300 or 338

[bigbuck]

I have been going to my hunting club with bigbuck he has been shooting 1000 they just picked the corn now he can get 1445 if i ranged it right,he shoots a 300 ultramag i beleive im working my way up but i dont a fancy scope just a 3x9x40 charles daily no mill or moa dials, or computer. lol. gun)

"computer" HEE HEE . you are more than welcome to shoot my rifle next time . but I must warn you first. Once you pull the trigger on it at 1000, you will be buying a remington

 

[WildRose]

I have been going to my hunting club with bigbuck he has been shooting 1000 they just picked the corn now he can get 1445 if i ranged it right,he shoots a 300 ultramag i beleive im working my way up but i dont have a fancy scope just a 3x9x40 charles daily no mill or moa dials, or computer. lol. gun)

There's a good many who have shot successfully to a mile and beyond with even the 7saum, 7mm STW, 300wm, and 300rum.

Beyond 1,200yds I don't think I'd be comfortable shooting elk sized or large/dangerous game with anything less than the .338 Rum under any circumstances but that's just me.

 

[bigbuck]

There's a good many who have shot successfully to a mile and beyond with even the 7saum, 7mm STW, 300wm, and 300rum.

Beyond 1,200yds I don't think I'd be comfortable shooting elk sized or large/dangerous game with anything less than the .338 Rum under any circumstances but that's just me.

I agree. We only have white tail deer in our hunting areas. I plan on shooting this barrel out and ordering a 30" HART in .338 and turning my rum into a .338 Edge.

 

[Aussie Hunter Steve]

In my own hunting experience there isn't a great difference in killing power between the 7mm Mag and the .300's when both bullets are properly placed but the .338 is a significant step up - it simply kills bigger game better.

 

[J E Custom]

I am going to have a new rifle built and am really struggeling on 300 win mag to 338 edge. Somewhere in there is where I want to land but not sure. Will definetly have a muzzle break and be around 9 lb. rifle before scope. I want to enjoy shooting it without taking a beating. I have a .30-06 and 7mm mag so I want something larger pretty much for elk, long range shots, sub 1/2 moa, and just fun.

What caliber is a good balance of recoil and velocity within the caliber range above?

Thanks for the help.

Having read all of the post I will add my 2 cents.

As we all know bullet weight has a very large effect on recoil so with that in mind and the intended
use I would have to say the best choice in that range of cartriges would be the 300 RUM.

I am a big fan of the 338s and have many but they are at there best with 225 to 300 grain bullets.

The 300 rum works well with 165s to 210s. they can handle the 240s but if you need/want a
bullet this heavy the 338 would be the obvious choice.

The 300 RUM Is very popular for a reason. Powerful, flat shooting, very accurate and reasonable
cost of ammo (Not cheep , but reasonable).

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM

 

[meat head]

"computer" HEE HEE . you are more than welcome to shoot my rifle next time . but I must warn you first. Once you pull the trigger on it at 1000, you will be buying a remington

no way i will keep what i have {RUGER} if i had all the GARB.you have and couldnt hit bulls eye in 4 shots i would trash it to peices.LOL gun)

i hope you aint planning on carrying it to the woods hunting

 

[shepardsonp]

Sorry but I disagree, and so does internet pricing at midway on your brass prices.

First the 338 EDGE (338/300 rum) and 338 Lapua are almost identical in ballistics. But it you want to push the 338 LM in Lapua brass you have the option and it will out preform the EDGE by a very small margin. If you load them both to the max load of, lets say 92 gr of H-1000 with a 300 gr bullet the REM brass will start to have loose primer pockets at 3 or 4 firings. However the Lapua brass will be going strong for long after.

I just checked www.midwayusa and the cost of REM 300 RUM brass is $109 per 100. The cost of 338 LM is $280 per 100. So once you have tossed 3 sets of the "less expensive brass" and the LM brass is still going strong the LM has now become the better value. If you take into consideration the brass quality the LM wins hands down. So if you cull 20% of the REM now where are you?

Not sure where you got your info but I can tell you after owning both my statements are correct.

Jeff


Hey Jeff...

No doubt that Lapua brass is much better than Remington or Winchester, etc. if Lapua made .300 RUM brass, I would use it! I shoot two different .338 Tejas Wildcats both custom rifles with TBAC .338 supressors. My hunting rifle has a sendero contoured 29" barrel and my competition version has a 32" heavy tactical barrel. which is the 338/300 RUM with at steep (Ackley like but steeper) shoulder. The first rifle I shoot 94.0g of H1000 with 300g Bergers and the second rifle I shoot 95.0g of H1000. I am not going to knock the 338 LM round but my point was that if you are shooting hotter loads you will only get 4 or 5 firings before the primer pockets loosen up. I would rather use and throw away a lower cost Remington .300 RUM piece of brass vs. throwing way a much higher cost piece of Lapua Brass. That was my point.

Question, could you even get 95g in a .338 LM case with a 300g Berger??

Sean Carlock from Defensive Edge was loading 106g of H1000 in his 338+P LRKM but has since backed it down a few grains. Still close to 100g of H1000 though.

 

[Broz]

Question, could you even get 95g in a .338 LM case with a 300g Berger??
.

Yes, but at 93 gr in a std LM you are over pressure or very close anyway. My standard load is 92.5 gr and I have 15 firings on the brass. There are plenty of guys shooting 95 or more gr in the 338 Lapua AI's and they get better case life than the 4 or 5 you quoted.

