I want to build a budget .338 - Ideas

[Danco411]

As stated I'm jonesing for a .338 rifle. I'm a Savage junkie because I like working on them myself so it will be a homebuilt Savage. Savage makes two decent budget .338 Lapua rifles the FCP10 and the 111 LRH. I understand the LM has a different bolt head and a longer magazine than the standard L/A mag. But here are my questions for those who know the .338LM. Can you run the LM with a standard L/A receiver with the LM bolt head? What are the issues? Will it be easier to just get a LM donor rifle and mod from there? It appears most of the Savage Pre-Fit companies don't chamber for LM so I would have to get a blank and have it chambered or order a custom barrel. Anyone know of a Savage Prefit in .338LM?

Alternatives: Lots of info and good reveiws on the .338 Edge. The only downside I see is the lack of availability of 300RUM or 338RUM brass to convert. It appears to be unobtainium right now. McGowen makes a 28" 1:9 twist varmint contour SS barrel in .338 Edge that is priced well. I have had McGowens and they shot well. I could drop this barrel in a standard long action with magnum bolt and be good, except for the brass. It would suck buying expensive ammo just to get the brass.

I want to shoot it long which is the whole point. Any other reasonable options in .338? The A-squared .338-06 would be easy but I'm not sure if it would do the job as the velocity won't be there with the heavy match bullets. Thoughts?

 

[rcnpthfndr]

try these guys for 338LM prefit

McGowen Full Custom Barrels - Visit McGowenBarrel.com

I went the HS FCP route in 338LM as a intro into this caliber. the action looks to be the same length as the 110 actions I have in the safe. I am not home or I would measure things for ya and see what interchanges.

 

[ahhshoot]

I had a Savage 110 FCP. It was a good rifle for the price, and came with the HS Precision stock. It's a great starter 338. Was pretty accurate too. I don't think the action is the same as the standard long action. Mine was closed on top where the scope base mounts rather than open and the scope base screws were quite a bit bigger than on my other LA savages.

 

[I Am Hero]

I just got the 110BA and didn't even bother with upgrades until I went ahead and built myself a custom one on a R700 action. It had an awesome chassis (although heavy) and the accuracy on it was very decent for a factory rifle (as all savages are).

I don't know about Savage but with Remington they make a dedicated 338 Lapua action, a standard 700 does not work. It is a replicated M24 action that they put on their 338s.

 

[PowerstrokeOBX]

I want to build a budget .338 - Ideas

I wouldn't say RUM brass is unobotanium. My local gun store has 300 pieces on the shelf and every BPS or cabelas I go into has some 300 RUM brass.

Online might be a different story.

 

[E. Bryant]

Note that factory Savage rifles in 338LM and the WSM cartridges are built on a large-shank action. Chambering a small-shank action for one of these cartridges (or one of a similar size, including the RUM family) may not be the brightest idea; it may hold together under normal conditions, but there isn't much margin of safety if something goes wrong.

If I were stuck using a small-shank action, I would probably stick to something like the .300WM.

 

[mrbig]

I had a 110 FCPHS in 338 LM and it would not extract the 285 Hornady factory ammo,,with Lapua brass and 300 gr OTM`s I got stuck cases down as low as 83 grs H1000,,none of the barrel makers will sell you a prefit barrel in 338LM for a Savage action for a reason,,

 

[Dogtown]

Build a .300WM instead, if you're serious about building a budget rifle capable of ELR engagements.

 

[xringaccuracy]

Budget (meaning less expensive) and 338 LM dont usually go hand in hand. We have fixed many Savage 338's as well as some other brands. Your best bet if you want a 338 that performs to its potential is to go with a custom build. If you buy a say, Savage 338, it will need a barrel, a good trigger, bedding, truing, etc and before long you are at custom rifle prices. You know the saying, buy once, cry once. But to get a true 338LM to shoot like a banshee, a custom build is your best bet, no way around it.

 

[shadydiesel]

Look into a cz action with the 416 bolt face. McMillan mchale stock and custom barrel of your choice.

 

[W54/XM-388]

The feeding of a .338LM is not usually compatible with the whole "budget" idea
You can find some really good deals on SAKO TRG-42 rifles... seems many underestimate the cost of feeding them.

 

[LRJammer]

I find the idea of a "budget" build of any rifle that is chambered for $5 bills amusing. If you are serious about that kind of range, then it requires a corresponding commitment to the rifle if you are actually going to hit anything at that range, at the cost of that ammo.

 

[shoot4fun]

Build a .300WM instead, if you're serious about building a budget rifle capable of ELR engagements.

Listen to this guy!
You can build a 300WM with 1 in 10 twist to shoot the 230 Berger Hybrid or OTM and you will not be disappointed. I have done the 338 LM thing. It would kiss shankster's sister before I did it again.

