Custom Rifle Build .338 Lapua (Calling All Gun Humpers!)

[ajj7885]

Hello friends,
I am new to Snipershide and I just wanted to hear second opinions on a custom rifle build I am embarking on. Basically I don't really have any budget limitations but I want to design the rifle from the ground up. I really don't want to compromise much at all. I want the best barrel, action, chassis, and scope.

I picked out the chassis I think I want to use. Drake Stalker. I have been looking for a Remington RACS Chassis but have had no luck. I did find one for 4800 bucks but it would not accommodate a Long action.

As far as the barrel and action go I see a lot of Stiller, Surgeon and defiance actions being used for a .338 Lapua, but I want the best! So in light of that I want something that is totally versatile. Rugged, smooth, durable, and shiny... The whole nine yards. The Barrel is another thing I want the BEST barrel on the market. I realize I could Easily got to krieger and get a great barrel but theres just something telling me I am not spending enough on a barrel. So in light of that I come to you fellow Snipershide members for support.

Moving on to the trigger probably going with a Jewell unless any of you can think of something better.

Continuing to the scope, Rule out TrackingPoint XS1 which may just be out of my price range.

My name is Andrew and I look forward to reading comments.

 

[17874]

- Badger action
- Manners stock
- Schneider barrel (27"-30")
- muzzle brake of choice, I run a Badger thruster and it works great, but there are many great brakes out there.
- Badger M5 bottom metal
- Badger rings
- S&B PMII or other high end optic
- I like the Shilen triggers

You should be able to build the complete rifle for around 6K+.

You could also just purchase an Accuracy International, DTA, or Barrett MRAD, ect. and put a quality optic on it. Main thing is get what you want/like and not what other people say.

 

[ajj7885]

Thank you for your input Sergeant! Of coarse i have the final say I just want to see if there is anything out there that I have not considered yet. The Badger action is certainly a sweet one I am glad you brought it up. I would go with a surgeon action but they are not currently taking orders.

 

[Kilmore]

I work with a Surgeon built .338 PSR rifle with an AWC Thor Ti suppressor and NightForce ATACR. Bipod is an LRA tactical, the barrel a Krieger. Not sure I could do any better for the investment. The rifle is very accurate and should exceed the most discriminating shooters' requirements. Surgeon built these same rifles for SOCOM. I regularly shoot it to 2200 yards, and in the right environments, beyond that. Here is a target shot 10x at 300 yards for sight in. There are many great rifles, this is one of them.

 

[ajj7885]

Beautiful System Kilmore! Thank you for the pictures. Food for though because I hadn't considered a Thor Suppressor which I have heard great things about. I am very excited to get this build underway. You will see pictures once it's built. Right now It's looking like 8 months until it's completed. Everything is backordered so I have to be patient.

 

[Kilmore]

Surgeon Rifles had a similar Remedy XL rifle on their webpage for $6610 ready to go. Dump a scope and bipod on it and shoot instead of wait.

 

[ajj7885]

Hopefully they have another one up soon because the one you are talking about was just recently sold. I am thinking about doing a defiance action instead of waiting. I'll probably end up sending a letter to Obermeyer and get my barrel done there. The chassis is no worry 15 to 20 weeks perhaps I'll have a great rifle!

 

[diverdon]

Hello friends,
I am new to Snipershide and I just wanted to hear second opinions on a custom rifle build I am embarking on. Basically I don't really have any budget limitations but I want to design the rifle from the ground up. I really don't want to compromise much at all. I want the best barrel, action, chassis, and scope.

I picked out the chassis I think I want to use. Drake Stalker. I have been looking for a Remington RACS Chassis but have had no luck. I did find one for 4800 bucks but it would not accommodate a Long action.

As far as the barrel and action go I see a lot of Stiller, Surgeon and defiance actions being used for a .338 Lapua, but I want the best! So in light of that I want something that is totally versatile. Rugged, smooth, durable, and shiny... The whole nine yards. The Barrel is another thing I want the BEST barrel on the market. I realize I could Easily got to krieger and get a great barrel but theres just something telling me I am not spending enough on a barrel. So in light of that I come to you fellow Snipershide members for support.

Moving on to the trigger probably going with a Jewell unless any of you can think of something better.

Continuing to the scope, Rule out TrackingPoint XS1 which may just be out of my price range.

My name is Andrew and I look forward to reading comments.

Hi Andrew,

Welcome to the hide. I am pleased to hear about your project and your dedication to building the best rifle possible. Most of us have to settle for Krieger or Bartlein due to out limitations. But, if I had a high enough budget I would look into a Picatinny Arsenal Cobalt barrel.

