338 330gr vs 300 230gr

[novaman64]

So have smaller caliber rifles. Looking to get a bigger custom built. My 280 ai is light and used for hunting here in California (mainly deer) and paper out to 1000ish yards. Looking for something bigger for target and then for the occasional out of state elk hunt. Was looking at ballistics and the .308 cal 230VLD's have some great BC's as do the 338 300gr VLD's. That being said, wanting a barrel 28-30" finished with probably a sendero taper...

Barrel life would be nice, but I know once those big bullets get going that fast there is definitely going to be some powder behind them that will eat barrels....

Would you go with a 338 shooting 300's or a .308 cal shooting 230's? And what parent case, looking at 338 norma, 338 edge, 338 lapua improved, 300rum, 300 norma, anything else i should be looking at?

 

[sp6x6]

You should read 300 Norrma thread in ELR section. To 1200 yrds either is going to do job just fine.The 338 prob easier overall on barrel,but loads and shooting fast can change that.

 

[Wachsmann]

if it was me, since I already have the 300 rum with 230 bergers 2960'ish...I would go with a 338 improved. also I'm pretty sure it is easer to come by 338 brass than 300 rum brass. I have not been able to buy virgin brass for over 6 months now for my rum. it sucks tring to find the brass and the to add insult is the price of the nosler brass in the box. if we are reloading we can resize it ourselves. don't need to pay an extra 30 dollars just to resize if not more$$. but yes I would go with the 338 improved more so like kirbrys 338AX.

 

[dkhunt14]

I hunt with a bunch of guys and they all have 300 Ultras shooting Bergers. Last year by the end of the second week of season they didn't even get there guns out of the truck. After seeing how my 338 IMP with 300 grain Bergers killed. The one guy got his 338-378 out and said you made a believer out of me. He said he would of never believed the difference in Killing verses the 300 Ultra. We killed 7 bucks with 7 shots in the last 2 years with the Lapua IMP and 6 of the 7 never moved. If you hunt elk and especially if you get out there the 338 just hits so much harder. You would be more apt to get an exit wound with the 338 and 300 grain Bergers. Where I hunt the guy has steel hanging and he will not let you shoot at it with the 338. They just blow through. Matt

 

[novaman64]

So in the 338 cal the lapua improved is probably going to serve me best for hucking 300 grainers?

 

[TH]

If you are planning on shooting a lot of rounds I would build a straight 338 Laupa or a 300 Norma. Both are capable of shooting past 2000yards. With a lighter rifle that you plan on building I would lean towards the 300 Norma. I would shoot the 215 grain Bergers instead of the 230s for 2 reasons. Lighter bullets equal less recoil and more velocity. Even though the BC is higher on a 230 than a 215. The 215 extra velocity will beat the 230 out to a mile.

 

[novaman64]

If you are planning on shooting a lot of rounds I would build a straight 338 Laupa or a 300 Norma. Both are capable of shooting past 2000yards. With a lighter rifle that you plan on building I would lean towards the 300 Norma. I would shoot the 215 grain Bergers instead of the 230s for 2 reasons. Lighter bullets equal less recoil and more velocity. Even though the BC is higher on a 230 than a 215. The 215 extra velocity will beat the 230 out to a mile.

Why straight lapua over improved?

And why a 300 norma over RUM? Need to do some more reading about the 300 Norma, I know nothing about them...

 

[TH]

With the improved You only gain 50 to 100 fps over the straight. Custom Dies means more $$ The 300 Norma is a shorter fatter case than the RUM it achieves the same or better velocity with less powder. Plus the 300Norma Improved or 300 Hulk holds the world record at 1000 yds

 

[sp6x6]

With the improved You only gain 50 to 100 fps over the straight. Custom Dies means more $$ The 300 Norma is a shorter fatter case than the RUM it achieves the same or better velocity with less powder. Plus the 300Norma Improved or 300 Hulk holds the world record at 1000 yds

Penn rules new small group was set this year with 300 wsm,pretty sure,Matt posting above would know

 

[TH]

I was talking IBS 1000yd

 

[dkhunt14]

The Pa clubs rules are for 10 shots in both Heavy and light. The IBS only shoots 5 shots in light. It is a lot easier shooting small 5 shot groups at 1000 yards then it is shooting 10. The conditions are more apt to change in 10 shots and ,it also takes out the luck factor. It is just like shooting groups at 100 and is a lot harder shooting small groups when the shot count goes from 3 to 5 to 10. At 1000 yards it is even more difficult.
The Heavy gun record is 2.815 inches shot with a 300 WSM. The Light gun record is 2.6 something shot with a 6 Dasher. When you look at the aggregate records which is for the whole year. The 300 WSM and the 6 Dasher hold about every record in both IBS and the Pa clubs. That tells me the consistency of accuracy, not one group that was never repeated or shot close to again. The 300 HULK was a shortened 338 Lapua in 30 cal. shooting 240 Sierras Something that Tom was trying to market and sell. Now you are talking custom dies. Then there is the fact that is was really windy that day and nobody else in that relay shot close to that group. Then Tom the owner of the range jumped on the 4 wheeler and went and retrieved the targets all by himself. My buddy sat right beside him in that relay and said the conditions were not good enough to shoot that small. He also said that in the spot where you disappear that it took it longer then normal to get through when coming back with the targets. Matt

 

[TH]

I am not interested an any of the benchrest BS.... Everyone wants to fight that's why the sport is dieing you guys all ruined a good thing. I was not there the day the record was shot so I do not know any of the details. What I have witnessed with the 300 hulk was there was a Russian guy that never shot before and he borrowed the 300 Hulk and shot a 3 inch group. He won his relay and turned around and won the shoot off with a 4 inch group. I have personally saw that rifle shoot several 2 inch groups.

My expirence hunting with the 300 Norma Improved I have killed over 7 elk with this cartridge. Longest kill 1467 yards. When I was in Colorado Mule deer hunting after I killed my mule deer at 784 yards. The guide came to my cabbin and said he had a group of hunters that have not filled there tags would I come out and set my rifle up for some of the guys and let the kill some elk. I said sure we went out and the first elk was at 1080 yards perfect heart shot the animal dropped like a rock. The herd of elk ran up the hill a little ways and stoped. The second hunter jumped behind the rifle I ranged the elk at 1193 set up the dope and the guy shot the elk in the ***. A quick wind adjustment and a follow up shot the second elk was done. The third hunter got behind the rifle and killed his elk at 1367 yards. These guys never shot over 400 yards before.

I have a 338 yogi which is a 338 lap improved. My longest kill with this cartridge is 1047yds there is nothing wrong with this cartridge either. I personally like the 300 norma imp better

 

[sp6x6]

My personal preference is the 338 being mainly a elk hunter.That has accounted for 25+ of my pushing 40 elk.It hits and hard. Im sure I would like a 300 type in the min Norma size and up.The 300 grn bullet has alot going for it,hard not to like.