1000yd range-7mm vs. 338 Lapua

[yobuck]

Listen, i dont need any lecturing about long range hunting, OK.
Ive been doing it longer than most here have been breathing in a place where many others have been also.
But by and large i feel the videos are intended as a promotion of some type for the maker of the video. Therefore some parts are apt to be cut from the final version if they dont provide the intended result or message.
Wether the shot is fired from a bench, from a prone position, or any other position is of no consequence at all.
What happens while on its way to the target is what matters, and right there is what separates the experienced from the non experienced as for cartridge choices for long range hunting.
Hit an Elk in a vital area with a 100 gr 6mm bullet and you will have a dead Elk. But that dosent mean that the person taking the 6mm on an Elk hunt, especially a long range Elk hunt isnt an idiot either.

 

[Mostly Tailfeathers]

KQGuy,
I recently watched several videos RE the MRAD that is now the US military sniper rifle. The rifle comes in three calibers, one of which is the .338 Lapua. The other two are the .308 and .300 Norma Magnum. The reason it comes in .308 is so they can afford to shoot it because the .338LM is so expensive to shoot. This from the folks who own our aircraft carriers, tanks and jet fighters! I can't remember the cost per round of .338LM but it was shocking. Hope you get the one you want. MT

 

[Ole Dead Eye]

I am currently shooting the 7WSM in 1,000 yard F-Class competitions. It is flat shooting and teh 180 grain Bergers hold into the wind like crazy. However, I would not even consider a .338LM or bigger for 1,000 yard F-Class use. The simple reason is you CANNOT use a muzzle break during a F-Class match, and your rifle with scope cannot weigh more than 22lbs. With that in mind, it is not practical - to me anyway - to shoot anything much bigger then the 7 or 300 WSM without a break; it will wear you and beat on you over the 60 round course of fire and 60-70 rounds shot during a match. If you could use a break, then the sky and your budget is the limit.

Kirby and others are correct; the 338 brings a bunch more energy to the chosen target at and beyond 1,000 yards.

JeffVN

I would not want to carry a 338 any where any distance any time any way.!

 

[338 dude]

I talked to a gunsmith the other day about building me up a rifle chambered for the 338LM,I told him it was for 1000yd.target shooting and possibly long range hunting.He insisted the 7mm would be a better choice,he said it would be superior to the 338 in accuracy,and would do just as well for hunting at 1000yd.I alway's thought the 338 would be more accurate at long ranges because it is less affected by wind drift.Also,would the 7mm have enough energy left at 1000yds. to drop large game?The more input I get the better,so I can make the right choice for what I want to do.BTW,Elk would be the biggest animal I would hunt.
KQguy

338 Lapua!

 

[Chas1]

but the first time i talked to Kirby he had an answer for ever question i ask. the best thing you can do is to talk to a smith that shoots like you want your rifle to.

+1 I'd talk with Kirby but as has been mentioned you need to decide what your priority is Competition then hunting or hunting then competition. Kirby's correct the 338 @ 1000yds is a hammer. He built my 338 AX and I'll have him build my next project. Call him or better yet email him.

 

[Paladin300]

Quiet frankly if you are going to hunt to a grand with it a 7mm would not be my choice, even the mighty 28 nosler, though it would certainly do the trick and get there in a hurry.

To shoot an elk or larger game at a grand you need two things to happen ethically speaking IMHO. First the bullet needs to arrive on target as close to a second as possible (you can be the best shot in the world and that animal in that amount of time can move the length of his entire body or more.). Second you need enough energy on impact to cause massive fatal instantaneous trauma to vital organs and in the event of a miss hap have the ability to break through bone (that is just my opinion). That said there are only a hand full of cartridges capable of being considered true 1000 yard hunters (300 RUM, 30-378 wby, 300 Norma & [Improved], 338 RUM, 338 Edge, 338 Lapua & [Improved], 338-378 wby, there are probably a few others but these are what come to mind).

As far as shooting steel to a thousand if you have good fundamentals you can do it with just about any thing 6mm and up. If you want to do it consistently with authority and buck the wind start with something along the line of a 6.5x284 Norma or larger. Most 7mms will do it and the big 30s and 338s will get you closer to 2000.

All that being said, if the choice to do both where 7mm or 338 I would go 338! However, if you do not intend to go beyond a grand for either I would consider something along the lines of a 300 RUM.

 

[yobuck]

KQGuy,
I recently watched several videos RE the MRAD that is now the US military sniper rifle. The rifle comes in three calibers, one of which is the .338 Lapua. The other two are the .308 and .300 Norma Magnum. The reason it comes in .308 is so they can afford to shoot it because the .338LM is so expensive to shoot. This from the folks who own our aircraft carriers, tanks and jet fighters! I can't remember the cost per round of .338LM but it was shocking. Hope you get the one you want. MT

Good shooting requires good fundamentals, and its more pleasant to learn those while using a 308 as opposed to the larger cartridges. You will also do as well if you practice with a 308 for distances out to about 1000 yds.
And foolish to do so with the larger cartridges on a regular basis.
But the ammo cost isnt really much of a factor when you only use them when the situation requires using them.