Picatinny cobalt alloys show promise for sustained firepower | Article | The United States Army

Now I do not think these guys actually sell to the public, but if offered a large enough grant tied to a request to help with testing, I bet you could get your hands on one.

 

[RogerCapiche]

How about a Proof Research barrel? They appear to be rather good. And they're definitely not cheap ($900 - $925).

Sent from my GT-S6810P using Tapatalk

 

[garandman]

338 Norma Mag
Stillier TAC 338 action
27" Obermayer barrel 1.35" profile
XLR Chassis
Leup MK6 6-18x

 

[Mirnyx]

Buy an AIAW or AIAX in 338 and put some quality glass on top if you want the best.

 

[E. Bryant]

Mile High Shooting has some AX338 rifles on close-out for under $6k right now. If you want the best, well, it's really damn hard to make an argument for buying anything else. It is possible that I am slightly biased:

 

[glockdan78]

Surgeon will be putting out some 338 remedy in the new j Allen chassis this next yr. The folks at j Allen are finishing r&d on the new 338 version.

 

[ajj7885]

Thanks for the pictures Gunny! That's a great looking gun. I was considering using the XLR Carbon Chassis which has just recently been available for purchase
[MENTION=62261]diverdon[/MENTION]
The barrels certainly look like the next best thing but I want the here and now barrels and those barrels are still in testing. If they ever release them I would assuredly look into one.

 

[Precisionshooter]

- Badger action
- Manners stock
- Schneider barrel (27"-30")
- muzzle brake of choice, I run a Badger thruster and it works great, but there are many great brakes out there.
- Badger M5 bottom metal
- Badger rings
- S&B PMII or other high end optic
- I like the Shilen triggers

You should be able to build the complete rifle for around 6K+.

You could also just purchase an Accuracy International, DTA, or Barrett MRAD, ect. and put a quality optic on it. Main thing is get what you want/like and not what other people say.

Is that 6k with the optic or without? Just wondering out of curiosity, im actually about to be doing a very similar build.

Badger Ord Lapua action
26-28 Bartlein barrel MTU contour
Badger FTE or Badger thruster
mcm a5
badger dbm
Timney trigger or a rugged two stage trigger.
cerakoted in matte black.

trying to figure out how much i should save for it, since it usually takes a while for a custom build, i can save for the optic while the build is being completed.

 

[Whit]

I vote for a AI also.

 

[ChrisF]

Buy an off the self , AI AX338 , and IF you want heavier , use a heavy fluted profile custom barrel , to take advantage of the larger barrel thread ( bigger than the AWSM ) , thats the only change I would do , IF any .

Honestly , forget the rest , my 2 pics for a top 338LM , are the AI AX338 & the PDW Timberwolf , no others come close ( and under them a Sako TRG-42 , if you want a real lite gun ) .

So for me , its just get over the full custom build , and go TOP factory , and customise if needed on the barrel spec or scope mounting solution .

Later Chris

 

[ryodlsl]

I have Stiller, Defiance, Badger, Borden and Surgeon based rifles. My best rifle has a blueprinted Remmy 700.

I have Timney, Jewell, CG/X-treme triggers and prefer two stage triggers, but my best trigger is a tuned standard Remington.

If you want the "BEST" rifle, have Mike R. and the crew of TacOps build it for you

 

[djdilliodon]

IMO you can get a barrel just as good as a krieger, but I don't think you can do better. If anyone does know of better, I wanna know!

 

[The_FNG]

If i was in your position, I'd just head down to my local AI dealer, put your scope of choice on top, a bag of ammo and go shoot.

 

[Shoottothrill]

Surgeon Rifles had a similar Remedy XL rifle on their webpage for $6610 ready to go. Dump a scope and bipod on it and shoot instead of wait.

Kilmore beat me to it. You want totally badass then this is it. Throw on a PM11 with msr reticle. A Surgeon build is just as good as its ever gonna get.

 

[ajj7885]

A lot of AI Fans Here! I'm really considering going all in on the mx2010 chassis. I feel like I'd be kicking myself in the head if I don't. Then again I'll probably end up kicking myself in the head anyway for ordering one and then the day after the Remington RACS Chassis hits the market. The Civilian version is supposed to only be 1200 bucks! Can anyone vouch for proof research barrels?

 

[JB02]

You should just give Surgeon rifles a call and tell them what you want; they can probably suggest the right options and chassis system for you, and they can have a rifle built to your specs in a pretty reasonable time. For 338 LM, you will need to go with the XL action.

