful gun.
CZ was genius to include the set trigger function in an otherwise standard rifle platform. If there is a rifle that in enhanced by that feature, it is the Varmint model.
Living on the East coast, it’s hard to find a 100 yard range, much less 500 or more. I finally found one without a waiting list that I will probably join. It has 1000 yard range for members only, 500 for general public.
I don’t see myself going above .308. But I’d like to shoot .338 and give it a chance to change my mind.
I lust for a Barrett M82 A1. Was at their store in TN a few years back. I could have spent $50,000, easily, that day.
I settled on an Armalite 50 BMG single shot, caught it on sale new for $2800. Can pick up mil-surp ammo for ~$2/round and as a bonus they offer up AP, tracer, API, etc. This thing feels as heavy as my mother-in-law and there may be some genetic freaks able to pack it around for miles but portability is limited, especially with any good amount of ammo.
Put a pretty good scope on it but could do better. Not sure it’s worth it to re-load for ammo that price but that is an option and requires a special press (more $$).
Realistically, at my skill level, I don’t see shooting beyond 500-800 yards, which a .308 would be OK for personnel but not hard targets. A .300 Win Mag is just a .308 only 500fps faster.
People don’t realize how hard it is to hit at 1000 yards, takes a ton of practice (read shit ton of $ for a .338) and then doping the wind is like dealing with black magic and you get to start all over again when it changes.
Good luck with the .338 quest, take care, and thank you for your work on this site.
.338 Lap is great. I have one in AI, with a Nightforce NXS scope on it. It shoots great, out to 1800 meters or so. I also have an AI in .50BMG.
But the interesting thing (to me) is that while the .338 was a great fit between (say) .300 Win Mag and .50 BMG, there is less of a difference between the 6.5 Creedmore…which I also have, in the Ruger Precision Rifle with (right now) a Burris scope (I bought the rifle used). It’s sufficiently accurate (3/4 MOA) out to around 1400 meters… Which, considering that the ammo is around $4 a round LESS expensive, is significant. Factory ammo for the Lapua is about the same as the .50BMG, $5.50/round
An appropriate scope for any sort of 1000 meter-plus rifle will cost well over a grand, I think. Accessories include things like a scope bubble, rings (a hundred bucks plus), and either a bipod, or better, bags…and mags and ammo…. To the point that I haven’t yet started working up a load myself.
I’ve been quite happy with the Hornaday 6.5 Creed 147gr ELD match ammo…
I have a 300 R.U.M. that comes in just over 17 pounds with glass. Its-a lot of fun but even rolling my own it’s over $2.40 a shot now. A pound of powder does not even get you a hundred rounds. But it does speak with authority, that big bull barrel and muzzle break let you reach way for out there with out loosing the sight picture, a huge benefit on a gun that big. I do love it but at today’s price point I just could not justify the purchase.
How would a .416 Barrett compare? Supposedly more accurate than the .50, but what about cost and effectiveness?
I was interested and took a look at the Ruger Precision Rifle in .338, and I like it. The rounds are readily available as are the means to reload them and this is a round that has legs. If this is anywhere near as good as the Ruger Scout I have, it would be a great rifle to own. Yes at 15.2 pounds (plus the weight of the ammo and bipod) it’s a little heavy, but that weight reduces felt recoil. Sadly, the price of $2099.00 MSRP on the Ruger website* for just the gun plus the cost of a decent scope and a good bipod place this gun way out of my price range.
* https://www.ruger.com/products/precisionRifle/models.html
Dealer is $1400
Sure, rub it in… :^)
What about getting a .376 Steyr? Bullet weights are similar, just not quite as fast. Seems to start at 210gr, where the 338 starts at 200gr. One advantage might be that it meets all big game hunting regulations that require at least a .375 bullet. Hey, dual purpose rifle!
I saw a CZ 550 Magnum in 338 Lapua at Bob Ward’s in Hamilton, MT. It was on sale for $2,600 I think. Really nice gun, but the Savage or the Ruger are half that price!
I like the idea of the 338 Lapua because I hand load everything so ammunition cost isn’t really a factor and it carries enough energy at long ranges to really do some damage. The 6.5 Creedmore is FANTASTIC for people that don’t reload or don’t care so much about terminal energy. I wouldn’t mind having one of those too! The 50 BMG is just too large to be practical for most people, myself included.
I do like the looks of that Savage in 338!