wvlongshot
Gold $$ Contributor
In a heavy sporter rifle with a good brake, just how manageable is the recoil?
338 lapua Recoil, just how bad?
- Thread starter wvlongshot
- Start date
WV,
I had the pleasure of meeting some folks who were in the Phoenix area for a polo thing and brought their 338 out to shoot with us at Ben Avery. I must admit with the factory Savage and what I think is a factory brake as well I thought it felt like shooting a 12 gauge shotgun. I took a video of the guy shooting it and can be seen by clicking on the link below. Sorry about the focus issue, it seems my trusty camera is in need of some service, but you can still clearly see the minimal recoil pulse generated by the factory ammo he is using.
http://s254.photobucket.com/user/rcurtis48/media/338%20Lapua/DSCN5179_zpsd462a502.mp4.html?sort=3&o=0
I had the pleasure of meeting some folks who were in the Phoenix area for a polo thing and brought their 338 out to shoot with us at Ben Avery. I must admit with the factory Savage and what I think is a factory brake as well I thought it felt like shooting a 12 gauge shotgun. I took a video of the guy shooting it and can be seen by clicking on the link below. Sorry about the focus issue, it seems my trusty camera is in need of some service, but you can still clearly see the minimal recoil pulse generated by the factory ammo he is using.
http://s254.photobucket.com/user/rcurtis48/media/338%20Lapua/DSCN5179_zpsd462a502.mp4.html?sort=3&o=0
I have found that with many of the large caliber rifles I have fired I was able to manage the strong recoil through the use of a PAST Recoil Shoulder Pad. I have a bad shoulder and even have to use one of the pads when shooting my .308. The pad comes in several different thickness and with the thick PAST Pad I can even shoot numerous rounds of very large calibers rifles without a brake or taking a break.
wvlongshot
Gold $$ Contributor
Thanks to all that replied, I think this will be a good project for the winter. Been wanting to try one for last couple of yrs.
Quinc
I don't have much time to lift weights, have many millions of people depending on me to work.
Quinc
I don't have much time to lift weights, have many millions of people depending on me to work.
wvlongshot said:I don't have much time to lift weights, have many millions of people depending on me to work.
And thousands of politicians promising those millions of slackers that they'll take even more of your money and give it to them.
As to weightlifting and recoil mitigation, forget it. No correlation. I've seen whispy people who probably couldn't do one push-up handle recoil no problem, and dedicated gym rats wincing under the "pain" of 12 gauge target loads.
Regardless, braked rifles are my sworn enemy; I hate the damned things. They'll damage the hearing of those around you, and you should NEVER fire one without first checking that everybody nearby has ear protection on, otherwise don't shoot. Hearing damage is the permanent gift that keeps on giving. Like you, a responsible taxpayer. ;D
Forget the bench presses. I weigh a buck fifty & some lose change & have shot my Barrett 98b thirty to forty rounds in a day & could still touch the top of my head the next day. Even had a 15 year old JROTC student shooting it last year. Said she was gonna be the first female sniper in the military. She even took a piece of my brass to show the boys what she was training on. If you want some boom in your life you'll like it.
Love my .338 Lapua in a Savage fcp H-S with a 30" heavy stainless barrel and a Ross Schuler 4 port brake . Just like shooting a .308, I can shoot it all day long till he barrel melts off. Put one of Ross's brakes on it an shoot it, you'll love it !
I could have written the post for Dogcapper---also have an early model AR-30 and the first time I fired it off the bench I too cleared all the ammunition in the MTM box, the case for the spotting scope and miscellaneous shooting accoutrement. With the factory brake and the nice recoil pad I would compare it to a stiff 270/308 load-not at all rough.
the guys 2 benches over(who did have hearing muffs on yelled to me-"What the h--- was that" Obviously the muzzle blast was impressive.
Personally I use 2 forms of hearing protection as I am already left with less than 30 % hearing in my left ear and would like to keep from losing any more.
Gary
the guys 2 benches over(who did have hearing muffs on yelled to me-"What the h--- was that" Obviously the muzzle blast was impressive.
Personally I use 2 forms of hearing protection as I am already left with less than 30 % hearing in my left ear and would like to keep from losing any more.
Gary
The recoil is like telling my wife her cooking is bad in front of guests ;D
My 338L Savage has a muzzle break, and as I have said in other threads on here, the noise is sufficient to wake the dead, but the recoil is no worse than a .308 sporter.
Minesweeper3433
45B/91F
Most other shooters equate the noise of my braked 300winmag to someone punting a football and it hitting them in the chest right off the kick. However I love that rifle as it is a pleasure to shoot and stays on target with good prone positioning. I have shot this rifle a hundred rounds just practicing before realizing how late it was getting with no ill effect. Just have to shoot it on weekdays when no one else is at the range or go on public land.