That's what I would do anyway if I had $7K-$8K just sitting around.

Don't forget you're going to need a good scope to go with this beast.

You may want to learn to reload because the 338 LM is expensive to feed.

 

[ajj7885]

[MENTION=57797]LCDR JGB[/MENTION]
I'll speak with surgeon but right now I know for a fact they're on backlog and I won't get an action from them for 8 months which is no big deal because there are plenty of other great actions available. I'm thinking of going with a Defiance or a badger action. I am still thinking of which scope to use but am undecided. I am not really trying to save money here so I'm open to suggestions. It's looking like I'll definitely use a Drake Associates Stalker Chassis which is the top of of the chassis available for purchase.

 

[xdeano]

First start with a tank of an action that will take anything. Badger m2014.
One kmw sentinel stock
bartlein, brux, benchmark - 9.3 or a gain twist ending in 9.3.
Us optics, NF.
Timney over the jewell.

Xdeano

 

[Whit]

First start with a tank of an action that will take anything. Badger m2014.
One kmw sentinel stock
bartlein, brux, benchmark - 9.3 or a gain twist ending in 9.3.
Us optics, NF.
Timney over the jewell.

Xdeano

That would be a good looking build. Then again a Sentinel makes anything look good.

 

[Whit]

oh yea, add a surefire brake too

 

[10fp]

I have almost exact rifle as garandman posted, with can instead of brake. After shooting about 8 different 338lm's the best it

AI (big fking suprise i know)

rest are just copies of other copies.

 

[30cal user]

Ditch the large caliber, what are benefits of 338lm at 1700 yes vs. 6.5 saum ?

 

[Precisionshooter]

Ditch the large caliber, what are benefits of 338lm at 1700 yes vs. 6.5 saum ?

Retained energy at the target?

 

[Blackbrush]

I haven't seen the M2014. When will they be available?

 

[LRI]

If $ is no object consider a Dakota Arms Scimitar.

Control round feeding
Cone breech
Non rotating xtractor
3 pos safety
Lots of primary extraction

Ive built a lot of em. They work.

 

[xdeano]

I haven't seen the M2014. When will they be available?

I ment 2013...



This is a 338NM
Badger M2013
NF
KMW Sentinel
Benchmark 9.5 custom hunter contour, cut at 26" (1.300 for 5 down to .75 at 26")
Timney 2#
AAC Titan Ti (not in pic).
.300" with the 300 Bergers.

The M2013 is built like a tank and comes polished. It was kind of a shame to have it blasted and cerakoted.

 

[ChrisF]

Just in case you missed IT , I would go top line factory ,
In this order
1 ) AX338 with PSR stock
2 ) PGW Timberwolf
3 ) Sako TRG-42 ( if you want a lite weight rifle )

Am if YOU have to customise it , drop a longer fatter barrel on the top 2 ? , or put a NEAR mount on her & call it a day .

I have experience with the following actions , AI AWSM , AI AX338 , PGW Twolf , Surgeon XL & Badger M2008 & Sako TRG-42 , and of them all , I pick the AX & Twolf over everything else .

Cheers Chris

 

[Bruiser_Joe]

honestly for the money right now you can get a AIAX or AW for i would say that. I have a lot of custom guns and a couple AI"s and for the big boys like the 338 you won't find a better purpose built weapon then the AI. The PGW is another good one but hard to get if your stateside. A custom can be had and you can get it anyway you want but the AI's are on a year end clean out in a couple places. I LOVE mine.

 

[ajj7885]

You are all being a great help in molding my decision!
[MENTION=83182]BigJoe[/MENTION]

Where can I get an AI With a PSR Stock I have been looking but I'm only finding the multi-caliber version which I don't want. I want the gun and that is it. no optic, bipod, spare barrels, or case. I would like to pick most of the stuff out myself. I don't want to spend 17000 when realistically the rest of the stuff I don't have use for. Might go with a Timberwolf Folder because of how sexy it is! If Ross has a problem shipping to the US, cash is king!

 

[rundm]

honestly for the money right now you can get a AIAX or AW for i would say that. I have a lot of custom guns and a couple AI"s and for the big boys like the 338 you won't find a better purpose built weapon then the AI. The PGW is another good one but hard to get if your stateside. A custom can be had and you can get it anyway you want but the AI's are on a year end clean out in a couple places. I LOVE mine.

It don't get no better than this here. You can sell all the things off of it that you don't want.

 

[Bruiser_Joe]

they don't have any PSR stocks on anything other then the PSR yet.

 

[ajj7885]

Found one similar which is the FNH Ballista Looks like a beautiful rifle!

