338 Lapua barrel contour

[22XC]

I'm about to build a 338 Lapua for a client who intends to use it for big game but cannot decide on a barrel contour. The rifle needs to be light enough to carry without a set of wheels, otherwise I'd opt for a heavy contour. For those of you with experience with the cartridge, what barrel contour would you recommend for a 26" barrel without a brake on a sporting rifle? I checked with Krieger and the smallest contour they will do a stainless barrel for the 338 Lapua is a #5 Plus Bull shorter with a .700" muzzle. The rifle will be built around a Deviant Hunter action and also have a McMillan stock set up for Badger M5 bottom metal for CIP-length cartridges. Any thoughts about throat configurations will also be appreciated. Thanks. Roger

 

[Eric Leonard]

no brake?? 1.450 straight about 36 inches should be good,,

 

[dkhunt14]

no brake?? 1.450 straight about 36 inches should be good,,

that's what I shoot but I have a brake and a heavy aluminum stock. That recoil without a brake is going to be stout, probably unbearable. Look at the factory Savage or REM for barrel diameter. Matt

 

[wwbrown]

No brake, a far better man than I am. Does not sound like he has shot much, if you are going to get a flinch you might as well get one the first time you pull the trigger on an unbraked 338 LM.

No matter how big the bullet you still have to be able to hit vital areas for a clean kill. I would much rather place a 180 grain 7mm bullet with accuracy than a 300 grain 338 bullet poorly. Unless dangerous game and then I would want a 375 or better in case of close up and personal.

Encourage him to build a rifle you might want to have so when he wants to sell it you can but it back, put a brake on it and be happy.

 

[Outrider27]

Actually, for anyone that wants to shoot a rifle built to reduce weight in .338 LM with a 26" non-bull barrel WITHOUT a brake, I would recommend pricing straight jackets, based on my experience with that cartridge, which has been quite fun, because my rifle wasn't built for light weight and has a really good brake. Even at 18+ pounds, it is a bear to shoot without the brake, which I only tried once, just to see how it compares to my unbraked model 70 with a 26" OEM sporter taper barrel and no brake in 338 Win Mag. The unbraked .338 Win Mag is almost a pussycat compared to an unbraked .338 LM weighing about 9 pounds more. Nothing wrong with wanting to build a carry-around in .338 LM, but doing it without a brake? Not me; I'm from the same school as wwbrown above on this one.

On the other hand, the .338 LM is a bit quieter without the brake... :

 

[Sniper338]

My rifle is a manners stock with 3lbs of lead in the rear, defiance devient action, kreiger custom contour 1.35 for 8 inches then down to 1 inch at the muzzle, finished at 29 inches. Ross schuler type 5 port brake.. 28 lbs empty. It kicks like a stock rem 300 win mag...


So to build a light weight one with no brake is obserd to me.. my opinion..

 

[Drop Port]

I know it's more than I can handle. When I had to load test my 16# 338 Norma with out a brake (accuracy test on brake design development) I would pop 2 ibuprofen in advance and still wind up with a headache.

The thing that has me even more curious is what distance it will be use at and what kind of accuracy is acceptable? Setting up a Lapua for accuracy and throating it appropriately will leave you with a cartridge longer than a CIP Mag. For what is being described I would be looking at 338Win or 338 Norma and it would definitely wear a quality brake.

 

[effendude]

I bought a Sako 995 a few years back in .338 Lapua. (I have exhibited questionable behavior before this as well). A really nice, lightweight rifle with a flush 3 round detachable mag system. I thought wow, what a perfect big bear hunting rig. With a NF 5.5-22X scope, it weighs right around 10#. First shot off the bench made my teeth hurt! I put a brake on it right away. It is now almost bearable, but in no way is it fun. There is enough torque that I have to have a firm grip on the fore end just to keep it from flipping over. I still have not worked out all the issues but I believe I bear some responsibility with the issues. I usually get two shots touching and the third lands an inch away. Muzzle blast and recoil is still tremendous.

Accuracy is acceptable for a hunting rifle, but in no way is it a LR rifle. 400 yards on big game would be my max. Without the ability to put a brake on it, I don't know if I could shoot it.

Scott

 

[mic2377]

I would opt for something like the Remington Sendero contour, with a .830-ish muzzle, at a VERY MINIMUM. I had a 338 RUM Rem 700, in laminated stainless, with a 26" sporter contour barrel. It weighed a shade over 9 lbs, and it all MISERY. I never could shoot it well enough to explore its accuracy potential, despite having good recoil tolerance. Not only was the recoil horrible, it was a very sharp. The muzzle rise and torque were extremely challenging to control in a consistent manner.

