308 or 338????

[allie]

ok so any help is appreciated. if I'm gonna get into long range game which should i go with? .338 or .308. i do understand .308 is cheaper to load but not sure if i wanna spend 6k on a nice .308 then another 6-7k on a .338 later. I'm thinking go with the .338 and use that money to set up for loading .338 any opinions???

 

[islandermyk]

Re: 308 or 338????

I already have a .308... and this question has got me too with getting a .338

I already shoot out to over 1000 yards with my .308... I guess anything farther than that is .338 land. I guess what I'm trying to say here is if you got places to shoot over a 1K a .338 won't be a bad choice.

I'm sticking to the .308 mainly for one reason. I could afford to shoot it "a lot"... I don't have to worry about changing out the barrel probably after 10K rounds through it, I reload it cheaply with brass I find at ranges. With 1 lbs. of Varget.. I can reload up to 150 to 160 rounds.

If you got the land to shoot over a 1000 yards and the money to shoot a .338.. I say hell yah... get the .338!!!

 

[DernHumpus]

Re: 308 or 338????

What are your performance requirements? Are you going to shoot this from a bench at 300 yards or are you going to get past 1000y?

If you reload, I recommend something different than either if your answer is that you aren't going to be shooting over 1000y much and never over 1300.

Get one of the 6.5s. 260, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5x47 Lapua.

 

[SHWILL]

Re: 308 or 338????

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DernHumpus</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What are your performance requirements? Are you going to shoot this from a bench at 300 yards or are you going to get past 1000y?

If you reload, I recommend something different than either if your answer is that you aren't going to be shooting over 1000y much and never over 1300.

Get one of the 6.5s. 260, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5x47 Lapua.</div></div>

I have a 338, 308, 6.5 Creedmoor and others. If I were to start over, I would begin with a 6.5 Creedmoor and add a 338 later. Start with a 6.5 and enjoy, you may not need the 338 after all.

 

[CrazyDonkey]

Re: 308 or 338????

Just get a .338 LM and shoot 100yd groups.

 

[coldboremiracle]

Re: 308 or 338????

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CrazyDonkey</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Just get a .338 LM and shoot 100yd groups. </div></div>
Hahahahaha

If you are going to shoot beyond 1000 on a regular basis, the .338 is A choice, but may not be the best place to start. If you are going to shoot less than 1000 regularly, then a .308 is a fine choice, though there are better.

 

[cega]

Re: 308 or 338????

308 or 338LM? A lot will have to do with not only your interest in reloading, which for the 338LM certainly helps in keeping costs down, but also your access to a range or place to shoot where you can stretch it out.

Shooting the 338LM at anything under 500yds is absolutely a waste of just about everything - ammo, barrel life etc. and honestly that is about the minimum it will be worth to take it out of the safe. In real terms until you get 1k and beyond the 308 will do you just fine and cost a third or so with each pull of the trigger.

Or you can get one of the 6.5s as previously mentioned and have a blast with that out to 1k and more. Costs about the same, give or take, to shoot as the 308 depending on what you are doing.

Or, do like I did and get all three - a 6.5x47 to scratch that itch, a 308 because everyone should have at least one of those and the 338LM because when you can stretch it out it can really be a good test of your skills out to 1700+.

 

[OptedOut]

Re: 308 or 338????

Just my opinion...
you are "getting into" long range...you will need to learn allot and even more acquire allot of experience, especially understanding and reading wind.

Purchase a .308 and practice (and I see you are in NJ so where are you going to shoot out to 1000) in a couple years, with regular practice you will be able to make a better and more informed decision.

 

[Loner]

Re: 308 or 338????

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MSG Jano</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Just my opinion...
you are "getting into" long range...you will need to learn allot and even more acquire allot of experience, especially understanding and reading wind.

Purchase a .308 and practice (and I see you are in NJ so where are you going to shoot out to 1000) in a couple years, with regular practice you will be able to make a better and more informed decision.</div></div>

+1

 

[Rooster931]

Re: 308 or 338????

If as you said "you are just getting into it" you should absolutely go with a .308 IMHO. You can shoot more due to recoil and ammunition cost and in the end if you want to go big sell the .308 and go with the .338. Maybe its just me but I would never recommend a .338LM for someone to start in long range shooting.

 

[JGorski]

Re: 308 or 338????

I have 2 308s and if I needed a new rifle Id probably get another one, though I sure like what I can get from my 6 Creed.

 

[gasdoc09]

Re: 308 or 338????

I'm still a novice to long range shooting and have read this question posed and answered on this forum many times. Few people recommend starting with 338LM. Cost, barrel life, etc.


I have a .308 AR10 which I was shooting out to 1000y with 175 & 178 gr handloads, and wanted to get into longer range shooting.

Thought about 338LM, hemmed and hawed about it. Didn't really make a lot of sense, given that I have to drive hours to do any shooting past 1000y. Left brain said 'get a 6.5' and right brain said 'get a 338 you know you want it' ...

338 Lapuas are cool, and I wanted one. So I bought a TRG42 and then tripled that investment with a scope and suppressor. There's nothing logical or rational about it.