 

[John1911.com]

Found one similar which is the FNH Ballista Looks like a beautiful rifle!

The Ballista is not available yet for civilians. Might come out at SHOT 2014. Might come out at SHOT 2020. Might not ever come out. If you are as anxious as your seem, forget the Ballista. It's vapor as far as this conversation is concerned.

TTR

 

[Whit]

Take big joes advice. AI are great rifles.

 

[garandman]

I don't get the AI craze. Do they shoot better than half MoA? What's so great about them? WHat do they do better than anything else?

 

[Bruiser_Joe]

Yes both mine do, they shoot as good as any custom I own.

 

[poison123]

Yes both mine do, they shoot as good as any custom I own.

And the best part......a custom barrel for a AI is only a phone call way to GA Precision.....or any of the other shops out there.

 

[RHunter]

Lets take this in a different direction...

First of all, I can appreciate your desire to have the best but realistically, and honestly, how good of a shot are you?

Because you can spend all the money in the world and unless you are capable of shooting at the limits of a precision rifle than you are going to be wasting a lot of money and this build will be a trophy you brag about rather than a precision tool you know how to use. A good stick does not make a poor shot a better one.

So if you are not such a great shot you are better off buying an "OK" rifle that can shoot 1 MOA, and learn how to hold 1 MOA, and shoot the rifle well, AND learn to reload 338. Because if you do not know how to reload precision ammo, all these hot shit sticks will never perform to their capability with a box of factory Hornady or even Lapua. Every rifle is different and you need to develop a load for each rifle if you REALLY want to get amazing results.

If you spend all that cash to build an awesome rifle and can't shoot it, by the time you do lean how to shoot and reload 338, that barrel will be shot-out and you will need to have it set back or rebarreled. Not to mention all the other wear and tear 2000 rounds of 338 will cause on even the best rifle.

(This is the point where lazy people who do not reload scroll to the bottom of the page to flame me and tell me how awesome Federal Gold Medal Match ammo is)

And this is the point where the hard core shooters who have been there, done that, will likely agree with what I am saying.

Don't buy a Gulfstream jet for the sake of owning a jet when you cant even fly a Cessna turboprop.

 

[Blackbrush]

This ^^^^^^^^

Merry Christmas.

 

[poison123]

Lets take this in a different direction...

First of all, I can appreciate your desire to have the best but realistically, and honestly, how good of a shot are you?

Because you can spend all the money in the world and unless you are capable of shooting at the limits of a precision rifle than you are going to be wasting a lot of money and this build will be a trophy you brag about rather than a precision tool you know how to use. A good stick does not make a poor shot a better one.

So if you are not such a great shot you are better off buying an "OK" rifle that can shoot 1 MOA, and learn how to hold 1 MOA, and shoot the rifle well, AND learn to reload 338. Because if you do not know how to reload precision ammo, all these hot shit sticks will never perform to their capability with a box of factory Hornady or even Lapua. Every rifle is different and you need to develop a load for each rifle if you REALLY want to get amazing results.

If you spend all that cash to build an awesome rifle and can't shoot it, by the time you do lean how to shoot and reload 338, that barrel will be shot-out and you will need to have it set back or rebarreled. Not to mention all the other wear and tear 2000 rounds of 338 will cause on even the best rifle.

(This is the point where lazy people who do not reload scroll to the bottom of the page to flame me and tell me how awesome Federal Gold Medal Match ammo is)

And this is the point where the hard core shooters who have been there, done that, will likely agree with what I am saying.

Don't buy a Gulfstream jet for the sake of owning a jet when you cant even fly a Cessna turboprop.

Burning out a barrel would be the last thing I care about with learning how to shoot a rifle. They are wear items.

 

[RHunter]

So why not lean to shoot something you don't care about rather than learning how to shoot something you do care about that will be toast when you finally do learn how to shoot it? It is not just the barrel that wears out, lugs wear down as well.

If the OP wants to dump all that cash to build a nice stick I say go for it. I am just trying to offer a bit of common sense advice that could possibly save him some hard earned cash.

 

[ajj7885]

I already own 2 .338 Lapua and shot the hell out of them. I have someone that does reloads for me, and I have been shooting most of my life. Time to build a trophy RHunter !

Merry Christmas!

P.S. I have a 1200 yard range in my backyard

 

[Kilmore]

Life is like death and only lasts a little while. Own and shoot the best weapons you can afford. None of your heirs will be disappointed by inheriting a high dollar, classic rifle or handgun. Teach the children all how to shoot and pass on the tradition to them.