 

[Abandoned ship]

as others have said, if it is truely budget build (different definitions of budget apply to different people) I would look at 300wm or 7mag if you handload which truely fall into more normal "budget" type of builds. Seeing as how a lot of the new precision minded factory rifles are shooting less than one MOA I feel like you could really get into some extended range shooting without really spending a fortune doing it.

my idea of a budget build was a 308 sps tac and an SWFA 3-15 ffp which i bought about 2 months ago. I shot a five shot group the other day (100 yards, yawn I know) with a .8 spread with the xmp trigger and junk hogue stock off a bipod from a bench with factory loaded ammo.

I take it you're a savage guy being DIY type and there are quite a few offerings to get you started on ELR shooting without chambering stuff for 5 dollar bills. Also look into the remington long range series.

 

[Dogtown]

And for clarity, I'm not poo-pooing .338LM - it's the cartridge I shoot most! It's just not a budget cartridge at this point, however it will kick the snot out of other magnums such as .300WM when you start shooting past 1400 yards or so*


*or if you're a cheater like me and shoot sub-1000 yard matches in high wind against guys with .308s

 

[CNC_Apps_Guy]

110BA .338 LM owner.

Confession time; when I saw "Budget" and ".338 Lapua in the title, I just had to take a peek.

The 110BA is my favorite gun to shoot hands down. I'd rather send 20 rounds down range of .338LM than spend all day with any of my other rifles. It's that much fun.

What it does to my wallet is another story though.

Reloading can keep it from bankrupting you.

 

[CNC_Apps_Guy]

110BA .338 LM owner.

Confession time; when I saw "Budget" and ".338 Lapua in the title, I just had to take a peek.

The 110BA is my favorite gun to shoot hands down. I'd rather send 20 rounds down range of .338LM than spend all day with any of my other rifles. It's that much fun.

What it does to my wallet is another story though.

Reloading can keep it from bankrupting you.

 

[Danco411]

110BA .338 LM owner.

Confession time; when I saw "Budget" and ".338 Lapua in the title, I just had to take a peek.

The 110BA is my favorite gun to shoot hands down. I'd rather send 20 rounds down range of .338LM than spend all day with any of my other rifles. It's that much fun.

What it does to my wallet is another story though.

Reloading can keep it from bankrupting you.

Exactly. I guess my choice of words was wrong. I reload so I'll never be $5 per round (at least after I get some brass). My thoughts were to really build my own which is why I thought Savage. I am a DIY guy and although I appreciate a good custom rifle by a reputable gunsmith I appreciate one I built myself much more. I'm also not a competitor so out of the box sub minute 1700 yard shots are not important to me. Working on it and improving it would be my goal through both upgrading parts and load development. I can get a 10FCP-HS .338 from Buds for $1150 which in my mind is pretty budget for a .338 Lapua rifle. I could eventually upgrade the barrel and put it into a chassis.

I'm one of those who just loves the Accutrigger. With the light spring set at 1.5 lbs I'm very happy. And it is not from a lack of trying better triggers as I have a Geiselle in all my AR's. I have friends who shoot 300WM and I reload for them. Yes it is a capable cartridge but that is not my goal. I shoot a .260 Rem in an XLR chassis that is insanely precise so I have long range covered. I want a .338 for the high BC bullets and because they are flat out cool! This is a hobby for me not a job.

Thanks for the input guys. As soon as my .308 LSS build sells I'll buy something.

 

[CNC_Apps_Guy]

I almost went with the 10-FCP but I had a little more in the budget than I anticipated so I went with the evil looking black one.

I don't regret it for a second. If you get Lapua Brass, it'll run you about $2.50/round but that's good brass and you'll usually get about a dozen or more cycles out of it (of course it totally depends on how hot you load - closer to 87grains and you'll get max life, closer to 92 and you'll get max wear and tear).

Regardless, have fun. Myself, I'd love to do more DIY stuff but I'm so busy it would stay in pieces for years. I've got a few 80% lowers that I've not got around to machining yet.

 

[ahhshoot]

When I bought my 338 my dad asked me why I would ever want something like that. He is a minimalist and loves his 243. But after he put a round on the steel at 500y on his first shot, and he looked at me with the biggest smile on his face that I'd seen in years, I knew he knew exactly why I bought that rifle.

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Tapatalk

 

[mrbig]

from my 18 months shooting the Savage 110 FCPHS 338 LM,the best way I can describe it is like a Chevy Vega a friend of mine had in the 80`s with a 400 small block on nitrous,,do yourself a favor and at least put that much power in a Nova or a Malibu but a Z28 or Corvette would be a lot better,,

if I had all the wasted money I spent trying to get that POS to shoot I could buy an AR30,,look at the bolt face of a Savage 338 LM and notice how thin the rim around the case head is,,,if you want 338 LM performance and must use the Savage action I would recommend using the 340 Weatherby or 338 RUM case,,either will do anything the Lapua Magnum will and maybe even be able to leave your cleaning rod at home when going to shoot,,

340 Weatherby may not sound as sexy as 338 Lapua Magnum,but the bullet will shoot the same with a lot less problems from a case that will actually fit in the action you choose,,otherwise get ready to put airshocks on the front to hold that motor up and have a tow truck owner on speed dial,,