I also had a CZ 550 in 458 WM which was downright pleasant in comparison. Despite similar muzzle energy, the CZ was heavier and had a much better stock and recoil pad design.

I actually have a bare 700 action that I picked up to build a 338 RUM or Edge on. It will weigh at least 15 lbs, and have a brake. Been there, done that.

If he wants a lighter, non-braked weapon for long-range hunting, perhaps a fast 7 mm (STW, RUM, etc) would be a better choice. Barrel life would be worse but it would be much more friendly.

 

[338 Mollett]

Have him stop by Dicks Sporting goods first to by a Wilson A 2000 to bite down on!

 

[hogan]

Not many hunting bullets out there over 250gr in .338 bore these days.


.338 Lapua is a real specialist's rifle, talking military long range snipers and mile long shooters. The .338 Norma though is much more versatile. Hunting? No brake? The .338win may not be glamorous, but the case size allows versatility few magnums can match (for the handloader).


The .338 Edge is the round that capture most attention of longrange hunters. Want to be shooting off a HD tripod for elk/moose at 1-2K yards, .338 Edge is The Ticket. Basically, a .300rem ultra mag necked up to .338 diameter. Much more powder capacity, and keeps the .533" boltface of standard magnums.

Client wants what all the cool-guys are shooting? Tell him what barrelmakers will provide & let him choose.

Sako TRG-S/M995 is a fine factory gun with many options. The TRG-42 is about the best ready-to-go factory match sniper solution with tons of optional gear.

 

[Eric Leonard]

I shoot a TRG42 338LM with the factory accessories options package,,the bipod,mzl brake and three ring scope mount adds about 1500$$ to the rifle but all together makes a heck of a rifle that isnt too heavy to carry,,,if anybody made a trigger like the TRG42 for a Rem 700 it would cost at least 350$$,,

the Sako brake makes shooting 300 gr Lapua Scenars with 93 grs retumbo at 2800 fps about like shooting a sporter weight 270 or 30-06,,again WITH the brake it is no problem to spot my own shots prone off the bipod as close as 600 yards,,

there is no flies on the accuracy of the 338LM and the Scenars and SMKs shoot well from mag length,,the 300 accubond does as well,,the only downside to loading at mag length is how much powder space the 338 bullet takes up pushing it .250-.350 down in the case,,

the 300 OTM shoots well at mag length also but it eats so much powder space about 2700 fps is all I can get,,load them out single shot and you can gain 150+ fps and maybe some extra accuracy,,

I just cant wrap my mind around shooting it unbraked,,

 

[4xforfun]

I fully understand why he does not want a break. I have yet to shoot an UNBREAKED rifle at a buck without hearing protection and thought to myself "boy, that was loud" , or "boy, that kicked"!!

EVERY TIME I shoot a breaked rifle at deer without the muffs I have one of those "ouch" moments.....because of the noise.

So...I usually do all of my load development WITH the break and hunt without. Naturally, I finish off the load development WITHOUT the break and with the cap installed to make sure the tune didn't go away and the zero is true. Now, this is for my smaller hunting guns up to a 300 WBY.

On the other hand, for LR/ULR hunting (I know, I know..LRH is BAD!!) I WANT a break to help me track the shot. In those situations, I have the time to do all the ranging, dialing, wind reading, and put on the muffs. I will not rush a LR shot and I will not take shortcuts. To me, a 338 Edge/Lapua/Norma is a LR/ULR rig. Those shots should NEVER be rushed, the gun SHOULD have a break, And hearing protection should be used. IMO you can substitute weight for the break and hearing protection. Weight.... as in 16+ pounds...closer to 20.

Again, just my .02,
Tod

 

[cuznguido]

Quit all the nonsense and go with a Weatherby Mark V. Shoots plenty good and recoil is very manageable. My third rifle in .338 LM, the first two being customs and were excellent, but for the money and for hunting Weatherby is a really good balance of weight, accuracy and value. BTW the barrel contour is called a #3 by Weatherby and is very similar to a Remington Sendero etc., about .8XX at the muzzle.

 

[4xforfun]

Quit all the nonsense and go with a Weatherby Mark V. Shoots plenty good and recoil is very manageable. My third rifle in .338 LM, the first two being customs and were excellent, but for the money and for hunting Weatherby is a really good balance of weight, accuracy and value. BTW the barrel contour is called a #3 by Weatherby and is very similar to a Remington Sendero etc., about .8XX at the muzzle.

I'll pit any of my "nonsence" Remingtons and BAT's against your Weatherbys any day!! LOL You can even walk down the line and pick my gun for me.