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

[RHunter]

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

Then why are you interested in buying the garbage posted in this thread? Why not hire yourself a weapons design engineer, buy yourself a machine shop, hire a couple guys to run it, and build exactly what you want and as many as you want and if they are hot shit, I may even want to buy one from you. An "AJ7885 338 Lapua Mag" has a nice ring to it.

You could even film the promotional video on the range in your back yard! That would be super cool!

 

[Blackbrush]

Call Chad at Longrifles....

 

[E. Bryant]

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?

Yes, they are generally capable of shooting better than 0.5 MOA. But that's not the point. They are reliable and durable. There is a factory and a distributor network backing up the rifles in the rare occurrence that they require service or repair. They offer interchangeable parts (a concept which was first pioneered in the firearms industry circa 1801 by Eli Whitney and then somehow forgotten or ignored by many in that same industry over the following couple hundred years). The ergonomics are well-thought, the 60-degree bolt throw is awesome, and the two-stage trigger is perfect for practical applications.

In short, they are not delicate, temperamental snowflakes.

 

[garandman]

Yes, they are generally capable of shooting better than 0.5 MOA. But that's not the point. They are reliable and durable. There is a factory and a distributor network backing up the rifles in the rare occurrence that they require service or repair. They offer interchangeable parts (a concept which was first pioneered in the firearms industry circa 1801 by Eli Whitney and then somehow forgotten or ignored by many in that same industry over the following couple hundred years). The ergonomics are well-thought, the 60-degree bolt throw is awesome, and the two-stage trigger is perfect for practical applications.

In short, they are not delicate, temperamental snowflakes.

Not to start a whizzing contest, I only say this for the OP's benefit....

Of all that, I got all that matters to me with two custom builds in XLR chassis. For half the price per rifle.

My point is you can spend a million dollars, but it doesn't mean you got your money's worth. To spend twice the money, I'd hafta get twice the rifle as what I bought. And I really don't believe AI gives ya that. I think yer paying for the name and the advertising and the glam of being able to say you got an AI.

If that's what people want, I'm fine with that too. I just prefer to get the most I can for the money I spend, which of course is a somewhat subjective matter.

 

[Bruiser_Joe]

Right now you can find ai's for around 5k-6k which is what you see 338's for from gap or surgeon. Both great builders who I would own in a heartbeat but for a large 338 for wear and tear and use I think ai's are hard to beat. They are internally rebuildable and will outlast you.

 

[garandman]

Right now you can find ai's for around 5k-6k which is what you see 338's for from gap or surgeon. Both great builders who I would own in a heartbeat but for a large 338 for wear and tear and use I think ai's are hard to beat. They are internally rebuildable and will outlast you.

All true, no doubt. The pic I posted above is a $3K rifle (w/o glass) that I certainly expect to outlive me (with barrel changes, which every rifle will eventually need)

 

[emsp]

For your price range, I would recommend the MRAD. I love the way it shoots. Topped with an an SB PMII and a TBAC 338 BA, its quiet and sexy, plus you get the range associated with the 338lm. If OP wants a 338lm, that is what he wants. Long range shooting is a sport that you are limited by the caliber, you cant hit 2000+ yards with a 223. I have at least 12K in my MRAD, and when I miss a shot, the weak link in the weapons system is me. Having quality equipment makes troubleshooting problems easier. Spend the money upfront and get top shelf.

 

[Bruiser_Joe]

All true, no doubt. The pic I posted above is a $3K rifle (w/o glass) that I certainly expect to outlive me (with barrel changes, which every rifle will eventually need)

If the guy has the budget why not push him the right direction, you can certainly do the same thing in a savage or a r700 in a hogue stock too. He gave his budget and what he wants out of a gun. I would put my 338 AI against just about any other custom action built 338 in varied conditions under hard use. To me that makes a difference. I use r700's and stillers at work and have watched them fail. You get what you pay for and i believe you get a more robust system in an AI, you can have anyone you want rebarrel or barrel it for you if you would like. If he doesn't like or fit a AI stock then by all means buy what fits you and your budget. He asked and people are giving their opinion of which are you very eager to counter. Enjoy your rifle and give your .02 let him pick through the pennies for the ones he wants.

 

[garandman]

If the guy has the budget why not push him the right direction, you can certainly do the same thing in a savage or a r700 in a hogue stock too. He gave his budget and what he wants out of a gun.

Let's assume an AI is a "10" rifle and costs $5500. I would rate my rifle a "9.9" and it only costs $3K. There's ALOT you can do with that $2500, where you'll prolly never need the "0.1" portion of rifle.

"I would put my 338 AI against just about any other custom action built 338 in varied conditions under hard use. To me that makes a difference.

And that's a completely legit decision. I have no reason whatsoever to believe my $3K rifle wouldn't do everything an AI would. Beyond that, I'm not an "operator" and my life will likely never depend on my rifle. So I can't justify the extra cost on that basis.