It's awesome. Someday I hope to be good enough to take full advantage. I still shoot my .308s and 22s, and honestly that's probably where most of my skill development is going to occur, but the 338 makes me smile, even if I'm just wasting ammo and barrel life at 500y.

 

[SheepsClothes]

Re: 308 or 338????

Buy the .338 if you WANT it. You will always want it.

It is, however, not dissimilar from putting a guy who is used to driving a minivan in a z-1 vette. You will not get the potential from it. It will make you a WORSE driver, because it is too much too soon. If you are newer to rifle shooting it will develop BAD habits. Unless you also decide to invest and then wait for a silencer the recoil will be brutal, and if you put a brake on it, the concussion blast WILL develop a flinch.

I would guess in most people who are not already avid rifle shooters, stepping into such a level of performance will actually suck the fun from it as it will be too much and extremely hard to learn fundamentals.

I'm in a similar situation however. I would like a .338, but I have stopped telling myself that it is a smart decision, and that it is only a decision based on desire and the whole pride of ownership thing. I hope you don't take that as me saying it's a bad idea, it just will more than likely dissuade you from really enjoying shooting as it has a much much much less friendly learning curve.

Plus .375 chey is way cooler!

my .02

 

[SheepsClothes]

Re: 308 or 338????

For the record I do shoot rifles now, but it's a rare 30-06, occasional 7mm rem mag on a light hunting rig, and my AR-10.

I decided to build an affordable lower recoil 6.5 or anything these guys mentioned earlier in a bolt gun as I already have .308 in my gas gun.

 

[.50 Cal Cow]

Re: 308 or 338????

Bought a 338 when I came back from a deployment and was in a once and a lifetime position to do so. Recoil or concussion with a brake is not as bad as some lead you to believe. It's fun and has an awesome factor to it that's hard to match. I'll be the first too admit that for it's not practical for my means by any stretch (YET...) as I'm not out over 1000 yards and ammo is expensive even for reloading. Do I regret the purchase though hell no.

But for what you are after the .308 is the clear choice. Ammo is more readily available and I've been able to load it even cheaper. And contrary to your initial post my 308 was no where near 6k even with the NF glass and its incredibly accurate. So you don't even need to get that close. My 308 is the go to rifle to the range and the 338 is on stand by for when I get the distance outside of the occasional I want to have fun day.

 

[allie]

Re: 308 or 338????

ok guys i hear ya on the distance issue. Here in nj no places to shoot 1k yds+ I was thinking to travel a bit to find one. Realistically that'll be a pain in butt. .308 it is.. thanks!

 

[JGorski]

Re: 308 or 338????

With the new powders out there the 308 is now an awesome cartridge, or more awesome.

 

[Coloradocop]

Re: 308 or 338????

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: allie</div><div class="ubbcode-body">ok so any help is appreciated. if I'm gonna get into long range game which should i go with? .338 or .308. i do understand .308 is cheaper to load but not sure if i wanna spend 6k on a nice .308 then another 6-7k on a .338 later. I'm thinking go with the .338 and use that money to set up for loading .338 any opinions??? </div></div>

With what you described, .308 Win without a doubt (with one caveat I'll mention at the end). Here's why:

1) There is a quite a learning curve in the long range game, and you'll learn faster the more you shoot. In this way you'll get better bang for your buck in a lot of ways:

a) .308 ammunition, and reloading components are FAR cheaper than .338 pieces
b) .308 barrel life is longer, and the barrels are cheaper
c) .308 recoil is less oppressive in most guns, which means you'll shoot more in a range session.

2) The .338 really only comes into its own at really long distances, at least when it comes to justifying the cost of shooting it versus the cost of shooting the .308. If you are shooting up to and including 1,000 yards, I'd just go with the .308 for a first gun. Really think about this point, and consider how many opportunities you have to shoot beyond 500 yards. They can be hard to come by, especially in the eastern United States. I live in Colorado, and I still have to drive an hour and a half to get 1,000 yard shooting in.

3) .308 stuff is readily available EVERYWHERE. You can probably find .308 ammo is nearly every gun store in the country, there are plenty of match-grade factory loads available, and reloading components are recipes are easy to come by. It is a very convenient round to use.


I think many of us grapple with this decision when building a precision rifle setup, especially for the first time. I know I did! You can't beat the cool factor with a .338 Lapua or a .50 BMG, or any of the other big-n-bad calibers. But, I stand by my choice to use a .308 Win as my first precision rifle. It is accurate, affordable, well-supported, and well-known. And, I've been able to shoot it a helluva lot more than I could have afforded to shoot a .50 BMG or .338 Lapua.

Maybe my next gun will be a .338? Maybe it will be one of the 6.5's? Regardless, I'm in a much better position to choose my next gun on the basis of the experiences I've had with the guns I'm currently shooting.

Okay, now that one caveat I mentioned:

If you REALLY want something, and have the money to get it, then buy what makes you happy. Just remember, you'll probably be better served by another first rifle if you are looking to build skill as a distance shooter (for all the reasons I mentioned above).