.338 Win Mag vs .338 Lapua Mag or .300 Win Mag

Big Sky Redneck

I can read data but data doesn?t give real world experiances.

Found a Sako .338WM in my search for the perfect .338 Lapua Mag. Not wanting a tactical plastic rifle I?ve been looking for a heavy barreled wood stocked rifle and I stumbled upon this Win Mag and it caught my eye.

So tell me, for practical purposes, long range big game will the Win Mag do the job? What ranges can I expect using bullets 200+? Accuracy? Coke can accuracy at say 500 yards?

Opinions?

Ricci Wright

I just sold an unfired Winchester M70 .338 Win Mag.

buschmaster

from what I have read, .300 Win Mag is a pretty accurate cartridge. some still prefer it over others that have more power and better ballistics because of the accuracy.

toad67

Have you checked out a 300prc??

nononsense

Big Sky Redneck,

So tell me, for practical purposes, long range big game will the Win Mag do the job? What ranges can I expect using bullets 200+? Accuracy? Coke can accuracy at say 500 yards?

I think that the 'big game' portion of the question needs an answer. North American? Elk, Grizzly, Polar Bear, Moose?

If you're like most of us, Elk is usually the biggest target we pursue and 500 yards is very reasonable for a longer shot. I also have an appreciation of Sako products for their design and quality. Given this, your choice of the .338 Win. Mag. is certainly ideal. With the 200+ bullets, you should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,000 ft/lbs at the muzzle and 2,000 ft/lbs at 500 yards. Plenty good enough!

If you buy this rifle or any rifle with a wood stock, be sure to remove the barreled action from the stock and seal the barrel channel. If possible, remove the recoil pad and seal that area as well. Bed the barreled action if you have time, the improvement is very noticeable.

I hope you enjoy your new prize!

Best.

Sam06

Good advise nononsense!!

All 3 will do the job. The 338LM is going to be the best of the 3 but with that its also going to be the heaviest in weight and recoil and ammo is expensive, and hard to find for hunting.

The 300 Winchester Mag is a good choice, ammo is easy to find and there is plenty of it to test and choose from.

The 338 Winchester Mag same as the 300 but a better all around cartridge IMO.

A good middle of the road would be the 338 Remington Ultra Mag. It is between the 338LM and the 338Win Mag. It headspaces on the shoulder like the Lapua so it will be more accurate in the long run. If you handload you won't get any more out of it than store bought ammo except accuracy. The ammo is expensive and I think Remington is the only company that makes it.

As far as a rifle is concerned I would snatch up a Sako anytime they are good guns but I would be on the look out for an older used Remington 700 or a Sako. The good thing is they will not be shot much.

Oh yea don't forget the 340 Weatherby and the 338-375 Weatherby.

gearheaddad

I'm a big fan of the 338 Win Mag. 5-6 years ago I didn't own one. I'm a born and bred 30-06 guy.
Since watching my friend take a couple of elk with the 338 Win Mag, it made a believer out of me.
Now I have a Browning BAR, Steyr Model S, Custom belgium Bolt Action, and a Browning Safari Grade all in 338 Win Mag.
The BAR and the Steyr are both a treat to shoot and deadly accurate. I would not think twice of shooting Elk sized critters at 4-500 yards with them.
Buddy has the 338 Lapua, and it's just too damn heavy and the ammo is really costly!
All that being said, I'm more of a hunter than a shooter, so I always try for the 150 yard or less shot if at all possible.......

Big Sky Redneck

Thanks, I need to repurpose or retire my .300WM. It?s a Howa 1500(WTBY Vanguard) with a pencil barrel and I haven?t measured the rifling but any bullets over 150G looks like a shotgun pattern at 100 yards. I?ve tried a bunch of different ammo and that thing just will not shoot anything over 150G.

So, replace it with another .300WM or go to a .338. Been wanting a Lapua but they are all plastic tacticool bench guns or just a cheap gun chambered in Lapua.

That Sako, man that has me thinking real hard!

Sam06

The 338 LP unless its is in a big gun with a long barrel and a brake is going to be 1. A bear to carry and 2. Beat you up on the bench.

I would stick with a 338 Winchester Mag or a 340 Weatherby.

Those Howa actions are nice actions you could get a Gun Smith to put a nice 25" barrel in a #2 contour and glass the action for about what a new gun would cost especially if you buy the barrel.

bustedknee

I hunted Alaska for 35 years with a 338 Winchester Magnum. It is sufficient for any game animal in North America including Brown Bear and Moose.

I do not believe the extra fps of those other calibers makes even the tinest difference to the target animal.

I accomplished several long shots over the years using the old Redfield BDC. So my opinion is, any improvement in trajectory by using a slightly faster cartridge is probably nil.

Ammo for the 338WM is common in Alaska as well as the mountain states so cost is reasonable.

I sighted in at 100 yards and used the BDC without problems. 1 - 1&1/4 in. groups were the norm.

Wood stock swelling caused some POI shift in nasty weather. Synthetic stock recommended.

After some years I set up a 300 yard range and was floored when I shot a 1 & 3/4 in group! 1st group.!

Rifle was a Ruger m77. 180 bullets.

I own 338WM and 300WM and IMO both are hard kickers but the 338 exhibits more push than sharp whack.

I have shot the 300 ultra mag and it produces a very sharp kick. Very.

Sam06

Another round to look at is the 264 Win Mag. With a 26" barrel it was choice for elk at long range, worked on Mule deer and speed goats too.

Like anything else bullet placement in the key.