338/378weatherby mag or 338 lapua?

[Exebshootr]

Just wondering what y'all think is better for long distance shooting, narrowed it down to the 338 Lapua or the 338/378 weatherby magnum...tips please! Believe it or not i was hitting regular sized targets down the hydroline at 900 yards with my ultra mag...but looking to step it up a bit. Please help! Lol i have 1 week to get the rifle orderes

[Tom Freeman]

338 Lapua.

Better brass that is easier to find.

[pjb45]

I don't shoot long distances but I know a number of folks that prefer the 338 Lapua. You might want to check out the cost of brass for both.

I know some guys that do precision rifle shooting at long distances.

Check this site: http://www.6mmbr.com/index.html and

http://www.scorehi.com

BTW: Charlie and Tate are serious competitors.

Don Golembieski at Kodiak Precision builds some incredible rifles.

Edited February 13, 2013 by pjb45

[Reed]

I have a 338/416 Rigby that is very similar to these options. The slippery slope theory got me into this chambering. I was living in North Dakota at the time, fairly new to rifle shooting, and after getting a nice deer rifle at an old gunsmith's I was in the process of getting some dog guns. These ultimately became my primary dog guns, a 22/6mm and a 6mm/06. Along the way he had one of these 338/416's come back and gave me a deal I couldn't pass up. It is fun to tinker with but I'll give some history in random thought fashion as I'm babysitting two young boys on 3rd day of stomach flu recovery.

This particular rifle went out unported and on a very lightweight stock, weighed maybe 10 pounds. I guess it was just too much for the guy who ordered it. When it came back I had it restocked and it weighed about 13 pounds then. I left the barrel untouched, a nice Hart match grade. Did all the case reforming and neck turning and proceeded to fire those rounds into the ground just to get forming completed. They really look wonky at first.... After maybe 20 rounds the 6/48 thread bases came out of the action so I had them converted to 8/40. Did some more serious shooting then but good Lord did this thing rattle the teeth. Next mod was to get it ported and this helped dramatically. Next trip out to the dogs it was far easier to shoot even though it still packed a wallop.

It is mainly a curiousity for me still and honestly for dogs I enjoy my other rifles much more. I've toyed with scoping it in a fashion where I could use it for a long range hunting rig.

That's just a bit of history to say that I agree with the statements above about 338 Lapua. Best brass bar none. I'm such a big fan of their brass that if I were to build from scratch again I would consider only a chambering that would use Lapua cases. No prep needed and will withstand pressure/use better than anything else.

Beyond that I would say weight is important. If the rifle's light then you need to be recoil tolerant. If not then no problem.

Lastly, make sure it is scoped well and that the scope is well anchored. With quality cases/loads and quality sighting you've eliminated many problems in long range shooting.

Sorry if this seemed scattered.....

[BlueOvalBandit]

What ultra mag are you shooting? If it's a 338 RUM, then why? There's almost no difference between the two ballistics wise if you're hand loading. If you have a 300 RUM and want something bigger, why not a 338 Edge, neck up you 300 RUM brass. I'd stick with 7mm mags myself since they fly better.