so I'm going to be starting a 338 project rifle later during the summer when i actually have some money coming in. the good folks over at snipershide have already talked me into spending a good deal on the project and i aint complaining. i started out thinking about a .338 lapua but now that I've decided to step up everything on the gun i started thinkin why not step up the round itself. 338-378 was my next thought then started thinking lapua improved. my next stop was allen xpress. so will 338 AX work in standard lapua AI magazines? do they reliably feed with the steeper shoulder? does anyone have experience with case life using lapua brass? I've also read that there are dies available is this true? thats all i can think of for now at least. thanks for the help!
questions about 338AX
- Thread starter Cduff
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Tikkamike
Well-Known Member
First thing I would do is forget anything you have read on snipershide.. 99% of them have no idea what they are talking about and don't actually do much if any shooting.search the forums here and you will be a lot better off. As for the 338ax that is a petty hot rod round. Depending on your experience level with shooting and reloading it might be better to start off with something simple like a 338 rum which is an amazing cartridge itself... It'll outperform most peoples skill level easy. Cheaper to reload for and you can find factory ammo for it if you are ever in a bind. Not toemtion save a bunch of $ on the build
D
Deleted member 48126
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I am infatuated with the 338 lapua. I saw it in action in Afghanistan and have been intrigued by it ever since. I took my little 308 out to 750 yards and was awestruck by it. So I can only imagine what a 338, 300 SMK can do! I would stick with the 338 Lapua and build an accurate rifle off of that.
FearNoWind
Well-Known Member
Case life is a factor of the quality of the brass, the load selected, the care and feeding of the brass (think "annealing") etc. Case life expectancy will vary.
Laupa brass, IMO, is about as good as it gets. If you choose Laupa brass as a component in your reloading you won't be disappointed.
I shoot along side of a lot of .338 Lapua shooters in competition. IMO, it's an awesome rifle and I'd agree with the others that it would probably be your best bet at this stage of the game. Just remember that when you build a rifle with a beginning date of sometime this summer, it is likely to be next summer before you shoot it. Wait times for barrels, actions and stocks can be VERY long. You may find that an off the shelf rifle is a better bet.
I won't offer you any judgements on Snipers hide. Any forum you join will have knowledgeable members and flakes. You've just gotta be able to sort 'em out. If you haven't checked it out, Accurateshooter.com has some very good forums and technical libraries that might interest you. For certain, you'll find flakes there too. But most of the members are serious and experienced shooters who limit their involvement to the forums that they are best qualified to comment on.
MT4XFore
Well-Known Member
Without knowing your primary use for this build, it's a bit presumptuous of me to make any suggestions. I am however a very proud owner of a 338AX. Using Lapua brass at reasonable pressures one can easily expect five loadings before needing to cull pieces of brass. Annealing, as mentioned before, will definitely extend that substantially. The advent of RL33 powder has made 3000fps with a 300gr bullet relatively easy most of the time.
The AX is an outstanding long range hunting round. A bonus with it is the ability to shoot standard 338LM ammo in a pinch. In order to get a 338AX, at some point you will need to talk with Kirby. I strongly recommend you do that before you get too far along in the planning process. Kirby is not only a master rifle builder, he is especially talented in determining what a customer needs.
Good luck with your build! As most of the folks on here can attest, it's a very exciting time. If I can be of any help in this process feel free to ask.
Jim
The AX is an outstanding long range hunting round. A bonus with it is the ability to shoot standard 338LM ammo in a pinch. In order to get a 338AX, at some point you will need to talk with Kirby. I strongly recommend you do that before you get too far along in the planning process. Kirby is not only a master rifle builder, he is especially talented in determining what a customer needs.
Good luck with your build! As most of the folks on here can attest, it's a very exciting time. If I can be of any help in this process feel free to ask.
Jim
