bolt action rifle

transamkid86

transamkid86

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I want a few rifles to play around with and im going to be buying a rem 700 in prob 308... but I also want to buy a bigger caliber in the near future and I been looking into 338 lapua mag and I found the savage for 1300 http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/models/
does any 1 have this rifle or caliber? Just wanted to get some opinions on the rifle and or caliber. I would be prob only useing It to play around with and keep up with my nephews barret.
 
Its the least expensive .338 LM you can buy. And it still shoots well. I'm not up on pricing, but that seems like a good price depending on the model. (Savage makes 3 versions of the 338 LM)

The biggest caution is simply the cost of the ammo.
 
I shot my buddys rem and I like how you can customize it. The savage I dont really know to much about. But that savage seems like the best for it price in the 338 lm.
 
I guess it depends on how you define customize. I recently went through the decision and ended up with this list.

Remington
1) The mid range customizers all work on Remington
2) Customized versions are what the military uses
3) Lots of people doing work on them
4) Inconsistent quality and accuracy
5) comparatively difficult to work on yourself.
6) better availability of accessories like stock chassis systems.
7) barrel changes run several hundred dollars in labor.

Savage
1) Not as much cache as Remington
2) Fewer people turning out tuned, blueprinted customs
3) Comes from the factory with an excellent trigger
4) Barrel changes are easy and cheap. (About $100 in tools if you DIY or $50 if you pay someone)
5) Consistently accurate.
6)Savage will build you a semi custom rifle with only a small premium. Get exactly what you want, the first time.
7) Savage offers a fantastic discount to hunter safety or NRA rifle instructors. 40% off list.

Generally Savages seem to be owned by people who like to tinker simply because it is very easy to tinker with a Savage. A barrel swap takes 10 minutes once you figure it out. The bolt and bolt handle can be replaced by an end user since the actual bolt head is a separate piece, it doesn't affect head space.

I ended up buying a Savage 10 FCP recently simply because I needed an out of the box shooter and wanted the option to tinker. I've heard first hand stories of inconsistent Rem 700 accuracy. I didn't want to take a chance. I also like the idea that if I want to try out a .260 rem or 6.5 Creedmore barrel, I can change it out inexpensively.
 
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The main thing for me was the barrel swap ease and the 10FP's record of high accuracy out of the box. There's no worry about barrel position (headspace) when swapping the savage.
 
Thanks for all the info. I havent heard many good things about savage. But im assumeing they gotten a lot better. I do like the fact that they do have that nice accu trigger
 
My buddy has a savage 10 in .308. With a 4-24 power scope, at 300 yards, i was able to put a round thru the same hole i previously made. Nice trigger and accurate out of the box. I love the 700, but the advantage the savage has it doesn't have a recall. Where remington has been cutting back and slacking on thier product, savage has been growing and putting more money into research. Buy em both!!
 
Nobody NEEDS a 338 lapua mag.

But I understand the WANT.


transamkid86 said:
Thanks for all the info. I havent heard many good things about savage. But im assumeing they gotten a lot better. I do like the fact that they do have that nice accu trigger
Click to expand...



It sounds like you are a few years behind the times. Over the last 5 years, Savage has innovated with their accutrigger and accustock. They've also continued to turn out tightly headspaced, good shooting barrels.

Over the same period, the penny pinching at the Freedom Group has caused Remington's quality to go down the toilet. If you want consistent out of the box accuracy, get a heavy barreled Savage. I'm not in any way saying that Remington's don't shoot. Some do. And some don't.

I was at the range today with my 10 FCP shooting off a bipod adjusting elevation with my off hand under the stock. I was averaging .68 moa with one set of reloads and .88 with another. These are the first reloads I've tried with this powder. I am very happy with how this gun shot.

There was a guy next to me with a gorgeous semi-custom gun with a blueprinted remington action, GA Precision barrel, Jewel trigger and a chassis type stock. It was very nice. But it didn't appear to shoot any better than my gun.

Don
 
Thanks. So it sounds like savage is the way to go. I know I dont NEED 338 LM but the WANT facter is deff there. And the range I go to also has a 300 amd 500 yard range but my nephew shoots his barret on his buddys farm land so he shoots pretty far out there.
 
There is a easier and simpler solution, if you just want to send 338 rounds down range and don't reload, a 338 RUM will do 95 % of what a 338 lapua will do at 1/2 the cost, and if by chance you do reload a 338 edge which is a 300-338 RUM will do 105% of what a 338 Lapua will do at 1/2 the cost, second you could go the Remington / Savage route known as a "Remage" which has a barrel nut system, so barrel swaps are just as easy as on a Savage, here is one of mine I have a few different ones as well as savages, they both have there pros and cons.
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I know a little about Remington Ultra Mags here is my RUM family left to Right, 338 Edge, 300, 284, 270, 264, and 257 cal
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[/URL][/IMG]
 
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I learned about a few differnt calibers that were similar to the 338 lm but from what I read and watched that the 338 lm was the best choice. And I do reload so finding the ammo wont be a problem. But im going to look into the Rum fam... theres so many calibers to choose from lol
 
When they designed the 338 Lapua Mag, there main objective was to get a 250gr bullet to reach a 3000 FPS. there were other criteria but that was the main one..

