savage 338 build

[its only light]

Anyone using a standard savage long action to build their 338 lapua mag? Looking for any advice or tips.

 

[JamesnTN]

One would think you'd want there 338action to build off of and not the long action. This is due to the pressures this case generates. You don't want that action flexing on you each time it's fired. And I'm not sure the bolt is even strong enough. But maybe one of the savage gurus will chime in and give a more specific answer. I know I wouldn't do it for safety concerns.

 

[Eric Leonard]

I had the FCP-HS 338 LM and it was the most miserable experience with any rifle I ever owned,,it was so bad I couldn't even bring myself to sell it at a gunshow for half what I paid,,I wound up parting out the stock and magwell and got some cash back and chunked the barreled action in the Cumberland River,,

I would at least start with the Stiller Tac 338 action or just buy a TRG 42,,
if you cant afford a good BIG action for your build you probably wont be able to afford to shoot it anyway,,

 

[snowpro440]

Wow ,you guys must have got the lemons , Mine shot great and since I changed the barrel to a longer heavier contour to achieve more speed , it shoots amazingly accurate...

 

[Eric Leonard]

I tried to get a new prefit barrel and none of the barrel makers I talked to would sell me a barrel in 338LM to use with the Savage action,,it is not a pressure issue as the 338LM runs at the same pressures as anything else but the size of the case head is so large that the boltface is not large enough to contain the case head and leave enough metal around the edges,,

mine shot plenty accurate but it would seize the bolt and stick cases even with very light loads,,

I know I could have gotten a 338 blank and had it fitted to my action but after conversation with Dan Lilja and the tech at Krieger barrels I decided against it,,

 

[KRP]

338/300 RUM does everything the Lapua does, without the bolt thrust concerns.

 

[its only light]

Well I got the bolthead for it already. Is the bolt on the 338 action bigger than a regular long action? Is the only difference a solid top?

My 110fcp shoots just fine and I have a enough brass bullets and powder to last me years. Its not that i can't afford a stiller but when my savage shoots half moa or better I don't see a need to spend more for an action than I did my complete gun. I don't compete or anything I shoot for fun and savages have been very good to me. Hell I like it so much i want to build another with the parts i have.

I really want to buy the dedicated 338 action but they are pretty rare without buying a complete gun. If you have one i will pay a good price for it.

As for safety I'd like to think savage did their research before hand. No issues whatsoever with my factory gun and great accuracy. I'd like to hear someone with experience pertaining to my question instead of hearing how unsafe it is when they are making these from the factory. I've not heard of an action failure so all this is just what if statements or what? If the standard action is unsafe then by all means I will steer clear.

 

[Keith Glasscock]

I remember reading that Savage went to a large shank with the short mags (like 300 WSM) due to cracking or breaking of the barrel nut.

I would imagine that Savage ran larger dimensions with the 338 LM. If you can measure the OD of the action and the shank dimension on a factory 338, you can get a good idea of how Savage thinks about it.

 

[its only light]

My barrel threads are the same diameter as a standard large shank savage action. Literally the only differences I can find are the 338 action has a solid top and also the 338 lapua mag bolthead has .550 locking lugs compared to .5 lugs in all other boltheads configurations.

I do have a bolthead for my possible conversion that has the .550 lugs. Honestly ptg sells these boltheads for the lapua case. I thought for this very reason.

First day of school today so busy morning. I will try to get my smith on the phone tomorrow and see what he says about this whole thing.

 

[Eric Leonard]

I really wish you the best,but if I had the money back I wasted on bullets that cost .75$ each and 200$ kegs of powder trying to get mine to shoot at a full 10 grs below max and sticking Lapua cases at 2.75$ each I could have at least funded the Stiller action,,and then the 1,300$ rifle would have went a long ways on a barrel and smith bills,,

 

[its only light]

Unfortunate that you had a bad experience with yours. Mine took hardly any load development to get to shoot. Most I talk to have experiences similar to mine with a few like yours mixed in. I don't think id draw enough of a conclusion to advise people to spend twice as much from one rifle though. If everybody did that the rem700s and pretty much every other factory rifle would be dubbed a POS.