 

[Stgraves260]

338 Lapua!

see if this help. That's a 7 Rem Mag with 180 grain Berger bullets. That's the father and son that got this website started.

 

[338 dude]

see if this help. That's a 7 Rem Mag with 180 grain Berger bullets. That's the father and son that got this website started.

338 is just my opinion I happen to own one I don't have a seven mag

 

[Stgraves260]

338 is just my opinion I happen to own one I don't have a seven mag

?

 

[Jcook02]

Simply my opinion and take it for what it's worth, I'm not a BR guy. For deer and targets out to 1k yards, 7mm will do just fine. On game performance on elk, a 300-338 cal. would be my first choice. We can tap steel all day, everyday with a .243 beyond 600 yards, with boring regularity. I wouldn't let that determine my choice for elk though. Deer, I can understand, elk are extremely tough critters. I love my gunsmith, he does an outstanding job of building our rifles. But... he thinks we're crazy for using the bullets we use. He says we watch too many hunting shows. We've had tremendous success with the two bullets we use and until then, we will continue to use what is effective for us. But, a great thing is, you have so many choices to pick from and I don't blame anyone for making their own decision. Good luck on your quest, there is an unlimited amount of knowledge on this site and about just as many useful opinions. Keep us up to date on what you go with and how it goes, please. Stay well.

 

[Stgraves260]

Simply my opinion and take it for what it's worth, I'm not a BR guy. For deer and targets out to 1k yards, 7mm will do just fine. On game performance on elk, a 300-338 cal. would be my first choice. We can tap steel all day, everyday with a .243 beyond 600 yards, with boring regularity. I wouldn't let that determine my choice for elk though. Deer, I can understand, elk are extremely tough critters. I love my gunsmith, he does an outstanding job of building our rifles. But... he thinks we're crazy for using the bullets we use. He says we watch too many hunting shows. We've had tremendous success with the two bullets we use and until then, we will continue to use what is effective for us. But, a great thing is, you have so many choices to pick from and I don't blame anyone for making their own decision. Good luck on your quest, there is an unlimited amount of knowledge on this site and about just as many useful opinions. Keep us up to date on what you go with and how it goes, please. Stay well.

I use a 260 Rem as my go to hunting rifle. Does everything I need. Deer, Elk, Moose. People think they need a 50 cal to drop elk. ( Just saying ) shoot what your comfortable with. I choose accuracy over a bigger gun any day of the week. At least I can put my bullet where I want. I've shot big guns, CheyTec, Barrett, .600 Nitro Express, SAW, grenade launchers, to name a few. They just not needed for hunting or long range shooting. The best gun to shoot is the one your most comfortable with. In that video I shared was from a father and son who started this sight. It used to be a hunting show called Best Of The West. These people broke off from one another and now there are several hunting shows like this. Yes I watch them. No I did not learn to shoot from them or YouTube channels. But to say a 300 WM or 338 caliber rifle is needed to kill a elk at 1000 yards is absurd. If that's what you want to shoot because your comfortable with it that's fine. Nothing wrong with that. I would not hesitate to shoot a elk out to 1250 yards with my 260 Rem. I'm not saying there are not better choices. I'm just saying it can be done because I have done it. I have this saying. " The hardest person to prove wrong is yourself " You can not lie to yourself or manipulate yourself. You only know truth and facts about yourself. I'm not trying to offend anyone by any means. People may not have the same beliefs or see eye to eye with one another, but that's what makes life interesting. Versatility is the best solution to everything.

 

[Chas1]

I would not hesitate to shoot a elk out to 1250 yards with my 260 Rem.

Am I correct saying energy retained at that distance is around 400 ft lbs ?

 

[Paladin300]

338 is just my opinion I happen to own one I don't have a seven mag

I like what someone else said on here about they don't show the miss haps on the outdoor programs. I have seen that video and a 7mm Mag is more than capable of killing an elk but I am with you. If a 1000 yards is the intended range the power of a 338 would be my choice over the trajectory of a flat seven. Watched a guy shoot a moose with a 28 nosler at 600 broadside, behind the shoulder, it took three shots to expire the animal. The bull acted like the first shot was a bee sting. I just don't know how ethical it is to shoot something with a caliber that lacks the minimum needed energy for that animal at a given range. 338s for the most part take to long to get there, which is another issue. I personally would most likely opt for a fast 30. 300 RUM etc.

The op stated he was looking at a 338 Lapua but if it was going to double as a hunting and long range rig, I would opt for the 338 RUM, which is what I did. It is my first choice for all things Alaska.

In full disclosure I have never been a fan of the 7mm rem. It is my least favorite cartridge. Don't own one and most likely never will. Got a friend who owns one and talks about it all the time. He has killed everything on planet earth with that thing. A Browning BAR he has owned for 40 years. Guy is the Jack O of the 7mm rem and doesn't mind letting you know. Killed way more than I ever have, but like me never found the need to shoot anything beyond about 650 yards, just because we can. Any way he is the reason I don't own a 7mm rem that and I prefer the 300 WM. A little rivalry goes along way! I want own a 7mm rem! Ever!!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it! It's the principle of the thing! A man has got to stand for something!