I am currently looking for a new rifle. finally settled down to either a Savage 12 LRP in 6.5 Creedmoor or the FCP HS 338 Lapua. I have been going back and forth between these 2 for some time. I tend to research a lot before purchasing anything.
There is a LOT of difference between a 6.5CM and .338 Lapua.
Just what is your intended purpose – killing paper and steel at long range or hunting?
a few years ago I owned a Rem Sendero 300 RUM. I liked it but always felt I should have gotten the 338 RUM version due to better ballistics of 338 bullets.
looking up the 338 Lapua, you would think that most people shooting long range would be all over this round. Especially with the new lighter, muzzle braked rifles coming out.
this is just a thread to start a discussion on the reality of this round....or odd ideas that I have difficulties agreeing with.
1. it's a military sniper round. Reality is, it was developed for military for efficient delivery of the great 338 bullets. no more powerful than a 340 weather by which shoots the same bullets. many of todays most popular cartridges originally were developed for pretty much the same reason......223, 308 win, 30-06, 6.5x55....on and on. no one seems to connect those rounds with the OMG THAT IS A MILITARY ROUND concept. .
Considering I own bolt and AR-15 and A-10 rifles semi-auto handguns and they are variously chambered for a variety of cartridges adopted or at least used by military organizations (9mm Para, ,40 S&W, .45ACP, .223/5.56, .308 Win, .30-06, .300WM and .45-70), I don't give a crap if a cartridge is designed for or by or used by the military – any military. If it suits my purposes, I use it. So I guess we agree on that point.
2. it's WAY overkill. my ideas are as follows. can someone please explain the concept of overkill. my idea of hunting is to cause enough damage to the game to make certain is has little to no suffering. yes I only hunt animals for meat. don't believe in killing just to kill. yes I do not want to "blow up" the game so there is the least amount of waste. however, being in the medical profession, I do understand that there needs to be a certain amount of trauma to lead to a quick death. so, wouldn't the right approach be to try to ensure that the animal drops in it's tracks rather than run and slowly expire in 50 yards? using a larger cartridge like the Lapua does not guarantee that this will occur but will greatly improve the odds. .
"Overkill" to me is when a cartridge does way more damage and/or generates far more recoil than necessary, often/usually at greater expense. In an extreme case for purposes of illustration, one of my .45-70 "Rhino Blaster" loads (460g hardcast, 1812fps, 50+ ft-lbs recoil) to kill a squirrel when a .22 Short would do just fine.
3. a lot of posts go like this........wow, that 338 Lapua is so expensive to shoot or reload. but int the same post they will say...you should build the rifle on a custom action, custom barrel, custom stock, put on the $2000 Night force scope with the best mounting rings and base. in reality the cost of 338 Lapua ammo is on par with the larger Weatherby rounds. People don't seem to complain that much about the $$ of Weatherby ammo. .
I don't shoot Weatherby cartridges for a reason. Factory ammo is expensive but I reload so that isn't much of an issue. Brass tends to be more expensive as well, but I get the job done with more pedestrian cartridges at lower cost. My most expensive scopes are used Leupolds that I paid $350 for. One of them sits on top of my 6.5-06AI and works well enough that I've had hit rates as high as 80% shooting lay pigeons on the 600-yrd berm. If I ever spend $2K for a scope, my wife should have me committed.
4. OMG it recoils too much. from what I understand, most of the rifles in this round have muzzle brakes. more like shooting a 308. so.... .
The older I get the more I appreciate lower recoil. There are multiple reasons I don't shoot 3-1'2" max dram equivalent turkey loads when hunting doves and recoil is one of them. My .45-70 "Rhino Blaster" loads mentioned above are shoulder busting, retina detaching bitches in a light rifle.
5. Rifles are too heavy. Savage has 2 that are around 10 lbs. Rem 700 was also lighter. I am certain there are others. A concept I have a hard time with is trying to build as light a rifle as possible but then complain that the 308 winchester just kicks like a mule in that rifle. Are we expecting too much out of a rifle? similar idea going on right now in the concealed carry revolvers...super light weight but then complain about shooting the 38 special. of course light weight will be uncomfortable. .
The older I get the more I appreciate light rifles, too. Figured that out years ago humping the hills for elk.
just seems to be a lot of dislike for this cartridge but when compared to other cartridges I am having a hard time understanding why the dislike. If a person is able to afford that round, cost aside, isn't the Lapua a great all around cartridge? and now Savage is offering a few very nice options for that round. seems to me like this would be a great platform to target shoot, hunt most game at most ranges. .
It isn't that I don't "like" the .338 Lapua, I have no feelings for it at all. It just doesn't do what I want or anything I need done that I can't do with something else with less recoil and at less expense.
I tend to like actual facts rather than hear-say.....
just trying to vent a little and looking for your thoughts based on real experience.
I'd go with the 6.5CM all day long. Currently in the process of building another rifle on a Savage action. It will probably end up a 6.5 PRC.