Don't get me wrong I would love to have a custom built on a stiller but really for recreational shooting like I do the half moa and sometimes under accuracy I get is plenty for me. Mine may show pressure a little earlier but with rl33 and 285 hornadys I'm right at 2900 and can get to 2975 but its a little sticky extraction plus accuracy goes down she I get up there.

 

[dkhunt14]

Unfortunate that you had a bad experience with yours. Mine took hardly any load development to get to shoot. Most I talk to have experiences similar to mine with a few like yours mixed in. I don't think id draw enough of a conclusion to advise people to spend twice as much from one rifle though. If everybody did that the rem700s and pretty much every other factory rifle would be dubbed a POS.

Don't get me wrong I would love to have a custom built on a stiller but really for recreational shooting like I do the half moa and sometimes under accuracy I get is plenty for me. Mine may show pressure a little earlier but with rl33 and 285 hornadys I'm right at 2900 and can get to 2975 but its a little sticky extraction plus accuracy goes down she I get up there.

I believe that most smiths won't build a 338 Lapua on a Remington 700 and they are a tough action. If the Factory Lapua savage has a bridged top and bigger bolthead it is for a reason. The Lapua generate a lot of bolt thrust. In your original first post you asked for advice on building on a standard action. They gave you their answers and you didn't like them. In you last post you said it took hardly any load development which to me means you already did one. My experience with a 338 Lapua IMP had the Hornady bullets pressuring up real quick with the bearing being long and fat. 2900 with a heavy bullet is really fast with a standard Lapua. Good luck. Matt

 

[its only light]

Yup if you read any of the posts in between I have stated that I do have one and it shoots great. I'm looking to build another one and am wondering if anybody is using the ptg bolthead on a standard action.

Maybe the reason I didn't like their answers is I asked about using a standard long action with the ptg bolthead I have with the thicker lugs and barrel and chassis I have already. Not what action I should use for a completely different build.

 

[dkhunt14]

I believe they only suggested the custom action for safety reasons. Have you shot the gun a ways out. A lot of guns will shoot good at hundred and fall to pieces at 1000 and out. I did see pictures of a 338 Lapua that blew up. I can't remember what the reason was or if it was a Savage. The thing about a gun is it could falter on the first shot or the 1000th shot. You need to check your fired cases against new ones to see where you at with pressure. If the extractor groove expands more then half a thousandths on the first firing you are over pressure. Matt

 

[6fatrat]

338/300 RUM does everything the Lapua does, without the bolt thrust concerns.

+1

 

[its only light]

I like the rum cases as well. What I'm wondering here is if I need to find a factory 338 savage action to use or if a long action is just as strong. That's all I really need to know. I'm sure people have their opinions on the actions integrity but I'm sure big companies like savage a REM have done their homework on the safety issue. So assuming the 338 action is safe if I use the thicker lugs of the 338 bolthead I have with a standard action the only difference in aware of is the bridged top. Anybody have a realistic or maybe scientific idea how much integrity this adds?

I'm fine using a 338 factory action but finding one may be a lengthy process. Inam however in no real rush. Didn't think this would cause such a stir. Believe me I'm not going to do anything stupid that's why I asked.

As for shooting at distance I have. Maybe overboard but I've used it prairie dog hunting out to 1200. Actually just over 1100. I'm no pro and I miss more than I hit but for me I'm satisfied with my consistency and can tell I'm getting better.

 

[bigngreen]

The factory Savage 338 Lapua has a larger bridge, longer bolt lugs, longer lower lug abutment in the action, large shank and different heat treating if I'm remembering it all right. There is a big difference between a regular long action and the one used for the Lapua, the issues that are possible with the regular action with the Lapua case are just not worth it in any way shape or form IMO.

 

[Ggmac]

I sent you a PM .
Gary