I think you will enjoy the 338 Edge. I have had 2 of them thru the years, still own my RBROS 338 Edge.
My first Edge was built on a 700 action that was Not Trued, and was a very accurate rifle. It shot 1/3 MOA out to 800 yards.I think most bang for the buck accuracy comes from who does the rifle chambering with no runout.If not on a budget, go the custom action route. Regretted selling it, so had another one custom built by my friend Travis.
There are a couple changes I would make to your list.
If you are on a budget, I would look to buy a used HS Precision LA stock instead of the stock you have on your list. There will be inletting work if you use the Richards stock, and you will have to bed the action.
If you find a used HS stock, for about $2-225.00, it has an aluminum bedding block, so just bolt the barreled action in and start shooting. You can skim coat bed it later, if need be. I put a better recoil pad on my HS stock for about $75.00 as well. Also, put a Defensive Edge adjustable cheek piece on it.
If you have a little extra coin for the project, get the Manners EH-1 stock. It is one of the best stocks I have used. It is light, strong, and very comfortable to shoot. It will need to be pillar bedded thou.
Since you state this is a hunting rifle, I would change the barrel length to 28", which will send the 300 gr pills at 2850 fps, which is more than enough out to a mile.
A good muzzle brake, like a Defensive Edge brake is mandatory on these big 338's.
You will need to decide on barrel contour and optics to determine final weight, but I would try and keep it at the #12-13 range or less, if you are going to carry around the mountains.
I run a Nightforce NXS 50mm objective on mine, and it is more scope than I will ever need from a hunting standpoint. They can be found used at a reasonable price.. I would like to find a lighter optic option, but NXS scopes track perfectly, and have not found anything at this point I would trust as well.
My first Edge was built on a 700 action that was Not Trued, and was a very accurate rifle. It shot 1/3 MOA out to 800 yards.I think most bang for the buck accuracy comes from who does the rifle chambering with no runout.If not on a budget, go the custom action route. Regretted selling it, so had another one custom built by my friend Travis.
There are a couple changes I would make to your list.
If you are on a budget, I would look to buy a used HS Precision LA stock instead of the stock you have on your list. There will be inletting work if you use the Richards stock, and you will have to bed the action.
If you find a used HS stock, for about $2-225.00, it has an aluminum bedding block, so just bolt the barreled action in and start shooting. You can skim coat bed it later, if need be. I put a better recoil pad on my HS stock for about $75.00 as well. Also, put a Defensive Edge adjustable cheek piece on it.
If you have a little extra coin for the project, get the Manners EH-1 stock. It is one of the best stocks I have used. It is light, strong, and very comfortable to shoot. It will need to be pillar bedded thou.
Since you state this is a hunting rifle, I would change the barrel length to 28", which will send the 300 gr pills at 2850 fps, which is more than enough out to a mile.
A good muzzle brake, like a Defensive Edge brake is mandatory on these big 338's.
You will need to decide on barrel contour and optics to determine final weight, but I would try and keep it at the #12-13 range or less, if you are going to carry around the mountains.
I run a Nightforce NXS 50mm objective on mine, and it is more scope than I will ever need from a hunting standpoint. They can be found used at a reasonable price.. I would like to find a lighter optic option, but NXS scopes track perfectly, and have not found anything at this point I would trust as well.