The fun part is shooting it in a F class match!You gotta take the brake off there, she jumps then.
How "bad" is bad????
How's that barrel life? Maybe 500rds?
How's that brass expense? About $3ea before the shortages, and will there be continued Lapua imports?
Recoil? If a concern, might look at other more moderate capacity ctgs. I've owned .338ultra, .340wby, .338win and, for my money, Best Of Them All is the necked up .338/300win. Have fired that one on a non-braked sporter rifle, rem 700 BDL w/H-S Precision stock with 250gr bullet and felt recoil was like a heavy barreled .308win. Albeit with a mild load.
Point is, with a moderate capacity case, you get more versatility for velocity thresholds. 78gr of xmr4350, if you want Lapua-like velocities, my Moose & bear load was comparable to .340wby.
Look at the .340wby. Very comparable to the .338 Lapua. Have gunsmith set headspace on neck of virgin brass and the belt only stiffens the case head. Probably a more durable case with belt than without. Maybe belted-case with tight reamed belt recess will be the next "hot ticket"? Shooters always looking for "improvement"...
Figure to need that raygun trajectory at over 1300yds? Might want to look at the .338 Edge instead.
Shooting my sporter .338/300 prone off a field expedient "rest" to verify zero before a hunt, I expect to get a few scope dings around the eyebrow. But, a 3/4" 5rd group shooting a 250gr bullet with 78gr of xmr4350 will do that from a 9lb non-braked rifle resting on a rucksack.
Gonna go Lapua, RUM or Edge? Best buy barrels by the half-dozen cause they wear out quick. Be sure to ask for the family discount, because for sure, you[re putting the smith & barrelmaker's kids through college. Might look at the short magnums, a .338/284 or the .338/300win as long as your debating the options.
One last item is boltface dimensions. The RUM has rebated head so you still have the .533 boltface rather than .590 face on the Lapua and other Jeffrey variants. There's also the potential of a .338 Chey-Tac if you really want to burn the powder, just takes a monster action to handle that one. That is another consideration. I would NOT do a Lapua on any action not originally designed for the case. Sako M995 which is the TRG-42 was created entirely for the Lapua ctg.
Forgot to even mention the .338/378 weatherby and other proprietary ctgs like Lazzeroni etc.
How's that barrel life? Maybe 500rds?
How's that brass expense? About $3ea before the shortages, and will there be continued Lapua imports?
Recoil? If a concern, might look at other more moderate capacity ctgs. I've owned .338ultra, .340wby, .338win and, for my money, Best Of Them All is the necked up .338/300win. Have fired that one on a non-braked sporter rifle, rem 700 BDL w/H-S Precision stock with 250gr bullet and felt recoil was like a heavy barreled .308win. Albeit with a mild load.
Point is, with a moderate capacity case, you get more versatility for velocity thresholds. 78gr of xmr4350, if you want Lapua-like velocities, my Moose & bear load was comparable to .340wby.
Look at the .340wby. Very comparable to the .338 Lapua. Have gunsmith set headspace on neck of virgin brass and the belt only stiffens the case head. Probably a more durable case with belt than without. Maybe belted-case with tight reamed belt recess will be the next "hot ticket"? Shooters always looking for "improvement"...
Figure to need that raygun trajectory at over 1300yds? Might want to look at the .338 Edge instead.
Shooting my sporter .338/300 prone off a field expedient "rest" to verify zero before a hunt, I expect to get a few scope dings around the eyebrow. But, a 3/4" 5rd group shooting a 250gr bullet with 78gr of xmr4350 will do that from a 9lb non-braked rifle resting on a rucksack.
Gonna go Lapua, RUM or Edge? Best buy barrels by the half-dozen cause they wear out quick. Be sure to ask for the family discount, because for sure, you[re putting the smith & barrelmaker's kids through college. Might look at the short magnums, a .338/284 or the .338/300win as long as your debating the options.
One last item is boltface dimensions. The RUM has rebated head so you still have the .533 boltface rather than .590 face on the Lapua and other Jeffrey variants. There's also the potential of a .338 Chey-Tac if you really want to burn the powder, just takes a monster action to handle that one. That is another consideration. I would NOT do a Lapua on any action not originally designed for the case. Sako M995 which is the TRG-42 was created entirely for the Lapua ctg.
Forgot to even mention the .338/378 weatherby and other proprietary ctgs like Lazzeroni etc.
Not bad with a brake, without a brake and a 300 grain Berger it gets uncomfortable quick.
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.