Shawn is building me a LRKM. It will be chambered in his personal version of the 338 LM with a modified case taper and shoulder along with the the Defensive Edge Plus P chamber. So I will be loading well above where I do the standard 338 LM. I have no worries about primer pockets going loose on the Lapua brass.

Jeff

 

[338Tejas]

Sorry but I disagree, and so does internet pricing at midway on your brass prices.

First the 338 EDGE (338/300 rum) and 338 Lapua are almost identical in ballistics. But it you want to push the 338 LM in Lapua brass you have the option and it will out preform the EDGE by a very small margin. If you load them both to the max load of, lets say 92 gr of H-1000 with a 300 gr bullet the REM brass will start to have loose primer pockets at 3 or 4 firings. However the Lapua brass will be going strong for long after.

I just checked www.midwayusa and the cost of REM 300 RUM brass is $109 per 100. The cost of 338 LM is $280 per 100. So once you have tossed 3 sets of the "less expensive brass" and the LM brass is still going strong the LM has now become the better value. If you take into consideration the brass quality the LM wins hands down. So if you cull 20% of the REM now where are you?

Not sure where you got your info but I can tell you after owning both my statements are correct.

Jeff

References:

Remington Reloading Brass 300 Remington Ultra Mag

Lapua Reloading Brass 338 Lapua Mag Box of 100

How many firings of 338 LM at $2.79/per can you get at max pressure?? I have never shot a .338 LM so i have no idea.

My original point that caused you to disagree was that if you can only get 4 or 5 firings on the $.75 - 1.09/per of the Remington 300 Ultra Brass.

I would think you should be able to get 3x the firings on the 338 LM brass because it is 3x more expensive and no doubt better brass. Is that a correct assumption? If you can't get 3x the firings, then how can you disagree that the Remington Brass isn't more economical to shoot?

 

[Rocky Mountain]

Yes, but at 93 gr in a std LM you are over pressure or very close anyway. My standard load is 92.5 gr and I have 15 firings on the brass. There are plenty of guys shooting 95 or more gr in the 338 Lapua AI's and they get better case life than the 4 or 5 you quoted.

Shawn is building me a LRKM. It will be chambered in his personal version of the 338 LM with a modified case taper and shoulder along with the the Defensive Edge Plus P chamber. So I will be loading well above where I do the standard 338 LM. I have no worries about primer pockets going loose on the Lapua brass.

Jeff

338 LRKM at 3125fps with the 300 OTM .818 BC man thats going to be hard to beat by a 30 cal what a rig set up, I can here the steel ringing at 3000 yards already

 

[Broz]

How many firings of 338 LM at $2.79/per can you get at max pressure?? I have never shot a .338 LM so i have no idea.

My original point that caused you to disagree was that if you can only get 4 or 5 firings on the $.75 - 1.09/per of the Remington 300 Ultra Brass.

I would think you should be able to get 3x the firings on the 338 LM brass because it is 3x more expensive and no doubt better brass. Is that a correct assumption? If you can't get 3x the firings, then how can you disagree that the Remington Brass isn't more economical to shoot?

I am running my STD .338 LM at max pressure with 300 gr bullets. 1/2 gr more will produce definate ejector marks and firm bolt lift. I have been there a few times. Even by over pressuring the brass I am still on my first 100 pcs of brass. Every one loaded and shot right at max pressure. I have close to 1500 rounds through the rifle. So some of the brass has 15 firings, some 14. All still have consistantly tight primer pockets and accuracy is good as day one, 1/2 moa to 1400 plus yards. I am keeping a close eye on this brass as far as wall thickness. It still has .0005" or less wall variance above the web. It is still going so yes, it will go 3..4.. 5 or more times longer as far as my experience with it.

Running the same load in a 338-300 rum showed me 3 firings or less from REM brass and the primer pocket were already loosening at 2 firings. This is why I disagreed that a Lapua is more costly to shoot. The initial out lay of cash is more. But in the end the Lapua is probably cheaper and you get quality brass to boot. Now the cost to build one will be higher if you intend to use a factory action. But in a full custom they cost the same to build.

I like both of these chamberings and they are very close ballistically. But the myth that it cost more to shoot a 338 LM is simply not true in my world and I have shot both enough to have made up my mind with first hand data.

Jeff

 

[338Tejas]

I am running my STD .338 LM at max pressure with 300 gr bullets. 1/2 gr more will produce definate ejector marks and firm bolt lift. I have been there a few times. Even by over pressuring the brass I am still on my first 100 pcs of brass. Every one loaded and shot right at max pressure. I have close to 1500 rounds through the rifle. So some of the brass has 15 firings, some 14. All still have consistantly tight primer pockets and accuracy is good as day one, 1/2 moa to 1400 plus yards. I am keeping a close eye on this brass as far as wall thickness. It still has .0005" or less wall variance above the web. It is still going so yes, it will go 3..4.. 5 or more times longer as far as my experience with it.

Running the same load in a 338-300 rum showed me 3 firings or less from REM brass and the primer pocket were already loosening at 2 firings. This is why I disagreed that a Lapua is more costly to shoot. The initial out lay of cash is more. But in the end the Lapua is probably cheaper and you get quality brass to boot. Now the cost to build one will be higher if you intend to use a factory action. But in a full custom they cost the same to build.

I like both of these chamberings and they are very close ballistically. But the myth that it cost more to shoot a 338 LM is simply not true in my world and I have shot both enough to have made up my mind with first hand data.

Jeff

Wow!! I had no idea Lapua brass would put up with that many firings at max pressure! Very good thread indeed.