Dean
 
The 338 Lapua mag is a great caliber. Unfortunately is has such sex appeal that the gun companies have figured out that they can charge almost two timesas much for a 338LM gun as they do for a 338 RUM or 338 Win mag. There's no reason for that.

Living in the NE if you just want to practice hitting things at distance, the 308 is all you need. If you really want to optimize the .260 Rem or 6.5 Creedmore both give you improved ballistic coefficient bullets that stay supersonic out to 1500ish yards, they are relatively cheap to reload and don't recoil a whole heck of a lot.

If you actually want to KILL something at 1000 yards you may want something larger, but for punching paper you certainly don't need any kind of 338 magnum. Of course, I completely understand the desire or the WANT of a .338 gun.

I'm just learning to shoot long distances. I'm educating myself on external ballistics, I'm shooting at 200 yards when I can and will be shooting 300 yards when I can get out to HSC. Reading and its 600 yard range is not too far away, I'll put my application in as soon as I can get down there.

In the mean time I'm taking the advanced long range precision rifle course at Sig at the end of June. We'll be shooting out to 1000 yards, or so the course description says. I can't wait. My Savage 10 FCP seems to shoot both my 168 gr and 175 gr Sierra Match Kings equally well out of its 1 in 10 twist barrel. I'll probably go with teh 175s for the Sig class.

Don
 
Buy mosin ... Swap barrel for 338 lupa... It can be done so I'm not really fully joking.


From what I read .338 lupa eats barrels so you might want to look at which rifle cost less to replace the barrel.


Also some people mod rems to make barrel swaps easier. I think they just have it threaded farther up and use a nut like a savage .
Damn that crazy reloaded brought up the barrel swap on rems lol .
 
warwickben said:
Buy mosin ... Swap barrel for 338 lupa... It can be done so I'm not really fully joking.


From what I read .338 lupa eats barrels so you might want to look at which rifle cost less to replace the barrel.


Also some people mod rems to make barrel swaps easier. I think they just have it threaded farther up and use a nut like a savage .
Damn that crazy reloaded brought up the barrel swap on rems lol .
Click to expand...

The true term for a barrel nut converted Remington, is called a shoulder less Remington, and that is exactly what they do they cut off the shoulder, and run the threads further down the barrel, it is also great for setting back or rethroating the barrel when it wears out, it is 1/4 the price of a new barrel, I went over this in the "Wildcatting" post,

Dean

PS: the Savage barrel nut and the Remington barrel nut are different as in there DIA and TPI they just look the same on they exterior,
 
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Dean Crawford said:
The true term for a barrel nut converted Remington, is called a shoulder less Remington, and that is exactly what they do they cut off the shoulder, and run the threads further down the barrel, it is also great for setting back or rethroating the barrel when it wears out, it is 1/4 the price of a new barrel, I went over this in the "Wildcatting" post,

Dean
Click to expand...

Yeah I heard about the rem mod before your thread. But the idea of cutting a little off and reaming it was pretty slick .
 
Dean went over that in an earlier thread from a couple of months ago. Ben, you would enjoy it. Search on "wildcatting".

As you know the sub-calibers, caibers where you have a big case full o powder necked down to small diameter bullets really eat barrels, specifically the throat. There was a good discussion of cutting an inch off the bbl and rethreading and rechambering it then putting it back on.


Dean - is it common when people get remington style actions, like a Surgeon, to have them set up for a barrel nut? It seems like a no brainer.
 
Dean - is it common when people get remington style actions, like a Surgeon, to have them set up for a barrel nut? It seems like a no brainer.[/QUOTE]

As hard as it is to believe, and as much as it makes sense, they do not they think it is uncouth, and lessens the prestige of the rifle, they have a minimum of 5 grand and more in these "surgeon" and other aftermarket actions, and pay the grand or more to have it totally rebarreled every time, it is definitely a status thing.

Dean

PS: All my Remingtons are older ones, I would not spend money on a new one, though I would convert an older one anytime.
 
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Thats what amazes me.

The name smiths charge $1000 to change a Rem barrel with a top quality Broughtin or Kreiger.

In contrast, you can buy the same barrels for a savage for $500 and install it yourself. Or pay a smith $50 to install it rather than $500.

Don
 
I have to get the pw to my kindle account so I can get read up on the few books I purchased. On this kind of topic... and a class sounds rly fun. Im going to look into and entry class
 

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