He asked and people are giving their opinion of which are you very eager to counter. Enjoy your rifle and give your .02 let him pick through the pennies for the ones he wants.

That's cool. I got nothing against AI. I would ask the same questions of an MRAD, or any other big $$ rifle. I'd suggest a buyer be able to seriously quantify / identify what the extra $2500 really buys.

 

[Kilmore]

Garandman, your gun is ugly. Just my opinion.

 

[poison123]

I'd stay away from the MRAD. If you were gonna get one just get the Bravo98....same gun just no bullshit barrel swap system that people have been waiting on for 2 years.

AI is a bad ass combo if you like the stock. Sure the entry fee is more than a normal rifle.....so what. If a person is spending 338 money what is another 2-3k to get a rifle that will last forever. Hell you burn out a 338lm barrel in what 2k rounds? Thats 12k in ammo if your talking factory, or 6k if you reload yourself. If you can't afford another 2-3k in the rifle you picked the wrong caliber to shoot.

 

[garandman]

Garandman, your gun is ugly. Just my opinion.

Weird comment. Really.

But that's what this thread is. All opinion. You may have noticed from my posts above regarding AI / the big $$ guns .... I think a lot of people buy them so that OTHER PEOPLE will be happy with their purchase, and give 'em internet attaboys. . If yer really observant, you also prolly caught that I don't care about other peoples opinions of my stuff, cuz I didn't buy my guns to make other people happy.

Anyway, my only point here for the OP is this -

Get what you pay for. Don't pay more than you need to. And don't put more weight to other people's opinions than your own.

 

[xdeano]

If no one else on this post gets what you're saying, I do. I've shot several of the AI platforms. Good gun just hate the stock. Loved the action, that's why I went with the badger action. Get a different stock and you've got something.

Now as far as gap rifles are concerned, awesome rifles, I've had one Shot the.hell out of it. But if you give the.same components to any compitent smith they can give you the same results just isn't the name stamped on the side.

Id rather spend the money on glass and ammo.

Xdeano

Let's assume an AI is a "10" rifle and costs $5500. I would rate my rifle a "9.9" and it only costs $3K. There's ALOT you can do with that $2500, where you'll prolly never need the "0.1" portion of rifle.



And that's a completely legit decision. I have no reason whatsoever to believe my $3K rifle wouldn't do everything an AI would. Beyond that, I'm not an "operator" and my life will likely never depend on my rifle. So I can't justify the extra cost on that basis.





That's cool. I got nothing against AI. I would ask the same questions of an MRAD, or any other big $$ rifle. I'd suggest a buyer be able to seriously quantify / identify what the extra $2500 really buys.

 

[garandman]

Id rather spend the money on glass and ammo.

Xdeano

That concept is incomprehensible to some people, apparently. But I don't wanna crap in this thread. I gave the OP my two cents ( worth less than that with deflation) so I'll bow out.

 

[shooterrdy]

Built Mine with a blue printed Rem. 700, Kreiger turned to Light Palma, Holland QD brake, badger base and rings and bolt knob, McMillan A5 Adjustable, Tuned Remington Trigger, CDI CIP BM.
Rifle shoots well but action is just not quit long enough to allow long .300 grn. Bullets to load well out of CIP length mags. .250 bullets are good to go.

Regrets, Not buying a heavier Action could not afford a Surgeon at the time but now regret it and not using a better trigger, if could do over would use APA, Stiller, Badger, Surgeon etc. action and a Huber Trigger.

That would however double the cost of the rifle. Do it Right, Do it Once.

 

[Kilmore]

I bought an AIAW .300 win mag rifle just like the one I was issued on active duty. I engaged many Taliban Fighters with it. The rifle never failed me once. I doubt many of the modern rifles would survive a drop test or a hard landing on a HALO insertion. AI rifles are combat tested and proven by military units worldwide. What is your life worth to you is the real question here. This EDM .338 is a really great rifle also, very accurate for a QD barrel set up.

 

[E. Bryant]

Lots of opinionated talk here from someone who has yet to shoot his own rifle, much less the competition. Interesting.

 

[rubicon_unlimited]

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.

Who was the smith on this build?

 

[The salmon]

Go to Mike at Tac-Ops
If you look at the targets from his rifles the average grouping is about .100 from what I've seen
But he usually does .308 so I'm not sure if he does .338

 

[xdeano]

Who was the smith on this build?

will send a pm.

xdeano

 

[Forgetful Coyote]

Im also wondering where you got the idea Krieger barrels are not adequate? Krieger, Bartlein, Brux, Lilja, Benchmark, Broughton etc and several others are all winning and setting records in all the various Benchrest matches. From the equipment lists Ive seen of the various 1000yd Benchrest matches, Krieger-barreled rifles in particular are nearly guaranteed to be in the top 5 of almost every match. The same could be said for Bartlein, Brux, and Lilja as well as a few others. Theyre the best in the world.

