300 mag or 338 Lupua

[4runnerman]

Ok . Need some input here from the masses... Looking at a new rifle for next year. I have made a choice as to what to get,now i just need advice on what caliber to get. Purpose--I shoot paper only,so no hunting, But i am into extreame long range shooting. The 2 choices are a 300 or a 338 Lupua.
Both rifles are identical in looks. I know there are other choices ,but im stuck on this one.

 

[olddav]

How much do you want to spend on ammo?

 

[4runnerman]

oldav-Im running about 300.00 month right now in 308 and 223 and i reload. I don't think i would be shooting this one as much as the 223 and 308. I would be shooting it every weekend but not as many rounds.

 

[Chinny33]

ever looked into the 300 RUM?

 

[mapsjanhere]

2nd on the 300 RUM, especially for the reloader. No belt means longer brass life compared to the 300 WM, and brass cost 1/3rd of the 338 LM.

 

[old roper]

4runnerman, Not lot but there are good 338cal LR bullets and there almost double the cost of 30cal bullets. I would base caliber on your range condition assuming you checked out the cost on shooting the 338 Lapua vs 300mag.

Not know what you consider extreme range but would think got to be 1000yd you might do better with the 338 Lapua handle the wind better etc. that Lapau 300gr bullet has a BC of .810 vs that new 230gr Hybrid 30 cal from Berger has BC .743

My gunsmith has build couple 338 Lapua guys seem to like them use down at Raton for those tac matches. On the wildcat side the 338 Edge is getting popular here. I'm playing with Berger 30cal 185gr VLD LR bullet sure be easy moving up to the 338 bullets. Well good luck

 

[taylorce1]

My gunsmith has build couple 338 Lapua guys seem to like them use down at Raton for those tac matches. On the wildcat side the 338 Edge is getting popular here. I'm playing with Berger 30cal 185gr VLD LR bullet sure be easy moving up to the 338 bullets. Well good luck

IIRC the .338 Edge is just a .300 RUM necked up. Again going from memory the .338 Edge and Rum have different shoulder locations but basically the same round. The .338 Edge came out by wildcatters before Remington could release the .338 RUM. The .338 Edge (should have wrote RUM) can be had in factory rifles as well and is cheaper to feed than the .338 Lapua.

However if your heart is set on the Savage BA rifle then I'd run the .300 Win Mag. It is just cheaper to shoot all around if you buy ammunition or reload. Without knowing what ranges you want to shoot I'd say the .300 Win will allow you to utilize all 1000 yard ranges as effectively as the .338 Lapua. If you start pushing past 1K then the Lapua is going to start edging out the .300 Win Mag.

 

[old roper]

taylorce1, Most that would build the 338 Edge understand the it's the 300RUM cases necked up to 338 cal but you can't buy what the 338 Edge does. Again this buy factory vs building

Here a good article on the 338 Edge
http://www.longrangehunting.com/articles/338-edge-1.php

I forgot to add you be welcome on the longrangehunting site we sure welcome you comment on comparing the 338RUM to the 338 Edge.

 

[5RWill]

.338 Lapua is hellishly expensive to shoot reloading or not. Unless your prepared for that kind of money put into rounds alone, i would pass on it. .338 Lapua is one of the few rifle i consider a buy when you retired kind of thing. They're just ridiculously expensive to shoot. .300RUM, .30-.338(not quite as expensive but still) .300WM and .300WBY you can push 220gr and 240gr SMKs out of. Personally lets say your not prepared to spend all the money on the .338Lapua, i'd go for the RUM load up some .240gr SMKs and take her to 1400.

For 1000yds .300wm is fun and all but i don't see it as a straight 1000yd gun. When i think .300WM or better i think at least 1200+. .338 lapua is generating into 1600 territory.

As I shot my first rounds of .338 Lapua Magnum through Ray's TRG-42, I knew I would own a rifle in this caliber. Shooting like a laser beam to 1200 yards, "edge of target" holds for wind often hit when lesser calibers require precise windage adjustments. The .338 Lapua at 1200 yards is still more powerful than .44 Magnum at the muzzle.

For the last year, we have been shooting these rifles side by side at targets out to 1600 yards.

http://demigodllc.com/articles/military-338-lapua-rifles-trg42-awsm/

Although she certainly is a fierce round to own

 

[taylorce1]

old roper, thanks for pointing out my mistake with the Edge, somtimes my fingers work faster than my brains. I lurk over there on LR Hunting but I haven't joined. I'm not prepared to run with the big dogs yet, as my only LR rig is a Stevens 200 in .243 Win I put together this last year. I haven't found a place or the time to take it past 300 yet until I get my portable targets built.

