wanting to build a "mountain rifle"

[sp6x6]

As a die hard elk hunter,I gave up my 7mm , 20 years ago.For a 340 wby.You say 800,then it turns out farther.Then you have a wounded elk.They dont do the job like a 338 PERIOD.

 

[lhouston78]

I agree but he was looking at a 6.5 or 7 didnt say he wanted to step up. I have a 338 edge I am selling to a friend and I am starting to build a 338 norma(which I believe sp6x6 shoots) for my big elk rifle. Nothing is going to compare to a 300 gr 338 bullet for energy and bc.

 

[Jordan Smith]

As a die hard elk hunter,I gave up my 7mm , 20 years ago.For a 340 wby.You say 800,then it turns out farther.Then you have a wounded elk.They dont do the job like a 338 PERIOD.

Why would the elk be wounded with the 7mm but not the .338? Just curious.

 

[yotehunter243]

can i step up to a RUM length case in this action? with an extended Mag. box?

 

[lhouston78]

yes you should be able to do any caliber. My 7-270 is built on a long action, and my 338 edge is also.

 

[lhouston78]

A elk is not going to be more dead with a 338 or a 7, the 7 just runs out of energy way faster than a 338. If you hit him good at 800 with either he will die(a 300 gr 338 might knock him down and the 7 will probably have to bleed out).

 

[yotehunter243]

So I ran run a 338 Edge in a Long action? Im not real sure how a. Long 30" bbl will fill in a sporter stock.

 

[Jordan Smith]

A elk is not going to be more dead with a 338 or a 7, the 7 just runs out of energy way faster than a 338. If you hit him good at 800 with either he will die(a 300 gr 338 might knock him down and the 7 will probably have to bleed out).

I'm thinking that if a 180gr VLD, a bullet known for fragmentation, hits the ribs at 2030fps at 800 yards, it's gonna shred that animal's lungs. If an animal's lungs and heart look like they lost a knife fight with Freddy Kruger, then that animal is going to die pronto, regardless of the diameter of the bullet that did the damage.

Another variable- what if the 7mm bullet breaks a shoulder on its way to the vitals, while the .338 bullet goes in behind the shoulder and hits nothing but ribs and lungs? I'd say the 7mm is more likely to drop the animal on the spot, in that case.

There are just too many variables to say that the .338 will always have a more pronounced effect. I'm not saying that the .338 can't be more dramatic in how game reacts to the shot, but to say that it is always superior to the 7mm is inaccurate, IME. Is the .338 a bigger gun? Yes. Is the increase in size always directly translated into effectiveness on game? Not always. Again, this is according to my experience. Others' may differ. Impact velocity and bullet integrity/construction are larger determinates in effectiveness on game, than is a slightly larger bullet, assuming that the bullet is large enough to damage a sufficient amount of vital tissue in the wound channel to cause rapid death. A .223 or .243 on elk might be questionable, in this regard, but a 7mm bullet is plenty for elk-sized game, as long as it hits vital tissue and expands properly.

The 195gr Berger EOL with a 0.796 BC should make the 7mm that much better as a LR game getter. Even pushing that bullet at 2850-2900fps from a 7WSM or 7RM would offer a heck of a lot of performance, considering how little it costs in terms of powder consumption, recoil, muzzle blast, etc. And if we're talking about a LW mountain rifle that is elk-capable, those factors mean a lot to me.

 

[lhouston78]

depends on the stock and barrel contour. I have a abs carbon barrel in a b&c medalist and its fine, and a #5 in a small b&c mountain lite and it barely fits but dose.

 

[lhouston78]

The 7 wsm is a great gun and has more than enough to kill an elk, but I would take my 338 edge at 10.5#s as a better long range gun for most cases than my 12# 7-270wsm. The edge with a 300 smk has 2126 ft/lb of energy and 1786 fps@ 1000 and the 7-270 wsm with 180gr berger has 1407ft/lb of energy and 1876 fps@ 1000. When the 195 berger comes out that will help out the 7 more but still not better than a 338.

 

[sp6x6]

Why would the elk be wounded with the 7mm but not the .338? Just curious.

Because my 338 is packing way more energy,and it does to a much farther range.And your shots are not always perfect,no matter who you are.You will notice on here that a majority of serious LR elk hunters use a larger caliber.My elk rifle has 1200 #s @ 1700 yrds.Like I said I shot a 7mm for years,no comparison.I have been at 100's of elk kills,most of my hunting friends have taken 30-50 elk and use a 338 type or ultra.

 

[camdog]

I was just wondering if anyone knows much about the .284 and is this alot like the .280 ballistically. I remember years ago talk about what a great cartridge the .284 was. I was just curios but for sure the .280 is long range for sure. It,s very comparable to the 7mm mag and i once had that caliber in a model 77. I will say one thing for sure, you guys on this site like to reach out and touch stuff. I noticed that if it not moving at lest 2800 to 3000 fps your not happy. My speed don't carry as much of a wallop as the .280 and such, mine is in the .243 and .264. range these day's . Anyways thanks alot and mabe you know somthing regarding the .284. Thanks.

 

[sp6x6]

I'm thinking that if a 180gr VLD, a bullet known for fragmentation, hits the ribs at 2030fps at 800 yards, it's gonna shred that animal's lungs. If an animal's lungs and heart look like they lost a knife fight with Freddy Kruger, then that animal is going to die pronto, regardless of the diameter of the bullet that did the damage.

Another variable- what if the 7mm bullet breaks a shoulder on its way to the vitals, while the .338 bullet goes in behind the shoulder and hits nothing but ribs and lungs? I'd say the 7mm is more likely to drop the animal on the spot, in that case.

There are just too many variables to say that the .338 will always have a more pronounced effect. I'm not saying that the .338 can't be more dramatic in how game reacts to the shot, but to say that it is always superior to the 7mm is inaccurate, IME. Is the .338 a bigger gun? Yes. Is the increase in size always directly translated into effectiveness on game? Not always. Again, this is according to my experience. Others' may differ. Impact velocity and bullet integrity/construction are larger determinates in effectiveness on game, than is a slightly larger bullet, assuming that the bullet is large enough to damage a sufficient amount of vital tissue in the wound channel to cause rapid death. A .223 or .243 on elk might be questionable, in this regard, but a 7mm bullet is plenty for elk-sized game, as long as it hits vital tissue and expands properly.

The 195gr Berger EOL with a 0.796 BC should make the 7mm that much better as a LR game getter. Even pushing that bullet at 2850-2900fps from a 7WSM or 7RM would offer a heck of a lot of performance, considering how little it costs in terms of powder consumption, recoil, muzzle blast, etc. And if we're talking about a LW mountain rifle that is elk-capable, those factors mean a lot to me.

Do you have a large 338.And if you do do you have extensive experiance with it to base your opinion on?

 

[camdog]

I once owned the .338 lapula magnum, ( 8.58x70mm). It's main reason for being initially was a cartridge developed for military long range sniper use. The .338 replaced the .300 winchester magnum and the .50 BMG for anti personal long range services for the military. There is also the .343 Lapula magnum LM-107. This too was a wildcat cartridge based on the standerd .338 cartridge case. Thats just alittle history regarding this long range bullet your so fond of.