Hey guys its finally time to take my parts to the smith to have my first custom rig built. I have a rock creek 5R barrel fluted with a 9.4:1 twist 32" long blank to finish at 30" a B&C A5 stock remmy 700 long action receiver with PT&G one piece fluted bolt with mag bolt face and seekins precision detachable mag system for the lapua(adaptable to the ultra mag cases) the extra long mag that you have to butcher up the bottom of the receiver and machine the ADL screw hole off. I was dead set on going .338 Edge but in all practicality everything I can save on the build/ die set/brass/bullets equates to better optics and more ammo=better proficiency with the weapon platform! Barrel life I've been told on the RUM is better than the Edge and die sets are HALF the cost for the RUM die set vs. the Edge!!! I've also heard the edge is hard to load a little bit of a pain in the a** where the RUM is not. I would say I'm a novice to intermediate hand loader. I've heard in .338 RUM all you can get is remington brass which is cheap and has crappy primer pockets that lose tension after about three reloads where the Edge is better fr brass because you can get .300RUM Lapua brass and resize it for the edge. I have been back and forth over this for the last year and now it finally time I have to decide something and get it started! My local gunsmith I have always used has never done an edge but several RUM's but there is a guy about 4 hours from me that is a custom rifle builder and has done several Edge builds all successfully. My local smith is only 45 min drive if something should occur I could just run right over there vs. a 4 hour drive!!! The rifle will be built as a long range deer hunting and elk rig that I will target shoot with on steel gongs out to 1 mile! Any advice would be great guys. Weight is not a concern. Thanks guys!
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.338 Edge or .338 can't decide????
- Thread starter tacsniper0888
- Start date
6 of one....half a dozen of the other..
I shoot a 338 Edge and it is far from difficult to reload for. Either will put a smile on your face throwing a 300 gr bullet down range into steel or an animal.
I shoot a 338 Edge and it is far from difficult to reload for. Either will put a smile on your face throwing a 300 gr bullet down range into steel or an animal.
Who ever told you that a 338 Edge is hard to load for, doesn't know what they are talking about. You can either use Bertram 338 Edge brass or use 300 RUM brass (Both Remington and Nosler make 300 RUM brass). For 300 RUM brass just run it through your sizer die with the expander ball, seat the primer, load the powder, seat the bullet, go shoot. How hard is that?
As for barrel life. I don't know for sure, but I don't think there is that much difference.
I don't think Lapua makes 300 RUM brass.
My 338 Edge is shooting 300gr. Berger's at 2950 fps.
As for barrel life. I don't know for sure, but I don't think there is that much difference.
I don't think Lapua makes 300 RUM brass.
My 338 Edge is shooting 300gr. Berger's at 2950 fps.
It's hard to argue with that if you want to shoot steel at a mile. At shorter distances, velocity gains/losses between the two calibers don't mean much. Sure it sounds great in theory to drive a 300gr Berger 100fps faster, but you won't notice the difference when laying behind the rifle.
Other considerations:
- Barrel life and the cost of dies will be less than negligible over the life of the rifle
- Factory ammo available for RUM
- I've also never heard of Laupa .330 RUM brass
I think you'll be happy with either, so I wouldn't sweat the decision too much. You've already achieved 95+% of your performance goals by stepping up to a .338 (Win Mag excluded, of course). Performance differences between the Lapua, Norma, Edge and RUM are fairly small. Quality brass is always my top concern when performance is removed from the equation. Good luck.
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Since you said Remington 700 receiver, I would go Edge or Rum. I have never seen any Lapua RUM brass. The main reason to go with the 338 Lapua Magnum, is for the Lapua Brass. I have a Rem 700 in 338 Lapua, and if I could do it over again I'd do a 338 Edge and run the Nosler brass, which I believe is made by Nosler. But whatever you choose they are a blast to shoot.
Don't overlook 338 Norma Magnum.
And 338 Edge brass is VERY expensive....IF you can find it anywhere.
And 338 Edge brass is VERY expensive....IF you can find it anywhere.
338 Lapua Brass is appox. $258 per 100
338 Edge Brass (Bertram) is approx. $300 per 100
300 RUM Nolser brass is approx. $150 per 100
300 RUM Remington Brass is approx. $117 per 100
$3 / case for 338 Edge, with only one known source in the world - overseas. Not sure that's a wise choice.
I'm getting 338 Norma 1x fired for about $0.75 / case.
With the military pursuing the 338 Norma LMMG, there's a likelihood to be ALOT of surplus brass. On US soil.
For what it's worth, everyone I know who shoots an Edge necks up 300 ultra mag brass using a set of Redding dies from Shawn Carlock at Defensive Edge.
He'd have to open the bolt face for a NM. Some are uncomfortable doing that with a stock Remmy action.
Also, I really don't see the military adopting the .338NM.
Just do a 300 RUM, start with factory ammo, save your brass and when that barrel is burned up, rebarrel in 338 edge, neck up your brass and anneal it then you are all set and no more excuses.
Hope this help.
Hope this help.
Sorry guys I meant .338RUM or .338 Edge? Not .300RUM. I already have .338 barrel blank ready to be taken to my smith. And the bolt I have is faced for a ultra mag case so it will have to be between these two but as of now it's looking like RUM! The .338RUM is plenty capable of ringing steel at a mile and hunting deer and elk sized game at 1,000 yards is it not???
The difference between the edge and rum is maybe 50fps. The RUM was my choice with a 28 inch Shilen bbl. I used the extra cash for great glass.
H1000, 300 gr SMK and CCI250's. I run right at 2957 fps..
Rem 700 action with a 26" Lilja barrel.
It has taken a cow elk at 520 yards and an antelope at 505 yards along with black bear and numerous Mule deer.
Good luck on your project!
Edge +P is the way to go. 300 smk at 3120 out of 30". That is roughly 200fps faster than lapua or rum. Easy to load for, have 2000 rounds through mine and still 1/2 minute. Most guys run 285 hornady out of lapua at 2750 to 2800. Very easy to load for and brass life is about 7 reloads on Remington brass before primer pockets go.
Azprc, can you build the edge +P as a repeater with the seekins precision dbm? With the seekins dbm I can load to a max overall length of 3.90"! That is internal dimensions of the mag box. I want a repeater.
The +P is in a modified wyatt's mag. Mine are at 3.980 with the RM and 3.880 with the SMK.
Thanks. Who modified your Wyatt's mag, Shawn? I'm assuming he could do this with my seekins mag??? What is the "RM"? I would probably shoot the SMK's. or try the new cutting edge bullets or boretech solids. I've got a box of each of those just laying around.
Is Shawn the only one that can chamber the "+P" design or can my smith order the reamer with the "+P" specs made into it??? Thanks guys.
Azprc, do you know if Shawn is the only one that can chamber the "+P" design? Or can my local smith with the proper reamer? Thanks.
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