Per Mr Frank Green, Bartlein actually made the barrels for the Accuracy International and Remington SOCOM PSR-competition rifles. I could be wrong, but I believe Bartlein supplies the barrels for most of AI`s rifles, if not all. Again, correct me if Im wrong on that because Im not real sure.

Also, the well-known Tactical Operations, aka Tac-Ops, uses Krieger barrels almost exclusively for their rifles. Again, correct me if Im wrong on that. But I shouldnt have to tell anyone here what kinda accuracy Tac-Ops rifles put out. Absolutely ridiculous for a carry-weight rifle. Well into BR territory.

GA Precision uses Bartlein barrels almost exclusively for their rifles, unless the customer wants otherwise. Same thing, I doubt its really necessary to explain their reputation.

What Im getting at, is both Krieger and Bartlein are on the top of the food chain for barrels, along with several others mentioned in this thread. A lot of the ones I mentioned are about as high in quality on the planet for cut-rifled barrels. Arguably, and some may/may not agree, Lilja is probably the best reputed button-rifled barrels. Pretty much every barrel mentioned in this thread though is virtually on the same plane as far as quality. There wont be much discernible difference unless your name is Jerry Tierney or you compete against him and his ilk. And guess what, he uses Krieger barrels, as well as others:
NBRSA 1K Winner Jerry Tierney

Mainly I just dont see how you can find a barrel thats better than a Krieger, or Bartlein, or Lilja, or Brux, or Broughton, or...etc. Did you read a negative review or something? Because from absolutely everything Ive seen, Krieger(and others) are, like I said, the top of the food chain. It doesnt get any better than these barrels. Unless youre looking for a Carbon Fiber-wrapped barrel or something like that.

I bought an AIAW .300 win mag rifle just like the one I was issued on active duty. I engaged many Taliban Fighters with it. The rifle never failed me once. I doubt many of the modern rifles would survive a drop test or a hard landing on a HALO insertion. AI rifles are combat tested and proven by military units worldwide. What is your life worth to you is the real question here. This EDM .338 is a really great rifle also, very accurate for a QD barrel set up.

Hello kilmore, Blake here. This is off-topic, but I was curious, may I ask what branch/unit youre with? Were you serving in/with the British military? Shoot me down if Im outta line with that question sir. Im not trying to endanger any lives by asking stupid questions, so again, shoot me down if you were with one of the "cant confirm or deny" groups. But I didnt think our boys got to use AI rifles. Atleast not the conventional Big Army/Navy/USMC. For that matter, Ive never heard of SOCOM using AI`s. Guess we`re not really supposed to hear about what theyre using though, or anything else about them for that matter. Please dont take this the wrong way, Im not calling into question your service. I was just wondering if AI rifles are in widespread service/use by the US military. Do you see a lot of AI`s in the hands of American snipers?

Thank you for your service sir,
Blake.

 

[johnson8861]

I will say seal team 2 uses a 700 la in a aiaw chassis. It is chambered for 300 win mag, and is a damn sweet gun.

 

[Forgetful Coyote]

I will say seal team 2 uses a 700 la in a aiaw chassis. It is chambered for 300 win mag, and is a damn sweet gun.

Ohh yeahh, I feel like an idiot. That mustve been exactly what kilmore was talking about, the Mk. 13 or a variant thereof. I was under the impression he meant real-deal AI-built rifles. Wow Im dumb.

 

[brianf]

AJ7885:
i understand where you are coming from. this thread like all other threads has turned into a AI vs the world thread, but that is not what you asked. if you have the budget go and spend how you like, just please send some pics when you get done.
i would go with:

surgeon XL, stiller
bartlein 1-9.## 3 grove 28-31"
Ashbury saber-forsst (have one for about 2 months now and put all my other stocks to shame. like it more than my AI, AICS, Manners T5, TRG, MCM A5, XLR. got a bunch of screws and doesnt look like hunter rifle but it sure is sweet.
timney trigger or original tuned rem trigger (still one of my best)
APA Fat bastard brake
LRA bipod
SPUHR mount
nightforce scope (i have S&B, and they are so close it doesnt matter so please do start a nightforce vs SB thread everybody), i just happen to like fell of nightforce a little better, but that is me

I know you said you can shoot and have a range outside, but then i would go for a class or two to really get tuned in. 1200 yards out back is something most can only dream of but if 1200 is the norm or the max you are not even making the lapua sweat. that is 300 win mag territory.

but again it is your money so have at it and have fun shooting, hell i shoot my 338LM at the local 100 yard range once in a while to keep up my recoil management etc..

or just go to APA/Patriot arms and have jared build you insanely accurate rifle.