Again going from memory the Edge has less than 10% more case capacity than the RUM. Being able to get a .338 RUM in a factory rifle right now is the only reason I'd get it over the Edge. The Edge would be my choice if I did a custom build, however I'm cheap and I hate to use cartridges that burn more than 70 grains of powder. I like to get at least 100 reloads per pound of powder.

 

[old roper]

taylorce1, The guys who would build the 338 EDGE is not interested in the standard type 338 RUM if you understood the first part of the article.

If you read the 2nd part of that article on loading data you might understand why some would build one instead of posting. "Again going from memory the Edge has less than 10% more case capacity than the RUM."

 

[taylorce1]

I haven't had time to sit down and read the article yet but I'll take a look at it soon as I get the chance.

I've read the article and looked around some more this is what I found.

Old roper, I read the article and found some things pretty interesting. However I’ve done some more research as well on the .338 Edge vs. .338 RUM. I found that the 150-200 fps gain for 6 grains of powder that the Edge is reported to get really depends on the barrel that the rifle has. Plus the Edge was first purpose built with a 30” barrel and that was what the data in the article was based on. I’ve found .338 RUM data that is within that 150-200 fps difference but so far it has all been done with 24-26” barrels. So if a guy was to lose an average 25-50 fps per inch of barrel difference then that would account for the .338 Edges performance gains over the RUM cartridge.

Even Shawn Carlock over on LR Hunting forums says the performance gains of the Edge are closer to 100 fps on average if both rifles have 30" barrels. I don’t know for sure about all this as I can’t afford to build two rifles the same and run it across a chronograph. I just know from dealing with other cartridges a less than 10% gain in powder doesn’t add up to 150+ fps gain in velocity.

Shawn Carlock
Sponsor
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: North Idaho
Posts: 1,623

Re: 338 edge?

I don't want there to be any confusion about this. I developed the 338-300 RUM in 2000-2001. I never claimed to be the first to neck a 300 RUM case up to 338. I named the cartridge 338 Edge because I had caught some rumblings that Remington was going to introduce a 338 RUM but the case was to be a little shorter and I wanted to avoid any confusion about what could be chambered in the chambering. If you can get a 338 RUM to fire in an Edge chamber the results are nasty. It has been my experience that the Edge will best the 338 RUM by 75-100 fps in 30" barrels. In shorter barrels and especially lighter bullets the difference in very little. The simple fact is that I had wanted something very easy to load for (no fire forming) with good performance using heavy VLD bullets , specifically at the time the 300 gr SMK. To that end I accomplished what I had wanted and began recommending it to customers, writing articles, shooting hunting videos, renting them in LRH classes etc. It is alot of this work in hunting / tactical platforms and recommendation that I will take credit for. If the 338 Edge's current popularity was from someone elses work, most people would be calling it a 338-300 or any of several other names I have seen it called. Reality is this if you are launching a 300 gr SMK @ 2800+ you will be happy with your rifle as a long range hunter, chambering is and always will be a debated issue. I know what I like and what works for me. I hope this helps in your quest for a 338 LR hunting rifle.

So in conclusion I’d have to say again if I was building a custom long range rifle in .338 I’d probably go with the Edge over the RUM or Lapua. If I was buying a rifle off the shelf at the local sporting goods store I’d buy the RUM (or in the case of the OP a .300 Win Mag) before the Lapua based solely off of the price of ammunition and components. Sorry if I’m not seeing eye to eye with you on the Edge, I just am not finding a whole lot of difference in the three cartridges .338 Edge/Lapua/RUM other than cost of ammunition and components. I’m almost positive the shooter will not see the difference in the field as well.

 

[TheGoldenState]

ever looked into the 300 RUM?

Yep, what I came to say!

 

[pabuckslayer08]

If you arnt worried about price to shoot the .338 is the round for you. Basically shoots as far as any human can shoot. Not that the .300 wont but still, the .338 has its advantages on the range at 1200 yards and out

 

[4runnerman]

Thanks to all for the help and info. Looks like i have afew other options to look at first. Yes i will plan on shooting this past 1000 yards for sure.

 

[Zak Smith]

Just a couple comments--

The .338 RUM basically matches .338LM performance fps per fps, grain for grain, and as a lot cheaper components.

The 7mm RM and WSM have long-range and extreme long-range (1200-1800 yards) performance very, very close to the .338LM, other than bullet mass.